Is Coopersville a Mary Sue? Somehow Arguable!

Earlier, I read up on what exactly defines a character as a "Mary Sue". Originally, it was a term coined within Star Trek fan fiction for write-in characters which were really just self-inserted fantasy characters that the author used to project him or herself within the series. Over time, the term has changed, as more series began to portray main characters with virtually no flaws and little need to develop.

The Z-Comics mimic the characters of Dragonball Z, which is well known for its Mary Sue-type heroes that just wouldn't die, or ever really have a shortage of power. In the Z-Comics, any solution to Coopersville's problems is usually a new transformation. In every issue to date, and the ones I have planned, he's pretty much incapable of losing a fight. But let's look at the actual traits of a Mary Sue, and see how many actually add up.

* The Sue is instantly liked by all the other characters - MISS

Coopersville is widely disliked and hated by most of the characters in the comics. He's the immature tyrant of a conquered town that he renamed after himself. He's often criticized by the townspeople, and attempts are frequently made on his life. Strangers, and even other members of THE Z0NE, mock him, question his power, and are quick to make note of his moments of stupidity. If he's ever given respect by a neutral party, it's because they're exploiting him for his strength. Even the love interest, Karen, doesn't warm up to him until about issue #9 (ten issues have been completed so far).

* Multiple characters fall in love with the Sue for little reason - MISS

I can't even think of any tertiary characters that express their love for Coopersville. Sometimes fanfare is given for his achievements. Otherwise everyone's quite bitter towards him, or at most lukewarm, until Karen eventually warms up to him.

* The Sue is unrealistically selfless, courageous, and/or intelligent - MISS

Coopersville is a teenager who clearly displays the mentality of a teenager. He's generally pretty ignorant, inconsiderate, and misogynist. Any acts that he performs which could maybe be mistaken for selflessness or courageousness are often acts of arrogance in response to someone who he feels has wronged or disrespected him in some way. If he helps someone, ulterior motives are almost always in play.


* The Sue learns difficult things unrealistically fast - HIT

This is a very blatant hit. Yodariquo, another member of THE Z0NE, is depicted as being obsessed with training and self-improvement. Coopersville, on the other hand, seems to gain all of his power inherently (though he does get in noticeably more battles than the other Zoners, which could be a possible explanation). When he is incapable of defeating a new enemy, he is able to transform to a new level seemingly only because of his will to never lose. In one issue, most of his power is taken away from him. He remedies this by training with some Jedi so that he can learn to wield light weapons and The Force as a means of taking his powers back from the foe who stole them. The duration of his training is however long is takes him to read a "Force Wielding For Dummies" guide.

* The Sue has no character flaws, or has very insignificant flaws - HIT

Coopersville has a few personality flaws, but physically he has little faults. From time to time he might make a goof as a form of comedy relief, but when the chips are down, he's an unstoppable force.

*The Sue is living the author's fantasies - HIT?

I don't feel this is a hard hit because it's a rather general trait. Would I want to be the mutant god-king of a town on another planet inhabited by a different species, and is constantly tested by just about everyone? Nope. Would I like to wield at least some of the power he represents? Sure, but so would everybody.

If it only takes one of those traits for a character to be labelled as a Mary Sue, than Coopersville definitely fits the bill. However, if the misses balance the character, Coopersville is normal, which surprises even me, as I intentionally designed him to be invulnerable.

(and, yes, I did spent three hours drawing and colouring that diagram specifically for this blog)