Comic characters can be useful
Comic characters can be an important element in a comedy sketch or a comic novel. They can also lighten up any piece of writing.
Are comic characters realistic?
You will often find comic characters in fiction whom you would never find in real life. However, many are based on types of people who do exist, but writers exaggerate them. Some, such as, comic villains are totally fictitious, as real villains are more complex, like everyone. I have written about why I enjoy writing. One reason is that I can create characters or insert them from real life.
Which are my favourite comic characters?
One of my favourites is the pompous, inept authority figure. I suppose the most famous in fiction is Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army, but you probably know quite a few in real life. I know I do. Such a character may be a manager, a headteacher, a senior police officer, or a clergyman. Perhaps one reason these figures are popular in fiction is that we like to laugh at them, whereas we could not, usually, in real life. Where you have pompous authority, in fact or fiction, you often find a sycophant, also known as a crawler. We like to find them in fiction because. like authority figures, we cannot usually laugh at them in real life.
My absolute favourite comic character
Without doubt, the comic character I love most is the loveable rogue. The best example most of us know is Del Trotter, but he has a noble ancestry, including Arthur Daley, and most of the personae of Sid James. Shakespeare gave us John Falstaff and before him there was Robin Hood. There have also been several upper-class loveable rogues, such as Raffles and the Saint. Usually, for a rogue to be loveable, he (they are usually male, but I could work on that) needs to be non-violent (nobody loves a mugger) and to target the rich, or people who deserve to be robbed. In real life, there are plenty of rogues, but few are really lovable. If you’ve ever been the victim of a robbery or a scam, you’ll know what I mean.
Are there comic characters in my books?
You might identify some. Do you think I should have included more (or some?) in my Accounting for Murder series? I may introduce more in future, but I will try to avoid letting them take over and ruin the mystery/drama/ of the story. On the other hand, I might try to write a story that is primarily humorous.
Did you find any comic characters here?