Okay, here is the definitive list of L & C characters who may not be killed off in fanfic without a bit of a gentle reader 'reaction'

- Henderson

- Lois
- Clark
- Perry, Martha, Jonathan (unless they are very, very old)
- Cat (Tank, you killed Cat! Just saying)
- Mayson (i know they did this in the series, but it was Not. Right.)

notice Jimmy is not on the list - I am ambivalent there

c. (these are of course, my thoughts only - no outsourcing has transpired)

I would agree with most of your list, at least as far as my own personal reactions are concerned, with a few exceptions:
- I would take Cat off and put Jimmy on
- I would take Henderson off (He was too minor a character and, frankly, never made much of an impression on me even when he was on screen.)
- I might add Dr. Klein and H.G. Wells to the list

And, in agreement with you, I would *definitely* keep Ralph way, way off the list!

- Lynn

But writers are supposed to get reactions from their readers! If I write something, post it, and no one - I mean no one - posts any feedback to any portion of it, then the story hasn't touched a single reader and I haven't done my job as a writer. I don't advocate killing off any character for the sole purpose of generating strong reactions, but I refuse to be boxed in by lists of characters considered untouchable under any circumstances. If the story leads to a grave, that's where it's going to go.

That doesn't mean that everyone has to read it, nor does it mean that everyone has to like it. We all have different tastes and preferences, and that's all good. But we shouldn't set absolute limits on story lines or plots. That's not far from censorship, y'all, and I'm not a big fan of it.

Terry, I meant my list somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Not trying to box you in

Good to hear!

c.

Thanks. My apologies if I appeared to react too strongly, and for not getting the joke. I guess I'm a little gun-shy on the subject.

FWIW, I did not interpret your list as censorship (which I, too, would have found offensive), but rather as an indication that killing off the specified characters would likely get a reaction from the audience (which, as Terry pointed out, is not necessarily a bad thing, and may even be precisely the desired effect).

cheers,
Lynn

Carol, I snickered at the "Jimmy is not on my list" comment!

Ann

Note to self: Next story, kill off Henderson. (Sorry, Carol. I just couldn't resist since, when I saw the subject, I just knew that Henderson would be at the top of your list )

ML

no, no - you can't be doing that ML! (I can just see it now - ML kills off Henderson at a curling match - he dies of boredom )

No, not boredom... he laughs himself to death at the players' outfits...

PJ

I'm sorry but I have to comment on the "Kill Bill" thread.

Hes a cop.
He a minor supporting character.
Even I would kill off Henderson!

Of course, I haven't yet but now that I'm thinking...

Note on Henderson: I grew up watching the George Reeves Superman. Whenever I think or write Henderson, I see Robert Shayne. He will always be Bill Henderson in my mind.

Bob

I've been watching Law & Order SVU - John Munch keeps coming through in my Henderson.

Here's my list of characters who should be killed off any time the situation allows for it.

Jimmy Olsen
James Olsen
James Bartholomew Olsen
J. B. Olsen
Jimmy 'the annoying' Olsen
Jim Olsen
Justin Whalen

Any other character would actually need to further a plot point, or be used to expand the characterization of another character.

Tank (who just remembered that he did imply Lois' death in a fic, but it was a noble death where she sacrificed herself to save Superman from being made a pawn of the bad guys)

Tank!!!!

Ann

How can anyone hate Jimmy? He has such a great middle name.

BTW, would you believe my son's name is James?

Bob

Tank, you forgot Jimmy Interruptus.

(with apologies to Bob)

c.

Tank.. Justin Whalin but not Michael Landes?

Michael Landis pretty killed himself.

Did anyone see the horrible psuedo supernatural monster series he was in?

Tank(who greatly dislikes all Jimmy Olsens)

I have a strong objection to Michael Landes (Landis?) as Jimmy Olsen. When he was Jimmy, he looked too much like Clark Kent. He was too dark-haired, too tall and lean, too "adult-looking". Jimmy is supposed to look much younger than Clark Kent, and he is supposed to have a different hair color. I'm just saying!

Anyway, when I was reading the Superman comics in the sixties and early seventies, I grew to somewhat dislike Jimmy Olsen. It was because there were too many stories that were "Jimmy-centered". When Superman spent time with Jimmy, which he seemed to do way too often, he didn't have time to be with Lois and cultivate his relationship with her. It was as if he very much preferred his "big brother" relationship with Jimmy over his potentially seriously romantic relationship with Lois.

So to me, Jimmy is a serious "romance-killer" and worthy of his title "Jimmy Interruptus" for more reasons than one!



The classic comic book Jimmy Olsen, keeping Superman busy.

Ann

P.S. Oh, and by the way... since Jimmy says that he is going to be frozen until the year 2058, I think we can date this comic to 1958!

And take a look at this cover:



Superman and Jimmy Olsen split up! But they never did. No wonder Superman had no time for Lois.

Ann

That's interesting, Ann. That's precisely the reason that the studio gave for ditching Landes and bringing in Justin Whalen. They were worried viewers would get confused between him and Dean Cain. Which I think was taking it a tad too far.

I enjoyed Landes portrayal, but I was delighted when Justin came in because I was already a bit of a fan of his after a superb guest performance he gave in one of my all time favourite Young Riders episodes. I thought he did a darn good job as Jimmy, too.

Sorry, Tank.

BTW, you started my heart off good this morning as the first thing my eye caught when this thread came up was your line that Landes killed himself and for a second I thought he was dead for real!

LabRat

I actually enjoyed Special Unit 2. Especially when his character started getting into fights with Carl the gnome... usually while driving down the road.