The pit crew's composition is important, as it defines what is
important to the character. The character is a rebel? Then you need a
strong leader for him to rebel against. He's fighting for the people?
Then don't forget to include a sidekick as a representative of those
people. Here are your basic five pit crew members, and what they can
do for your hero(es). Oh, and I'm going to pick on Batman, simply
because he has arguably one of the largest pit crews of just about
any hero (“I work alone”, my butt).
Love Interest: Romance is good; it provides a reason for the hero to do something (protect the love interest, get something for the love interest (to heal some weird disease, to prove his love. or just to show off), can provide conflict (either romantic issues or because the couple is having problems), and connects the hero to the setting (the love interest should not only be representative of the setting but can also provide updates on any crisis that you have going on and provide an added poignancy). Bruce has a long list of romantic interests, and they have provided their own fun, ranging from hiding his secret identity (Vicki Vale), conflict of interest (Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman), or even your basic “Her Dad, My Arch-Villain” (Talia). Note that they have each allowed some examination into the world of Batman, or even Bruce Wayne, providing Batman not only a great romance but the writer a way to play with some of the themes of the Batman comic (Vale and the problems of secret identities, Catwoman and the dirty underbelly of Gotham, and Talia and what makes a villain).
Superior: Arguably the weakest pit crew member, the superior is whoever the hero reports to and who tells the hero that where he will be going. A great character in the right circumstances, too many weak writers create a total nimrod; in essence, the superior is there mostly to show why the military or corporate sucks (note that I'm not saying that a superior can't be used to show how dark the world is, just keep in mind to keep a fine line). However, if used correctly, the superior allows for visible character growth (in terms of promotions, awards, and raises/bonuses), but also things like fun or more important assignments as well as respect. Mostly useful towards the beginning of the comic, the superior should be shifted to mentor at some point, but can also be a sidekick or love interest, or even a retainer (weirder things have happened!).
Although it could be argued that he has no superior, Commissioner Gordon was effectively one at one point (as the Batman was obligated to uphold his status as deputy), or whoever was in charge of the JLA/JLI (as a member (depending on the situation) Batman is somewhat obligated to put in some time helping out). In each of these cases Batman has had to bow to someone else in order to get the job done, however temporarily, and was able to garner greater respect for doing so. Even today Batman knows when to let someone else take lead and it has made for some great stories.
Mentor: The hero needed to gain his skills from someone, and the mentor is that someone. Besides giving the hero a reason to prove himself, the mentor also allows for serious character development (demonstrating that the character is growing from student to master himself, for example). The mentor also provides an excuse for training scenes, which seem to be popular in comics with a martial arts theme. The mentor can also send the hero on quests, either for the group that the character serves, or for personal reasons (and they don't need to be serious; Inu Yasha has a monk send his protege on a quest for a special kind of sake). The mentor can also get away with a special kind of exposition: The field report (a briefing on what is basically happening), which is probably one of the least annoying methods of exposition ever created.
Although few of Bruce's mentors have been shown, they have popped up from time to time. They have allowed us to see the unique personalities that have shaped the Dark Knight as well as show that he not only has mastered his skills but still has a ways to go. They have also shown how people can fall and how they redeem themselves. In short, even if they aren't part of the comic they have nonetheless given him a deeper backstory, shown development, and emphasized the themes of the comic.
Sidekick: The reverse of the mentor, the sidekick is a character that the hero is training, or as a surrogate son or daughter. The sidekick is best used to give the strip a comedy relief and to lighten an otherwise dark strip, but can also be used to drop a note of seriousness as needed. The sidekick also acts as the hero's conscience, as well as someone to bounce strategy off of, and a set of long-distance hands. The sidekick usually has a diminished set of skills or powers based off the hero, but this doesn't always need to be the case (in fact, if you wanted to give the hero a shift in perspective, make his sidekick someone who is there to learn more of the attitude than actual skills, or to chronicle the hero's journey). And keep in mind that the sidekick doesn't need to have respect for the hero (especially at the beginning); it can be interesting to have a sidekick that actually hates the hero yet is forced somehow to be protected or trained by the hero.
This includes any member of the Bat-Family (the various Robins, Nightwing, Batgirl, Spoiler, etc.); the guy likes taking in strays. Each of them have contributed something different to the mythos, ranging from the Prodigal Son of Grayson, the Faithful Son of Drake, and the Rebellious Son of Todd. Barbara Gordon learned a lot of her crime-fighting skills from him, and Spoiler learned how to interact with humanity thanks to him. Even Damian has been in an interesting addition as the heir to the kingdom. Interestingly, each has acted as a squire in turn adding to the Dark Knight image as each has had to find their own cause and act on it. They have also become leaders in their own rights, taking up the mantle of knight as leader in combat in their own time.
Retainer: This covers a lot of evils, but the essentials are the same: The person has skills that are vital to the hero, usually ones that the hero doesn't possess himself (such as computer, healing, or administrative skills), skills or abilities that are useful enough to replicate (such as combat skills or super-powers (a lot of bricks start off this way), or even just a different perspective (a civilian in a military group, an observer who can't keep his observations to himself, or even a naïve or cynical character). Keep in mind that this includes soldiers under the command of the hero, people that the hero has hired, or even people that just follow the hero around (those silly friend and companions-in-arms things).
Alfred is an obvious example, but so is Azrael (who was hired to take his place prior to going, well, bats). Also, the Sons of Batman (from the Dark Knight Returns) would definitely count as well. Lucious Fox definitely counts, adding his business skills to the situation. It can be argued that the members of Batman, Incorporated, are retainers as they are both soldiers in the cause as well as individuals with their own skills and experience that make them formidable on their own.
The bottom line is that as each member of the pit crew adds to the ability of the driver to stay in the race, the pit crew of the comic enables the comic to stay around. Maintain and increase your pit crew if you really want to see your comic go places. You don't need a lot of them: Bond only has two letters, and he does pretty good. Nonetheless, make sure you have someone to back the main character and your comic will do great.
Love Interest: Romance is good; it provides a reason for the hero to do something (protect the love interest, get something for the love interest (to heal some weird disease, to prove his love. or just to show off), can provide conflict (either romantic issues or because the couple is having problems), and connects the hero to the setting (the love interest should not only be representative of the setting but can also provide updates on any crisis that you have going on and provide an added poignancy). Bruce has a long list of romantic interests, and they have provided their own fun, ranging from hiding his secret identity (Vicki Vale), conflict of interest (Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman), or even your basic “Her Dad, My Arch-Villain” (Talia). Note that they have each allowed some examination into the world of Batman, or even Bruce Wayne, providing Batman not only a great romance but the writer a way to play with some of the themes of the Batman comic (Vale and the problems of secret identities, Catwoman and the dirty underbelly of Gotham, and Talia and what makes a villain).
Superior: Arguably the weakest pit crew member, the superior is whoever the hero reports to and who tells the hero that where he will be going. A great character in the right circumstances, too many weak writers create a total nimrod; in essence, the superior is there mostly to show why the military or corporate sucks (note that I'm not saying that a superior can't be used to show how dark the world is, just keep in mind to keep a fine line). However, if used correctly, the superior allows for visible character growth (in terms of promotions, awards, and raises/bonuses), but also things like fun or more important assignments as well as respect. Mostly useful towards the beginning of the comic, the superior should be shifted to mentor at some point, but can also be a sidekick or love interest, or even a retainer (weirder things have happened!).
Although it could be argued that he has no superior, Commissioner Gordon was effectively one at one point (as the Batman was obligated to uphold his status as deputy), or whoever was in charge of the JLA/JLI (as a member (depending on the situation) Batman is somewhat obligated to put in some time helping out). In each of these cases Batman has had to bow to someone else in order to get the job done, however temporarily, and was able to garner greater respect for doing so. Even today Batman knows when to let someone else take lead and it has made for some great stories.
Mentor: The hero needed to gain his skills from someone, and the mentor is that someone. Besides giving the hero a reason to prove himself, the mentor also allows for serious character development (demonstrating that the character is growing from student to master himself, for example). The mentor also provides an excuse for training scenes, which seem to be popular in comics with a martial arts theme. The mentor can also send the hero on quests, either for the group that the character serves, or for personal reasons (and they don't need to be serious; Inu Yasha has a monk send his protege on a quest for a special kind of sake). The mentor can also get away with a special kind of exposition: The field report (a briefing on what is basically happening), which is probably one of the least annoying methods of exposition ever created.
Although few of Bruce's mentors have been shown, they have popped up from time to time. They have allowed us to see the unique personalities that have shaped the Dark Knight as well as show that he not only has mastered his skills but still has a ways to go. They have also shown how people can fall and how they redeem themselves. In short, even if they aren't part of the comic they have nonetheless given him a deeper backstory, shown development, and emphasized the themes of the comic.
Sidekick: The reverse of the mentor, the sidekick is a character that the hero is training, or as a surrogate son or daughter. The sidekick is best used to give the strip a comedy relief and to lighten an otherwise dark strip, but can also be used to drop a note of seriousness as needed. The sidekick also acts as the hero's conscience, as well as someone to bounce strategy off of, and a set of long-distance hands. The sidekick usually has a diminished set of skills or powers based off the hero, but this doesn't always need to be the case (in fact, if you wanted to give the hero a shift in perspective, make his sidekick someone who is there to learn more of the attitude than actual skills, or to chronicle the hero's journey). And keep in mind that the sidekick doesn't need to have respect for the hero (especially at the beginning); it can be interesting to have a sidekick that actually hates the hero yet is forced somehow to be protected or trained by the hero.
This includes any member of the Bat-Family (the various Robins, Nightwing, Batgirl, Spoiler, etc.); the guy likes taking in strays. Each of them have contributed something different to the mythos, ranging from the Prodigal Son of Grayson, the Faithful Son of Drake, and the Rebellious Son of Todd. Barbara Gordon learned a lot of her crime-fighting skills from him, and Spoiler learned how to interact with humanity thanks to him. Even Damian has been in an interesting addition as the heir to the kingdom. Interestingly, each has acted as a squire in turn adding to the Dark Knight image as each has had to find their own cause and act on it. They have also become leaders in their own rights, taking up the mantle of knight as leader in combat in their own time.
Retainer: This covers a lot of evils, but the essentials are the same: The person has skills that are vital to the hero, usually ones that the hero doesn't possess himself (such as computer, healing, or administrative skills), skills or abilities that are useful enough to replicate (such as combat skills or super-powers (a lot of bricks start off this way), or even just a different perspective (a civilian in a military group, an observer who can't keep his observations to himself, or even a naïve or cynical character). Keep in mind that this includes soldiers under the command of the hero, people that the hero has hired, or even people that just follow the hero around (those silly friend and companions-in-arms things).
Alfred is an obvious example, but so is Azrael (who was hired to take his place prior to going, well, bats). Also, the Sons of Batman (from the Dark Knight Returns) would definitely count as well. Lucious Fox definitely counts, adding his business skills to the situation. It can be argued that the members of Batman, Incorporated, are retainers as they are both soldiers in the cause as well as individuals with their own skills and experience that make them formidable on their own.
The bottom line is that as each member of the pit crew adds to the ability of the driver to stay in the race, the pit crew of the comic enables the comic to stay around. Maintain and increase your pit crew if you really want to see your comic go places. You don't need a lot of them: Bond only has two letters, and he does pretty good. Nonetheless, make sure you have someone to back the main character and your comic will do great.
