But what's it intended to do?

So I read a great post by Seth Godin entitled, "What's the Use Case". In it, he discusses how it is impossible to judge a projects worth or completeness until we have decided and agreed on the "use case". There are two great reasons for this:

1. We can't agree if something meets the Use Case unless we have defined the use case
2. We may not want that particular outcome, so we had better agree on the outcome we want.

What am I talking about? Case in point: The halftime show at Superbowl 45 has a bunch of people talking about the Black Eyed Peas (BEPs) and more than one person has told me that the BEPs unequivocally suck. But wait, let's look at the BEPs and their use case. Are the BEPs trying to delight the same people who appreciate fine music? Are they targeting the people who listen to jazz music, Harry Connick Jr., The Boston Pops, Kenny G or Marc Antony?
Probably not. I suspect the BEP's music is intended for 2 purposes and 2 purposes only.

1. Make people dance and bounce around in nightcluvs
2. Sell a shitload of records

I think they absolutely accomplish both these goals. It reminds me of the Mark Twain quote. "Some books are like a fine wine. Mine are like water. But everybody drinks water."

So what is the Use Case of GGE's properties? What are we trying to do?

Simple, we are trying to write stories for fanboys like us, but we are trying to do it slightly better than it has been done before. We want shared origins for superheroes, superpowers that obey some rules, horror stories that obey some established rules, fantasy stories that kick ass and don't bore us to tears, characters that are familiar, funny and downright cool, artwork that impresses, and storylines that engage.

Not to much to ask, right?