Superheroes

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1. Definition2. History3. Genre4. Narrative Patterns5. Religious Themes6. Understanding Comic Books7. Methodology for Researching Comics

Outline

Definition

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Golden Age

• Dates 1938 to 1954-55• Begins with Superman in Action Comic #1• Ends with the Comic Code Authority• Superheroes were do gooders• Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are examples• Themes developed around fighting Axis and Cold War• 1950’s drop in sales – readers wanted mature themes• Frederic Wertham published Seduction of Innocent

linking comics to juvenile crime – est. CCA

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Silver Age

• Dates 1956 to 1985 some will argue that Silver age ends in 1968

• Older DC characters re-made• Marvel sets tone for this age• Scientific experiments cause superheroes • Superheroes struggled with human flaws• Socially conscious themes introduced like

drugs

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Bronze Age

• Date 1968-1985• Stan Lee challenges the CCA and wins• 1970’s superheroes started killing villains i.e.,

the Punisher• Marketing changed to create “fan” culture• Story Lines became intricate• New styles appeared which were dark, violent

and realistic

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Post Modern Age

• Dates 1985 to present (some call this bronze age)• Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns and Alan

Moore’s The Watchman epitomize age• Supernatural and Occult enter into storylines• Violence and mature themes• Y2K scare creates many apocalyptic storylines• Superheroes more violent, do not repress hidden

problems or sexual desires, and they kill

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Broad Trends

Golden Age: Heroes stop bad guys

Silver Age: Heroes stop badness

Bronze Age: Heroes strive to stop badness

Post Modern Age: Heroes attack villains

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Genre

• Superhero– Mission– Powers– Identity

• Sidekicks• Supervillains

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Themes

• Underdog Theme• Ethical Theme• Justice over Law

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Origin Story

• Story that explains how the superhero got his/her powers

• Usually happens instantly with no hard work i.e., Spiderman

• Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey fits with origin story

1. Community is threatened2. A selfless hero emerges3. The hero renounces temptation4. The hero wins a victory (through super-

heroism)5. The hero restores harmony to the community6. The hero recedes into obscurity

American Mono-Myth

1. The Israelites commit apostasy against God2. People fall into oppression by foreign power3. People repent and God sends a Judge (Hero)4. The foreign power is defeated and the people

are saved

Old Testament: Book of Judges

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New Testament: Book of Acts

• 1. Harmony: All believers are of one heart and soul; no one regards anything as there own; all things in common. (4:32-37)

• 2. Threat: Ananias and Sapphira lie about retaining some proceeds from a sale of property (5:1-2)

• 3. Resolution: Peter condemns them and they die - threat eliminated (5:3-10)

• 4. Restoration: Fear (Awe) comes upon the whole community (5:11)

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Common Threads

1. Superheroes have super powers (mostly)2. They receive powers by accident or chance3. Superheroes wear costumes4. Many have no parents or parents are absent5. They experience a great tragedy, challenge or

responsibility that causes them to become a hero

6. They have an uneasy relationship with law authorities

7. Many superheroes mimic the god-man mythology such as noble origins, god-like powers and savior capabilities

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Return to Eden

• Angst for a Paradise Lost• Commissioned Savior/Messianic Hero• Apocalyptic Battle• Immortality in the New Eden

• Conventional, page operates as a neutral place for the narrative

• Rhetorical, the page changes to accommodate the needs of the narrative - to express it

• Decorative, page is a field of designed not constrained to the narrative

• Productive, design comes into existence of its own outside of the narrative

Page Layouts

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READING

• Traditional right to left and up to down

• Artists will control the direction of the eye to regulate reading path

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Closure and Gutters

• Closure, the phenomenon of observing parts but perceiving the whole

• Gutters, the space between the panels

Moment to momentAction to actionSubject to subjectScene to sceneAspect to aspectNon-sequitur

Merging Closure and Gutters

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Time

• Comics composed of panels so seemingly quick to read, but as a whole takes time

• Japanese Manga takes 3.5 seconds to read one page where graphic novels may take several minutes

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Motion

• Several ways to show motion• Motion line most common• Multiple images may also be used

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Senses and Emotions

• Speech and thought balloons capture and relate different emotions and a variety of senses

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Combining Words and Images

1. Word specific, pictures illustrate words2. Picture specific, words add sound track3. Duo-specific, words and pictures same

message4. Additive, words amplify or elaborate5. Parallel, words and pictures follow different

courses6. Montage, words treated as integral part7. Interdependent, words and pictures go

hand in hand to convey an idea

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Methodology: Mythic Criticism

• Researcher focuses on– What meanings are interpreted by audience– What meaning is constructed within the text

• Type of rhetorical criticism that looks for culturally symbolic meaning

• Researcher’s question: How key symbols in the text are addressing additional culture concerns (religious)

• Look for deeper meaning in the text (i.e., values)

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