Illustrated by the negative reactions to Batman by police, government officials and members of society is the idea of those on the bottom fighting the rich and powerful to receive justice and respect. Batman is framed as an underdog fighting for those who are most vulnerable and against some of the most corrupt people in Gotham. Creating the intense serious tone as he struggles to deliver justice in the face of countless obstacles coming from all directions (McGowan). Batman embodies a Reagan perspective of “us vs them” with them being the government. It is this opposition to the government and police authority that often causes him to be labeled as dark.
Miller conceptualizes the cynical views that dominated the 1970s into the 1980’s. Incorporated
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Death is mentioned within the first few pages of book one, indicating the intensity of the rest of the text. Increases in violence and crime with “brutal slaying of three nuns…by the gang known as the mutants” (Miller). Death threats sent to the police commissioner and the release of Harvey Dent. All of which is a much darker serious context that reflects the environment that is in desperate need of a strong-willed individualist who is not afraid to break rank to ensure a form of justice is served even if that means authorities will label him as dangerous and …show more content…
“ It begins here- and army- to bring sense to a world plagued by worse than thieves and murderers”. An argument towards Miller’s Reaganite views of individualism is Batman’s encouragement for people to make a change themselves influencing and teaching a new generation of this moral view. A character like Batman with all his flaws and rugged self is the type of superhero that is needed in these dark and serious times as he is much more relatable (McGowan). Someone that will stand up to authority to challenge the norm to enact change during a dark
“A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know that the world hadn't ended.” Behind all the action in The Dark Knight Rises is an important portrayal of crime and deviance in society. The superficial analysis of the plot makes The Dark Knight Rises seem like a simple hero and villain story and nothing more. However, the film expresses concepts of justice and provides an important depiction of strain theory and the labeling theory.
To your average white American kid, a comic book is cheap entertainment— a leisure, a novelty. Your run of the mill issue of "Superman," perhaps the most generic superhero of all, is something to be read once, maybe even merely skimmed, while in the bathroom or the doctors' office. When finished with it gets thrown away mindlessly or tossed aside to join a mounting stack of similarly abandoned stories of fantastical heroism. However in the eyes of the young Indian boy, Sherman Alexie, as depicted in his essay, "Superman and Me," a tattered comic found in a donation bin was much more than that— it was a life line.
In America during the 1970s, society had changed enormously since the 1800s. In the third
The dilemma between good and evil began long before our time, and it’s been chronicled since man wrote. Stephen King, one of the most controversial writers of our time, brings his characters to life by giving them peculiar attributes, individual and bold attitudes, and places them in unusual predicaments. The Gunslinger series by Stephen King is a sequence of books that show the internal struggle between good and evil. His characters are presented with obstacles, and readers observe how each one responds to the challenges presented to them, waiting to see how far they will go to achieve what they believe is the greater good. King realistically conveys to his readers that although his characters put forth their best efforts to do what they feel is upright, their actions are not always in their best interests.
Watchmen is not just a graphic novel, but also a unique representation of American idealism as expressed through character image. Although the characters are portrayed as "superheroes," each is psychologically complex in that they become symbols for the flaws of American culture. Together, the characters of Watchmen reflect an unflattering image of American identity. We sacrifice morals to defend principles, rather than saving people. We sacrifice ourselves for commercial gain and for the fame that comes from the worship of strangers.
The 1970s can be best understood as a transitional period in America. Starting in the 1950s, the power of the youth was on the rise, through civil rights activism and anti-war protests. This decade’s ideal citizen seemed to be the person helping others. Then the 1980s are more financially centered and individualistic. This decade’s ideal citizen is the one who measured success by how much money they made. The 1970s proved to be a time of bitterness, cynicism, and increased interest in one’s self for most of the people in America. Some of the events that contributed to this were the Kent State Massacre, Roe v. Wade, and the economic stagflation that happened in the latter part of the decade.
In the film, “Batman Begins” Bruce Wayne’s journey to become the Batman is explored (Franco, Orleans, Roven, Thomas, Nolan, 2005). This essay applies the theories of Maslow and Bandura, in an effort to determine whose theory makes better sense of Bruce.
Dallek, Matthew. “The Conservative 1960s From The Perspective Of The 1990s, It's The Big Political Story Of The Era.” The Atlantic Online. The Atlantic Online, Dec. 1995. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.
Batman is a hero during the night that protects the people of Gotham city to the best of his capability and is willing to sacrifice everything, even his true identity. Then there is Bruce Wayne, who is a very rich, spoiled playboy that does not care about anything other than him and the luxurious lifestyle he lives. The ideological struggle between Batman and Bruce Wayne is very important in this book because everyone at some point struggles between who they actually are and who they want to be. The way Frank Miller portrays the struggle in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is truly a work of
Klock, Geoff. "The Bat and the Watchmen: Introducing the Revisionary Superhero Narrative." How to read superhero comics and why. New York: Continuum, 2002. 25-26. Print.
In conclusion my expectations were met because we all want to be a certain hero in our everyday lives but sometimes don’t know which one is actually the better and more positive one. Strength, power, intelligence, and authority are the most important things the outlaw hero and official hero will bring even if they are above a certain rule or really beneath it. Outlaws are not always the bad guys, but are not always the good guys either. In this case Batman is the good guy disguised as the bad guy. Official heroes are always the good guys no matter the circumstance. Superman in this case is the good guy disguised as the actual good guy. Being above the law or against it, official heroes and outlaw heroes will always paint the picture that you can be strong, powerful, intelligent, and have the authority you deserve.
Everyone dreams of being a hero however the path is narrow. The mantle of responsibility is important aspects and the presence of the heroic traits must be shown in some form. However, there will always be outliers and deemed delusional who attempt to be heroes. In Watchmen, Moore creates an omnipotent hero who lacks humanity in the portrayal of the Dr. Manhattan as a psychopathic anti-hero.
The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an insight into the Super Hero Series Batman. This crime fighter originally appeared in Detective Comics issue #27 in 1939. It later became a comic book series, a TV series and a movie series. The character Batman is second only to Superman as a Super Hero. Amazingly Batman has no super powers, but he does have a lot of neat crime fighting gadgets. In this paper, we will explore the creation of Batman, his supporting cast of characters both good and bad and the gadgets he used.
To conclude, the graphic novel Watchmen presents the non-fantastic representation of a superhero, implying that not all heroes are like Superman. This notion is explored within the novel by mentioning the realistic motives of the characters choosing to become superheroes, by Rorschach’s representation and through the heroic reactions of the New Yorkers to a street crime. These elements all contribute to Watchmen’s uniqueness and complexity as a superhero comic.
...e purpose of this paper, we can assume that Batman and Spider-man have never fought each other before this day. Even if they had and Batman had studied his opponent’s weaknesses, Spider-man’s strategy and fighting style is ever changing and adapting. Finally, Batman, with his strength, intelligence, mental instability, and unlimited resources, seems to mirror one of Spider-man’s most infamous super villains, The Green Goblin, who Spider-man destroyed.