Jared Egloff
Professor Jason Williams
Graphic Novels
1/11/16
The Great Revolution of the Superhero Comic
In Identity Crisis, by Brad Meltzer, there is violence, heroism and gender equality. Although these seem to be the the most important issues dealt with in graphic novels, and especially in the super hero genre, Meltzer goes one step further in the narrative while continuing to use that field. The novel doesn't completely change the idea though. It only reinforces the original superhero values that were created in the 1930’s, and reinvented in the 1980’s. The novel still uses the classic male bonding, women’s passive role and violence as a key factor in a hero’s growth. However, the graphic novel seems to develop the superhero genre
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Superheroes are no longer god-like figures, and they become more relatable. The heroes in this novel must suffer what us humans suffer. For instance, this is embodied in one of the “hero” characters of the novel, Sue Dibny. Sue Dibny was raped in the past and she later gets murdered in the present day (Meltzer, 35). But she is not a superhero. She never gets characterized in the novel, all she stands for is to be the spark plug of an identity crisis for superheroes. She also changes the the whole superhero genre. When the novel reveals Dr. Light’s mind wipe, this transforms the general background of superheroes. Super heroes for decades before this were represented as flawless, powered people. Super heroes might have had one flaw, but it wasn’t an ordinary flaw. For example, Kryptonite to …show more content…
Her body was beaten and burned. This is what superhero teams are based on. In this novel this affects the Justice League, which is comprised of Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkman, Atom, Elongated Man, Batman and Zatanna. Sue’s death starts the downfall of the superheroes we know and love. There is a scene in the novel where we get to see someone from the league decide the final fate of Dr. Light, also known as the Flash (Meltzer, 17). The story of superheroes began in a time of greatness, and Meltzer ends it with killing Barry Allen. This sends all of the superheroes into a dark world of hate and violence. This violence will effect the heroes so greatly that it will change their identities. Robin becomes an orphan at the end of the novel because of all the violence in his life. Heroes in this novel are no longer immune to violence. Violence now leads their world. The entire Justice League votes on mind wiping Dr. Light, but the only one who does it is Zatanna, the only female member of the group. Zatanna does whatever the men tell her to do, thus making her the guilty
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.
The authors title “What to do when you’re not the hero anymore” is directed at a group of people who aren’t the likely audience for this essay. Penny explains how since the recent movement in the media particularly white males have been raging with anger that their lead roles are being taking over. Prior to reading the essay it is common to have heard of female lead roles becoming a universal theme. While it is not so common to hear of how white men “have been expressing rage loudly and violently over the idea that they might find themselves identifying with characters who are not white men.” Penny
We are currently living in the Golden Age of Superheroes. They dominate our cultural life, and have become seemingly permanent fixtures in modern media. Since X-Men burst onto the screen fifteen years ago, we have witnessed the release of over forty superhero movies. By 2020 we will have seen the release of more than twenty-five more. Today, the much anticipated film Superman vs. Batman has come to theaters. Though a plethora of superhero movies have been released, it is to the dissatisfaction of many, having long been exhausted by the stories of the Hulk, Batman, and Spider-man. Although I must agree that it is quite easy to get bored with the constant action, and flashing colors of these films, if one looks deep enough into the story they will discover universal themes and metaphors. Though they may be fighting off alien invasions, these heroes are also battling with their personal challenges, challenges which we can
She is depicted as a woman who Lex Luthor only has due to her appearance. This is misogynistic as it provides the assumption that men are more superior and intelligent than women
There have been major changes to the superhero archetype in comics in these recent years as compared to the past. Along with that arises controversy on the subjects like the new female Thor or a black kid as Spiderman. Many are zealously against such changes for reasons like sexism or racism. While many others are fervently behind such changes because they use it to empower their own political views on today’s topics. These topics are important to today’s society however they should not be so important in comic books because comic books should be value-neutral and gender, ethnicity, sexuality and things of this nature should not matter.
“But the life of a superhero is fraught with stress: Saving the city (or planet) from nefarious plots of evil-do-ers; and the hassles of daily life…” (deLusé 187). Superheroes are known to save mankind and defend the Earth, but what most people do not consider is the amount of stress these heroes deal with on a daily basis. The obstacles they must overcome include coping with their alter ego and superhero stress, keeping a secret identity and surpassing the expectations set for them.
Their presence has altered major events in history such as the Vietnam War and the election of Richard Nixon. Superheroes have been outlawed by the government due to their unpopular status among police and the public. At the opening of the novel, Edward Blake (AKA The Comedian), has been brutally murdered by a mysterious figure (Moore, I, 1-4). The temptation to return to the realm of superheroes is constantly put into jeopardy with an increasing amount of heroes disappearing. This is clearly seen in Chapter 1 when Rorschach, a vigilante, comes to visit Dan Dreiberg (formerly Nite Owl)
The main strengths that are prominent within this article would definitely be the in-depth interviews and scripts from six women who were in the comic book industry during the timeframe of 1970s to 2000. To have those hands on sources makes the article more personable for the readers, especially the readers who are women. Instead of having speculations on how the women may have been treated within the industry and also how their work was look upon, having in person interview makes the sources a little more concrete. Also, in the sources involving the scripts as stated before, it shows that even though society sees the comic book industry as a mostly male-dominated industry, by using these scripts it shows that there were women who were writing
People tend to want change something about themselves to make them feel better of who they are. The author, Judith Ortiz Cofer and her family immigrated from Puerto Rico to the United States in 1954. She struggled with her own identity due to the transition of coming to a whole new different setting. The story “Volar” by Cofer, a young girl tries to escape her reality by having dreams and reading the fantasy world of comic books. In her dreams, she describes the physical changes she is experiencing, for instance her legs would grow longer, her breasts be larger, and her hair would go straight and turn gold. This is what seemed to be her desire look which is like Supergirl. However, Cofer depicts the young girls’ appearance “…find myself back in my body: tight curls still clinging to my head, skinny arms and legs and flat chest unchanged” (234). She points out her “flaws” instead of embracing her own body. She wants to have the physical characteristic of superhero and like be able to fly. Therefore, her identity is affected since being a superhero is not realistic and the story of a superhero being unstoppable does not exist. She considers her body to be unacceptable and there is nothing she can do to change it. A story, affects her identity because she admires superhero characteristics but she is weak. She wants to be someone else rather than her own self. She
It is often said that there are no more heroes in today\\'s world or even that this is an age of the anti-hero. Yet anyone who is blessed with the opportunity to observe children for any length of time will see that regard for those who exemplify certain ideals (heroes) is a spontaneous element in basic human psychology. The reported lack of heroes and the cult of the anti-hero are the fruit of a disillusioned Aadult@ mentality which has been lied to on this as well as other subjects and hence robbed of the natural inclination of a normal human being (a child) who is as yet untainted by the cynicism and Asophistication@ of a deeply troubled society. The more often the lie is repeated the more firmly it is held to be true. But, heroes do still exist -- it is rather that a society which values valuelessness no longer has eyes to see them and has lost the ability to produce them. For those who have eyes to see, one such hero is the author of the book under review here.
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.
Every child has fantasy's of being a super hero and leaping tall buildings in a single bound or staring death in the face everyday and somehow finding a way to escape. All of these imaginative thoughts have been derived from the past literary works by the great writers of the early American literary period. These early writers entered society into a world of action and adventure, where one can see spectacular events unfolding through the eyes of a notorious man of courage and feel as though they are defending there country or saving the woman they love. Though the modern heroes are much more
I will admit it took me awhile to figure out exactly want I would want my research proposal to be about. I have never written a research paper before so it is critical I pick a topic I feel passionate about. I was debating writing about women in comic books, the amount of violence in comic books, or simply the art and its evolution in comics. At the end, I really could not get out the idea of the representation of the LGBTQA+(Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Asexual, and plus) community in the comic book world. Being a homosexual man myself and with much issues facing the community at the moment, it feels right to me to right about a topic that surrounds my life. Surprisingly, many people in the world are still unaware of the equality, respect, and good the community can offer. I feel like this topic can not only inform many of the queer life to audiences but also inform them about the queer community in general. I hope to write this paper with a positive, direct, and informative approach of the queer community in comic books.
Have you ever thought about who you were going to be or how you would become the person you saw yourself as? In adolescence development we go through stages in life that prepare us for our future. At times we may be confused as to where we are going or where we should be at a certain age, but every step we take leads us to where we are now. In moratorium identity it’s a stage where we typically explore different options from religion to cultural beliefs. In this identity crisis people are actively asking questions about life commitment and seeking answers. (Shaffer, 190) At this point in peoples lives it is normal to seek an identity crisis of one self because it is a time where each stage will lead us to the success of our identity achievement.
The youngest interviewed talked about many superheroes but finally settled on Spiderman as a great one because he, “shoots webs and fights bad guys”. Children love to pretend to be super heroes and play with super hero toys because it makes them feel powerful and confident. Adults also participate to this behavior, often comparing themselves and trying to imitate successful people they regard as formidable in their field. People view strength as being able to stand up for oneself, the ability to overcome obstacles and having what it takes to accomplish their goals. Strong people continually perform acts of high difficulty and are prepared to fight for what they believe in.