It lives!

It's a ghostie! (His name isn't Calum Calvin, but the way - Calvin is just an artist who's work we were being shown when I doodled this.)

Yeah, okay, I haven't uploaded a doodle in a few days. Unfortunately I was busy witing my dissertation proposal:


• Your Introduction,( to include Research Aims/ Rationale)

My research project is going to examine the superhero genre and its place within today's society, particularly within the world of comics. With so many visual mediums available in the creative world today (Film, television, animation, and video games to name but a few), and technology constantly advancing, does the humble superhero comic still have a valid place in society? After seventy years, are heroes such as Superman still relevant to us, and if so: do they have anything to say at all about modern society? It is my opinion that they do, and throughout the project I'm going to explain why that is. I will look at where the superhero genre came from, why it seems to strikes a resonance with so many people, and why I personally believe that the comic format lends the genre a special power and depth that cannot easily be achieved through other mediums.

• Expanded review of literature/ (moving) image/artworks.

My research into superhero comics can be divided into 3 main sub-headings: The Origins of Superhero Comics, The Evolution Of Superhero Comics, and The Comic Medium itself.
The Origins of Superhero comics relates closely to the study of narratives, in particular that of the Monomyth.
Monomyth is the study of narrative structures and patterns that seem to occur in stories throughout the world. The superhero genre was originally inspired from pulp comics, ancient mythology and the occult, and so looking at how themes and ideas from these older stories have transferred across into the world of the superhero can help us to understand why people seem to like them so much, and to see just what it is that strikes a chord with readers. I have studied Joseph Campbell's original Monomyth theory in his book "The Hero With A Thousand faces"(A hero is called to enter a strange new world where he interacts with new people and overcomes danger, eventually winning a boon which he returns with, in order to benefit his original world), as well as looking at John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett's culturally specific variation on it: "The Myth Of the American Superhero" (An idyllic place is threatened by a force of evil, the lawful institutions are helpless, and a benign stranger must enter, defeat the threat to the community, and fade away once again into obscurity). Studying and contrasting both of these narrative structures in relation to the superhero genre has helped my research, as it has drawn out a lot of underlying themes and subtext embedded within the genre, allowing me to understand and critique it more successfully.
“Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History Of Comic Book Heroes” by Christopher Knowles is a book that studies the link between the superhero genre and its roots in mythology and the occult. From looking at how ancient civilisations such as the Hellenes treated their myths (not as factual tales, but rather stories with messages that affirmed certain philosophies and viewpoints) to looking at how ancient myths can relate to common superhero archetypes of today (for example, he links the ancient Jewish Golem myth with heroes such as Batman, Wolverine and Punisher). There is a lot of overlap between his writings and the idea of the monomyth.
In the book “Superheroes – A Modern Mythology”, Richard Reynolds identifies certain elements that can be used to identify a superhero story, more specialised attributes than the general narrative structure of the American Monomyth. These elements, such as the hero’s alienation from their parental figures and their devotion to moral justice, all serve to clarify what exactly a superhero story is. Much of Reynold’s writings on this matter fits snugly within the form of The American Monomyth, such as the plot mainly being instigated by the villain, and superheroes being agents of the status quo, rather than bringers of change.
An article from the American Prospect by a writer called Julian Sanchez, called “The revolt of the comic books: America’s superheroes take on pre-emptive war, torture, warrantless spying, and George W. Bush himself.” touches upon the superhero genre’s links with monomyth as a way of arguing a point. He believes that superhero comics are fundamentally incapable of successfully critiquing politics or making any intelligent, complex investigation of the world’s current political climate, and uses the American Monomyth as evidence as to why this is so.
However, another article I’ve come across, this one from the International Journal Of Comic Art and by Brian Swafford, also looks at Civil War, but as a positive example of how comics can provide a commentary of our political climate which is quite open, providing readers with more than one viewpoint to explore. The article, called The Death Of Captain America: An open-ended Allegorical Reading of Marvel Comics’ Civil War Storyline, doesn’t really look at the comic in terms of monomyth, but rather in how it relates to the individual reader in emotional and moral terms.
“Killing Monsters – Why Children Need Fantasy, Superheroes, and Make-Believe Violence” by Gerard Jones is a book which examines children’s relationship with fictional violence. Jones argues that violence, when fictionalised, can be a natural and helpful tool to help children develop psychologically, to learn how to deal with themselves as they mature, and to learn how to interact with the world around them. He looks at many forms of popular media and how they relate to general childhood issues and anxieties, and many of the general issues he talks about can be transferred over into a discussion of superhero comics, whether it be children or daults who are reading them.

The next sub-heading is The Evolution Of Superhero Comics. Although superheroes have been around since the 1940’s (With their roots going back a lot further), they have evolved and changed since then. Like any creative medium (Art, music etc.) they have gone through different movements and stages of development. The first two movements have been dubbed the “Gold” and “Silver” ages, the first lasting from Superman’s initial appearance in 1938 until the 1950s, and the Silver Age (which included the creation of many of marvel’s heroes such as The Fantastic Four and Spiderman) lasting from the 1950s into the 1980’s.
Geoff Klock’s book “How To Read Superhero Comics And Why”, examines comics in recent times (from the 1980’s onwards), looking at how comics such as Alan Moore’s Watchmen and Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns could be considered the “culmination” (pg 3) and climax of the Silver Age, and how since then the new and current age of comics, which he dubs the “Revisionist Age”, has begun. It is a more self-aware age, where the genre has been critiqued and is attempting to right itself after the waves of innovation and examination of the 80s. “Superheroes – A Modern Mythology”, mentioned above, also examines the evolution of the superhero comic and the after-effects of Watchmen and DKR (Dark Knight Returns). However, Reynolds is quite negative about the future of superheroes as comics, implying that the genre will need to move into other mediums such as film in order to survive. Perhaps this is because his book was written in 1992, when comics were floundering. From the later part of the ‘90s onwards, and particularly since 9/11, comic sales have increased and superheroes have regained incredible popularity.
“Reinventing Comics” by Scott McCloud is a book which examines the future of the comic book format in general, examining the industry and the problems and opportunities that it faces in the years to come. What he has to say is relevant to superhero comics as well as all other genres, and so is useful when looking at the ongoing evolution of the superhero.

Finally, the last few books I’ve been studying relate more specifically to the comic medium rather than the superhero genre in particular. However, what they have to say is very relevant in examining superhero comics within modern day society.
“Comics and Sequential Art” by Will Eisner, and “Understanding Comics – The Invisible Art” by Scott McCloud (The prequel to Reinventing Comics, mentioned above) both examine the basic principles, structures and techniques of the format, as well as its relationship to the reader. In short, how comics work and what effect they can have on us. I am linking these texts to the theory of Semiotics, as reading comics is in essence decoding a series of symbols (or “icons” – McCloud, pg 27). McCloud in particular looks at the reader’s interaction with comics, theorising that the reason cartoons and comics are so popular is that their simplicity allows us to put ourselves into the story and characters. The more simple the image, the more it is an idea rather than a real object, and the easier we can interact with it on a personal level. This means that the connection between the comic and the reader can be a very personal and powerful one, lending comics a unique impact and voice as a story-telling medium.
Anne D’Alleva’s “How to Write Art History” is also useful when examining comics, using formal and contextual analysis to study both the individual panels and the overall story and themes of the comic.


ARTWORKS:
DC’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns – Set in the future, Gotham is plagued by a vicious and sadistic gang of teenage criminals called The Mutants. Bruce Wayne, now an old man, is called out of retirement by the mutants’ brutal gang crimes to once again become The Batman. This graphic novel, along with Watchmen, was one of the pinnacles of comic book creation in the 1980s, and began a new movement within the superhero genre. It examines Batman’s vigilante status, and the oxymoron that the superhero must sometimes become a criminal in order to exact justice - Batman is hunted by the police, with charges of assault and child endangerment (Robin). It has links with the American Mono-myth, with Batman arguing vehemently throughout the story about the superhero’s need to be outside the law, and not controlled by institutions such as the police or the government. It also looks at modern society and the superhero’s place within it.

DC’s Superman: Red Son – This is another comic I believe examines the superhero’s place within society. It is an “Elseworlds” tale (a one-shot re-imagining of a familiar superhero) where Superman, rather than crash-landing in a Kansas field, instead ends up being raised in the Soviet Union. With his help (and eventual leadership) the Soviet Union expands and eventually rules the entire world (save America). I expected it to be more political than it was – Superman, rather than worrying about ideologies, is more concerned with simply trying to do the “right” thing. Being superhuman in every sense of the word, he is torn between allowing people the freedom to make their own paths and bad decisions, or stepping in and forcibly saving them from themselves.

DC’s Watchmen – Possibly the most famous graphic novel of the 80s, Watchmen is set in an alternate version of history, where costumed crime-fighters were real and the emergence of Dr Manhattan (the only character with superpowers in the story) meant that America won the Vietnam war, Nixon remained president, and the cold war was still going on in the 1980s. It provides a critique of the entire superhero genre, examining it from a modern day, critical view-point. The heroes of watchmen are not virtuous demi-gods, but rather flawed, selfish and unbalanced people who do not save the world through sheer heroic effort and heart, but rather struggle to find their own place within a society filled with fear and moral complexities.

DC’s Kingdom Come – Kingdom Come is a response to the ripples that DKR and watchmen caused within the superhero genre. It features DC’s golden age heroes coming out of retirement in order to “save” the world from a new generation of heroes who are violent, cynical, and callous towards those they supposedly protect. However, in trying to save the world they provoke a war between the human and the superhuman. In the end they realise the need to work with humanity, rather than trying to save it. It attempts to return superheroes to what many see as their basic core – heroes who desire to help others – while retaining the knowledge and lessons from stories like Watchmen and DKR.

Marvel’s Civil War – In Civil War, an allegory of post 9/11 American security policy, a super villain bust gone wrong causes a disaster where many lives are lost. As a result, the government issues a Superhero Registration Act, where all heroes must unmask and become government agents. This splits the superhero community down the middle, with Iron Man leading the side of the government, Captain America rebelling and going underground, and Spiderman caught in the middle. I have found several articles focusing in on this comic, with both praise and criticism for how successful it has been in examining America’s current political climate.

DC’s Batman: The Killing Joke – In the book “Superheroes – A Modern Mythology”, Richard Reynolds compares Batman and Superman, and the main themes that run through each of their stories. One of the main themes that runs through Batman’s world is madness, which is what this graphic novel focuses on too. Joker decides to prove that it only takes one bad day to drive a person mad, and so kidnaps Commissioner Gordon (after shooting his daughter) and attempts to torment him into insanity. This comic taps into some of the key themes that drive the Batman universe – grief, madness, and the individual trying to deal with a threatening world which doesn’t make sense.

Marvel’s Runaways – This comic series focuses on a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are super villains, and run away from home with their new found super-abilities. Although technically a superhero story, it is generally more focused on its characters than on combat. It taps into what it can feel like to be a young person disillusioned with the older generation and striving to find their own path and way of living. They feel a sense of having to atone for their parents’ destructive actions, which, with issues such as global warming and the destruction of the earth forefront in today’s society, perhaps many young people today feel.

Marvel’s Ultimate Spiderman – Whereas in the main Spiderman storyline Peter Parker is currently an adult, married and with thirty or more years of history behind him, Ultimate Spiderman allows him to be re-imagined from scratch as a teenage boy who first gets his powers. As a result his character and story, always one of Marvel’s more relatable ones, can be made more relevant to teenagers today. It deals with issues many young people have to live with, such as broken families, grief over a loved one’s death, and the struggle between a young person and their guardian.

DC’s Teen Titans (2003 – Present): The first Teen Titans comic appeared in the 1960s, as a team-up between Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Wondergirl and Speedy. It has had several reincarnations over the years, but the one I am looking at for my research is the current version, which was started in 2003. It features lots of the 2nd and 3rd generations of the original teen heroes, such as Tim Drake (the third Robin) and Bart Allen (Descendant of the second Flash). They are teens with large shoes to fill, something that many young people can associate with today, and through the teen titans they attempt to form a safe environment and surrogate family for one another, where they can help each other deal with their various issues and problems. One of the key themes in the teen titans stories is the choices the heroes make, and what they’ll become when they’re older.

• Intended Research Approach (present how you will manage your methodology: whether you will be undertaking interviews, market research, textual or image analysis, exhibition/ event visits, and include here any ethical considerations if appropriate)

My research method will be qualitative, rather than quantitative. Although I'm looking at how superhero comics relate to our modern society, I plan to do this by studying how the themes and messages of the genre and the visual format of the comic interact with the reader, rather than by taking surveys or interviewing subjects. When studying the comics I have chosen, I will be using a mixture of formal and contextual analysis. My formal analysis will involve the study of the comic book itself: the layout of the panels on the page, the composition of those panels, and how the comic book format affects the story that is being told. The contextual analysis will focus more on the content of the comics and of the superhero genre itself, studying how the story and character could relate to the reader, where the ideas behind the story have come from, and what they could be trying to convey.

• Chapter Outline Draft

1) Superheroes and Individuals

Here I will examine how superhero comics interact with the individuals who read them.
In Killing Monsters, Gerard Jones examines how children often can take positive emotional meaning from stories and images, even when those images appear violent and unsuitable to adult sensitivities. This is because children tend to connect more powerfully to the underlying “emotional template” of the fantasy, rather than the physical trappings of the story. This is echoed in a reader’s interaction with the comic medium (Discussed in Understanding Comics), where the simplicity of the images allows a reader to connect very powerfully with them. When the images are simplified, they are closer to the world of ideas than the physical world, and so can communicate ideas in a way that is very powerful and also very personal to each individual reader. Their own unique background and circumstances colour the way they read and “decode” the stories in front of them. Alan Moore was frustrated when Watchmen was first published, feeling that many readers had missed the point of what he was trying to communicate. The violent, sociopathic Rorschach, who he intended as an “ironic portrayal of the worthlessness of the vigilante ideal”, became the most popular and enduring of all the characters. Moore claims this was because “people were getting off on him because he was a tough, scary, frightening character that they identified with.” (Quoted in Superheroes – A Modern Mythology, pg. 117-118). Moore is probably right. While he didn’t intend Rorschach to be a sympathetic character, the individuals reading Watchmen decoded it with their own backgrounds, needs and fantasies, and so the violent sociopath becomes more palatable and endearing, as this was what the readers desired and needed.
This idea of emotional power connecting with people sheds some light on why superhero stories are so enduring. Fantasy allows us to feel powerful, and the more simple the trappings of the fantasy the deeper connection it can have with us. Superheroes, on the whole, are powerful figures that embody strong core values and ideas. They easily lend themselves to specific themes and power fantasies that connect with readers of any age. It makes sense that people connect with them – they are a big, brash, larger than life symbolism of the conflicts and struggles we go through in our everyday existance.

Children, when faced with something confusing and upsetting, use fantasy in order to deal with it, “playing” with it until it feels safe (Killing Monsters, pg 12). This can translate into adulthood and superhero comics. By grappling with issues (anger, injustice, grief, adolescence – take your pick) in a fictional way, we can gain power over them in real life, and learn how work through and deal with them.
In short, when superheroes triumph over their enemies, we triumph over ours too.
And when our superheroes and villains can be read as the physical embodiment of certain ideas and philosophies, their clash of fists and powers becomes a real battle of anxieties, emotions and ideals. Batman is going to be used as an example here, because his world is one of the most personal and psychological of any of the superheroes (As acknowledged by Reynolds in Superheroes: A Modern Mythology). Almost every character, hero or villain, in the batman world is really a symbol of something deeper. Reynolds remarks that each of the villains is fuelled, deep down, by an inability to accept the reality of the world – they are each an image of madness. They are often also a reflection, though a distorted one, of Batman himself.
Two-face embodies the dichotomy of Bruce Wayne and Batman – one being split into two halves, and each one a polar opposite. The suave, lady-killer billionaire versus the little boy, lost and bewildered, cradling his dead parents in a dark alleyway. The civilised playboy philanthropist versus the monstrous, shadowy creature of the night hungry for vengeance.
Joker can be viewed as the embodiment of the world’s random cruelty, He often sees himself as an enlightened being who wishes to communicate the hypocrisy of civilised existence in “today’s harsh and irrational world” (From Batman: The Killing Joke). Joker, when faced with the seeming pointlessness of life, embraces it, whereas Batman fights it. In DKR, Batman states: “my parents…dying for no reason at all…showed me that the world only makes sense when you force it too…”. His experience of life’s random pain drove him to try and save others, making the world a better and safer place for innocents. Batman and Joker are the two extreme reactions to the pain and hurt of life – one destructive and chaotic, the other constructive and, at its core, hopeful.
When Batman defeats these enemies, he is not merely stopping criminals – he is vanquishing his own inner demons and distorted reflections. He banishes the forces of chaos, anarchy and random cruelty, establishing a world where he can take control of events and have power over the outcome. By doing this he instils a sense of hope within the reader: “I can take control and defeat my demons too”. Batman has long been one of the most popular superheroes, and I think this is because his core nature is that of a mortal man trying to make sense of the threatening world around him, a template that will have a strong emotional connection to almost any individual.

I also plan to look at issues within adolescence which are addressed through comics, such as alienation, broken homes, the loss of childhood ideals and innocence and conflict with adults and authority figures.

In Ultimate Spiderman in particular, Peter, filled with ideals and passion, rails against the problems and injustices in the world that adults seem to simply accept. At one point he gets in a fight with his teacher over the release of a known gang-leader, The Kingpin: “I am so sick of all this – this compromise! … When does this happen exactly? During college? After college? When you turn thirty? When do you just give up? To the point where you can actually look me in the eye and say “Sure he murders, but he’s got good qualities, too.”.”
This frustration with the gap between what the world should be and what it is, is one that most people can relate to, but especially young people growing up and having to leave behind the safety and relative simplicity of childhood for the murkiness of the adult one.

One of the main themes within the Teen Titans comic series is that of young people striving to make the right choices, and to not lose sight of their ideals as they mature.
At one point they actually travel into the future, and meet their older counterparts who have become disillusioned and compromised their ideals. This acts as a warning to the younger heroes, who resolve to help each other remain steadfast in themselves, and so avoid the future they experienced. This journey of making choices about how to live and what you want to become is part of growing up, and something that many young people will be able to relate to.
One teen titan I am going to look at in particular during my research is Superboy, who is a clone with half of his DNA coming from Superman, and the other half from Lex Luthor. He, more clearly than any other titan, is a symbol of a teenager struggling to find their own identity apart from their parental influences.


2) Superheroes and Society

Although most are happy to accept that superhero comics can provide a very strong and relevant emotional catharsis, it is more difficult perhaps to look at the superhero’s relevancy as a social commentary. As shown in the literature review, there has been some debate as to how superheroes, being at their heart simple, larger than life embodiments of inner need and fantasy, could have any kind of connection to the messy world of outer-reality. Surely the very strength of superheroes is that they communicate the inner emotional state of individuals rather than the real world?
In one sense their strong ties to the form of the American Monomyth does limit their story-telling capacity. In his article (“Revolt Of The Comic Books”), Sanchez uses Marvel’s recent Civil War story as an example. He states that the American monomyth which underlies all superhero tales requires a simplistic, physical confrontation between good and evil, something which is above the law and without the complexity and small details which are necessary when sorting out any difficult situation in real life – therefore superhero stories are simply unable to explore our modern day political climate in any sort of depth or real meaning. Marvel’s Civil War is an allegory of America’s increase in homeland security, particularly the Patriot Act, but obviously the world of spandex-clad superheroes that can fly and bench-press boulders is very different from our world. Some would agree with Sanchez, arguing that this means a successful allegory cannot be made, or at least would be severely hindered.
However, although Civil War may not be able to successfully convey the exact same political situation as what we face in the real world, I believe it can still serve as a successful allegory, albeit one that is primarily emotional rather than institutional or legal.
The article by Brian Swafford discusses how Iron Man (who sides with the government) and Captain America (who rebels) each provide an opposing viewpoint and argument, both of which are treated as valid. Spiderman, who is caught in the middle and sways from one side to the other, could be read as the average American in the post 9/11 era. He initially supports the government, but is confused and worried about the future, and where its actions are leading. In the end he moves over to Captain America’s side, but the end of the story is left very open, without either side gaining victory over the other. Rather than trying to analyse the various complexities of the current political situation, it instead taps into what the situation means to the individual, coming down to a conflict between what’s legal, and what the citizen (Spiderman) feels is morally right. It is able to communicate the same emotions that many Americans might be feeling – worry, fear of new disaster, uncertainty, and the desire to obey the government conflicting with the equally valid desire for privacy and freedom.
Through conveying this more generalised legal Vs moral conflict in a larger than life way, it can allow readers of all backgrounds and political viewpoints to connect with their own emotions and with the viewpoints of others in a way that’s free from stigma and bias related to political ideologies and debate.

I’m also planning to examine Superman: Red Son – looking at a similar theme. Even when he is a member of the “enemy” of the united states – the Soviet Union – Superman showed the same values and compassion he did as an American Citizen. The core values of superheroes are above ideology, tapping into a more universal part of our humanity. However, Superman also struggles with his role in society here. As eventual ruler of earth, he is torn between allowing humanity freedom and trying to protect it from harm by removing dangerous options. Does having superhuman intellect and other gifts give superheroes the right to make decisions for humanity? Should they have any say in humanity at all, or let humanity make its own choices? This could also be a question of the relevancy of superhero comics within out own society. In the comic, Superman bravely sacrifices himself to save earth, allowing mankind to make their own way without him. However, it is revealed that he didn’t actually die, but was content to remain in the shadows, still there and helping humanity. As with other artistic genres and movements, once experienced it is impossible to completely remove the influence of the ideas and knowledge from yourself. Even if superhero comics fade from public view, their effects and influence on their readers will continue to shape society, even if they themselves are not visible.

There have been many criticisms levelled at superhero comics since their conception – Frank Wertham’s Seduction Of The Innocent being one of the most well known ones. The violence inherent within the genre has long been heralded as having a negative effect on its readers, and The Dark Knight Returns examines this claim.
The story is interspersed with news programs arguing over whether Batman’s “one-man-war on crime” should be allowed in today’s society, with figures such as Dr Wolper, a psychiatrist at Arkham, decrying batman as having “poisoned [THE YOUTH OF GOTHAM] with an insidious excuse for the most violent, anti-social behaviour.”. His rants are reminiscent of Wertham’s claims that comics were polluting the youth of America and turning them into criminals, a fact that Frank Miller, the writer and penciller, most likely intended. Miller’s own opinion on Batman’s place within society is made clear throughout the comic with fake TV-interviews of Gotham’s citizens like this example: “Batman? I’m plain tired of hearing about him and how he doesn’t let things stop him or just let things go the way us humans do.”
Here Miller communicates his personal vision of Batman the unstoppable force who, as an idea contained within a story rather than a real person, cannot be dissuaded. His unswerving desire for justice has no weakness, only emotional power and strength than can inspire individuals who interact with him.
DKR also features short vignettes about various inhabitants of Gotham, and how Batman’s re-appearance has influenced them, for better or worse. Some turn to extreme violence, such as the mentally unbalanced man who kills three people in a porn-theatre shoot-out. This kind of negative influence is what many fear will happen to their kids on account of exposing them to violent media such as comics.
However, Miller also shows a positive influence that Batman has on someone – the owner of a small shop who, after reading about Batman in the news, gains a righteous anger against the crime in his community and defends a woman being attacked on the street. This shows that it is not the story or media (or superhero comic) itself which causes an individual to become violent, but rather the background of the individual in question and how their own experience allows them to interpret the media, something that Jones also argues in Killing Monsters. When describing the shop keeper’s defence of the woman, the final caption reads “Nobody is hurt badly enough for this to make the news”, implying that, although comics can have some infrequent negative effects, there are countless more quiet, unpublicised cases where people have benefited and been strengthened through the stories found in comics.

Watchmen is a critique of the superhero genre in relation to society, examining whether or not superheroes are still relevant in a disillusioned and gritty modern-day world. It strips away the automatic benign wisdom assigned to heroes by the American Monomyth structure, and analyses traditional superhero tropes, such as vigilante-ism (tolerance and even encouragement from the cops of traditional superhero stories being replaced by a governmental ban on all active superheroes), powers (Superman’s love of humanity replaced by Dr Manhattan’s withdrawal from all human emotion and understanding) and motivation (a generic drive to promote justice replaced by parental pressure, ambition, wealth, and the excuse to indulge in brutal desires), in a critical way. It poses the question: have superheroes anything else to say, or have we as a society matured and left them behind, unable to cope with the demands of a complex and uncertain world (and a more emotionally complex audience)?
Kingdom Come was the reply. It affirms the need for superheroes in society, but demands that they move and grow with humanity. Superhero comics can still have a place as a valid social commentary, but only by embracing all aspects of its character (the original, golden-age core of values as well as the gritty critique of the 80s) and being willing to evolve and change alongside societies needs, rather than stagnate by only sticking to traditional story-telling and narratives.


3) Superheroes and Comics Vs Film

This chapter will focus on the medium of comics, and whether or not they still have a place as a story-telling medium in today’s society.

Comics have a number of attributes which makes them a unique art form. The panels and gutters cause the human mind to work at filling in the blanks, an effect called closure. The comic can utilise composition to narrative and emotional effect, similar to film, but with more options when it comes to panel shape and size. It also has a uniquely “stretchy” approach to pace and timing, without the limitations of the continuous forward movement necessary in films. Effects such as removing the border or adjusting the size and length of a panel can make it seem timeless, and the comic medium also has the advantage of the reader being in control of how fast or slow they read the story. This makes the reading of a comic a very personal experience, forging a powerful connection between the reader and the story. This is similar to how a novel works, but comics, often having a less direct narrator than novels, can seem more objective, with the reader in some way supplying the voice of the story rather than the writer.
These powerful connections forged between the reader and the comic compliment the emotional interplay between the reader and the superhero story’s ideas, perhaps explaining why superheroes and comics seem like such a strong match.
The other main advantage that I think comics have over movies, as well as their personal nature and flexible pacing, is that superhero comics have time to build up powerful back-stories and history, whereas films are limited to only a few hours in which to tell a full story. In the world of comics, there is time and room to grow, and a depth to the worlds and characters that films simply cannot achieve in such a limited, tightly paced period of time.
Although there are problems inherent within the larger established superhero comic universes (issues with continuity, history, and the interplay between the fans and the creators are some examples), I would argue that superhero comics have a unique strength to them that makes them special.

• Bibliography (in Harvard style)


• Bendis, B.M. (w), Bagley, M. (p) (2000 onwards) Ultimate Spiderman Marvel Comics
• Campbell, J. (1949) The Hero With A Thousand Faces Fontana Press
• Coogan, P. (2006) Superhero: The Secret Origin Of A Genre Monkeybrain Books
• D’Alleva, A. (2006) Formal Analysis and Contextual Analysis How To Write Art History Laurence King Publishing Ltd. (pp. 27- 68)
• Eisner, W. (1985) Comics and Sequential Art Poorhouse Press
• Ellis, A. (1998) Comic Art in Scholarly Writing: A Citation Guide University of Florida Comics Studies [Online] Available: http://www.english.ufl.edu/comics/scholars/guide.html [27 May 2009]
• Johns, G. (w), Daniel, T. (p), Alquiza, M. (i) (2005) Teen Titans # 26: Soul Searching Teen Titans Vol. 3 DC Comics

• Jones, G. (2002) Killing Monsters - Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence Basic Books
• Klock, G. (2002) How To Read Superhero Comics and Why The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
• Knowles, C. (2007) Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History Of Comic Book Heroes. 1st ed. Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
• Lawrence, J. and Jewett, R. (2002) The Myth Of The American Superhero W,. B. Eerdman Publishing Co.
• McCloud, S. (1993) Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art HarperPerennial
• Millar, M (w), McNiven, S. (p), Vines, D. (i) (2007) Civil War # 1 Civil War: A Marvel Comics Event Marvel Comics
• Millar, M. (w) Johnson, D. (p) (2004) Superman: Red Son DC Comics
• Miller, F. (1986) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns DC Comics
• Moore, A. (w), Bolland, B. (1988) Batman: The Killing Joke DC Comics
• Moore, A. (w), Gibbons, D. (p), (1986) Watchmen DC Comics
• Reynolds, R. (1992) Superheroes: A Modern Mythology B.T. Batsford Ltd., London
• Sanchez, J. (2007) The revolt of the comic books: America's superheroes take on pre-emptive war, torture, warrantless spying, and George W. Bush himself. The American Prospect [Online], Vol 18(11), pp. 43-45 Available: Expanded Academic File [27 May 2009]
• Swafford. B. (2008) The Death Of Captain America: An Open-ended Allegorical reading of Marvel Comics' Civil War Storyline International Journal Of Comic Art, Vol. 10(2), pp. 632-648
• Vaughan, B.K. (w), Alphona, A (p) (2003 onwards) Runaways Marvel Comics
• Waid, M. (w), Ross, A. (p) (1996) Kingdom Come DC Comics




...and if you don't think that that's worth a few days of no doodles being uploaded... well... you're really mean :P