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Superhero Redux
From an interesting story in today's Wash Post, about the resurgence of superhero culture:
America sees itself as the world's superhero, [Men of Tomorrow author Gerard] Jones argues, stronger than any other country on the planet, uneasy about the ways that power is wielded, yet still persuaded it has a destiny to fix the world.
Whole story here.
Reason interviewed Jones a while back, when he published the interesting study of violent youth culture, Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence. Go here for that.
Reason's Brian Doherty assayed the persistence of the superhero in a great piece, "Comics Tragedy."
As a companion piece to that, I wrote about William Marston, the unconventional creator of Wonder Woman (and a major figure in the development of the "lie detector"). That's online here.
And more recently, I looked at the rise of homo superior and declard, Make Mine Mutants!
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Franklin Harris|2.6.05 @ 10:15AM|#
I'll second the recommendation for "Killing Monsters" and put in a good word for "Men of Tomorrow." Another excellent book, with a somewhat tighter focus, is "Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book" by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon.
'Nuff said.
|2.6.05 @ 12:49PM|#
Hopefully the superhero isn't Swamp Thing.
JA$ON|2.6.05 @ 3:05PM|#
Also, Julian Sanchez has a great essay on his website called Comic Books for Grown-Ups. It focuses on libertarian themed comic books.
|2.6.05 @ 3:09PM|#
Did "superhero culture" ever go away?
|2.6.05 @ 3:23PM|#
Julian's article was interesting; thanks for the link JA$ON.
Julian should have mentioned that Rorschach was not only based upon Mr. A, but also Ditko's creation The Question. Alan Moore was originally going to use the Charlton characters that DC had acquired, but instead Moore used altered versions of them for his miniseries. Thus, Captain Atom became Doctor Manhatten, The Question became Rorschach, The Blue Beetle became Nite Owl, Peacemaker became The Comedian, and Thunderbolt became Ozymandias.
Jeff|2.6.05 @ 3:48PM|#
Warren Ellis' Planetary is a nice take on superhero culture as well as just about every other trope in comics and pop literature. The main conceit is that there is a secret history underneath it all that is quite ugly.
It should also be noted that the strongest written books currently on the comics stands are not about superheroes.
|2.6.05 @ 7:24PM|#
What, no articles about Fletchman, the superhero of irrevelant Hit & Run comments?
|2.7.05 @ 1:17AM|#
irrelevant
am I a superhero or what
|2.7.05 @ 6:49AM|#
Douglas--
The answer is what.
|2.7.05 @ 12:12PM|#
John-David's Watchman list could include Nightshade becoming the Silk Spectre, and her Mom, the Silk Spectre.
"Superhero culture" has waxed and waned. After WWII, even some of the most popular union suitors disappeared. The Superman-DC group was nearly the only publisher making any money on the genre in the 1950's. Timely/Atlas/Marvel tried to revive their wartime greats during the Korean conflict, and a few others - Captain Flash, Fighting American - came out from other houses, but none of them lasted. Dr. Wertham savaged horror and crime comics, which were more popular then, but he had a lot to say about the costumed crowd, too. Dell outsold everybody them, with a steady stream of Disney's ducks and Warner's rabbits.
Kevin
|2.7.05 @ 12:16PM|#
Well I have been seriously considering becoming a superhero. What with all my spare time and excess cash, why not? I mean, funding the Institute for Justice is nice, but it doesn't give that hands on feeling for fighting evil.
Inspired by Stephen Lynch's song, "Superhero" I set out on my quest to become one. The problem is all the good superhero personna are taken. All that's left are on the order of "Civilian Thong Patrol" or such. Maybe I should just become a cultural elite instead?
|2.8.05 @ 5:57AM|#
The answer is what.
Shouldn't "what" be in quotes in that sentence?