RESPONSE QUESTION (post as a comment or e-mail to me): In the video I suggest that superheroes are connected to our ancient past, but were reinterpreted for the needs of the early 20th century (Superman is a creation both of ancient Greece and the roaring 1920's). However, superheroes are still alive and kicking almost a hundred years since their birth in the comics--and indeed, have become even bigger in the last decade. Why do you think superheroes have exploded in recent years and become even more popular than ever? What do they seem to express or represent in our 21st century culture that makes them so easy to adapt into films, even when people don't know the characters (most people didn't know the Avengers or The Guardians of the Galaxy before the films came out).
Monday, May 11, 2020
For Tuesday: Blog Video and Response #2
Welcome back! Okay, I have just one video for you today (about 18 min.) about where superheroes come from (not just from Planet Krypton!). I want you to get started reading our first comic, Superman: American Alien for Wednesday's class, and you have an assignment for that (in the post above this one). So when you're read, watch this video and respond to the question below:
RESPONSE QUESTION (post as a comment or e-mail to me): In the video I suggest that superheroes are connected to our ancient past, but were reinterpreted for the needs of the early 20th century (Superman is a creation both of ancient Greece and the roaring 1920's). However, superheroes are still alive and kicking almost a hundred years since their birth in the comics--and indeed, have become even bigger in the last decade. Why do you think superheroes have exploded in recent years and become even more popular than ever? What do they seem to express or represent in our 21st century culture that makes them so easy to adapt into films, even when people don't know the characters (most people didn't know the Avengers or The Guardians of the Galaxy before the films came out).
RESPONSE QUESTION (post as a comment or e-mail to me): In the video I suggest that superheroes are connected to our ancient past, but were reinterpreted for the needs of the early 20th century (Superman is a creation both of ancient Greece and the roaring 1920's). However, superheroes are still alive and kicking almost a hundred years since their birth in the comics--and indeed, have become even bigger in the last decade. Why do you think superheroes have exploded in recent years and become even more popular than ever? What do they seem to express or represent in our 21st century culture that makes them so easy to adapt into films, even when people don't know the characters (most people didn't know the Avengers or The Guardians of the Galaxy before the films came out).
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Some Final Paper Resources, Part 3: Cultural Significance of Comics
For those of you interested in exploring the cultural significance of comics, there are many articles and discussions about how comics both ...
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From Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics , Harper Collins, 1994: Closure : "the phenomenon of observing the parts but percieving...
I feel that superhero’s drastic increase in appeal as of late largely comes from the public’s need for a champion upon which they can depend. Looking back throughout history, heroic and superheroic, as the case may be, figures appear in times where there is great turmoil or upheaval within a society. Some of the arguably most famous “superheroes” of literature stem from these periods such as Gilgamesh and Beowulf. In Gilgamesh’s case it was probably more than one of these such periods due how long we see the epic taking form. However, as for Beowulf it was born during a time of political and religious upheaval in England around the 8th to 11th century so there was more than a bit of turbidity in English, or rather at this point still Anglish society.
ReplyDeleteIn the more recent past, as you stated in today's video, the first “modern” superheroes were born on the eve of the second World War, again during a time when outlooks seemed bleak. I feel that today’s culture of fast paced ever shifting goals and ideals leads readers to gravitate towards heros who seem to combat the evil or injustice we all seem to shrug-off as endemic to the world we know. I feel that one reason superheros have racked up so much screen time as of late is because aside from the fact that Hollywood will only stop beating a dead horse when it quits spitting out money, we as a consumer base are clamoring for the good guys to win, and for the bad guys to get what is coming to them. We see all too often in the real world that opposite is true and goes against our sense of justice.
Yes, partly Hollywood is to blame--anything that works will work until it doesn't! But think about this: superheroes initially didn't work on screen. Other than the 1979 Superman movie, most superhero movies and TV shows flopped...they just couldn't get a wide audience. It wasn't until 1989's Batman came out that people really went ga-ga for Batman. I think the 70's were almost too dystopian to believe in heroes, which is why you have so many vigilante movies. But in the 80's, we began to believe in the future again and became hopeful--even in the midst of the Cold War. But as it started to thaw, so did our love for superheroes. Today, we seem to be veering much more toward the 70's mindset, which is maybe why our heroes are becoming darker and less idealistic. And yet, we still believe in them, because they're basically all we've got!
DeleteJust as the security of humanity seemed uncertain in the times of the creation of Superman and Batman, with the realization of the cruelties that one human can enact upon other humans, the same uncertainty still exists today. Therefore, the comfort of the idea of a superhero, one that can resist the desire for domination over humanity is a comfort. I’m a child of the 80’s and I cannot remember a time when America wasn’t threatened by something out there. First, there was all the conflict with the Middle East. I remember watching the news in which reporters where silhouetted by the blasts of bombs, Hussein was (in my young mind) a super villain, it all felt confusing yet threatening to me. From that point there always seemed some threat looming: There was the Murrah Bombing, Osama bin Laden, North Korea, Russia. So, maybe all this uncertainty is why superheroes are having a “glow up”. It’s nice to view people who choose good when we are so overwhelmed with the power-hungry evil of leaders in the world. Those kids that took comfort in these comic books heroes in the 80’s and 90’s have grown up and have become the writers and producers of movies. They are sharing the stories that they clung onto with a mass audience. In return these movies are making these characters mainstream and altering the perspective of comic books. By making these characters easy to access through viewing the movies the genre is becoming more accepted. You see the same phenomenon with gaming and how streaming is making it more mainstream.
ReplyDeleteGreat response; the threat 'out there' is always so complex and ill-defined, and our attempts to understand it are usually reduced to a racial or national stereotype. Superheroes give us not only an easily defined villain but a believable and trustworthy hero who we know can meet it strength for strength. However, superheroes are always metaphors for our 'real' hopes and dreams, as well as the complexity of achieving them. What seems simple never is, and behind the symbol is endless levels of culture and context. That's what makes them so much fun to read and study...the heroes we throw up come from hundreds of years of thought and only wear a mask we recognize today, which in turn will be changed for a new one tomorrow.
DeleteI think superhero's had such a big increase in their fame because people felt like they needed a savior. During the 20s was when there was a big stock market crash, maybe the feeling of superhero's real or not, gave the public something to look forward to. In the recent years I think a reason why superhero's have exploded so much is because of cinema. The Avengers really drew a lot of people in, these movies are very well played out, so I think people became more interested in superhero movies after these. I think people take comfort in superhero's, whether it be books or movies.
ReplyDeleteSomething that superhero's express right now that draws people to them is a sense of being strong or having cool powers. I think it is so easy to adapt these characters into films because they are action packed and have a good story line behind them.
Great response...both then and now, the public demanded an unambiguous savior, one that was incorruptible and truly good, one that we could count on, and who couldn't be compromised by sex, money, or power. The two variations on this are Batman, who represents the practical super hero, the one willing to get his hands dirty to fight crime, and Superman, the ideal super hero, who is literally of another world and therefore not prey to human vices and weaknesses. We keep doing variations on these heroes today, though we constantly veer toward the Batman superhero, since we like a messier hero--one more like us, who could easily tumble into darkness and confusion.
DeleteSuperheroes have become a bigger deal in the last decade because like you say in your video, there has been many tragic events that have happened to our country and around the world in the past decade. In those tragic events we have heard about or seen, the good people always die or something bad happens to them. When people read comics about superheroes, the superhero always saves the world in the end. It is good for people to read or watch a superhero save the world because it gives them hope.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I feel like we have been able to relate to superheroes more in the last decade than ever before. In the past couple of years there have been female superhero films made such as Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel. There has also been a big feminist movement going on so that is probably why those films were released. We read books and watch movies because they interest us. We find a character to identify with. Making a superhero have a human quality makes them more relatable and that is why many of us read superhero comics or watch superhero films. It is also an escape from what is going on in our world. We want to see good always win but many times in our world we see evil win.
Yes, great response...our superheroes always reflect the people who most believe in them, which is why early superheroes were mostly 'immigrants'--people from other worlds, such as Superman (Krypton) and Wonder Woman (an Amazon island). Now, we have superheroes who are women of color and who defy the status quo--which is exactly what so many people need to believe in today: that America isn't just one color and one belief system. They're more relatable to a larger demographic, and not just the people who used to read comics.
DeleteCallie Farley: I agree with all the previous comments that superheros have gained a lot of popularity because there are a lot of bad things that happen in the world and comics, books, films..ect with superheros can be sort of a form of escapism. We all want to believe that there is someone out there that is looking out for us and who is going to save us from the terrible things that happen. I think that it's easy to adapt them into films because for most sci-fi and fantasy literature there is a hero, whether they wear the super suit or not. It can also be said that history has a way of repeating it's self, so I think that you could totally adapt a superhero into a more "modern" film.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is mostly what was behind their creation in the late 20's, a time rife with gangsters, racism, and economic instability. A superhero is immune to corruption, protects all mankind regardless of race, and works for the common good--unlike most politicians and so-called defenders of the people! And we're in the same world today, wondering who we can trust and who truly represents our values and beliefs.
DeleteI think that superheroes are still such a big part of our society due to the fact that they embody the ideal of the underdog being able to achieve greatness just like the American Dream ideal that is so popular within our society. It is also because society currently loves a story of good versus evil. I also feel that the advancement of technology has also aided in them still being so relevant and easily adapted into films. One can literally have a superhero story at their fingertips within seconds and the tools available to do so is in abundance.
DeleteJordyn Moore: I think a likely reason that comics and superheroes exploded to become extremely popular in recent years is because people now realize more now than ever that superheroes can be relatable. Even though they are super beings with superpowers they usually still have some human qualities or traits that make them relatable. Take for example Peter Parker or Clark Kent. Peter Parker is a relatable teenage boy who deals with common teenage problems such as school and dealing with girls. Clark Kent is seemingly normal with a normal job as a reporter, he lives a life that people can relate to (when he is living as Clark Kent). I believe this is also the same reason that superheroes are so adaptable to modern films. People feel a connection with these heroes because they hold relatable problems or relatable lives. Even those people who don’t know about these heroes until a movie is released about them can develop a great love or connection for these characters through the relatableness they learn about the character during the movie.
ReplyDeleteYes, great point--we identify more with the human element than the superhero element today. The new Spiderman movies (including Into to the Spiderverse) focus more on the man behind the mask, Peter Parker, and his difficulty in becoming a superhero. We can't relate to symbols, as much as they inspire us, so we have to keep looking inside the mask where we find ourselves--or a version of ourselves that we can recognize. That's why we love superhero origin stories so much...it helps us see the man or woman inside the symbol. Otherwise, we wouldn't have much to relate to and the superhero would indeed feel alien or removed from our own lives.
DeleteSuperheros have always been a large archetype in literature and in film. In recent years I believe that they have become bigger because of the release of large movies like the Avenger series. When one person finds out they can make money from a concept others will always follow suit. Relating this to society, as others have said, as society declines people tend to look for a savior. Superheros fill this slot of an idea of a savior when in reality these types of people do not exist.
ReplyDeleteYes, money is a big issue, and the more they're successful the more that will follow. But the question is, why did they suddenly take off after decades of not really connecting with the public (and boy, Stan Lee tried to make superhero movies for years and years--he was so desperate, that at one point, he made a Captain America musical! It bombed). But yes, they also represent the savior figure which is missing from most of our lives...heck, we don't even have that many heroes anymore, aside from rock stars and sports stars. But even they disappoint us!
DeleteMayra Munoz: I think that everyone goes through difficult times at different stages of our lives, and just like everyone in particular our country faces difficulties, like right now with the COVID19, we all need hope, someone to come “save the world” from this pandemic. The news have portrayed the doctors, nurses, teachers, janitors, grocery store workers and farmers as the heroes, because they are doing something good for society, therefore they are the “heroes” that are helping “save the world”.
ReplyDeleteOur country, in the last decade, has been tested in many ways, and people are striving to survive. When we see superheroes with human qualities, we see ourselves as able to do something to make this world a better place, the superhero shows us that everyone has their own superpower to make a difference, no matter how small. When we watch the movies we usually try to find something that we can relate to, and apply ourselves to the character, the ease to find a relation to a superhero or a villan in a movie (whatever situation the person is experiencing), makes it more tactible, which will make the character more familiar, even when we have not heard from this character before.
The variety of cultures shown on the recent hero movies are portrating what America is really made out of, which is a melting pot of cultures and nationalities, where everyone in some way or another contributes to the advancement or the destruction of this country in the 21st century.
Yes, great point--we're seeing a lot of "common man/woman" heroes rise up in the chaos of COVID right now, though we often have a hard time seeing heroes around us. We often need a symbol to point to the more practical heroic deeds that shape our world. Superheroes are a kind of lightning rod that focuses the human in the fantastic; the more fantastic they are, the greater we see ourselves in relief. That's why Superman is perhaps the greatest superhero--he's us the way we all imagine ourselves to be. Yet he's just a kid from Kansas, really. So if he could be super, anyone can!
DeleteFirst of all, I hope everyone's excited for Robert Pattinson as Batman!!
ReplyDeleteI think our need for escapism has only increased in recent years - although humans have always loved numbing out and/or finding a way to sink into a fantasy, so that's not all that new. It's a ritual, though, so that helps.
I also think that our bigger-is-always-better culture helps keep superhero stories in a state of constant growth. They're an opportunity to REALLY show off the special effects. As Robert Pattinson said in a recent interview with GQ (!! I'm NOT a twihard I'm sorry but I read this interview 30 minutes ago and it's in my brain) even exhausted, jaded, been-around-the-block tech and crew workers are excited to see the latest special effects for their new movie. Plus, opportunities to hire tons of big stars at once.
Finally - the world is scary and just getting scarier. As humanity becomes capable of greater technological feats, our problems get bigger, and the superheroes we create inhabit worlds that are correspondingly bigger and more complicated. It's a reflection of ourselves, which has always been the point.
Ha, well anyone is better than Ben Affleck or George Clooney! So we'll see what he brings to the role...
ReplyDeleteBut yes, part of it is the escapism of comics, with their promise of adventure and high-tech gadgetry or simply over-the-top heroics. But also it's a symbol of hope; I think in our increasingly secular world, we're not left with much to believe in--no miracles, no divine saviors. So superheroes take this role, becoming the saints of older days, or simply the knights and heroes we once looked to. They follow an arcane moral system that defies the greed of Capitalism or Nationalism. And they point to a simpler time when good and evil faced off without ambiguity. And yet, comics have more and more dabbled in this very ambiguity, as we'll see in the first few comics in class!
I think people need a way to get away from the real world and a little hope. Enter superheroes. Everyone wants to believe that someone will protect them if things were to go south or that they someday they themselves might become a hero, what it all boils down to, I think is hope, superheroes represent that good and righteous hope. People want the hope that superheroes give.-Brittany Davis
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