My project first started while doing research on Batman in the art world.
Albrecht Durer's Melancholia
Roy Lichtenstein's tv guide cover
Andy Warhol's "Batman Dracula"
This term I wanted to explore not only Batman, but what superheroes mean in society. I managed to track down a copy of this:
Which arrived on Tuesday. Contains clips of "Batman Dracula" as Jack Smith played Dracula and Gregory Battcock played Batman. I watched it and it has about a ten second clip of "Batman Dracula" Worth it.
Andy Warhol played with the idea of pop culture mythology.
So there's the idea of modern mythology, which one form would be superheroes. After all, superheroes continue to get reinvented for the time.
40's batman is different then 60's batman, which is different then the 80's.
These characters get reinvented to suit its decade.
Characters often have similar archetypes from past "heroes". I've mentioned before that Batman borrows much from Sherlock Holmes, Faust, Zorro,
Superheroes borrow many characteristics from mythologies. Superman directly stems from Judeo-Christianity belief. He is often associated with a mixture of Moses and Jesus.
The story of a being sent from heaven or discovered in a basket to grow to become the savoir of humans. Superman is often referred to as the savoir of the human race.
He also borrows a lot from Apollo, as much of comic books take from Greek mythology. As well there are Superman "clones" (similar characters) like Apollo.
Which of course brings us to Wonder Woman, who's old origin was that she was born from the unborn baby's soul of the first woman to be murdered by man, mixed with the sands of Paradise Island and Zesus' lighting. Her newer origin was that she was born from Hippolyta and Zesus. Paradise Island is remote island populated only by Amazon warriors, who were all born from the souls of the first murdered women by men.
Wonder woman was created by William Loulton Marston, a psychologist and bondage enthusiast. He also wrote:
"Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength, and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don't want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women's strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman."
Wonder Woman has come a long way since this:
Now seen as an Amazon warrior and feminist icon.
Unfortunately strong female leads with unique stories and powers is (while growing) rare in modern comic books. Wonder woman is an exception to this.
While the are other strong characters like:
Ms. Marvel.
Batgirl
Storm.
But even then, women in comic books are often used at some point as a plot device by getting hurt/killed/ de-powered to advance the plot of a male character. It's a trope called "Woman in Refrigerators" coined from a Green Lantern comic in which Kyle Rayner returns home to find that villain Major Force has killed and stuffed his girlfriend in his fridge.
This can be said for Batgirl as well, in The 1988 Killing Joke when the Joker shot, stripped and took pictures of Barbara Gordon to try and drive her father, Commissioner Gordon, insane.
Paralysed, she became the incredibly useful Oracle until 2011 when she was healed and returned as Batgirl.
In the 1992 "Knightfall" Bane breaks Batman's back, putting him out of commission, but returns in its conclusion in 1994.
It's part of another trope called "Dead Men Defrosting" male superheroes get hurt/killed/de-powered in comic books all the time, but they either go down fighting a heroic fight, or are resurrected very quickly. Capitan America is great example of this.
Not only did he "die" fighting the Red Skull/Hydra/Nazis, but was assassinated during Marvel's Civil War to end it.
Comic book writers love to mirror current events. Civil War was an event where the "Super Human Registration Act" forced superhumans to reveal disclose all personal information to the government. The super hero community was split and went to war over it.
It alludes to the real-life american Patriot Act and invasion of privacy by the american government. Captain America's stance against the Super Human Registration act and then assassination was a metaphor for the loss of american ideals.
Anyway, he returned in a few years later.
Dead Man Defrosting at it's finest.
Some questions left to answer:
Who is the next big superhero? Someone who fills a gap in comic books that contemporary society has created? Will she/he get a movie deal and a toy line?
What do patterns in comic books show about our society? Do they serve as fantasies? after all, in comic books are often exaggerated with violence, sexuality and perspective. Does, for example, Wolverine's violence make our's unnecessary?
What is a superhero anyway?
