tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/superman-314/articles
Superman – The Conversation
2023-07-19T12:25:47Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/209010
2023-07-19T12:25:47Z
2023-07-19T12:25:47Z
Holy voter suppression, Batgirl! What comics reveal about gender and democracy
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537647/original/file-20230717-152675-ha7ae5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1733%2C837&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'The Unmasking of Batgirl,' story from Detective Comics, April 1972.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/comics/book/detective-comics-1937-422/1bec2a4b-a5ac-46a6-b1c0-be8517ccc206">DC Universe Infinite</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Each July, comics fans, professionals and scholars descend on San Diego, California, for <a href="https://www.comic-con.org/cci">Comic-Con International</a> – a celebration of the art and business of the comics industry. Comic books used to be a niche genre of interest to a narrow subset of popular culture enthusiasts. Since the 1970s, however, they increasingly have supplied the characters and stories on which <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/american-comic-book-industry-and-hollywood-9781844579419/">film, television and streaming media empires are founded</a>. </p>
<p>Marvel, home of the Avengers, turned an <a href="https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/introducing-with-great-power-the-rise-of-superhero-cinema/3f8af98c-13e6-4160-acb8-c24c73ce0496">almost broke comics and toy company into one of the most lucrative movie franchises in history</a> and became one pillar of Disney’s streaming media empire. Sony <a href="https://screenrant.com/spiderman-no-way-home-box-office-profit-sony/#:%7E:text=With%20nearly%20%241.9%20billion%20grossed,million%20in%20profit%20for%20Sony.">continues to make money from its share of the Spider-Man franchise</a>. DC Comics originated fan favorites Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Although their transition to film did not match Marvel’s success, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/dc-warner-bros-discovery-zaslav-hbo-max-1235232185/">WarnerMedia has doubled down on its investment in DC superheroes</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537955/original/file-20230718-23-832eke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Drawing of DC superheroes" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537955/original/file-20230718-23-832eke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537955/original/file-20230718-23-832eke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537955/original/file-20230718-23-832eke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537955/original/file-20230718-23-832eke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537955/original/file-20230718-23-832eke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=683&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537955/original/file-20230718-23-832eke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=683&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537955/original/file-20230718-23-832eke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=683&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Justice League.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Universe Infinite</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As comic books’ cultural impact has grown, scholars have explored how they have reflected and shaped attitudes about everything from <a href="https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/P/Politics-in-the-Gutters">politics</a> to <a href="https://www.usni.org/press/books/comics-and-conflict">war</a> to <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Superheroes-and-Economics-The-Shadowy-World-of-Capes-Masks-and-Invisible/ORoark-Salkowitz/p/book/9780815367086">economics</a> to <a href="https://ohiostatepress.org/books/titles/9780814215272.html">gender</a>, <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/black-comics-9781441135285/">race</a>, <a href="https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08474-9.html">ability</a> and <a href="https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/T/The-LGBTQ-Comics-Studies-Reader">sexuality</a>.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://communicationstudies.colostate.edu/people/karrin/">scholar of gender and political culture</a>, I am interested in comic book depictions of superheroines as elected officials. My research collaborator, Ryan Greene, and I have presented analysis of political storylines in comics involving <a href="https://www.eventeny.com/events/comiccon-2022-3116/?action=schedule-item&action_ops%5bitem_id%5d=19909">Wonder Woman and Batgirl</a> at Comic Con International. We contend that these comic book depictions aptly illustrate how sexism weakens democracy. Our examination also demonstrates why comics history is relevant to contemporary politics. </p>
<h2>Wonder Woman for president</h2>
<p>Wonder Woman, the Amazonian princess, warrior for peace and Earth’s self-appointed defender, has long been an icon of feminist strength. She famously graced the cover of Ms. magazine’s inaugural issue in 1972, depicted as a giant superheroine rescuing an embattled world as she ran for U.S. president on a platform of “peace and justice.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Giant Wonder Woman runs through a chaotic city street next to one of her presidential campaign signs" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537627/original/file-20230717-218241-g2t785.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537627/original/file-20230717-218241-g2t785.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537627/original/file-20230717-218241-g2t785.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537627/original/file-20230717-218241-g2t785.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537627/original/file-20230717-218241-g2t785.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537627/original/file-20230717-218241-g2t785.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537627/original/file-20230717-218241-g2t785.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1025&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Ms’ magazine cover, 1972.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">msmagazine.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In 1944, however, when Wonder Woman ran for president in the pages of her own comic book, the story exhibited a surprising undercurrent of authoritarianism and sexist thinking.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Wonder Woman giving a speech to adording supporters" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537628/original/file-20230717-98971-5fkiun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537628/original/file-20230717-98971-5fkiun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537628/original/file-20230717-98971-5fkiun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537628/original/file-20230717-98971-5fkiun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537628/original/file-20230717-98971-5fkiun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537628/original/file-20230717-98971-5fkiun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537628/original/file-20230717-98971-5fkiun.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1024&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Wonder Woman for President,’ story from Wonder Woman, January 1944.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Universe Infinite</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“<a href="https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Wonder_Woman_Vol_1_7">Wonder Woman for President</a>,” is a flash-forward story set in the 3000s, when women head the governments of the world. Wonder Woman’s creator, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/241159/the-secret-history-of-wonder-woman-by-jill-lepore/">William Moulton Marston</a>, believed in women’s moral superiority and conjured a world based on gender differences, with women representing peace and justice and men symbolizing war and corruption.</p>
<p>What Marston called the “new woman’s age,” though, has the trappings of an authoritarian state. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537635/original/file-20230717-129345-8aetzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Depictions of authoritarian elements in Wonder Woman" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537635/original/file-20230717-129345-8aetzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537635/original/file-20230717-129345-8aetzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537635/original/file-20230717-129345-8aetzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537635/original/file-20230717-129345-8aetzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=276&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537635/original/file-20230717-129345-8aetzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537635/original/file-20230717-129345-8aetzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537635/original/file-20230717-129345-8aetzj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Wonder Woman for President,’ story from Wonder Woman, January 1944.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Universe Infinite</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Girl troopers” guard President Arda Moore, the woman who precedes Wonder Woman’s ascent to the Oval Office. The sky is blanketed with airships spreading “a great net of friendly protection across the length and breadth of America.” Women secretaries cheerfully wear devices on their heads that compel them to type their female bosses’ dictation. Most notably, Wonder Woman’s mother, Queen Hippolyta, assures her daughter that “all men are much happier when their strong aggressive natures are controlled by a wise and loving woman!”</p>
<p>Democracy isn’t dead in the U.S., however, and Wonder Woman’s alter ego, Diana Prince, steps into the political fray in order to keep the corrupt “Man’s Party” from taking control of the government. Her victory is undermined both by young women voters whose girlish infatuation compels them to vote for the male candidate and by a ballot-stuffing scheme orchestrated by the Man’s Party.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537630/original/file-20230717-138859-co2ah8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Women pine over newspaper coverage of a man with hearts around their heads. Men rig an election." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537630/original/file-20230717-138859-co2ah8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537630/original/file-20230717-138859-co2ah8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537630/original/file-20230717-138859-co2ah8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537630/original/file-20230717-138859-co2ah8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=243&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537630/original/file-20230717-138859-co2ah8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537630/original/file-20230717-138859-co2ah8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537630/original/file-20230717-138859-co2ah8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Wonder Woman for President,’ story from Wonder Woman, January 1944.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Universe Infinite</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When democratic processes prove insufficient for keeping the peace, Wonder Woman intervenes to foil the Man’s Party’s plan and take the presidential oath as her alter ego, Diana Prince.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537633/original/file-20230717-218241-awaw3v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Diana Prince takes the oath of office" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537633/original/file-20230717-218241-awaw3v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537633/original/file-20230717-218241-awaw3v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537633/original/file-20230717-218241-awaw3v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537633/original/file-20230717-218241-awaw3v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537633/original/file-20230717-218241-awaw3v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=671&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537633/original/file-20230717-218241-awaw3v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=671&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537633/original/file-20230717-218241-awaw3v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=671&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Wonder Woman for President,’ story from Wonder Woman, January 1944.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Universe Infinite</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Historian Philip Smith <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/fmh.2018.4.3.227">describes</a> “Wonder Woman for President” as a “proto-feminist” story that reflects attitudes about gender that were progressive in their time. </p>
<p>However, our research demonstrates how the comic introduces damaging stereotypes about gender and politics that endure to this day: that <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2016/05/19/americans-views-of-women-as-political-leaders-differ-by-gender/">gender differences determine people’s approach to leadership</a>; that <a href="http://doi.org/10.1353/rap.2006.0001">young women voters are sometimes motivated by sexual attraction</a>; and that <a href="https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.3.0525">when women do gain political power, they use it to dominate men</a>.</p>
<p>Additionally, although Wonder Woman is cast as a defender of democracy, Marston’s story portrays democracy as weak, prone to corruption and ultimately in need of superheroic intervention in order to survive. In that respect, “Wonder Woman for President” mirrors other stories about political superheroes in comics and films <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/dawn-of-fascists/">that have authoritarian underpinnings</a>.</p>
<h2>Giving sexist and authoritarian politics ‘the boot’</h2>
<p>A comics narrative that has been overlooked by scholars and fans, however, illustrates how popular culture can foster healthier attitudes about politics and gender. In the 1970s, DC Comics sent Batgirl and her alter ego, Barbara Gordon, to the nation’s capital in a narrative premised on gender equity and the strength of democracy.</p>
<p>In “<a href="https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_422">The Unmasking of Batgirl</a>,” Batgirl is discouraged that the crooks she sends to jail get released and commit more crimes. Disillusioned with vigilantism, she decides that the only way to effectively fight crime is to champion legislation aimed at crime prevention and prison reform. </p>
<p>Gordon launches a campaign for U.S. Congress that promises to give corrupt politicians “the boot” – a nod to Batgirl’s signature footwear – drawing support from a diverse coalition of voters. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537964/original/file-20230718-23-5eworn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Barbara Gordon speaks to diverse voters who cheer her on" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537964/original/file-20230718-23-5eworn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537964/original/file-20230718-23-5eworn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=889&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537964/original/file-20230718-23-5eworn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=889&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537964/original/file-20230718-23-5eworn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=889&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537964/original/file-20230718-23-5eworn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537964/original/file-20230718-23-5eworn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537964/original/file-20230718-23-5eworn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1117&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Candidate for Danger!’ story from Detective Comics, May 1972.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Universe Infinite</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Whereas Diana Prince’s constituents were exclusively white and predominantly female, Barbara Gordon activates a multiracial coalition of women and men from various walks of life. Her heroic Batgirl persona recedes into the background as Gordon deploys a more democratic superpower – persuasion – to accomplish her mission.</p>
<p>As in Diana Prince’s campaign, nefarious actors meddle in the voting, this time using intimidation to depress voter turnout. But rather than waiting for Batgirl to save the day, Gordon’s political supporters intervene to get voters to the polls, assuring her political victory in “<a href="https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_424">Batgirl’s Last Case</a>.” </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537643/original/file-20230717-130180-xxi92d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Youth supporters help get voters to the polls" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537643/original/file-20230717-130180-xxi92d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537643/original/file-20230717-130180-xxi92d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537643/original/file-20230717-130180-xxi92d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537643/original/file-20230717-130180-xxi92d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537643/original/file-20230717-130180-xxi92d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537643/original/file-20230717-130180-xxi92d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537643/original/file-20230717-130180-xxi92d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Batgirl’s Last Case,’ story from Detective Comics, June 1972.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Universe Infinite</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Wonder Woman’s superpowers were needed to compensate for democracy’s weaknesses, but Batgirl’s heroics prove insufficient for ensuring justice. Her faith in the people and in democracy is rewarded when citizens, working together, save the day.</p>
<h2>Telling democratic stories</h2>
<p>As another presidential campaign season approaches, it’s worth remembering that authoritarian politics don’t always announce themselves as such. </p>
<p>Sometimes, like Wonder Woman’s signature outfit, they’re draped in red, white and blue. </p>
<p>These stories have enduring appeal. “Wonder Woman for President” continues to be celebrated on <a href="https://www.80stees.com/products/wonder-woman-for-president-dc-comics-t-shirt">T-shirts</a>, <a href="https://bleedingcool.com/comics/how-wonder-woman-7-from-1943-predicted-the-future-of-politics/">fan sites</a> and in <a href="https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-ages-of-wonder-woman/">comics scholarship</a>. And a subset of the voting public has demonstrated support for real-world authoritarian figures <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/11/8/13563500/joss-whedon-donald-trump-fascist-fantasy-lone-superhero">who make heroic promises</a>.</p>
<p>Although Batgirl’s congressional tenure has largely been ignored by scholars and fans, it illustrates how even pulpy remnants of historical pop culture sometimes provide a surprisingly robust vision of gender equity and democratic strength.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209010/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karrin Vasby Anderson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Comic book depictions of superheroines as politicians illustrate how sexism weakens democracy and why comics history is relevant to contemporary politics.
Karrin Vasby Anderson, Professor of Communication Studies, Colorado State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/172572
2022-11-23T17:05:56Z
2022-11-23T17:05:56Z
Black Panther is a step in the right direction and a diverse audience is hungry for more inclusive roles and storylines
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/497086/original/file-20221123-14-yey8kp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=44%2C13%2C2950%2C1985&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Letitia Wright as Shuri.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.marvel.com/articles/movies/black-panther-wakanda-forever-shuri-nexus-of-the-movie">Marvel</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>From <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419884/">Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness</a> to the recent <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10857160/">She-Hulk: Attorney at Law</a>, comics and their adaptations or spin-offs are big business. The just-released <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9114286/">Black Panther: Wakanda Forever</a> earned an astonishing <a href="https://www.boxofficepro.com/weekend-box-office-black-panther-wakanda-forever-opens-to-180m-domestic-330m-global/">US$330 million worldwide</a> (£278 million) in its opening weekend. </p>
<p>US comics and graphic novels, meanwhile, made <a href="https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales/2021.html">US$600 million in 2021</a> – 36% more than the previous year. And <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/">four of the most popular films of 2022</a> are based on comics – with the Black Panther sequel joining the top ten a week after release.</p>
<p>These days more and more comics are featuring a diverse range of performers and roles. In Marvel’s <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9140554/">Loki</a>, for example, the God of Mischief <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/06/24/director-kate-herron-confirms-marvel-loki-disney-bisexual/7781779002/">is bisexual</a>, while the Black Panther films and the animated Spider-man movies have people of colour <a href="https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a25616148/spider-man-into-spider-verse-2-characters-cast-plot-release-date-spin-off/">as their leads</a>.</p>
<p>There’s also been the introduction of new characters to bridge the diversity gap, such as <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Kamala_Khan_(Earth-616)">Ms Marvel, played by Kamala Khan</a> and <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/America_Chavez_(Earth-616)">America Chavez</a> played by <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7961780/">Xochitl Gomez</a>. Ms Marvel’s Muslim faith has been well received and seen as a “<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ms-marvel-muslim-identity-a-changing-hollywood-1234666/">gamechanger</a>” for depictions of the religion on screen. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m9EX0f6V11Y?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Queering characters</h2>
<p>Both Marvel and DC have massively increased LGBTQ+ representation onscreen and in comics in recent times. Though a notable difference is that Marvel’s LGBTQ+ superheroes are mainly new characters, whereas DC has changed the sexuality of older characters. </p>
<p>Marvel’s Young Avengers, for example, has long featured <a href="https://www.pride.com/geek/2020/4/23/will-mcus-young-avengers-characters-all-be-lgbtq">a large number of LGBTQ+ characters</a>. And DC recently created a <a href="https://theconversation.com/supermans-not-the-first-hero-to-be-portrayed-as-bisexual-but-hell-bring-hope-to-lgbtq-fans-169898">bisexual narrative</a> for Superman’s son, Jonathan Kent – though he is still presented as straight in the <a href="https://arrow.fandom.com/wiki/Jonathan_Kent">current TV adaptation</a>.</p>
<p>DC also recently changed another previously straight character, the third male Robin, Tim Drake, to have him <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/aug/11/batmans-sidekick-robin-comes-out-as-lgbtq-in-new-comic">attracted to another man</a>. Meanwhile Aquaman’s teen protege, Aqualad, was changed from a <a href="https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Garth_(Prime_Earth)">straight white teen</a> to <a href="https://laist.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/how-the-new-gay-aquaman-is-being-reintroduced-by-a-black-socal-writer">a gay black teen</a> – first in an animated TV series and then in comics. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Robin, aka Tim Drake, with his boyfriend, Bernard." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495685/original/file-20221116-24-bzj1fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495685/original/file-20221116-24-bzj1fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495685/original/file-20221116-24-bzj1fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495685/original/file-20221116-24-bzj1fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=299&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495685/original/file-20221116-24-bzj1fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495685/original/file-20221116-24-bzj1fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495685/original/file-20221116-24-bzj1fs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Robin, aka Tim Drake, with his boyfriend, Bernard.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.dc.com/comics/dc-pride-tim-drake-special-2022/dc-pride-tim-drake-special-1">DC.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Back in 2012, there was also the marriage of Northstar, a fairly minor member of the X-Men, to his <a href="https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/40803/astonishing_x-men_2004_51">non-white husband</a>, which <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/x-men-gay-wedding_b_1536037">led to</a> <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/marvel-comics-hosts-first-gay-wedding-in-astonishing-x-men-235209/">positive reviews</a>. And in the same year, the original Green Lantern <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/green-lantern-comes-out-as-gay-in-earth-two-234596/">came out as gay</a>. </p>
<p>Some fans criticised how this was handled – not only was it suggested he had been <a href="https://screenrant.com/original-green-lantern-alan-scott-gay-infinite-frontier/">in the closet for years</a>, but rather than giving him a life-affirming storyline, the third issue to feature a younger version of the <a href="https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Green_Lantern">Green Lantern</a> character saw his boyfriend <a href="https://www.queerty.com/that-was-fast-green-lanterns-boyfriend-killed-off-almost-immediately-20120712">killed in a train crash</a>. </p>
<h2>What readers want</h2>
<p>When it comes to diversity, Marvel has had mixed responses from some employees. In 2017 for example, David Gabriel, Marvel’s senior vice president of print, sales and marketing, said “people didn’t want any more diversity … (or more) female characters,” but later <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/apr/03/marvel-executive-says-emphasis-on-diversity-may-have-alienated-readers">dialled back his comments</a>, adding “we are proud and excited to … reflect new voices and new experiences.” </p>
<p>In terms of readers, it seems that while changes to <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/hire-authors-of-color-in-comics/">existing characters</a> are not so welcome,
<a href="https://uncannymagazine.com/article/representation-matters-embracing-change-in-comics/">diversity in newer storylines</a> is seen as a positive thing.
Indeed, as <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-74974-3_1#Sec210">academic, Jos van Waterschoot</a>, puts it: “<a href="https://www.popmatters.com/fandom-negative-nostalgia-2648778748.html">fandom gatekeepers may be hostile to newcomers</a>”. Perhaps for some fans, a previously straight character feeling same-sex attraction is a step too far, even if <a href="https://psychcentral.com/health/coming-out-later-in-life#typical-ages">belatedly coming out of the closet</a> is hardly new.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496749/original/file-20221122-18-h8xw41.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="DC Superheros line up." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496749/original/file-20221122-18-h8xw41.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496749/original/file-20221122-18-h8xw41.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496749/original/file-20221122-18-h8xw41.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496749/original/file-20221122-18-h8xw41.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496749/original/file-20221122-18-h8xw41.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496749/original/file-20221122-18-h8xw41.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496749/original/file-20221122-18-h8xw41.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">DC Pride is an annual LGBTQ+ comic book anthology first published by DC Comics in June 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.dc.com/sites/default/files/imce/2022/04-APR/DCPRIDE_2022_WRAPAROUND_VARIANT_SWAY_624de10fd31852.69939736.jpg">DC.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But while narrative changes to <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315604626-4/superheroes-identity-carol-tilley">comics</a> may lead to <a href="https://ew.com/tv/2017/04/03/marvel-female-diverse-characters-hurting/">unwelcome criticism</a> if long-lasting characters are killed off or have their characterisation changed, when done well it adds to the storyline – and is <a href="https://movieweb.com/marvel-movie-character-deaths/">welcomed by fans</a>.</p>
<p>Writer, Mark Russell, for example, is noted for <a href="https://bookriot.com/nostalgic-comics/">reviving cartoon characters</a> in comics and giving them an <a href="https://www.salon.com/2019/06/10/snagglepuss-lgbt-hero-legendary-hanna-barbera-character-reborn-in-new-comic-series/">LGBTQ+ twist</a>. One of his <a href="https://www.cbr.com/mark-russell-best-comic-book-series-ranked/">celebrated creations</a>, <a href="https://thequeerreview.com/2020/04/13/book-review-exit-stage-left-the-snagglepuss-chronicles/">The Snagglepuss Chronicles</a>, reimagines the <a href="https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/hanna-barbera">Hanna-Barbera</a> cartoon character, Snagglepuss, as a gay US playwright in the 1950s being victimised under McCarthyism.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495688/original/file-20221116-18-z3eolp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Cartoon cat as The Statue of Liberty, draped in US flag." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495688/original/file-20221116-18-z3eolp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/495688/original/file-20221116-18-z3eolp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=933&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495688/original/file-20221116-18-z3eolp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=933&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495688/original/file-20221116-18-z3eolp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=933&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495688/original/file-20221116-18-z3eolp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1172&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495688/original/file-20221116-18-z3eolp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1172&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/495688/original/file-20221116-18-z3eolp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1172&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Exit, Stage Left!: The Snagglepuss Chronicles is a satirical comic book, published by DC Comics, that features a gay Snagglepuss being victimised under McCarthyism.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit,_Stage_Left!:_The_Snagglepuss_Chronicles#/media/File:Exit,_Stage_Left,_The_Snagglepuss_Chronicles_Comic_Issue_1_Cover.jpg">DC.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>But more needed</h2>
<p>At least the inclusion of new <a href="https://www.cbr.com/young-justice-outsiders-aquaman-kaldur-gay/">positive diverse characters</a> seems to be leading to <a href="https://viewsfromabookshop.com/2021/01/09/diverse-comics-graphic-novels/">new readers picking up titles</a> – with Australia’s ABC News noting a “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-14/genre-fiction-comic-books-graphic-novels-diversity-storytelling/101299596">thirst for more inclusive works</a>”.</p>
<p>That said, comics have been accused of being a medium that gives <a href="https://www.peterdavid.net/2012/12/24/the-illusion-of-change/">the illusion of change</a>, when often they are just trying out various combinations of the <a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/how-marvel-comics-made-an-art-form-of-the-illusion-of-change/">same characters in different roles</a> – and so ultimately still end up <a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/StatusQuoIsGod/ComicBooks">resetting the status quo</a> at the end of storylines.</p>
<p>Either way, even though LGBTQ+ and <a href="https://www.qualitycomix.com/learn/superhero-diversity-in-comic-books">minority</a> representation is <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/karltonjahmal/all-the-lgbtq-characters-in-the-mcu-so-far">improving on screen</a> and in comics, there’s still a way to go in <a href="https://www.flowjournal.org/2018/02/comics-%E2%9F%B7-media-bam-pow-comics-arent-just-for-white-men-anymore-benjamin-woo-carleton-university/">the push for diverse characters</a>. Especially so given that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/may/26/marvel-editor-in-chief-axel-alonso-civil-war-x-men">straight, white men</a> still feature strongly <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/run-the-comics/">on the page</a> and <a href="https://www.deseret.com/2016/7/14/20591832/marvel-s-heroes-may-be-diverse-but-their-employees-not-so-much">behind the scenes</a> in terms of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/30/us-publishing-american-dirt-survey-diversity-cultural-appropriation">industry employees</a>. </p>
<p>It’s great that many comics are now more representative of the people who actually read them, but with a recent study noting <a href="https://morningconsult.com/2021/12/06/is-gen-z-too-cool-for-marvel/">13% of Marvel fans are Black and 18% Hispanic</a> – and this not currently depicted on the page – it’s clear there’s room for more diversity when it comes to our superheroes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172572/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Fitch receives funding from UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training, Design Star. </span></em></p>
Many comics are now more representative of the people who actually read them but it’s clear there’s room for more diversity when it comes to our superheroes.
Alex Fitch, Lecturer and PhD Candidate in Comics and Architecture, University of Brighton
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/188232
2022-08-09T20:04:42Z
2022-08-09T20:04:42Z
Never made, destroyed, in a locked safe for 100 years: with Batgirl cancelled, here are 5 other films we will never get to see
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477970/original/file-20220808-68796-yu6m7w.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C5%2C1978%2C1308&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Warner Bros</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Batgirl has become the latest film to be added to a growing list of movies we will never get to see. The US$90 million film had been shot and largely edited, but now the whole thing will be consigned to the cutting room floor.</p>
<p>Warner Brothers CEO David Zaslav <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/batgirl-david-zaslav-warner-bros-discovery-1235333681/">stated</a> the decision to cancel the film was due to a redirection of the company strategic vision – a discouraging, but often used corporate rationale when Hollywood studios believe they will make a better financial return on a film by <a href="https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2020/06/how-hollywood-studios-manage-to-officially-lose-money-on-movies-that-make-a-billion-dollars/">writing it off</a> as a loss instead of releasing it .</p>
<p>Batgirl isn’t the first film to be scrapped in the history of the movie business. </p>
<p>Infamous examples include Terry Gilliam’s <a href="https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/interviews/terry-gilliam-on-set-man-who-killed-don-quixote-adaptation-jonathan-pryce-adam-driver">The Man Who Killed Don Quixote</a> and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s plan for a <a href="https://www.openculture.com/2016/10/14-hour-epic-film-dune-that-alejandro-jodorowsky-never-made.html">14-hour version of Dune</a>. </p>
<p>Here are five other films that didn’t make it onto our screens … at least not yet.</p>
<h2>1. Superman Lives</h2>
<p>Starring Nicholas Cage as the “man of steel”, Superman Lives also met its untimely end at Warner Brothers. </p>
<p>Kevin Smith (of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109445/">Clerks</a> fame) was commissioned to rewrite a Superman script in the mid-90s. </p>
<p>It seemed to be doomed from the beginning with producer Jon Peters <a href="https://www.denofgeek.com/comics/the-big-screen-superman-reboots-that-almost-happened/">reportedly suggesting</a> this Superman shouldn’t fly or wear his famous suit. Smith then got ousted from the project once Tim Burton signed on to direct, with Burton insisting on making his own version of the story. </p>
<p>Three drafts later and with a budget that had almost doubled to around <a href="https://www.looper.com/11884/superman-lives-never-made/">US$200 million</a> the studio put the film on hold. </p>
<p>Both Burton and Cage eventually pulled out of the project, although <a href="https://comicbook.com/dc/news/nic-cage-says-superman-lives-best-superman-movies/">Cage stated</a> this Superman film would have been the best one ever. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nicolas-cage-is-the-most-fascinating-and-exciting-actor-working-today-181483">Nicolas Cage is the most fascinating and exciting actor working today</a>
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</em>
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<hr>
<h2>2. Revenge of the Jedi</h2>
<p>Imagine if Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi opened with a family of Ewoks sitting silently in a retro lounge room, or a scene where Jabba the Hutt and Bib Fortuna merge bodies in a grotesque sarlacc pit accident. </p>
<p>This is what could have been if Revenge of the Jedi were made. </p>
<p>Both David Lynch and David Cronenberg were listed as potential directors for the third instalment of George Lucas’ saga. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.benningtonreview.org/adam-golaski">Some accounts</a> of the story suggest Lynch turned it down to do Dune, while Cronenberg cited his <a href="https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2458516/that-time-david-cronenberg-turned-down-directing-star-wars-return-of-the-jedi">youthful arrogance</a> and lack of interest in doing other people’s material. </p>
<p>Richard Marquand went on to direct the retitled film, so we are left to wonder what surreal nightmare it could have been.</p>
<h2>3. Uncle Tom’s Fairy Tales</h2>
<p>This 1968 film, directed by then film student Penelope Spheeris (Wayne’s World) and starring Richard Pryor, told the story of a wealthy white man abducted and put on trial by the Black Panthers for all the racial crimes that occurred throughout US history. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/70NrVDBxdKY?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>With the film near complete, Pryor and his then wife, Shelley Bonus, got into a heated argument where she reportedly accused him of being more interested in the film than in her. Pryor responded by <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a25720/richard-pryor-furious-cool-excerpt-1113/">destroying</a> the only negative of the film . </p>
<p>Fragments of the film remained, which Spheeris screened at a 2005 retrospective tribute to Pryor. The fragments became the <a href="https://shadowandact.com/uncle-toms-fairy-tales-the-secret-never-released-richard-pryor-movie">subject of a lawsuit</a> filed by Pryor’s seventh wife, Jennifer Lee, arguing Spheeris and Pryor’s daughter had together stolen the negative. </p>
<p>As of 2021, the lawsuit was <a href="https://www.filmink.com.au/unsung-auteurs-penelope-spheeris/">still pending</a>.</p>
<h2>4. Who Killed Bambi?</h2>
<p>Named after their song Who Killed Bambi?, the Sex Pistols were the subject of a feature film set for release in 1978. Written by Roger Ebert and directed by Russ Meyer, the film was to be a vehicle for the Pistols to break through into the US market. </p>
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<p>Fox Studios <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/sex-pistols-versus-soft-porn-king-killed-bambi-movie-dead-arrival/">shut down production</a> after the first day of shooting, with executives and Fox shareholder, Princess Grace of Monaco, concerned about making another Meyer sexploitation film. There were also issues with a lack of funding and infighting between the band, filmmakers and band manager, Malcolm McLaren. </p>
<p>The film was no more, but the screenplay can still be found <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/who-killed-bambi-a-screenplay">on Ebert’s website</a>. </p>
<h2>5. 100 Years</h2>
<p>Robert Rodriguez’s 100 Years makes the list for a different reason. Intriguingly, the film has a planned release date of 2115 – 100 years after its completion. </p>
<p>Perhaps not so intriguingly the film <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2016/05/john-malkovich-robert-rodriguezs-film-100-years-will-be-displayed-at-cannes-before-2115-release-291273/">is said</a> to have been “inspired by the century of careful craftsmanship it takes to create each decanter of Louis XIII Cognac” – making it seem more like a marketing gimmick than an experiment in exhibition. </p>
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<p>The only copy of the physical film was displayed in a custom made safe at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, due to open automatically on November 18 2115. </p>
<p>Written by and starring John Malkovich, the film imagines Earth in 100 years. Secrecy surrounds further details on the film’s story and whether the filmmakers’ have predicted an authentic vision of the future. </p>
<p>We can safely assume cognac will make a cameo, but most of us will never know. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/holy-birthday-batman-sizing-up-the-caped-crusader-at-75-25602">Holy birthday, Batman! Sizing up the Caped Crusader at 75</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188232/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sian Mitchell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
After shooting and editing mostly completed on the US$90 million film, Batgirl joins a not-so-exclusive list of never-seen movies.
Sian Mitchell, Lecturer, Film, Television and Animation, Deakin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/169898
2021-10-15T13:41:53Z
2021-10-15T13:41:53Z
Superman’s not the first hero to be portrayed as bisexual, but he’ll bring hope to LGBTQ+ fans
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426298/original/file-20211013-15-tspm93.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C3%2C1101%2C827&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jonathan Kent, the new Superman, with love interest Jay Nakamura.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Comics</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Superman has come out as bisexual. Or more accurately, Superman’s son – Jonathan Kent – who has recently taken on his father’s role in DC Comics, has been depicted kissing another male character in a panel from a forthcoming comic. </p>
<p>Although the wider public has only recently been <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2021/10/men-like-me-have-been-waiting-our-whole-lives-for-a-bisexual-superman">made aware of this</a>, comic readers have suspected it for several months after a growing romance between Kent and journalist, Jay Nakamura, in recent issues of <a href="https://www.dccomics.com/comics/superman-son-of-kal-el-2021/superman-son-of-kal-el-1">Superman: Son of Kal-El</a>. And Kent has introduced his boyfriend to his parents in <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/superman-comes-out-as-bisexual-in-new-issues-of-dc-comic-book-12431587">recent issues</a> of the comic he stars in.</p>
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<p>The revelation that a Superman is bisexual is a big deal in terms of superhero comics, but it hasn’t gone down well with everyone. Former Superman actor Dean Cain claimed the move would have been brave 20 years ago but now was “<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58895126">bandwagoning</a>”.</p>
<p>Various Republican senators in the US have <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/arizona-state-senator-furious-superman-bisexual-loves-louis-lane-1637897">complained</a>, including Arizona state senator Wendy Rogers who called him “a woke Superman”. Josh Mandel, who is trying for a senate seat, said, “Bisexual comics for kids [are] trying to destroy America.” And another Arizona Republican, Josh Barnett, asked “Why does Hollywood have to ruin everything?”</p>
<p>In the book <a href="https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/the-superhero-symbol/9780813597164">The Superhero Symbol</a>, which brings together superhero scholars from a range of disciplines, the authors note, “While Superman might profess his emblem means hope, the readily recognisable logo has also become a brand every bit as powerful as golden arches or a stylised swoosh.” And his well-known “S shield”, previously associated with a heterosexual cisgender man defending “truth, justice and the American way”, is now connected with a young bisexual man. </p>
<p>Many people may have also been surprised to discover that Superman has a son. But this is not a new plot point and has been featured several times before – a notable example being in an <a href="https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Whatever_Happened_to_the_Man_of_Tomorrow%3F">out of continuity comic</a> written by Alan Moore in 1986. </p>
<p>On-screen, a seven-year-old Jason Kent has also appeared in the film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348150/">Superman Returns</a> (2006), while the current TV series, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11192306/">Superman & Lois</a>, provides the couple with two teen boys – Jonathan and Jordan - both with powers.</p>
<h2>Reflecting the readers</h2>
<p>The sexuality of Superman’s onscreen children is yet to be revealed, non-heterosexual superheroes are certainly not a new phenomenon. In Marvel Comics, a team of <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Young_Avengers_(Earth-616)">Young Avengers</a> have existed since 2005, with most members of the group belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. </p>
<p>Some have started to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Disney+ shows, including <a href="https://screenrant.com/wandavision-wiccan-billy-maximoff-comic-book-facts-storylines-importance-marvel-disney-plus/">Wiccan</a> (in WandaVision), and <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Loki_Laufeyson_(Kid_Loki)_(Earth-616)">Kid Loki</a> (in Loki), while Miss America is set to be featured in the film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419884/">Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness</a> next year – as a lesbian, she is Marvel’s first Latin-American LGBTQ+ character to star in an ongoing series.</p>
<p>In comics, the X-Men’s <a href="https://x-men.fandom.com/wiki/Iceman">Iceman</a>, and the third male teenager to take on the role of Batman’s <a href="https://nerdist.com/article/why-tim-drake-robin-coming-out-as-bisexual-matters-dc-comics/">Robin</a> have both been given same-sex love interests in recent comics. But Marvel has been more circumspect about its more famous character <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">Deadpool</a>, who is identified as bi or pansexual more in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/11/deadpool-the-pansexual-superhero-who-has-never-had-a-non-heterosexual-experience">word than deed</a>.</p>
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<p>Both Marvel and DC have included narratives about the difficulties of coming out in some stories. A younger version of Iceman, for example, travelled from the 20th-century to the 21st-century so he could <a href="https://www.vox.com/2015/4/22/8463721/iceman-gay-x-men">embrace his sexuality</a>. Similarly, Batwoman is revealed to have been <a href="https://www.themarysue.com/ruby-rose-dont-ask-dont-tell-batwoman-pilot/">kicked out of military school</a>, due to the “<a href="https://www.hrc.org/our-work/stories/repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell">don’t ask, don’t tell</a>” policy in the US before 2011, which barred openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from military service. </p>
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<p>A teen version of Superman was also featured in early seasons of the TV series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279600/">Smallville</a>. As was his fond bromance with a young <a href="https://smallville.fandom.com/wiki/Lex_Luthor">Lex Luthor</a> – which some viewers claimed was <a href="https://medium.com/novembering/super-queer-130e7eeb86eb">queer-baiting</a>. This is when creators hint at, but never actually depict, same-sex romance. So for LGBTQ+ comics readers, seeing a character called Superman genuinely involved in a same-sex relationship is a profound moment.</p>
<p>While DC Comics haven’t been brave enough to give Clark Kent himself a boyfriend, the storyline allows bisexual teens to see themselves reflected in a world-famous character. And seeing Jonathan Kent with an emblem of “hope” on his chest may well help many bisexual or bicurious teenagers to feel more accepted too.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169898/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Fitch receives funding from UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training, Design Star. </span></em></p>
The revelation that a Superman is bisexual is a big deal in terms of Superhero comics, and it hasn’t gone down well with everyone.
Alex Fitch, Lecturer and PhD Researcher in Comics and Architecture, University of Brighton
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/169730
2021-10-13T19:11:36Z
2021-10-13T19:11:36Z
The queer subtext of Superman comics has long been suppressed. Here’s to the original justice defender coming out
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426093/original/file-20211013-17-14auczr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2056%2C1492&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Comics</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Superman is bisexual. </p>
<p>Not the <a href="https://screenrant.com/richard-donner-superman-still-best-all-movies-tv-why/">movie-starring</a>, <a href="https://www.cbr.com/dccomics-superman-lois-lane-most-romantic-moments/">Lois Lane-loving</a> , <a href="https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/superman-smashes-the-klan-periodical-2019/superman-smashes-the-klan">Klan-fighting</a>, <a href="https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/superman-vs-muhammad-ali-deluxe-edition">Muhammad Ali-boxing</a>, <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/14/16585682/superman-death-explained-comeback-resurrection">returned-from-the-dead</a> , mild-mannered man of steel Clark Kent (aka Kal-El, last son of Krypton). But rather his son, Jonathan Kent, named after Clark’s adoptive father and <a href="https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Jonathan_Samuel_Kent_(Prime_Earth)">current bearer</a> of the Superman moniker.</p>
<p>Issue #5 of Superman: Son of Kal-El (authored by Melbourne-based writer Tom Taylor) will be out this November, and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-12/superman-jon-kent-bisexual-dc-comics/100531496">will feature</a> Jon sharing a kiss with friend and online journalist Jay Nakamura. </p>
<p>Apart from proving Superman has always had a thing for reporters, Jon expressing his sexuality is a watershed moment in the venerable franchise. </p>
<h2>Queering the comics</h2>
<p>Queer representation has always been read into superhero comics. This may not be surprising: they are a genre composed of essentially-nude-figures-in-action, with same-sex sidekicks and sapphic suggestiveness. </p>
<p>German-American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham believed comics were a corrupting influence. His book, <a href="http://cbldf.org/resources/history-of-comics-censorship/history-of-comics-censorship-part-1/">Seduction of the Innocent</a>, argued Batman and Robin’s relationship was inherently sexual, which therefore made comics inappropriate for children.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426104/original/file-20211013-13-1buztl1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Vintage photo of a boy reading Superman" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426104/original/file-20211013-13-1buztl1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426104/original/file-20211013-13-1buztl1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426104/original/file-20211013-13-1buztl1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426104/original/file-20211013-13-1buztl1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=576&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426104/original/file-20211013-13-1buztl1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426104/original/file-20211013-13-1buztl1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426104/original/file-20211013-13-1buztl1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=724&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Comic books faced increased censorship after 1954, over concerns on what was appropriate for children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Library of Congress</span></span>
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<p>His lobbying resulted in the creation of the <a href="http://cbldf.org/comics-code-history-the-seal-of-approval/">Comics Code Authority</a>, a censorship body that forbade any mention of homosexuality from 1954 until 1989.</p>
<p>This left secondary characters, like X-Men villains Mystique and Destiny, to be <a href="https://gayleague.com/destiny-mystique/">heavily coded</a> as queer – even if their sexual preferences could never actually be stated. </p>
<p>When the code was relaxed in the 1990s, characters who came out as queer were invariably third-tier superheroes (like Alpha Flight’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-a-canadian-superhero-brought-queer-representation-to-marvel-comics-128597">Northstar</a>, caricatures (like the insultingly effeminate <a href="https://bleedingcool.com/comics/what-were-they-thinking-extrano/">Extraño</a>) or characters in “mature-age” titles (like John Constantine or the Doom Patrol’s non-binary Rebis). </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-a-canadian-superhero-brought-queer-representation-to-marvel-comics-128597">How a Canadian superhero brought queer representation to Marvel Comics</a>
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</em>
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<p>Only in recent years have “top-tier” characters like the X-Men’s Iceman, supervillain Loki, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, the Kate Kane Batwoman and, <a href="https://nerdist.com/article/why-tim-drake-robin-coming-out-as-bisexual-matters-dc-comics/">in August of this year</a>, the Tim Drake Robin have also come out. </p>
<p>I call these characters “top-tier” because they are known to audiences not only from their comic appearances, but also film, television and cartoon adaptations.</p>
<p>Superman is the most high-profile and visible superhero to express their sexuality in this way. </p>
<h2>A social justice superhero</h2>
<p>Superman is often assumed to be an unambiguously benign character, particularly in contrast with the more psychologically complex Batman.</p>
<p>But Superman began his career as <a href="https://www.dcuniverseinfinite.com/news/champion-oppressed-supermans-social-justice-roots/">a crusader for social justice</a>. </p>
<p>In his first issue, he rescues a prisoner from a lynch mob (condemning capital punishment), takes on a wife beater (condemning domestic violence) and takes down a corrupt senator (speaking out against political corruption). </p>
<p>Superman was conceived as a Champion of the Oppressed that millions affected by the Great Depression were crying out for.</p>
<p>Many Superman writers and artists over the years have tried to remain true to these social justice roots. </p>
<p>Look magazine commissioned his creators to produce <a href="https://annotated-dc.tumblr.com/post/178358269902/in-1940-look-magazine-featured-a-two-page-story">a two page feature</a> on “how Superman would end the war” on 22 February 1940, nearly two years before Pearl Harbor. </p>
<p>The frequently outlandish Superman comics of the 1950s regularly warned against unbridled scientific experimentation. </p>
<p>John Byrne’s <a href="https://whatculture.com/comics/why-john-byrnes-superman-run-is-still-the-best">1980s reboot</a> saw Superman tackle the corporate greed, the power of the mass media and gun violence of the Reagan era. </p>
<p>But in sharp distinction to these portrayals, Superman’s role as the first superhero – and therefore elder statesman of the comics world – frequently saw him presented as a tool of government, rather than a reformer. </p>
<p>In the 1960s’ Justice League of America, he was portrayed as a conservative voice in contrast to more liberal, socially-minded characters like Green Arrow. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/superman-at-80-how-two-high-school-friends-concocted-the-original-comic-book-hero-94718">Superman at 80: How two high school friends concocted the original comic book hero</a>
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<p>In Darwyn Coke’s 1950s-set <a href="https://whatculture.com/comics/10-reasons-why-39-the-new-frontier-39-will-always-be-dc-39-s-greatest-graphic-novel">DC: The New Frontier</a> (2004), it is Superman who acts as Senator Joseph McCarthy’s agent in the field, bringing in “rogue” superheroes who refuse to resign. </p>
<p>Perhaps most famously, in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986), Superman appears on behalf of the totalitarian Reaganite government of this parallel 1980s to <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/3/29/11323132/frank-miller-best-batman">bring in Batman</a>.</p>
<p>This has created an identity crisis at the heart of Superman, as great as his dual identities of Kal-El and Clark Kent. Is Superman a social justice reformer or conservative Government supporter? </p>
<p>Jon Kent helps to resolve these tensions. Suddenly, we have a Superman who can be truly representative of the 2021 audience, while insulating the elder Superman as a more conservative and paternal figure.</p>
<h2>Times of transition</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426097/original/file-20211013-19-6jd75h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Superman and a man lean in to kiss" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426097/original/file-20211013-19-6jd75h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/426097/original/file-20211013-19-6jd75h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426097/original/file-20211013-19-6jd75h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426097/original/file-20211013-19-6jd75h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426097/original/file-20211013-19-6jd75h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426097/original/file-20211013-19-6jd75h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/426097/original/file-20211013-19-6jd75h.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Son of Kal El Cover by Travis Moore and Tamra Bonvillain.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">DC Comics</span></span>
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<p>With Superman’s coming out, queer representation has moved from the periphery to become just another component of a superhero’s identity. </p>
<p>Of course, for every reader that celebrates now being able to see themselves in Superman in a way they haven’t before, there will be another bemoaning “bisexual Superman”. </p>
<p>Perhaps it’s worth remembering comic book superheroes were born and enjoy their greatest popularity during times of transition and uncertainty: economic crisis, armed conflict or political precarity. There’s no reason why expressing one’s sexual identity cannot similarly be understood as one of these moments of transition and uncertainty. </p>
<p>In this way, Jon Kent expressing his bisexuality is just as true to the legacy of Superman as Clark Kent’s social justice crusade 82 years ago.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169730/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Bainbridge does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Comics have always had queer elements; and Superman has always been on the edge of social justice. This new comic book, featuring a bisexual Jonathan Kent, brings those factors together.
Jason Bainbridge, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/106867
2018-11-13T17:04:39Z
2018-11-13T17:04:39Z
Like many Marvel characters, Stan Lee was a flawed hero
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245296/original/file-20181113-194503-17apsn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Stan Lee (1922-2018).</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/14408655493/in/photolist-nXf8hH-nVsGtH-nVntzq-nCYggy-2vE17k-2vJorA-vRF3JE-9NgGvQ-wRaWkv-9NdU84-vBnwtu-3uezW-DqH621-8JShUb-pMcTP-w7dpwp-UMH2Mn-cRS49N-muJqv6-muK336-muK3wc-7UB9GK-5fZHiE-5fZDoU-5fZJ7E-6RWC5g-7KF5qR-7KK4i9-7KK2YL-7KF5tB-G6dbqz-D1aXbf-7UBabi-ZnBvqW-ZdCcA9-Dk2cEu-Dk2ddo-ZnBvJm-Z9eo8G-21e4mCM-btnJwj-9NGttf-w7dxjP-8qHPfx-W24Raf-57BkEC-57Lv1M-dkZLvf-kiUV9T-kiVBCX">Gage Skidmore</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Stan Lee was <a href="http://www.spider-friends.com/BuenaVista/STANLEEnarrations/FRUMPopening.mp3">the voice</a> of my childhood. As I sat transfixed by Spider-Man cartoons on Saturday mornings, his energetic narration welcomed me into the story; made me feel part of the gang. Never mind that the animation wasn’t up to much; it looked like a comic, had a great theme tune, and Stan “The Man” Lee, my buddy, was giving it his personal seal of approval.</p>
<p>Famously, Lee originally honed this warm persona in print. The words “Stan Lee Presents” in the Marvel comics I was also feverishly devouring – black and white British reprints of the American originals – were a guarantee of quality. When he signed off a letters page or editorial with his trademark “Excelsior!” I never failed to smile. I was, and remain in many respects, a “True Believer”, as Lee called all dedicated Marvel readers. As we shall see, however, the man’s performance masked some uncomfortable truths.</p>
<p>Lee, born Stanley Martin Lieber, had been working in comics since 1939. He was first an office assistant for Timely, the company that went on to become Marvel, before becoming an editor and writer. He would eventually rise to editor-in-chief, chairman and publisher, but it was his work as a writer in the early 1960s that changed comics forever.</p>
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<p>At the time, superheroes had fallen out of favour, following the heyday of Superman and Batman in the 1930s and 1940s. Marvel now helped turn that around, with angsty rebellious heroes like The Fantastic Four (launched 1961), Spider-Man (1962), The Hulk (1962), The X-Men (1963) and so many more.</p>
<p>A huge part of the success was the fantastic artwork and storytelling of two other comics geniuses, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. But nobody wrote like Stan. Having written many romance and horror comics in the 1950s, his tone was over-the-top, bombastic and mock-Shakespearean – but always warm and inviting.</p>
<p>The mythos that Lee created also extended to the gang behind the scenes. In regular features “<a href="http://bullpenbulletins.blogspot.com">Bullpen Bulletins</a>” and “<a href="https://www.heroinitiative.org/shop/books/stans-soapbox-the-collection">Stan’s Soapbox</a>”, he wove tales of the Marvel Bullpen, the lively creative hub at the centre of the studio’s success, with characters like Jack “King” Kirby and “Sturdy” Steve Ditko. This human touch was Lee’s gift. He made these comics creators seem like friends, and made the readers feel like part of a gang or club.</p>
<h2>Bullpen blues</h2>
<p>When I learned about the history of Marvel Comics later in life, I realised that things were not always as they seemed. The angst in those Spider-Man and Hulk comics wasn’t all on the page; like any business, there were tensions and rivalries behind the scenes. Many of the artists who worked with Lee harboured deep resentments.</p>
<p>In the 1960s, Lee and the artists developed what became known as the “Marvel method” of creating comics. At rival DC Comics, home of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, the editor was king, and kept a firm grip on the factory-line production process of creating a comic. But at Marvel, Lee would come up with a story idea and pass it to the artist as a kind of pitch or brief.</p>
<p>This allowed for huge creative freedom and sped up the production process considerably – a real benefit for a small company with big ambitions. But the artists’ work was not always fully recognised. They were being credited purely for the art when they were often creating the characters and story, too – before Lee layered the dialogue and captions on top.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245336/original/file-20181113-194516-1953m9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245336/original/file-20181113-194516-1953m9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245336/original/file-20181113-194516-1953m9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245336/original/file-20181113-194516-1953m9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245336/original/file-20181113-194516-1953m9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245336/original/file-20181113-194516-1953m9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=947&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245336/original/file-20181113-194516-1953m9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=947&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245336/original/file-20181113-194516-1953m9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=947&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Jack Kirby in 1992.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44479535">Wikimedia</a></span>
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<p>Lee compounded this recognition problem in interviews and in books like <a href="https://www.biblio.com/origins-of-marvel-comics-by-lee-stan/work/946141">Origins of Marvel Comics (1974)</a>, where he talked enthusiastically about how he had created all the stories and characters. The artists knew different. Frustrated by creative differences, Ditko <a href="https://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2013/09/in-their-own-words-when-jack-kirby-left.html">left</a> in 1965 and Kirby went five years later.</p>
<p>To make matters worse, their original artwork often wasn’t returned to them – at a time when a community of comic collectors was coming together and a market was emerging for this artwork. Marvel made millions exploiting the rights to the characters and stories while the artists received very little.</p>
<p>Having risen to a position of power in the company, Lee could have shared more of the profits – and the limelight. But he was a showman, an impresario, and a businessman. He took the credit and protected the company he had worked so hard to build. As a salaried company man, he was not always as loyal to his collaborators – many of whom were freelancers.</p>
<p>Later in the 1970s and early 1980s, when young comics creators like Frank Millar were championing creator rights and lobbying for the return of artwork to Kirby and his family, Lee was sometimes cast as the villain. I am sure he wasn’t. But like the best Marvel heroes, he was certainly flawed. He could have been at the forefront of creator rights and made the “Marvel method” stand for something more. Instead, Marvel ended up echoing practices at DC Comics, where artists like Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, creators of Superman, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/warner-bros-superman-rights-confirmed-864026">were made</a> to wait decades, often in crushing poverty, for a small share of the profits.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245288/original/file-20181113-194503-6n5plf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245288/original/file-20181113-194503-6n5plf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245288/original/file-20181113-194503-6n5plf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245288/original/file-20181113-194503-6n5plf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245288/original/file-20181113-194503-6n5plf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245288/original/file-20181113-194503-6n5plf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245288/original/file-20181113-194503-6n5plf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245288/original/file-20181113-194503-6n5plf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Citizen Stan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/los-angeles-july-18-stan-lee-680798077?src=qQYOCkx8mugm3Vg5jrX_Ag-1-81">Kathy Hutchins</a></span>
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<p>The consequences of Lee’s silence were considerable, not just for those in the Bullpen but for following generations of comics creators. Even now, the relationship between publishers and creators over rights and profit-sharing has been rocky to say the least. Lee was courageous in other ways – his comics battled racism, for instance, and he wrote a <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a25022397/stan-lee-marvel-racism-1968-essay">landmark essay</a> on the subject in 1968. It also goes without saying that he helped create characters who continue to inspire millions. But had he taken a stand on creators’ rights, the industry and comics historians might not be <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/rip-stan-lee-the-man-who-sold-the-world">so divided</a> on his legacy today.
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<strong>Postscript: Stan’s last act</strong><p></p>
<p>Stan Lee’s later years seemed tumultuous. He would make appearances at huge comic cons looking tired, and taking photos with huge numbers of fans who paid for the privilege of meeting him. This prompted suspicions that those in charge of Lee’s business affairs didn’t always have his best interests at heart. Earlier this year, his lawyer <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44479535">brought a suit</a> against his handlers accusing them of elder abuse.</p>
<p>A couple of years back, I had a chance to meet my hero at a New York Comic Con. I watched as others had their photos taken with this frail old man, and wondered how I’d condense all I wanted to say, about what he meant to me, what he’d contributed to the world. And to ask about his proudest moments, his deepest regrets. But all that was on offer were a few seconds of The Man’s time, and a weak smile.</p>
<p>So I decided not to get my photo with him. I don’t know if I made the right decision, but on hearing of Lee’s death I asked an artist friend, <a href="https://www.artstation.com/ellbalson">Elliot Balson</a>, to draw a picture of me meeting him (below). I know it’s self-indulgent, but I’m finally meeting this man who gave me so much, where I’ve always met him – in the comics.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245335/original/file-20181113-194485-nfqbfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245335/original/file-20181113-194485-nfqbfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/245335/original/file-20181113-194485-nfqbfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245335/original/file-20181113-194485-nfqbfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245335/original/file-20181113-194485-nfqbfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=849&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245335/original/file-20181113-194485-nfqbfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245335/original/file-20181113-194485-nfqbfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/245335/original/file-20181113-194485-nfqbfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1066&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">‘Chris meets Stan’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.artstation.com/ellbalson">Elliot Balson</a></span>
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</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106867/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Murray does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Remembering the co-creator of Spider-Man, The Hulk, Fantastic Four and all the rest.
Christopher Murray, Professor of Comics Studies, University of Dundee
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/94718
2018-04-18T10:43:36Z
2018-04-18T10:43:36Z
Superman at 80: How two high school friends concocted the original comic book hero
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215252/original/file-20180417-163962-1qfn9di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In 1938, a cultural icon was born.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/gold-coast-aus-nov-20-2014supermanhes-234349990?src=xU4qxCGZ4iqLtwA4oaZbqg-2-3">ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Superman – the first, most famous American superhero – turns 80 this year.</p>
<p>The comics, toys, costumes and <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/box-office-milestone-black-panther-joins-billion-dollar-club-1093586">billion-dollar Hollywood blockbusters</a> can all trace their ancestry to the first issue of “Action Comics,” which hit newsstands in April 1938.</p>
<p>Most casual comic book fans can recite the character’s <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=PMYsjzigENIC&lpg=PP1&dq=Superman%3A%20The%20Complete%20History&pg=PA169#v=snippet&q=kal-el&f=false">fictional origin story</a>: As the planet Krypton approaches destruction, Jor-El and his wife, Lara, put their infant son, Kal-El, into a spaceship to save him. He rockets to Earth and is taken in by the kindly Kents. As he grows up, Kal-El – now known as Clark – develops strange powers, and he vows to use them for good. </p>
<p>But the story of the real-life origins of Superman – a character created out of friendship, persistence and personal tragedy – is just as dramatic. </p>
<h2>From villain to hero</h2>
<p>When I was a kid growing up in Cleveland, my dad would regale my brother and me with stories of Superman’s local origins: The two men who had concocted the comic book hero had grown up in the area. </p>
<p>As I became older, I realized I wanted to understand not only how, but <em>why</em> Superman was created. A 10-year research project ensued, and it culminated in my book “<a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Super_Boys.html?id=DbieMQEACAAJ">Super Boys</a>.” </p>
<p>In the mid-1930s, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were two nerds with glasses who attended Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio. They worked on the school newspaper, wrote stories, drew cartoons, and dreamed of being famous. Jerry was the writer; Joe was the artist. When they finally turned to making comics, a publisher named <a href="http://majormalcolmwheelernicholson.com/">Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson</a> <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgZ-ngEACAAJ&dq=Super+Boys:+The+Amazing+Adventures+of+Jerry+Siegel+and+Joe+Shuster&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiPtsK_zMHaAhVpQt8KHco0A0sQ6AEIJzAA">gave them their first break</a>, commissioning them to create spy and adventure comics in his magazines “New Fun” and “Detective Comics.”</p>
<p>But Jerry and Joe had been working on something else: <a href="https://archive.org/details/ReignOfTheSuperman">a story</a> about a “Superman” – a villain with special mental powers – that Jerry had stolen from a different magazine. They self-published it in a pamphlet titled “Science Fiction.”</p>
<p>While “Science Fiction” only lasted for five issues, they liked the name of the character and continued to work on it. Before long, their new Superman was a good guy. Joe dressed him in a cape and trunks <a href="https://medium.com/re-form/no-capes-79c3e27fc441">like those of the era’s popular bodybuilders</a>, modeled the character’s speedy running abilities after Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens, and gave him <a href="https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/articles/superman's-influences">the bouncy spit-curl</a> of Johnny Weissmuller, the actor who played Tarzan. It was a mishmash of 1930s pop culture in gladiator boots.</p>
<p>When they were finally ready, they started pitching Superman to every newspaper syndicate and publisher they could find.</p>
<p>All of them rejected it, some of them several times. This continued for several years, but the duo never gave up. </p>
<p>When Superman finally saw print, it was through a process that is still not wholly clear. But the general consensus is that a publisher named Harry Donenfeld, who had acquired the major’s company, National Allied Publications (the predecessor to DC Comics), bought the first Superman story – and all the rights therein – for US$130. </p>
<h2>Was Jerry trying to create a Superdad?</h2>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215239/original/file-20180417-163978-7hos5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215239/original/file-20180417-163978-7hos5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215239/original/file-20180417-163978-7hos5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=828&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215239/original/file-20180417-163978-7hos5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=828&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215239/original/file-20180417-163978-7hos5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=828&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215239/original/file-20180417-163978-7hos5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1041&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215239/original/file-20180417-163978-7hos5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1041&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215239/original/file-20180417-163978-7hos5e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1041&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The first issue of Action Comics featured Superman on the cover.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/philippl/449712941">Philipp Lenssen</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>The world was introduced to Superman in “Action Comics” No. 1, on April 18, 1938, with the Man of Steel appearing on the cover smashing a Hudson roadster. The inaugural issue cost 10 cents; in 2014, a copy in good condition <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/supermans-action-comics-no-1-sells-for-record-3-2-million-on-ebay/">sold for $3.2 million dollars</a>. </p>
<p>When the comic became a runaway hit, Jerry and Joe regretted selling their rights to the character; they ended up leaving millions on the table. Though they worked on Superman comics for the next 10 years, they would never own the character they created, and for the rest of their lives repeatedly filed lawsuits in an effort to get him back.</p>
<p>But there is another more personal piece to the puzzle of Superman’s origins.</p>
<p>On June 2, 1932, Jerry’s father, Michel, was about to close his secondhand clothing store in Cleveland when some men walked in. Michel caught them trying to steal a suit, and ended up <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/truth-justice-stickup-article-1.314622">dying on the spot</a> – not in a hail of gunfire, <a href="https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-08-25-superman-creators_N.htm">but from a heart attack</a>. </p>
<p>Jerry was 17.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215256/original/file-20180417-163971-1oypsl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215256/original/file-20180417-163971-1oypsl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215256/original/file-20180417-163971-1oypsl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215256/original/file-20180417-163971-1oypsl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215256/original/file-20180417-163971-1oypsl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215256/original/file-20180417-163971-1oypsl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/215256/original/file-20180417-163971-1oypsl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=611&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jerry Siegel pictured while serving in the U.S. Army.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Jerry_Siegel_1943.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2628733/The-tragic-real-story-behind-Supermans-birth.html">Some believe</a> Jerry may have created Superman as a fantasy version of his own father – as someone who could instantly transform from a mild-mannered man into a hero capable of easily overpowering petty thieves. Indeed, some of the early Superman stories feature Jor-El out of breath (as Michel often was from heart disease) and show criminals who faint dead when confronted by Superman. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2664732">As many victims of childhood trauma often do</a>, Jerry may have used Superman to re-enact his father’s tragic death over and over in an attempt to somehow fix it. </p>
<p>In Superman’s never-ending battle of good versus evil, this same story is repeated again and again on the page, in cartoons and in movies. It’s seen in kids who pretend to be Superman, tucking towels in at their neck and playing out battles in their backyards.</p>
<p>Why is Superman’s 80th birthday important? It isn’t just about celebrating a “funny book” about a guy who has heat vision and can fly. It’s about using fantasy to make sense of the world, plumbing personal tragedy to tell a story, and using art to envision a more just and safe society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/94718/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brad Ricca does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Pop culture, personal tragedy and heroic persistence all played a role.
Brad Ricca, Lecturer of English, Case Western Reserve University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/95176
2018-04-18T09:48:43Z
2018-04-18T09:48:43Z
Superman at 80 – here’s the secret to his long life
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215204/original/file-20180417-163975-vqhr4m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/zagreb-croatia-november-22-2014-dc-232398376?src=ABVMDgCxwV8IfJublXC6yA-1-0">Shutterstock/DeanBertoncelj</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.dccomics.com/characters/superman">Superman</a> is 80 years old this year and <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=superman.htm">he is a character that is still popular with mass audiences</a>. There are many reasons behind the character’s longevity but chief among them is the myth of the messiah, the hero who sacrifices himself in order to return and bring new hope.</p>
<p>Visually, he is striking in a primary coloured costume bearing a red “S” insignia. As the model for many superheroes after him, Superman is the man-god come to earth to save humanity with super strength, speed, X-Ray vision and flight. The character is often mocked or <a href="http://www.fanfilmfollies.com/featured/is-superman-still-relevant/">deemed old-fashioned</a> compared with darker heroes such as <a href="https://www.dccomics.com/characters/batman">Batman</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vN6DHB6bJc">Deadpool</a> and <a href="http://marvel.com/characters/66/wolverine">Wolverine</a>. Yet <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Superman-Persistence-American-Comics-Culture/dp/0813587514/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523983121&sr=1-1&keywords=ian+gordon+superman">Superman is a character who persists</a> and it is not just because of his visual appeal. </p>
<p>Superman’s first appearance was on the cover of Action Comics #1, in June 1938, holding a car above his head. The four-colour printing press had just been developed and the primary colours of Superman’s costume, modelled on a circus strongman’s outfit, looked visually stunning on the newsstands. </p>
<p>As this was also the height of <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression">the Great Depression</a>, the character addressed the cultural need for optimism. Even in his early appearances, he symbolised the immigrant in a land of opportunity. He fought for the weak and oppressed, such as battered wives and miners, and he upheld the social liberties of ordinary people against corruption. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"986046625289265152"}"></div></p>
<h2>A ‘nerdy’ secret identity</h2>
<p>Superman was created by Cleveland high school students, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2628733/The-tragic-real-story-behind-Supermans-birth.html">Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster</a> who invented the character out of the wish fulfilment of every nerdish teenage boy – the desire to have great powers and attract girls. Shuster’s dynamic drawings gave the character instant identification on the comic’s page. Superman’s story and powers were similar to <a href="http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/p/pulphero.htm">heroes in pulp fiction</a> but Siegal and Shuster added their own twist – a secret identity. </p>
<p>The first Superman story in Action Comics contained the model for later superheroes including a special birth, an unrequited love interest and villains whose values and powers were often the opposite of the hero’s. Superman was born on Krypton, a planet that exploded – but not before his parents sent him to Earth in a rocket. He was raised in Smallville by Martha and Jonathan Kent. As quiet, meek and cowardly Clark Kent, he moved to Metropolis and became a reporter at the Daily Planet.</p>
<p>But Clark Kent was the key to the character’s success. Kent experienced life as an ordinary person, including unrequited love. Superman and Kent were part of an extraordinary love triangle. Kent was in love with fellow reporter – the sassy Lois Lane. But she yearned for the Man of Steel – a man who was not interested in her. </p>
<h2>An adaptable hero</h2>
<p>The secret of Superman’s consistent popularity also lies in his adaptability. He has been adapted in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/list/ls070278444/">films</a>, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/list/ls039703271/">animations</a>, <a href="http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/news/a493049/superman-on-tv-best-and-worst-of-the-man-of-steel-on-the-small-screen/">television</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Batman-Superman-Dramas-blockbuster-adventures/dp/1785292722">radio</a>. His image has been used in advertising, toys, collectables and, more recently, in <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-cosplay-20759">cosplay</a> and <a href="http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Superman_video_games">video games</a>.</p>
<p>Superman has been read in many contexts, as a <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Oy-Vey-History-Superhero/dp/1569804001/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523981925&sr=1-1&keywords=jewish+superheroes+in+comics">Jewish hero</a>, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/09/21/superman-ultimate-immigrant-may-have-been-eligible-daca/688590001/">an immigrant</a>, <a href="http://www2.gsu.edu/%7Ejougms/SecretId.pdf">a corporate man</a> and <a href="https://www.eerdmans.com/Products/Default.aspx?bookid=2573">the epitome of the American monomyth</a>. The American monomyth is described by cultural critic and historian <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gunfighter-Nation-Frontier-Twentieth-century-America/dp/0806130318">Richard Slotkin</a> as a hero who comes into civilisation and regenerates a morally corrupt society with violence. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XWHyvubVdPA?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<h2>The myth of the Messiah</h2>
<p>But as the model for the man-god hero, Superman’s story is one that predates the American monomyth. The stories of Moses, Krishna, King Arthur and Christ follow a similar pattern: their birth is significant, they are raised in obscurity and then come to power in adulthood. The Messiah aspect of Superman has been recognised in the past 40 years. Richard Donner’s 1978 film Superman, starring <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001659/">Christopher Reeve</a>, and the 1980s <a href="http://www.byrnerobotics.com/">comics of John Byrne</a> mythologised his birth and upbringing.</p>
<p>The connection with classical messiahs was underlined with the <a href="http://www.denofgeek.com/books-comics/superman/29757/the-death-of-superman-a-comic-that-should-be-a-movie">comic book death of Superman in 1992</a>, created to coordinate with the wedding of Superman and Lois Lane in comics and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJuoQmjT3YE">Lois and Clark television series</a>.</p>
<p>In this story, Superman was killed by <a href="https://www.dccomics.com/characters/doomsday">Doomsday</a> then resurrected. The story formed the basis for several adaptations in the television series <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/5539863/clark-kent-is-jesus-christ-superman">Smallville</a>, animated films, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It reflects myths of the dying and reviving god described by religion expert <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Golden-Bough-James-George-Frazer/dp/0486424928">James George Frazer</a> as the sacrifice of the god or king at harvest time so they can be reincarnated in spring.</p>
<p>As such, a messiah figure like Superman is an icon that inspires renewal, optimism and hope. In an age of fake news, violence and cynicism, this is surely a significant reason for his persistence as a symbol of heroism.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95176/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joan Ormrod does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The Superman character has endured and continues to be popular because he is a symbol of renewal and hope.
Joan Ormrod, Senior Lecturer BA (Hons) Film and Media Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/87601
2017-11-16T03:13:46Z
2017-11-16T03:13:46Z
Wonder Woman and Aquaman are the only charismatic leads in Justice League
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194937/original/file-20171116-19768-49ajke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jason Mamoa as Aquaman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman are the best things about Justice League.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Atlas Entertainment, Cruel & Unusual Films, DC Comics</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Films based on DC comics have tended to be meaner, more violent, and more downbeat than their Marvel equivalents. This is, perhaps, because of the popularity of urban vigilante Batman, brought to the screen in Tim Burton’s grotesque, nightmarish films, and then Christopher Nolan’s brutal crime sagas.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974015/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Justice League</a>, the new DC film directed by Zack Snyder, begins in this vein, opening with a wonderfully noirish sequence set in Gotham city’s neon-lit, rain-soaked streets, in which Batman (Ben Affleck) fights a hellish demon. This opening recalls the kind of hyper-real, neon-noir aesthetic of Snyder’s earlier <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/">Watchmen</a> (2009) and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978764/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Sucker Punch</a> (2011).</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the tone of Justice League rapidly changes as it leaves Gotham after the first ten minutes or so. This represents perhaps the biggest problem with the film as a whole – it lacks coherency across several key levels, including narrative, performances, tone and style.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194954/original/file-20171116-19806-1yh6yvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194954/original/file-20171116-19806-1yh6yvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194954/original/file-20171116-19806-1yh6yvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194954/original/file-20171116-19806-1yh6yvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194954/original/file-20171116-19806-1yh6yvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194954/original/file-20171116-19806-1yh6yvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194954/original/file-20171116-19806-1yh6yvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194954/original/file-20171116-19806-1yh6yvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=573&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ezra Miller as The Flash: his performance seems silly and one-dimensional.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Atlas Entertainment, Cruel & Unusual Films, DC Comics</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fans of the recent <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice </a>(2016) may disagree, but Justice League suffers, first and foremost, from the perennial problem of such “cinematic universe” fare: it relies too heavily on material from earlier films.</p>
<p>The story goes something like this. An apocalypse-loving villain, known as Steppenwolf (who in no way resembles <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppenwolf_(novel)">Harry Haller</a>) is resurrected and begins to wreak havoc on the world. Along with his legion of nightmare creatures – winged, demonic things that live off fear – he is looking to find and reunite three magical boxes, known, for some reason, as “mother boxes.” When brought together, this will lead to an apocalyptic event known, for some reason, as the Unity. He will then take his place “among the new gods,” as he informs the viewer on finding the second box.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194942/original/file-20171116-19782-fqibpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194942/original/file-20171116-19782-fqibpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194942/original/file-20171116-19782-fqibpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194942/original/file-20171116-19782-fqibpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194942/original/file-20171116-19782-fqibpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=320&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194942/original/file-20171116-19782-fqibpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194942/original/file-20171116-19782-fqibpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194942/original/file-20171116-19782-fqibpy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf and Gal Gadot reprising Wonder Woman.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Atlas Entertainment, Cruel & Unusual Films, DC Comics</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Batman, meanwhile, believing (arch-paranoiac he is) that “enemies are coming,” assembles a team of superheroes to fight Steppenwolf. He summons Wonder Woman (Gal Godot), and together they convince Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) to join them on their mission. When they discover that they are not strong enough to defeat Steppenwolf, they magically resurrect Superman (Henry Cavill), and the film ends with the six of them defeating Steppenwolf. (There’s no spoiler here – it’s a superhero film, what else could happen?)</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194939/original/file-20171116-19806-ju4uo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194939/original/file-20171116-19806-ju4uo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194939/original/file-20171116-19806-ju4uo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194939/original/file-20171116-19806-ju4uo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194939/original/file-20171116-19806-ju4uo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194939/original/file-20171116-19806-ju4uo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194939/original/file-20171116-19806-ju4uo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194939/original/file-20171116-19806-ju4uo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From left to right: Ezra Miller, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck and Jason Momoa in Justice League.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Atlas Entertainment, Cruel & Unusual Films, DC Comics</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Justice League is clearly set in a world reflecting current trends, and Snyder et al. consciously embed the film in this post-9/11, post-global warming, post-Brexit, and post-Trump context. The opening credit sequence – the best in the film – features Norwegian pop singer Sigrid’s rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows behind a slow motion montage of various contemporary atrocities: a white supremacist terrorises a Muslim grocer, a homeless man sits on a rain-soaked urban street with a sign reading “I tried.” </p>
<p>Wonder Woman is then introduced taking down a group in London who describe themselves as “a small group of reactionary terrorists” before trying to shoot a bunch of school girls. “This is man’s only hope,” their leader pontificates. “Down with the modern world! Back to the dark ages and the safety of holy fear.”</p>
<p>The narrative framework – the assembly of a team to take down a baddie, The Dirty Dozen superhero style – could have been the basis of a razor-sharp, effectively self-contained film.</p>
<p>As it is, Justice League is very uncomfortably paced; after a fine “recruitment” section, the film becomes lumped down in an uncomfortable blend of expositional scenes, full of typical superhero-film speeches about responsibility, justice, etc. interspersed with some genuinely unimaginative action sequences, most of which rely far too heavily on CGI. For a director as visually inventive as Snyder, auteur of the post-MTV age, these sequences are remarkably tedious.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194940/original/file-20171116-19768-4h3pn4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194940/original/file-20171116-19768-4h3pn4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194940/original/file-20171116-19768-4h3pn4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=324&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194940/original/file-20171116-19768-4h3pn4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=324&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194940/original/file-20171116-19768-4h3pn4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=324&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194940/original/file-20171116-19768-4h3pn4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194940/original/file-20171116-19768-4h3pn4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194940/original/file-20171116-19768-4h3pn4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ben Affleck (right, with Ezra Miller) is no Michael Keaton.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Atlas Entertainment, Cruel & Unusual Films, DC Comics</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Affleck, reprising his role as the caped crusader from Batman v Superman, is uninspiring. Fine at playing dramatically realistic roles, his Bruce Wayne seems tired and wooden. Despite popular wisdom, it is much more difficult to play a cartoonish character well than a realistic character, as the balance between caricature and emotional truth is very difficult to achieve, and few actors can pull it off – Ben Affleck is no Michael Keaton.</p>
<p>Ezra Miller, as The Flash, likewise seems out of his depth, and his performance seems silly and one-dimensional. Ray Fisher as Cyborg is forgettable. Really, only Gal Godot as Wonder Woman – and Justice League is clearly banking on the success of the much better film, Wonder Woman – and Jason Mamoa as Aquaman are the only two lead actors with any charisma here.</p>
<p>The supporting cast, replete with excellent actors like David Thewlis, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, J. K. Simmons and Connie Nielsen, is wasted, given minimal screen time.</p>
<p>Snyder has made some good films in the past – his remake of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363547/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Dawn of the Dead</a> (2004) was the best of that bunch of horror remakes from the early 2000s – but Justice League is disappointing. It’s loud and colourful, but that’s about it.</p>
<p><em>Justice League opens in Australian cinemas today.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87601/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ari Mattes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The makers of Justice League embed the film in a post-9/11, post-global warming, post-Brexit, post-Trump context. But it is loud and disappointing with some genuinely unimaginative action sequences.
Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Notre Dame Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/69479
2016-12-01T02:03:56Z
2016-12-01T02:03:56Z
Why the world needs superheroes
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147868/original/image-20161129-10957-1doevue.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Superheroes – and villains – are more popular than they've ever been. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Superheroes were born in the United States in the late 1930s as a four-colour rebuttal to the misery of the Depression and the rise of fascism in Europe. Today, superheroes are no longer confined to America, or even the comic book page. From Marvel movies to convention cosplay, superheroes have never enjoyed greater visibility. </p>
<p>Earlier this year, for instance, parts of Sydney were shut down as the Make-a-Wish Foundation and NSW police worked together to help <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-11/iron-boy-saves-sydney-australia-from-ultron/7159820">nine-year-old Domenic Pace</a> become Iron Boy. After rescuing a “kidnapped” reporter and facing down baddies on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, Pace was awarded a Commissioner’s Award for Gallantry before a cheering crowd. </p>
<p>In anticipation of the upcoming <a href="https://www.acmi.net.au/live-events/talks-performances/superhero-identities-symposium/">Superhero Identities Symposium</a> in Melbourne, we interviewed 100 fans and celebrities to better understand why the world needs superheroes. We wanted to find out what these icons mean to people, as the genre reaches heights of popularity not seen since its origins on the comic book page. </p>
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<p>“An escape” is how superhero devotee Melanie explains their popularity. The traffic control administrator, who is also president of Australia’s <a href="http://www.austrek.org/">longest-running Star Trek fan club</a>, argued, “We’re constantly bombarded with negativity in the media. These characters may be flawed, but they’re positive people”. </p>
<p>As many political orthodoxies across the world seem to fall away, comic book writer Tom Taylor agrees that these characters speak to modern anxieties: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We’re getting more and more jaded by politicians, people in power, and businesses. We want to have an ideal that we can actually look up to, and I think that’s why everybody’s flocking to see all these Marvel movies about people wanting to help.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Comic book characters such as Batman and Wonder Woman have been in constant publication for more than 75 years, and they enjoy a unique cross-generational appeal. One father, who was reluctantly brought to Oz Comic-Con by his children, described how the superhero jamboree provided an unexpected hit of nostalgia: “It brought back a lot of memories from when I was a kid.”</p>
<p>For some, watching the movies isn’t enough; they want to don their favourite character’s costume (cosplaying). As one Doctor Strange cosplayer explained, “I work in an office. I don’t get to save the day very much”, but cosplay “allows me for a day or two, even a couple of hours, to really be that hero”. </p>
<p>While it may seem niche, one Ghostbuster cosplayer argues, “It’s no different to supporting your local football team or wearing a Hawks jersey”. While another fan who divides his attention between superheroes and footy joked, “I love both. Talk bad about DC Comics or Carlton and you’re dead”</p>
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<p>Following the success of Suicide Squad, many fans are gravitating towards the anarchic Harley Quinn (whose creator <a href="https://www.acmi.net.au/live-events/talks-performances/in-conversation-with-paul-dini/">Paul Dini</a> is a special guest of the symposium). Wonder Woman artist Nicola Scott describes the chalk-faced antihero as a “great entry point for female fans”, while one cosplayer who arrived at Supanova as “her own version of Harley” credits the character’s troubled relationship with the Joker for helping her recognise the “obsessive compulsive relationships that you can get into”. </p>
<p>Many fans point to the police and other uniformed public servants as “real world superheroes”, yet the fantasy figures they celebrate act outside the law. Even at their most noble, superheroes are vigilantes, while no-holds-barred crime fighters like Deadpool, Green Arrow, and Harley Quinn are, by any standard definition, criminals. </p>
<p>When asked about this tension most fans struggled to justify the actions of their (anti)heroes, with one suggesting of maladjusted Vietnam War veteran The Punisher, “It’s because he’s doing it for the betterment of the world, that he still stays on the side of a hero”. </p>
<p>What many fans seem to celebrate is the ability of these heroes to transcend the limitations imposed on us, be it gravity, social norms, or the law. From virtual reality games like Batman: Arkham VR to convention cosplay, the industry is increasingly offering opportunities to enact this escapist fantasy. </p>
<p>However, while superhero fandom may be positioned as an underground culture, two of the world’s largest entertainment conglomerates, Time Warner and The Walt Disney Company, own the majority of superheroes. Thus, whether wearing a retro Batman T-shirt or cosplaying as a Guardian of the Galaxy, fans are also serving as mascots and walking billboards for larger corporate interests. </p>
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<p>On the other hand, many of the enthusiasts we spoke to see this as a mutually beneficial relationship, parlaying their superhero interest into ambitious careers. For instance, self-described “geek musician” Meri Amber has amassed a fan following writing songs with titles like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWWljxO6VCw">My Superman</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkzIB6s8QtY">Work It Out Like Goku</a>.</p>
<p>Similarly, a fan with aspirations of becoming a TV presenter began a YouTube channel, Luka Online, dedicated to cosplayers. Initially he hoped to “learn on the job, but it actually turned into the job that I was aiming for”. </p>
<p>More altruistically, Scott Loxely of the Star Wars fan club <a href="http://mashable.com/2014/10/01/501st-legion-star-wars/#aLnzLHv1ukq4">501st Legion</a> raised A$100,000 for charity by <a href="http://mashable.com/2014/11/11/scott-loxley-stormtrooper-australia/#aLnzLHv1ukq4">walking across Australia dressed as a Stormtrooper</a>. Scott recognises how these fantasy figures can bring visibility to a cause: “everyone loves a Stormtrooper”. </p>
<p>Despite their fantastical abilities, what many fans celebrate is the connection to their heroes’ humanity. Jessica Jones’ star Eka Darville described growing up in the Northern Rivers of Australia as the only black kid in his school:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When we’d play Power Rangers they were like, ‘You have to be the black Power Ranger,’ but I secretly wanted to be the red one [traditionally the leader]. So when I booked the role of Scott Truman, Red Ranger, I was, like, ‘Yeah, vengeance is mine’. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Such diversity is necessary given the superhero’s increasingly important role as escapist fantasy, cross-generational icon, and aspirational figure. One fan, heroically braving a Melbourne winter in a Little Mermaid costume, articulated the feelings of many:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think superheroes today are a symbol of hope, making yourself a better person and using that in your everyday life.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><br></p>
<hr>
<p><em><a href="https://www.acmi.net.au/live-events/talks-performances/superhero-identities-symposium/">The Superhero Identities Symposium</a> takes place at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) on 8-9 December, 2016.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69479/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liam Burke receives funding from the Australian Research Council for the Linkage project Superheroes & Me.</span></em></p>
From Wonder Woman to Doctor Strange, superheroes are at peak popularity. As political orthodoxies across the world fall away, these flawed, but good-hearted characters speak to modern anxieties.
Liam Burke, Senior Media Studies Lecturer, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/63676
2016-08-10T11:39:51Z
2016-08-10T11:39:51Z
Suicide Squad: proof that the superhero movie is invincible
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133388/original/image-20160808-18027-14rymxq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Warner Brothers</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Defying some <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/07/suicide-squad-review-bad-film-margot-robbie-jared-leto">particularly harsh reviews</a>, Suicide Squad is killing it. This latest cinematic comic book adaptation has managed to rake in an impressive <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/box-office/suicide-squad-foreign-box-office-1201832302/">$267m worldwide</a> in only three days and is currently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/09/suicide-squad-tops-uk-box-office-finding-dory-jason-bourne?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">top of the UK box office</a>. David Ayer’s film – about a motley crew of supervillains strong-armed into saving the world from an even worse supervillain – is proof that the superhero genre’s popularity shows no signs of diminishing yet.</p>
<p>Cinema’s current superhero renaissance is well into its second decade, Hollywood having been alerted to the lucrative potential of the genre in its contemporary form by the success of Bryan Singer’s <a href="http://gb.imdb.com/title/tt0120903/">X-Men</a> in 2000. From a studio’s point of view, the superhero film currently appears to be the closest thing to that ever-elusive holy grail of the guaranteed box office hit. </p>
<p>Commercially speaking, these films satisfy all the requirements of a blockbuster. They are based on essentially simple core narratives which feature iconic heroes and villains, provide numerous opportunities to showcase spectacular visual effects and action set pieces, do not necessarily require expensive stars to attract audiences, and naturally lend themselves to multiple merchandising opportunities. And protagonists such as Superman, Batman and Spider-Man bring with them that all-important pre-existing audience awareness which films based on new material lack. The value of this to an industry in which film studios are <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/movie-studios-produce-more-franchise-movies-2015-12">becoming more conservative</a> and less willing to digress from identifiable brands is obvious.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133656/original/image-20160810-20932-14gddmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133656/original/image-20160810-20932-14gddmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133656/original/image-20160810-20932-14gddmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133656/original/image-20160810-20932-14gddmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133656/original/image-20160810-20932-14gddmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133656/original/image-20160810-20932-14gddmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133656/original/image-20160810-20932-14gddmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Villain to hero.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Warner Bros.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But perhaps one of the most attractive features for studios is that these characters have often evolved over decades of comic book source material, meaning that they have an unparalleled potential to be mined for unending sequels and spin-offs. Since 2000, Twentieth Century Fox alone has released six X-Men films – plus two Wolverine spin-offs with a third on the way. Warner Bros. has made six Batman/Superman films (including Suicide Squad), starting with Christopher Nolan’s retelling of the Batman myth, the Dark Knight trilogy. Marvel has granted Captain America, Iron Man and Thor a trilogy each.</p>
<h2>Fictional universes</h2>
<p>In the last decade, the superhero genre has taken the concept of the sequel to a whole new level. Marvel Studios in particular has broken new industry ground in this respect. They ambitiously aim to replicate the interconnected narrative network of their comic books onscreen. They do so by creating a carefully structured web of films in which characters such as Captain America, Hulk and Thor appear not only in their own and each other’s films but also unite in phenomenally successful superhero team-ups such as The Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).</p>
<p>Now, the Warner Bros. owned DC Entertainment – who produced Suicide Squad – is playing catch-up with its rival Marvel Studios. Initially concentrating on Nolan’s self-contained “real world” Dark Knight trilogy, Warner Bros. had to wait until relatively recently to launch its current wider cinematic universe. Suicide Squad is the third film in this new universe following Zack Snyder’s reinventions of Superman and Batman in Man of Steel (2013) and its sequel Batman v Superman (2016).</p>
<p>Yet the superhero film must inevitably reinvent itself if it is to retain interest. With the more straightforward narrative model of superhero versus supervillain having been exhausted, the genre has entered a new phase of self-cannibalisation in which the archetypal good versus evil narrative structure has been (necessarily) warped.</p>
<p>In 2016, superheroes have not just turned on one another – with Captain America battling his former Avengers teammate Iron Man in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKrVegVI0Us">Civil War</a> – they have also turned on the very genre itself, as seen in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONHBaC-pfsk">Deadpool</a>. Warner Bros.’s latest offerings reflect this trend, disposing with the idea of the admirable superhero. Batman v Superman positions its two eponymous protagonists as enemies rather than allies. Suicide Squad goes further, dispensing with superheroes altogether by requiring the titular team of villains to be the “good guys”.</p>
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<h2>Superhero futures</h2>
<p>So, where next for the superhero film? Phenomenal box office returns for Captain America: Civil War and Deadpool have ensured that Hollywood’s enthusiasm for caped saviours will not be waning anytime soon, something which is evidenced by both Marvel and DC’s release plans for the foreseeable future. After all, audiences are still eager to see films such as Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad even though <a href="http://www.hypable.com/batman-v-superman-critic-reviews-average/">many reviewers</a> are warning them to stay away. Like Superman himself, superhero films seem to be – for the time being – bulletproof. </p>
<p>There are signs that the next evolutionary stage of the superhero genre is one which is likely to be defined by the issue of diversity. While Marvel does have a number of black and female superheroes, all of its films’ lead characters thus far have been white males. The studio’s recent <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/07/24/comic-con-captain-marvel-black-panther-boost-marvel-diversity/87498690/">announcement</a> that it is to make Black Panther, with black actors in all of its lead roles, and that Oscar winner Brie Larson is to play the titular role in Captain Marvel, the studio’s first female led film, suggests that the industry is beginning to redress this balance.</p>
<p>But for now, it is DC who appear to be leading the way in this respect with the release of <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/wonder-woman-trailer-gal-gadot-1201821468/">Wonder Woman</a> next year and the notably more diverse cast of Suicide Squad. Happily, the superhero genre looks to be defined by new kinds of heroes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63676/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Stafford does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The superhero film currently appears to be the closest thing to that ever-elusive cinematic holy grail: the guaranteed box office hit.
Tim Stafford, Visiting Lecturer, Literature, University of Hertfordshire
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/56963
2016-03-30T09:36:59Z
2016-03-30T09:36:59Z
Who cares about Batman v Superman? Wonder Woman finally steals the show
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116664/original/image-20160329-13718-1os2czy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Warner Brothers</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice has received a <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/">frosty critical reception</a>, to say the least. Despite this, I found myself coming away from the cinema filled with hope. Certainly not for either of the titular characters – who have never been less inspiring. Instead, the future finally seems bright for superwomen. Although Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is given far less screen time than her male counterparts (and is not even referred to as Wonder Woman), she steals the show when she appears in superhero costume for the finale.</p>
<p>Wonder Woman initially appears as a nameless beautiful woman of mystery, dressed in a succession of slinky backless dresses and gold jewellery – including what could turn out to be her signature bullet-stopping bracelets. Gadot is also known for being Miss Israel, linking her with former beauty pageant winner, Miss World Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman in the 1970s television series. </p>
<p>Rather than concentrating on this link, however, <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3151210/Gal-Gadot-talks-serving-Israeli-army-playing-symbol-strength-Wonder-Woman.html">interviews</a> have been keen to play up Gadot’s two years’ military service as a suitable grounding for a superheroine. Gadot’s Wonder Woman is admired by Ben Affleck’s Batman, but she is not cast as his love interest.</p>
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<p>Not-too-subtle clues are given to Wonder Woman’s identity, and they are grounded in the world of Greek mythology. She first appears at a party where villain Lex Luthor is making a speech about Prometheus and Zeus. Her second appearance is in a museum, looking at a (fake) sword used by Alexander the Great to cut the Gordian knot. We learn from a flight attendant that her name is Miss Prince, and she tells Batman that she has avoided the world of men for 100 years, but returns to help in the end. This is a Wonder Woman who likes to go her own way.</p>
<h2>Amazon origins</h2>
<p>The character of Wonder Woman was originally conceived by US psychologist William Moulton Marston in 1941 for what would become DC Comics. Wonder Woman, known by her alias Diana Prince, is Princess Diana of the Amazons, a tribe of women living on Paradise Island. </p>
<p>According to Greek mythology, the Amazons were warrior women who lived in the Black Sea area, on the edges of the ancient Greek known world. They would take local men as lovers for the purpose of procreation, but would only keep female children. </p>
<p>Unlike Greek women, they hunted and fought battles. In literature and art they are often used to epitomise the opposite of what it meant to be Greek and civilised. <a href="http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/features/f0055-is-this-the-face-of-an-ancient-amazon-female-warrior/">Archaeological evidence</a> has been found in the modern Ukraine of women from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE buried with horses and weapons. It is now believed that nomadic Scythian women who lived in the Eurasian Steppes did in fact hunt and fight, leading to the origins of the myth of the Amazons.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116665/original/image-20160329-13691-eqy8va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116665/original/image-20160329-13691-eqy8va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116665/original/image-20160329-13691-eqy8va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116665/original/image-20160329-13691-eqy8va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116665/original/image-20160329-13691-eqy8va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116665/original/image-20160329-13691-eqy8va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116665/original/image-20160329-13691-eqy8va.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Diana Price.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Warner Brothers</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the comics and in the Warner Bros Wonder Woman television series that aired from 1975-1979, starring Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman’s potential as a female superhero is impaired by romance. In the original story, she falls in love with US military intelligence officer Steve Trevor, whose plane crashes on the island, and returns with him to 1940s America, where she helps to fight the Nazis and other criminals. Her romantic relationship with Trevor holds her back.</p>
<p>This positioning in relation to a male hero is also a defining feature of the Amazons from Greek mythology. Although seen as brave warriors, skilled at fighting, they ultimately exist to be defeated, conferring heroic status on the male heroes who kill or pacify them. Heracles (Hercules) takes the belt of Hippolyte, the Queen of the Amazons, as one of his labours. Theseus abducts an Amazon Queen (either Antiope or Hippolyte). Achilles defeats Penthiselea in the Trojan War, falling in love with her at the moment she dies at his hands.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116663/original/image-20160329-13688-16ayh0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116663/original/image-20160329-13688-16ayh0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116663/original/image-20160329-13688-16ayh0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116663/original/image-20160329-13688-16ayh0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116663/original/image-20160329-13688-16ayh0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116663/original/image-20160329-13688-16ayh0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116663/original/image-20160329-13688-16ayh0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">None of this for Wonder Woman.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Warner Brothers</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I feared that the latest incarnation of Wonder Woman would be similarly defined in relation to men. But Wonder Woman’s latest incarnation is confident and self-sufficient. In a film where the other female characters, Lois Lane and Martha Kent, are used and cast in the roles of female victims who need to be saved, the appearance of a Wonder Woman who is more than a match for the male superheroes leaves me with hope that finally we will see a female superhero who can live up to her potential. Let’s just hope that the Wonder Woman <a href="http://gb.imdb.com/title/tt0451279/">feature</a> (to be released in 2017) does the same.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56963/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Potter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The Amazons of Greek mythology usually were seduced or subdued by male heroes. Wonder Woman finally overcomes this legacy.
Amanda Potter, Visiting Research Fellow, The Open University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/56646
2016-03-24T12:49:55Z
2016-03-24T12:49:55Z
How astronomers could find the ‘real’ planet Krypton
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115878/original/image-20160321-30941-13zd3rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Planets orbiting a red dwarf, much like Krypton's star Rao.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA/JPL-Caltech </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The search for exoplanets, worlds orbiting stars other than our own, has become a major field of research in the last decade – with <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-five-most-earth-like-exoplanets-so-far-50669">nearly 2,000 such planets discovered to date</a>. So the release of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> got me thinking: does Superman’s home planet of Krypton actually exist? Or at least a planet very much like it?</p>
<p>We don’t know a huge amount about Krypton. Since the very earliest Superman comic strips, it has been depicted as a rocky planet similar to Earth, but much older. In the film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/">Man of Steel</a>, it was said to be about 8.7 billion years old with intelligent life, Kryptonians, having existed for hundreds of thousands of years – comparable to the amount of time humans have existed on Earth.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115988/original/image-20160322-32323-6qoi9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115988/original/image-20160322-32323-6qoi9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115988/original/image-20160322-32323-6qoi9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115988/original/image-20160322-32323-6qoi9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115988/original/image-20160322-32323-6qoi9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115988/original/image-20160322-32323-6qoi9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115988/original/image-20160322-32323-6qoi9x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Map of the planet Krypton from the Superman comics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">WP:NFCC#4/wikimedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Start with the red stars</h2>
<p>In order to find Krypton, the first thing we’d need to do is identify its star, or at least its type. For a long time, all we knew was that, unlike the sun, Krypton’s star Rao is red. There are three classes of stars which are red in colour: <a href="http://www.space.com/23772-red-dwarf-stars.html">red dwarfs</a>, <a href="http://www.space.com/22471-red-giant-stars.html">red giants</a> and <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/24731/red-supergiant-star/">red super giants</a>. While they are very different in size, their red colour tells us that they are some of the coolest stars in existence, with surface temperatures of only just over 3,200°C, about half that of the sun.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115880/original/image-20160321-30935-1g9hlgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/115880/original/image-20160321-30935-1g9hlgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115880/original/image-20160321-30935-1g9hlgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115880/original/image-20160321-30935-1g9hlgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115880/original/image-20160321-30935-1g9hlgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115880/original/image-20160321-30935-1g9hlgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/115880/original/image-20160321-30935-1g9hlgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Batman v Superman.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Naruto full fighters/Youtube</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Red dwarfs are by far the most common stars – around 75% of the stars in the vicinity of the solar system are of this type. As the name suggests, they are quite small compared to the sun, being between 7.5% and 50% of the sun’s mass. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, our sun will one day become a red giant, as it runs out of its hydrogen fuel – ballooning in size so that it consumes the orbit of the Earth. But that’s nothing compared to a red supergiant – stars which would extend all the way out to the orbit of Saturn.</p>
<p>While depictions of Krypton’s star have varied between these three types over the years, what we see of Rao in Man of Steel points towards it being a red dwarf.</p>
<h2>Destination LHS 2520</h2>
<p>In 2012, it seemed that the matter was settled when astrophysicist <a href="http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/">Neil deGrasse Tyson</a> was invited to choose Rao’s real location. He picked a <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/supermans-home-planet-krypton/">star known as LHS 2520</a>, a red dwarf star in the southern constellation of Corvus. Our searches for planets around this star have so far proved fruitless, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.</p>
<p>To find an Earth-like exoplanet around a red dwarf star, a good approach would be to use the “<a href="http://www.planetary.org/explore/space-topics/exoplanets/radial-velocity.html">radial velocity method</a>” or the “<a href="http://exoplanets.org/doppframe.html">doppler technique</a>”, measuring the small movement a star makes as it responds to the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zonDwR2uyFs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">How to find exoplanets such as Krypton.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So far, we only have a handful of data from this star, taken by the <a href="http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/lasilla/instruments/harps.html">High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher</a> (HARPS). This means that currently we can only rule out any orbiting gas giants, as those would be the only ones big enough to produce easily noticeable changes in the star’s velocity. A more detailed investigation, however, could still reveal a Krypton-like, rocky “super Earth”.</p>
<p>But even if that isn’t the case, our understanding of how planetary systems form out of clouds of gas, dust and rocks clumping together under gravity seems to suggest that there should always be more than one planet orbiting a star. So if we find one of Krypton’s brothers and sisters, perhaps with more observations we would be able to infer its existence.</p>
<h2>To infinity and beyond</h2>
<p>But if we fail to find any planets around LHS 2520, we can always look elsewhere. Luckily, searching for planets around red dwarf stars is a major area of research right now. </p>
<p>For instance, Pale Red Dot is an international campaign being <a href="http://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/se/169578.html">coordinated by researchers in the UK</a> searching for Earth-like planets around our nearest stellar neighbour – Proxima Centauri. The discovery of such a world essentially on our doorstop would be momentous, raising hopes that (with advances in space technology) we could one day visit it. The <a href="https://carmenes.caha.es/ext/instrument/index.html">CARMENES</a> project also will be looking at some 300 red dwarf stars over the next three years in search of Earth-like worlds.</p>
<p>Whether any of the worlds we find harbour life, intelligent or otherwise, is another hurdle to tackle – the conditions are likely to be very different from those on our own world. But despite the small probabilities involved, the vast number of red dwarfs out there mean that the existence of a Krypton-like planet is still a possibility.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56646/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Archer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
It could be orbiting LHS 2520.
Martin Archer, Space Plasma Physicist, Queen Mary University of London
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/56741
2016-03-23T09:07:28Z
2016-03-23T09:07:28Z
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a po-faced exercise in franchise-building
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116149/original/image-20160323-28074-1h20fb8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">DC has dialled up the grit, as Batman grimly faces off against Superman. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Warner Bros.</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The success of superhero parody <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/">Deadpool</a> (A$962 million and counting) has reassured critics that there is plenty of mileage left in the superhero movie – yet the most important lesson seems to have been missed. </p>
<p>Deadpool’s self-aware satire suggests that filmgoers are eager to see the genre’s conventions subverted. Yet, this month’s mash-up <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> (guest starring Wonder Woman) does little to reinvigorate the familiar superhero adventure. </p>
<p>Director Zack Snyder has created a sequel/spin-off to his 2013 Superman adaptation <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/">Man of Steel</a>. </p>
<p>The film is expected to serve as the bedrock for a planned <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Extended_Universe">DC Extended Universe</a>, which will explore the other villains and heroes of Batman and Superman’s world. </p>
<p>Snyder’s Man of Steel was criticised for crucially misunderstanding Superman. It culminated in a third act tussle in which the big blue boy scout laid waste to downtown Metropolis in order to stop Kryptonian villain Zod. </p>
<p>Addressing this criticism head-on, Batman v Superman opens on this devastation from the point of view of billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne, who vows to stop Superman in the guise of costumed crime fighter Batman. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116143/original/image-20160323-28103-mmqkx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116143/original/image-20160323-28103-mmqkx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116143/original/image-20160323-28103-mmqkx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116143/original/image-20160323-28103-mmqkx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116143/original/image-20160323-28103-mmqkx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116143/original/image-20160323-28103-mmqkx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116143/original/image-20160323-28103-mmqkx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116143/original/image-20160323-28103-mmqkx2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Henry Cavill as Superman.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Warner Bros.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Superman, meanwhile, uses his alter ego, journalist Clark Kent, to investigate Batman – a vigilante “who thinks he’s above the law”. Through villainous businessman Lex Luthor’s manipulations this enmity boils over into the superhero showdown promised by the title.</p>
<p>As demonstrated by his past comic-book movies such as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416449/">300</a> (2006), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/">Watchmen</a> (2009), and Man of Steel, Snyder has an eye for composition and there are some impressive action beats. But Batman v Superman is limited to the colour palette of an ashtray, which dulls an already dour film. </p>
<p>The score is equally oppressive, with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/">The Dark Knight</a> (2008) composer Hans Zimmer and Dutch producer Junkie XL collaborating on a soundtrack of heavy percussion, synths, and choral music, which attempts to infuse even the most incidental scenes with an end-of-the world tension.</p>
<p>The performers are committed, with Ben Affleck investing his older Batman with a playful ennui. But fans are likely to be divided on how this dark knight is realised. </p>
<p>One of the tenets of the character on the comic book page is that the tragedy that created Batman instilled a value for human life that will not allow him to kill his enemies. Yet, Zack Snyder’s caped crusader outfits his vehicles with an arsenal of machine guns, mowing down anyone who gets in his way. </p>
<p>As heavily signalled in the trailers, Wonder Woman joins the fray in the third act bringing some much-needed levity. Israeli actress Gal Gadot bags two of the film’s three good lines and bounds about with an enthusiasm that makes her upcoming solo <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451279/">Wonder Woman</a> film a much more exciting proposition.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116142/original/image-20160323-28072-jcuxlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116142/original/image-20160323-28072-jcuxlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116142/original/image-20160323-28072-jcuxlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116142/original/image-20160323-28072-jcuxlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116142/original/image-20160323-28072-jcuxlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116142/original/image-20160323-28072-jcuxlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116142/original/image-20160323-28072-jcuxlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116142/original/image-20160323-28072-jcuxlj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gal Gadot brings energy and verve to Wonder Woman.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Warner Bros.</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>While the premise is succinct, this relentlessly po-faced film takes an inordinate amount of time to get to the star attraction. When it does, the collision is robbed of its potentially interesting ideological conflict, as Luthor’s coercion is so hackneyed and transparent that it could have been cribbed from an episode of television’s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279600/">Smallville</a>. </p>
<p>In fact, after <a href="https://warnerbros.com.au/titles/details/the-dark-knight-trilogy">The Dark Knight Trilogy</a>’s engagement with War on Terror politics and the focus on collateral damage in the upcoming <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/">Captain America: Civil War</a> (2016), Snyder seems to have learned little from the criticism of Man of Steel. This film culminates in yet another city centre showdown that appears to cause even more destruction than the first. </p>
<p>While we are reassured that the scuffles are confined to “uninhabited islands” and “empty ports”, these throwaway lines feel like a facile effort on the part of the filmmakers to diffuse criticism.</p>
<p>The film’s purported source material, Frank Miller’s graphic novel <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59960.Batman">The Dark Knight Returns</a>, grappled with the ethics of these heroes’ worldviews in the 1980s, an opportunity Batman v Superman fails to exploit.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116155/original/image-20160323-28077-8mmm1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116155/original/image-20160323-28077-8mmm1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/116155/original/image-20160323-28077-8mmm1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116155/original/image-20160323-28077-8mmm1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116155/original/image-20160323-28077-8mmm1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116155/original/image-20160323-28077-8mmm1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116155/original/image-20160323-28077-8mmm1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/116155/original/image-20160323-28077-8mmm1s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jessie Eisenberg as the manipulative Lex Luthor.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Warner Bros.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Still, it should be unsurprising that the filmmakers do not fully outfit these icons with rounded motivations. The real conflict here is not between the Last Son of Krypton and The Dark Knight, but the forces at Marvel and DC who are fighting it out for the hearts, minds, and wallets of the comic-book movie audience. </p>
<p>Batman v Superman is all about world building, establishing a shared universe for future franchise instalments and spin-offs.</p>
<p>Marvel is the market leader in these transmedia franchises, having carefully peppered solo superhero movies such as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/">Iron Man</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800369/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Thor</a> (2011), and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458339/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Captain America</a> (2011) with hints of a crossover ahead of the record-breaking success of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/">The Avengers</a> in 2012. </p>
<p>Such hidden allusions are often referred to as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(media)">Easter eggs</a> within fan communities, but Batman v Superman hasn’t so much secreted these references as explicitly telegraphed them. One character even stumbles across a computer file replete with each future Justice League member’s logo as well as videos of their origins.</p>
<p>These inelegant attempts at fan service (read: cash grab) leave the film’s Easter eggs with the nutritional content and structural integrity of their chocolate equivalents.</p>
<p>It is unfortunate that the filmmakers fixed their gaze so firmly on future instalments rather than concentrate on their franchise keystone. </p>
<p>Of course Batman v Superman is not the first crossover film. As early as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035899/">Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman</a> (1943) studios have turned to these team-up movies to boost interest in film series.</p>
<p>Yet the poster tagline for a more recent ensemble movie, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370263/">Alien vs Predator</a> (2004), might also be applied to this misstep in corporate synergy: “Whoever Wins … We Lose”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56741/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liam Burke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has committed performances and Zack Snyder’s trademark action. But it can’t overcome a confused internal logic – and has the colour palette of an ashtray.
Liam Burke, Senior Media Studies Lecturer, Swinburne University of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/47745
2015-10-13T10:03:47Z
2015-10-13T10:03:47Z
Meet Doc Savage, the most famous superhero you’ve never heard of
<p>His name is Clark and his father (later murdered) raised him to be a savior to humanity. He possesses superhuman strength and finely tuned senses. He is the world’s greatest detective, an inventor, chemist, surgeon and martial artist. Villains the world over want him dead, but through his intelligence, strength, cunning and technological prowess he’s always able to defeat them – all while staying faithful to a personal edict to spare all lives. </p>
<p>No, he’s not a mash-up of Superman and Batman; rather, he’s <a href="http://docsavage.wikia.com/wiki/Doc_Savage">Clark (Doc) Savage, Jr</a>, a character created in 1933 by Lester Dent. And he actually served as inspiration for Superman and Batman. </p>
<p>Savage’s height of popularity was during the chaos of the Depression and World War II. (He also experienced a brief resurgence <a href="http://gobacktothepast.com/doc-savage-in-bantam-paperback/">through reprints of the original novels</a> during the Vietnam era.) </p>
<p>To many, he is the greatest superhero to ever appear, the source of hundreds of iterations – first in “pulps,” later in comics, radio and film. </p>
<p>However, today he’s largely forgotten; at best, his name sparks the vague recognition of a lost hero. </p>
<p>Where did he go and why did he disappear from popular culture? And can he make a comeback?</p>
<h2>Savage origins</h2>
<p>Doc Savage was the third major <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine">pulp fiction</a> character to get his own magazine, following the success of The Shadow and The Avenger. </p>
<p>Pulp magazines, a genre that started with a periodical titled <a href="http://www.pulpmags.org/database_pages/argosy.html">The Argosy</a> in the late 1800s, were monthly or weekly anthologies of stories geared toward an emerging lower-middle-class reader. Printing them on cheap paper kept costs low, and the general quality of the content varied widely. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, the pulps served as inexpensive entertainment for the newly literate, laboring masses. On the heels of the success of their pulp hit The Shadow (a crime-fighting hero with ESP and hypnotic powers), publishers Street & Smith created Doc Savage in a similar vein. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/98144/original/image-20151012-17853-1v4ogsq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/98144/original/image-20151012-17853-1v4ogsq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/98144/original/image-20151012-17853-1v4ogsq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98144/original/image-20151012-17853-1v4ogsq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98144/original/image-20151012-17853-1v4ogsq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98144/original/image-20151012-17853-1v4ogsq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98144/original/image-20151012-17853-1v4ogsq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/98144/original/image-20151012-17853-1v4ogsq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pulp magazines featuring heroes like The Shadow and Doc Savage proliferated in the early 20th century.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/22809952@N03/4585170199/in/photolist-7ZbcmB-pqp8Jn-pqp8mD-pGDSVF-53FDCL-83vCPM-8332gW-kqjoNs-4nBGW8-5zQU8K-5JwVBp-oPJ91U-c1Z6Yj-4uxojk-bxUc9H-eW6Bw4-atgaop-7AHxmt-56uZmT-6NYRR5-7AMjuC-8rvXrS-87oQuf-8Anvax-8teSCb-j1WD27-bstmZU-6xe2Xo-wepUBy-4TY47z-8tbSB4-7AMjvN-6LwAYc-7AHxjB-7AMjvd-6XHdyV-7dcBT8-7AHxkX-aRycQe-6aC8CE-byyNny-6iHi2u-cmTVjS-6iD8f6-6iHi4U-6iD8hV-eb1PZo-8D1xEA-qW37Rb-qFSQvv">Terry McCombs/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But unlike The Shadow, who had the “superpower” of ESP, Doc Savage’s powers were based on discipline and training. Between 1933 and 1949, 181 Doc Savage stories appeared, mostly authored by creator <a href="https://books.google.com.mx/books?id=QffyEL5J724C&redir_esc=y">Lester Dent</a>. Since then, dozens of adaptations were made, including several comic books, derivative novels, radio shows and a movie. </p>
<p>Starting in the 1960s, Bantam Books started reprinting the original Doc Savage pulp stories with updated cover art. Bantam also commissioned additional Doc Savage stories, including a number by Sci-Fi author and Doc Savage enthusiast Philip Jose Farmer, who wrote a definitive “biography” of Savage, <a href="https://books.google.com.mx/books?id=tEn5QsQI1JIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=doc+savage+his+apocalyptic+life&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAGoVChMI4abumPaAyAIVyx0eCh3-5AAo#v=onepage&q=doc%20savage%20his%20apocalyptic%20life&f=false">Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life</a>.</p>
<h2>The Man of Bronze makes way for The Man of Steel</h2>
<p>Doc Savage’s influence abounds among his successors. </p>
<p>Incorruptible, somewhat shy and awkward with the opposite sex, his morality and demeanor are mimicked by Superman. And like Superman, Doc Savage is simply determined to pursue and defeat evil at all costs. He’s also a bit of a loner who puts up with a team of bickering, but brilliant and talented, misfits called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Doc_Savage_characters">The Fabulous Five</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, other aspects of Doc Savage’s character would go on to be replicated in Batman. Like Batman, he is a genius and a wealthy scientist-inventor who uses cunning and technology to solve crimes and defeat the bad guys. </p>
<p>Like both, he refuses to kill, if possible (albeit he assumed this attitude only after being responsible for some regrettable carnage). </p>
<p>And like Superman, he speaks to some aspect of the “American Ideal”: before, during and after World War II, he served as a patriotic beacon locked in a struggle against evil. </p>
<p>Still, Doc Savage is a standalone character who possesses some unique qualities of his own. Unlike Superman, he’s a human. And unlike Batman, he didn’t lead any sort of double life. He focused his public and private personas on the fight for good against evil.</p>
<h2>A creature of camp?</h2>
<p>During times of growth and prosperity (and perhaps also during times of moral ambiguity), our need for Doc Savage has waned. Either that, or his model has proved too uncomfortable and unrealistic to remain attractive to large audiences. </p>
<p>A 1975 <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072886/">George Pal-produced film</a> titled Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze attempted to rekindle the superhero’s waning popularity. Hampered by irony and camp, it failed miserably. </p>
<p>On the other hand, in the 1970s and 1980s, Superman and Batman survived because their creators recast the characters in sillier, campier situations. </p>
<p>But Savage, at his core, is unironic. He is earnestly good. It seems that Savage can only be rekindled in a properly post-ironic age. </p>
<p>The question is, can we get there?</p>
<p>The best Doc Savage movie ever made wasn’t technically a Doc Savage movie. Arguably, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086856/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension</a> (1984) was a ripoff of Doc Savage, with a genius protagonist who doubled as a neurosurgeon, inventor and rock star, accompanied by a team of (five!) Hong Kong Cavaliers. </p>
<p>Although the movie featured some high camp and comedy, it succeeds at being a Doc Savage movie in the <a href="https://thedissolve.com/features/movie-of-the-week/188-keynote-the-adventures-of-buckaroo-banzai-across-t/">sincerity</a> of the heroes, notably Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller). The film also failed miserably at the box office, although it has developed a cult following of the sort that Doc Savage enjoys.</p>
<h2>We can be (unironic) heroes</h2>
<p>In 1999, an attempt to bring Savage to the silver screen was scuttled when <a href="http://www.eonline.com/news/38411/arnold-does-doc-savage">Arnold Schwarzenegger</a> decided to run for governor and was no longer able play the lead. <a href="http://screenrant.com/chris-hemsworth-doc-savage-shane-black/">Chris Hemsworth</a> (who plays Thor in the recent Marvel movies) was rumored to be in the running to play Doc Savage in another stalled project that was going to be directed by Shane Black (Iron Man 3). </p>
<p>If Doc Savage is to ever reenter our national consciousness, we must embrace his steadfast sincerity and virtue, along with his statuesque, Godlike glory. And we must do so without succumbing to complications, irony or comic book <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-twilight-of-the-superhero-45987">Dark Age conceits</a> (epitomized by The Dark Knight). Only then could Savage perhaps become a <a href="http://humanityplus.org/philosophy/transhumanist-faq/#answer_19">transhumanist</a> model for a future age in which hope replaces cynicism, and irony is shunned.</p>
<p>In a way, Doc Savage could represent <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2591219">David Foster Wallace</a>’s <a href="http://www.salon.com/2014/04/13/david_foster_wallace_was_right_irony_is_ruining_our_culture/">New Sincerity</a> – the idea that we need to actually mean what we say (at the risk of being ridiculed), and that postmodern irony and cynicism have nothing left to offer us. </p>
<p>Doc Savage may never need us again, but some of us think we will always need Savage – perhaps now more than ever. </p>
<p><em>This article has been updated to correct a factual error – the Doc Savage character has never appeared on a television show.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/47745/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Koepsell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
An inspiration for Batman and Superman has faded into obscurity. Can he experience a revival?
David Koepsell, Adjunct Associate Professor of Learning and Instruction, University at Buffalo
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/45987
2015-08-28T09:32:30Z
2015-08-28T09:32:30Z
The twilight of the superhero?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93224/original/image-20150827-381-1efayfq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C6%2C736%2C566&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Superman's over the hill.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=&search_tracking_id=YTD27kEWUoLpx9EmUsXQXQ&searchterm=depressed%20superhero&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=81357958">'Superhero' via www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the 1980s, flagship comic-book superhero movie franchises – from DC’s Superman to Marvel’s Iron Man – have seen some major movie studio investments and, more often than not, blockbuster returns. </p>
<p>But significant changes in the superhero mythos in our culture indicate that their future seems bleak. </p>
<p>Universal Studios <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/21/business/universal-avoids-superheroes-but-still-conquers-box-office.html?_r=0">leads the year’s movie profits</a> without a single superhero movie. Meanwhile, the latest <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2015/08/10/fantastic-four-is-disneys-nightmare/">Fantastic Four reboot has failed terribly</a>. </p>
<p>Their twilight may be upon us. The nature of the audience, the evolution of superheroes from flawless icons to more complex characters, and the influence of the so-called “Dark Age” of comic books on comic book movies and audiences have sown the seeds for their demise.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2015/08/the_fantastic_four_movie_flop_the_marvel_superheroes_are_gigantic_jerks.html">The recent flop</a> of the Fantastic Four film is only the latest indication that the flawless, all-powerful superhero of yesteryear has no place in today’s culture.</p>
<h2>Dawn of the superhero movie</h2>
<p>Superhero movies have been with us since at least the 1940s, with Captain Marvel and Batman both receiving movie serial treatment. But because of their limited special effects and due to the outdated serial format (short films shown before main features), they received little to no critical attention. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93219/original/image-20150827-381-poq7ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93219/original/image-20150827-381-poq7ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=797&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93219/original/image-20150827-381-poq7ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=797&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93219/original/image-20150827-381-poq7ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=797&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93219/original/image-20150827-381-poq7ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93219/original/image-20150827-381-poq7ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93219/original/image-20150827-381-poq7ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While popular in its day, Christopher Reeve’s Superman doesn’t stand the test of time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/phantomleap/5463652679/in/photolist-9jNDAg-qycxtB-5pWJKa-nzRYN5-o2qQHg-uJQtMn-8nDNm2-71E3Dx-84pQVa-dULd2G-4CQCX3-5WhWUC-5WdDpD-5WhVXA-kK6SBK-kK8mVC-eccJGH-p6MUUf-oRNNBv-5WhUVs-5WdBKn-qKCkEN-5WhXEU-fjbUFy-fiWBmD-fiWE5n-aohbrw-usbxbB-pMT6Lc-7LkhYW-48hfdC-7Lkihy-7LgjDp-j42YNm-ogFEZn-5WdHRK-qxDtYH-qMNyE1-5WhW9b-5WdE9B-fjbJ8Y-nKt1A7-o2E9Et-o4JFvi-ozjPEB-p8kEGS-4CQCUj-degAJX-65wAVQ-p6cSHM">Nicholas Rumas/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It wasn’t until Richard Donner’s Superman films – which starred the perfectly cast Christopher Reeve – that the superhero genre was elevated to blockbuster status and critical acclaim. Superman (1978) and Superman II (1981) (The Donner cut) set the standard for superhero movies for a decade. These stood, for a time, as the high-water mark. </p>
<p>But by the early 1980s, as the brightly hued, perfectly good Superman was bringing super back in the movies, the comics were taking a darker, introspective turn. Led by authors such as Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman, superheroes in the comics were being deconstructed. </p>
<p>These authors explored superheroes with a realism that previous comics did not, asking how superheroes might exist in our world, rather than transporting us away to some faraway fantasy world. The nature of the superhero was being questioned and taken apart just as our cultural excesses and hopes were being similarly questioned.</p>
<h2>The Dark Age of comic books</h2>
<p>Alan Moore’s role in reviving the British Marvelman comic-book franchise (often now found under the title Miracleman, for copyright reasons), helped transform the idea of the superhero comic. </p>
<p>Written in 1982 when Moore was only 28, it was a <a href="http://nerdist.com/why-alan-moores-miracleman-still-matters/">game-changing</a> foray into the superhero genre by one of the industry’s up-and-coming stars, who would later make a lasting mark with V for Vendetta and Watchmen. </p>
<p>The protagonist of Marvelman is a regular person who – suddenly and traumatically – acquires god-like powers. Much of the story focuses on how having superpowers causes angst and harm to both Miracleman and his human alter-ego.</p>
<p>Unlike the morally uncomplicated Superman, Miracleman constantly toes the line between god and demon. His humanity is as tenuous as his superhero form, and his conflicts are drawn out in detail, with gritty realism. </p>
<p>By 1986, Moore’s Watchmen, which again portrayed superheroes as ordinary people confronted with extraordinary powers and dilemmas, would complete the deconstruction of the genre. </p>
<p>Journalist and comic historian Mark Voger’s book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Age-Gimmicky-Post-Modern-Comics/dp/1893905535/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1440632148&sr=8-3&keywords=mark+voger">The Dark Age</a> chronicles this turn, but we’re left to speculate as to whether the culture was influencing the comics or vice versa. </p>
<p>Certainly, a lingering loss of innocence in the post-Watergate, post Iran-Contra US may have perforated our desires for mere escapism, and comics have long been a venue for subversive cultural criticism and reflection. Watchmen is a poignant and pointed criticism of the Cold War, the black-and-white brinksmanship mentality that suffused the politics of the era and its “star wars” missile defense system.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93226/original/image-20150827-378-dhj4n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93226/original/image-20150827-378-dhj4n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93226/original/image-20150827-378-dhj4n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93226/original/image-20150827-378-dhj4n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93226/original/image-20150827-378-dhj4n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93226/original/image-20150827-378-dhj4n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93226/original/image-20150827-378-dhj4n9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Dark Knight presented a grittier, more realistic hero, reflective of an era no longer imbued in optimism.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/30975254@N02/3518512999/in/photolist-51iKdd-67Tk9m-bWXHSr-5nqssh-6mVike-dSZqVb-rBMpL6-4RCVV1-cKDn9q-qKLac6-o6WZ49-737Dom-hpBGe6-5sXBGo-e8pAjZ-eru4gj-9WYxPL-5rg6FA-5t7zo5-duUP8J-dUfC5W-4etJDA-csWFHL-59hT2g-csWF81-aJNeHZ-6vaYmJ-d17Ery-czTyaA-e1PAjp-4Nx6D4-cAsAZm-ehjd2i-5nqstW-67Tk9j-bEypBQ-5TDCcz-dBQcSy-5B1563-8pqmRT-7vZoKX-imeNon-ctMnHE-8rMZmt-e2dftQ-5MDGpS-cFjg9m-51TT5c-o42VD5-96B2WB">Sevi_Lwa/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As Reagan’s America slouched toward dusk, Moore forged a path for Frank Miller and Tim Burton’s grittier, darker world of Batman.</p>
<p><a href="http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman:_The_Dark_Knight_Returns">Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns</a> (1986) revived and altered the Batman franchise, with a darker, noirish imagining of the Batman mythos, which starkly contrasted with the campy 1960s and 1970s versions so many of us grew up with. </p>
<p>Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns are often credited with introducing the <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks">“Dark Age of comic books”</a>. Technicolor do-gooders like Superman couldn’t survive in such a world. </p>
<p>The climactic scene in Miller’s book is a battle between Superman and Batman. Batman has the chance to kill Superman but passes, instead feigning his own death. </p>
<p>This scene cast a pall on both Superman’s perceived invincibility and Batman’s status as “good guy.” By 1992, DC would stun the world by killing Superman in the comics. </p>
<p>If Superman could die, who would save us?</p>
<p>Tim Burton’s Batman movies took on both the dark visual and narrative tones of Miller’s work, and raked in blockbuster returns at the box office. Since then, a number of high-valued and sometimes compelling comic book franchises have succeeded both cinematically and financially, including Sam Raimi’s [Spiderman films](http://marvel-movies.wikia.com/wiki/Peter_Parker_(Raimi_series) and Jon Favreau’s <a href="http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/jon-favreau-explains-why-he-traded-iron-man-3-for-disneyland-trip/">Iron Man films</a>, both of which are influenced largely by Dark Age conceits.</p>
<p>But like Superman, the Spiderman franchise has suffered a loss of audience interest and changes at the helm (new directors and “reboots”), and hasn’t recovered. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=spiderman.htm">Box office receipts for the five Spiderman films</a> show a steady decline, with the latest making domestically only about half of the initial Spiderman film.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Iron Man has transitioned to a character in The Avengers, and more solo films don’t appear to be on the horizon. Superman went through a series of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348150/">reboots</a> (including a never-realized <a href="http://nypost.com/2015/07/04/the-30-million-tim-burton-superman-film-youll-never-see/">Tim Burton version</a>), before finally achieving some (arguable) success under [Zack Snyder’s direction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_Steel_(film) with Henry Cavill as a charismatic reembodiment of Christopher Reeve, albeit in a (<a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Watch-What-Man-Steel-Would-Have-Looked-Like-Bleak-Coloring-71073.html">literally) darkened</a> environment. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Trilogy">Christopher Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy</a>, started in 2005, was perhaps the peak of the superhero revival, bringing artistry, darkness, realism, self-reflection and further deconstruction of the genre begun by Moore. </p>
<p>But now that ensembles – films featuring large casts of superheroes – have taken over, the end of the superhero appears nigh.</p>
<h2>The rise of the ensemble and the death of the superhero</h2>
<p>With the success of The Avengers, and with the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/">next Superman film</a> set to feature Batman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman (the Justice League is coming!), the solo movie superhero appears to be passe. </p>
<p>Perhaps spurred on by the need for increasing spectacle – and without a strong lead character to anchor a single superhero franchise – the studios are packing in more superheroes into ensemble films, leaving character explorations of individual superheroes to TV series like Arrow and Daredevil.</p>
<p>The recent Fantastic Four reboot flopped, despite its attempt to cash in on Dark Age realism. The Avengers may have been the high point for superhero ensembles, just as the Dark Knight Trilogy was for solo superheroes. Ensembles and the Dark Age sensibilities just do not seem to mesh well.</p>
<p>What was most compelling about the dark turn that Moore, Miller, Burton and Nolan took was the focus on the loner, the loser, the drifter and the oddball who achieved god-like powers enmeshed in an accidental quest for justice. </p>
<p>Recently, Alan Moore himself has called the embrace of superheroes by the general population a “<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jan/21/superheroes-cultural-catastrophe-alan-moore-comics-watchmen">cultural catastrophe</a>.” He bemoaned the escapism superhero movies offered to adults, which explains why he was so eager to deconstruct the idea of the “superhero” in Watchmen. </p>
<p>According to Moore, these are characters we should actually fear – not strive to be. They are dangerous in both their capabilities and motivations. Moore seems to be saying that we should instead embrace our humanity.</p>
<p>And indeed we <em>are</em> embracing more human, flawed heroes, whether it’s Breaking Bad’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-time-was-right-for-breaking-bad-guy-walter-white-18715">Walter White/Heisenberg</a>, Deadwood’s <a href="http://screencrush.com/hbo-deadwood-movie-revival-official/?trackback=fbshare_mobile_top">Seth Bullock</a> or <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2015/05/11/review-mad-max-fury-road-is-the-ultimate-summer-blockbuster/">Mad Max</a> – all of whom are tortured, dark and ambiguous. </p>
<p>These are heroes more or less in line with those the Dark Age ushered in, with Burton, Nolan and Snyder delivering silver screen iterations. </p>
<p>Ultimately, in these uncertain times – and with our increased focus on self-reflection and self-promotion – the invincible and escapist superhero of old has become obsolete.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/45987/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Koepsell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The flop of the Fantastic Four seems to suggest that viewers are more eager to embrace characters who reflect our inherently flawed humanity.
David Koepsell, Adjunct Associate Professor, University at Buffalo
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/33394
2014-11-06T09:49:12Z
2014-11-06T09:49:12Z
Wolverine’s dead! (well, for now)
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63768/original/dc3g28kf-1415205523.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When superheroes die on the page, fans have learned not to mourn their deaths</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Placeholder_couple_superhero.png">FRacco/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Among comic book fans, there’s the joke that the only characters in superhero comics who stay dead are Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, Batman’s parents, and Captain America’s sidekick Bucky. For everybody else, death is only temporary – a time-out.</p>
<p>Then even Bucky [came back from the dead](http://marvel.wikia.com/James_Buchanan_Barnes_(Earth-616).</p>
<p>So it may not be surprising that comic fans are fairly muted about the <a href="http://marvel.com/comics/series/19073/death_of_wolverine_2014">recent death</a> of mega-popular mutant superhero Wolverine. That’s right, the metal-clawed, super-healing bezerker-do-gooder played by Hugh Jackman in six X-Men movies finally croaked fighting the good fight in the pages of Marvel Comics last month.</p>
<p>Undoubtedly, the story of his demise, his teammates’ mourning, and the superhero world carrying on without him will sell comic books. That’s the whole <em>raison d'etre</em> for these gimmick-deaths: fans may not be fooled into any false finality, but it’s still riveting to see how a great hero falls –</p>
<p>– and how he or she rises and returns. </p>
<p>It’s a common <a href="http://youtu.be/Hhk4N9A0oCA">trope</a> in literature: the protagonist meets a metaphorical death, only to return stronger and savvier than before. It’s compelling. It’s dramatic.</p>
<p>At one point in the history of superheroes, characters “returned” in the form of descendants and legacy-bearers. Barry Allen may have sacrificed himself as the Flash, but his former sidekick Wally West assumed the mantle. The <a href="http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120330110149/marvel_dc/images/1/1e/Blue_Beetle_Ted_Kord_0047.jpg">Blue Beetle</a> died? Meet the <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/Blue_Beetle_Reyes.PNG">new Blue Beetle</a>. </p>
<p>But in superhero comics today, resurrections aren’t metaphorical. Green Arrow literally died and went to Heaven. Then he came back. The Thing of the Fantastic Four did the same. So did Green Lantern, Hawkeye, Robin, and scores of other superheroes. Even Wolverine went to Hell a mere four years ago and clawed his way back to life.</p>
<p>In short, superheroes like Wolverine die very often, and they come back from the dead just as often. The easy answer for the question “Why?” is sales – a cash-grab gimmick by companies to satisfy readers’ thirst for high drama.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63775/original/4v9gwvdq-1415206614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63775/original/4v9gwvdq-1415206614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/63775/original/4v9gwvdq-1415206614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63775/original/4v9gwvdq-1415206614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63775/original/4v9gwvdq-1415206614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=777&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63775/original/4v9gwvdq-1415206614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=976&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63775/original/4v9gwvdq-1415206614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=976&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/63775/original/4v9gwvdq-1415206614.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=976&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Comic fans are open to questioning who or what dies with the self.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://anklesnsocks.deviantart.com/art/W-is-for-Wolverine-126438644">anklesnsocks/Deviant Art</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, there is a far deeper, far more interesting answer: selfhood.</p>
<p>In literary theory, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/05/17/can_you_identify/">it is commonly accepted</a> that readers, particularly fans of a certain genre, gravitate towards relatable characters and protagonists. The characters don’t actually have to be like the readers or closely resemble them, but they do have to be recognizable. You don’t have to have Superman’s powers or be from Krypton to understand the pressures of his dual life: country boy in the big city, milquetoast at work with daring extracurricular hobbies, and orphan with a vast network of friends and family. Readers attracted to Superman likely see something of themselves <em>in</em> Superman.</p>
<p>And that’s the trick: Readers value characters who exhibit selfhood, but characters also influence how readers understand their <em>own</em> selfhood. If, say, enough Sheriffs in a series of Westerns give their lives to save their townsfolk, then readers could start valuing such sacrifice as a more and more salient trait of selfhood – both in other characters as well as in themselves. </p>
<p>Have superheroes influenced their readers? Well, that’s like asking if Batman is a little brooding!</p>
<p>Superheroes keep on returning from the afterlife because readers are open to renegotiating the traditional definitions of “the self” and “the soul,” and – overtly or not – want to question notions of who or what exactly dies with the self. This sort of existential grappling isn’t a new phenomenon; it goes at least all the way back to the time of <a href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/#OntEud">St. Augustine</a> in the fifth century.</p>
<p>When we die, do we totally die? Does every aspect of us go away? Is it truly an all-or-nothing proposition? Our postmodern age allows Twitter feeds to stay active, Facebook accounts to keep running, publications to be reprinted <em>ad inifinitum</em>, and companies, corporations, estates, or trusts to continue in our names. The self, it seems, is not so indivisible that portions of it can’t survive death and even return to influence the living. Ronald Reagan seems to factor into every U.S. Presidential election of the 21st century; Steve Jobs lives on in every new iPhone Apple produces. </p>
<p>Therefore, in this period of fluctuating selfhood and postmodern, posthumous existence, superhero readers have a vague sense of what’s afoot. They, at least, know to not mourn the loss of a fan-favorite like Wolverine. Because at best, only some part of him has died. The rest of him, essentially, lives on – and, invariably, all of it will be back.</p>
<p>So rest in peace, Wolverine. Until you’re not dead, again.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33394/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>A. David Lewis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Among comic book fans, there’s the joke that the only characters in superhero comics who stay dead are Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, Batman’s parents, and Captain America’s sidekick Bucky. For everybody else…
A. David Lewis, Faculty Associate, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/14625
2013-05-24T05:16:48Z
2013-05-24T05:16:48Z
Who owns Superman? The Man of Steel fights trademark law
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24380/original/6xcbk75b-1369369742.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The character of Superman has had a storied intellectual property history, having spawned countless imitations and emulations in comic books, films and popular culture.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Who is Superman’s greatest threat? Evil genius Lex Luthor? General Zod from the Phantom Zone? The doppelganger Bizarro? Super-villain Brainiac? Kryptonite? Or is it intellectual property law?</p>
<p>In 2013, DC Comics and Warner Brothers have sought to reboot the Superman movie franchise with the new film Man of Steel.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KVu3gS7iJu4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Man of Steel Trailer.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The film is directed by Zac Synder and produced by Christopher Nolan, who successfully revived Batman with the Dark Knight trilogy. Snyder observes that Superman is a “cool mythological contradiction”. The director observes: “He’s incredibly familiar Americana and alien, exotic, bizarroland, but beautifully woven together.”</p>
<p>With the release of this marquee film, DC Comics and Warner Brothers have sought to protect intellectual property rights associated with Superman. This week, in the Federal Court of Australia, Justice Annabelle Bennett delivered a brilliant judgment in the case of <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FCA/2013/478.html"><em>DC Comics</em> v <em>Cheqout Pty Ltd</em></a>. The decision demonstrated a mastery not only of intellectual property law, but also of philosophy and the history of superheroes. The case raises larger questions about trademark law, superhero franchises, and remix culture.</p>
<h2>A ‘Superman workout’</h2>
<p>The case concerned a fitness company making a trademark application for the “Superman workout” to IP Australia.</p>
<p>Michael Kirov, a delegate of <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/ATMO/2012/64.html">the Registrar of Trade Marks allowed a fitness company, Cheqout Pty Ltd, to register the trade mark “Superman workout”</a> in respect to the Class 41 services of “conducting exercise classes; fitness and exercise clinics, clubs and salons; health club services (exercise)”.</p>
<p>In rejecting DC Comics’ opposition, he said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>On any view of the Applicant’s conduct in the present matter, I do not believe the making of its application to register the plain English words “superman workout” as a trademark for the Services could reasonably be said to be of an unscrupulous, underhand or unconscientious character.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24376/original/g3rtz72h-1369365239.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/24376/original/g3rtz72h-1369365239.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24376/original/g3rtz72h-1369365239.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24376/original/g3rtz72h-1369365239.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=816&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24376/original/g3rtz72h-1369365239.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1026&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24376/original/g3rtz72h-1369365239.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1026&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/24376/original/g3rtz72h-1369365239.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1026&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Promotional material for Cheqout’s ‘Superman workout’.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Beyond Good and Evil: From Mickey Mouse to Friedrich Nietzsche</h2>
<p>DC Comics appealed to the Federal Court of Australia, claiming the trademark application was made in bad faith and would be likely to deceive or consumer consumers. DC Comics argued that its case was similar to the 1937 case of <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1937/38.html">Radio Corporation Proprietary Limited_ v _Disney</a>, where the High Court of Australia considered the words “Mickey Mouse” and “Minnie Mouse” as trademarks. </p>
<p>Justice Bennett said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>DC Comics maintains that the public will be misled or confused by use of the word alone … there is no dispute, and no doubt, that Superman the superhero is well known and recognised, by look and by name, to the public at large.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>She considered the definition of “Superman” as outlined by the Macquarie and Oxford dictionaries, and noted that “DC Comics does not assert that "superman” is a word invented by it" and “accepts that the word, in English, derives from "Ubermensch” as discussed by Friedrich Nietzsche". </p>
<p>She observed that DC Comics have argued:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>that the word “superman” and the expression “super man” have come to be associated with the character invented by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938 and well publicised since then (Superman).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The judge said that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>when the trademark is used without reference to any of the well-known indicia associated with the DC Comics superhero and as contained in the registered trade mark or other trade marks registered by DC Comics, there is no likelihood that use of the trade mark would be likely to deceive or cause confusion by reference to the Superman word mark, or the subject matter of DC Comics’ registered trade marks.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, Justice Bennett was:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>satisfied that DC Comics has established that Cheqout made the application for the Trade Mark in bad faith". This was evidenced “by the use … of the word Superman together with the BG Shield Device, in the context of male fitness and strength. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Justice Bennett ruled: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>that at the date of application for the trade mark, Cheqout’s conduct fell short of the standards of acceptable commercial behaviour observed by reasonable and experienced persons.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The intellectual property avengers</h2>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2VV4wHpZq2g?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">DC Comics and Marvel have engaged in lucrative IP deals.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Superheroes play an important role in the history of intellectual property law.</p>
<p>There has been ferocious legal debate between DC Comics and the estate of Jerry Siegel over the ownership of the rights to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-11/superman-creator-s-heir-loses-ruling-to-time-warner-over-rights.html">Superman</a> and even <a href="http://www.comicsalliance.com/2013/04/19/federal-judge-affirms-dcs-ownership-of-superboy-multimillion-d/">Superboy</a>.</p>
<p>In her book, <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books/about/Contested_culture.html?id=3ybCccs8mckC&redir_esc=y">Contested Culture</a>, Jane Gaines devotes a whole chapter to "Superman, Television, and the Protective Strength of the Trademark”. She wrote that the “Superman text is the cultural turf over which an important conflict between copyright and trademark has waged”. Her argument is that DC Comics have relied upon a multiplicity of forms of intellectual property to protect Superman and other members of the Justice League, such as Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Green Lantern.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2012/03/article_0005.html">DC Comics’ rival Marvel</a> have also relied upon a variety of intellectual property rights - including copyright law, trade mark law, personality rights, and character merchandising.
Nicole Sudhindra comments: “Marvel’s robust IP assets have without a doubt enabled it to reap enormous benefits from its licensing activities.”</p>
<p><a href="http://dcuniversesuperheroes.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx">DC Comics</a> and <a href="http://marvelsuperheroes.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx">Marvel</a> have even licensed their works to the Danish toy manufacturer, Lego.</p>
<h2>Fan fiction, remix culture, and cosplay</h2>
<p>There has been a concern that the excessive protection of intellectual property rights of superheroes could have an adverse impact upon creativity, remix culture, and fan fiction.</p>
<p>In his novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Adventures-Kavalier-bonus-content/dp/0812983580/ref=la_B00456TWZY_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369365311&sr=1-2">The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay</a>, Michael Chabon charts the birth of superhero comics in the United States, and explores the mythologies of superheroes.</p>
<p>Intellectual property and superheroes is complicated. Superman has spawned a host of imitations and emulations in comic books, graphic novels, and films - everything from Dr Manhattan in The Watchmen to Mr Incredible in Pixar’s The Incredibles. Over-protection of Superman under intellectual property could repress and suppress such creativity and innovation.</p>
<p>Superman has also been the subject of endless appropriation, reappropriation, and remixing in popular culture — see R.E.M.’s song, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TGtb7QsG9w">I Am Superman</a>. The iconography of Superman has been the subject of mash-ups in fan fiction, art, music, fashion, and film.</p>
<p>There has been a concern about the impact of intellectual property rights holders seeking to censor critical work. Famously, the Argentine-Chilean writer Ariel Dorfman complained about Disney relying upon copyright law to try to censor his work, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Donald-Duck-Imperialist/dp/0884770230">How to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic</a>.</p>
<p>In the United States, the <a href="http://transformativeworks.org/projects/legal">Organization of Transformative Works</a> has been formed to help support and defend fan fiction from over-reaching intellectual property claims. The group “believes that fanworks are creative and transformative, core fair uses, and will therefore be proactive in protecting and defending fanworks from commercial exploitation and legal challenge”.</p>
<p>Under such a view, the Man of Steel is not merely a commercial franchise — Superman belongs to us all. Even the Justice League should embrace justice in intellectual property law. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/14625/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Matthew Rimmer is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, working on Intellectual Property and Climate Change. He is an associate professor at the ANU College of Law, an associate director of the Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture (ACIPA), and a member of the ANU Climate Change Institute. Dr Matthew Rimmer receives funding as an Australian Research Council Future Fellow working on "Intellectual Property and Climate Change: Inventing Clean Technologies" and a chief investigator in an Australian Research Council Discovery Project, “Promoting Plant Innovation in Australia”.</span></em></p>
Who is Superman’s greatest threat? Evil genius Lex Luthor? General Zod from the Phantom Zone? The doppelganger Bizarro? Super-villain Brainiac? Kryptonite? Or is it intellectual property law? In 2013…
Matthew Rimmer, ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor in Intellectual Property, Australian National University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2783
2011-08-10T04:30:58Z
2011-08-10T04:30:58Z
Global economic shakeout: the cracks in Australia’s superannuation nest egg
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/2790/original/nestegg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How safe is your nest egg from share market fluctuations?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr/peregrinari</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Think the share market volatility doesn’t affect you? Guess again.</p>
<p>With almost 60% of Australian superannuation funds invested in shares, anyone paying compulsory super contributions has something to lose from the current ructions.</p>
<p>University of Sydney superannuation expert Mike Rafferty explains why all of us, young and old, should pay attention to how super funds are managed.</p>
<h2>What do you foresee happening to super funds as this turmoil rolls on?</h2>
<p>We are in an era of quite serious uncertainty. Anyone who makes predictions is just guessing but what we can say is that volatility is the new normal.</p>
<p>The global financial crisis was a big shock to the super industry. It had been seven or eight years since the last financial crisis but there was a sense that this was a cyclical event and that over time, this will sort itself out and we can get back to business as usual.</p>
<p>That wasn’t, in fact, what happened.</p>
<p>If you look at all the reviews of super and retirement and the tax system that have occurred – the <a href="http://www.supersystemreview.gov.au/">Cooper Review</a>, the <a href="http://taxreview.treasury.gov.au/Content/Content.aspx?doc=html/home.htm">Henry tax review</a> – all those reviews seem to share one common assumption: that is, that financial markets are a good way of financing a stable retirement. </p>
<p>I think this current volatility has really started to change people’s minds about that. </p>
<p><a href="http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1970/samuelson-bio.html">Paul Samuelson</a>, the Nobel laureate, <a href="http://itsamoneything.com/money/quote-investing-excitement-paul-samuelson/">said pension funds should be boring</a>. If you want excitement, grab $50 and go down to a casino. Investment markets are inherently volatile.</p>
<p>What superannuation promised was to be an addition to the age pension. Unfortunately, the more and more stringent means testing of the age pension means that, increasingly superannuation is expected to shoulder more of the retirement financing burden. So the risk here is superannuation becomes less of a top-up as originally promised and more of a trade-off.</p>
<p>This current turmoil could have a much bigger psychological effect on how we think about super than the GFC itself. That’s because it’s now clear this sort of volatility that the GFC began is going to occur potentially for quite a while, and yet real people are having their retirement and working lives impacted by it.</p>
<h2>Did Australian super funds learn their lessons during the GFC and diversify enough so they won’t be too badly hit this time?</h2>
<p>There was a promise that we could diversify into all sorts of asset markets and that would minimise volatility. But what we now know is that most asset markets seem to be very highly correlated. When there’s a crash in the equity market, it seems to affect the property market and vice versa.</p>
<p>Who should be bearing this risk? In the past, when employers had defined-benefits schemes, they managed it and they took the risk and governments did likewise. We are now asking individuals to become risk managers of something that is quite complex, long term and quite onerous.</p>
<p>There are ways you can reduce risk however and they turn out to be simple.</p>
<p>The financial services sector is fantastic at selling ideas - like the idea that equities is a great investment and you can diversify away equity market risk. But what we need to do is <em>lower</em> the risk. </p>
<p>Bond markets and interest rate products tend to be lower risk. If you think about the returns the industry has achieved over the last 13 or 14 years, it’s about 3%. You could have bought government bonds and sat on them at 4-5% and had almost no risk, or volatility and much lower fees.</p>
<p>There are huge fees generated off share market trading when really what we want is something low risk and low cost. But what governments and we have been sold is that all these different investment products can generate higher returns and you don’t need the boring bond market and fixed interest products, that’s for losers and what we really want are these exciting products.</p>
<p>Well, it turns out what we bought is tickets to a roller coaster ride.</p>
<p><strong>So will this current volatility bring on a change of thinking?</strong></p>
<p>I think if the industry is left to itself, the answer is no. There’s such a strong behavioural incentive to be in the middle of the pack. So something has to happen at the level of government policy. </p>
<p>The irony is that <a href="http://www.challenger.com.au/retire/jc.asp">Jeremy Cooper</a> who headed the Cooper review of super, is now working for Challenger Financial Services and is developing annuity products for retirees. That’s where when you get to retirement age you switch all of your investment into these bond-like investments where you are guaranteed a rate of return.</p>
<p>As he has said, what we really want to do is emulate the age pension. So now the age pension is the gold standard. The financial markets were supposed to be doing something far better than the age pension but now their goal is to emulate it.</p>
<p><strong>Do Australians have more to lose than citizens of other countries because so much of our wealth is tied up in super funds vulnerable to stock market fluctuations?</strong></p>
<p>Australia has a peculiar pension fund system. We have one of the most highly exposed pension investment structures to the equity market. Somewhere like 60% or more of the industry is either in domestic share market, in international equities or equity-like assets.</p>
<p>In the past, many defined benefit schemes funded by companies and governments were not allowed to invest in equity markets at all. </p>
<p>We have gone from this system where we expect pension funds to operate conservatively to a system where we have been promising big returns and trying to get them by chasing a lot of money into the stock market. </p>
<p>None of the recent reviews really tackled the problem of equity-market exposure.</p>
<p>I do note that Jeremy Cooper has now been saying he and others now question whether that exposure is actually appropriate for a retirement savings system.</p>
<p><strong>Should there be any kind of policy response?</strong></p>
<p>In a perfect world, there are plenty of things the government could do. But my fear is that the financial services industry has such a powerful grip on both major political parties, a lot of what’s been happening is policy for the finance sector.</p>
<p>There’s this idea that super will be good for Australians but also make Australia a financial services hub. I think we are mixing up industry policy with retirement policy too much. </p>
<p><strong>Is this something that only older people need to worry about?</strong></p>
<p>The concern I have is that most policy and attention is focusing on older workers or people who have retired. Everyone is saying that over the long run, it will all be OK for those younger workers.</p>
<p>But the long run is just a series of short runs and if you think somehow the stock market will come back roaring by 40% or 50% in the long run, then that’s a heroic assumption. Some of these losses are going to permanently scar young people’s retirement plans.</p>
<p>This issue has also big implications for the younger generation who are in the workforce now and who are trying to pay off houses and have kids.</p>
<p>I think the government has a very strong moral obligation. If they are going to take that money compulsorily out of people’s income, at a time when they need it most, they better have a strong justification for that. They also should make superannuation funds and the finance industry that benefits so much from compulsion much more accountable.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/2783/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Rafferty has done consulting work for the superannuation industry in the past.</span></em></p>
Think the share market volatility doesn’t affect you? Guess again. With almost 60% of Australian superannuation funds invested in shares, anyone paying compulsory super contributions has something to lose…
Michael Rafferty, ARC Future Fellow 2012-2016, School of Business, University of Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/680
2011-05-18T20:52:04Z
2011-05-18T20:52:04Z
Superman returns – but who’s looking after his water?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/1146/original/aapone-20090513000179000144-topshots-australia-film-auction-superman-original.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Is it a plane? No, it's Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">William West/AFP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Watching films such as Superman Returns or The Day after Tomorrow, you would have seen dramatic sequences of surging water and crumbling buildings.</p>
<p>While doing so, mathematics was probably the last thing you thought about; but without it, scenes of this nature would be virtually impossible.</p>
<p>Take the 2006 film Superman Returns. In one scene, a giant spherical object smashes into a water tank releasing a huge amount of water (see below).</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/1144/original/Screen_shot_2011-05-18_at_4.02.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/1144/original/Screen_shot_2011-05-18_at_4.02.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/1144/original/Screen_shot_2011-05-18_at_4.02.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/1144/original/Screen_shot_2011-05-18_at_4.02.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=225&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/1144/original/Screen_shot_2011-05-18_at_4.02.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/1144/original/Screen_shot_2011-05-18_at_4.02.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/1144/original/Screen_shot_2011-05-18_at_4.02.30_PM.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=283&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Still image from Superman Returns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Sony Pictures Imageworks</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Traditionally, the only possible way to create this kind of sequence would be to use small models – which produce unrealistic results. Or we could create a computer simulation.</p>
<h2>Swapping droplets for particles</h2>
<p>These days, one of the most popular methods for simulating water is to replace fluid with millions of individual particles within a computer simulation.</p>
<p>And the way these particles move is determined by an algorithm that my colleagues and I invented to simulate the formation of stars in our galaxy’s giant molecular clouds.</p>
<p>The method is known as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoothed-particle_hydrodynamics">Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics</a> (SPH) and the use of SPH in Superman Returns is the work of an American visual effects company called <a href="http://www.tweaksoftware.com/tweak-films/tweak-films">Tweak</a>.</p>
<p>Superman Returns certainly isn’t the only film to feature SPH fluid simulations: think of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqlaeTphDho#t=0m06s">Gollum falling into the lava of Mount Doom</a> in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King; or the huge alligator splashing through a swamp in Primeval.</p>
<p>These particular scenes are the work of people at a Spanish visual effects company called <a href="http://www.nextlimit.com/">NextLimit</a>, who <a href="http://architosh.com/2008/01/next-limit-wins-academy-award/">received an Oscar</a> for their troubles.</p>
<h2>How does SPH work?</h2>
<p>Rather than trying to model a body of water as a whole, SPH replaces the fluid with a set of particles. A mathematical technique then uses the position and masses of these particles to determine the density of the fluid being modelled.</p>
<p>Using the density and pressure of the fluid, SPH makes it possible to map the force acting on each particle within the fluid. This technique provides results quite similar to the actual fluid being modelled. And the more particles used in the simulation, the more accurate the model becomes.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PCS7EgAftRQ?wmode=transparent&start=2" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This SPH simulation uses 128,000 particles to model a fluid.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Beyond the basics</h2>
<p>In Superman Returns, gravity also affects how the body of water behaves (the water spills out of the water tank) and SPH can easily be adapted to accomodate this. </p>
<p>In addition, fluids often need to flow around solid bodies such as rocks and buildings that might be carried, bobbing along, by the flow. The SPH method can be easily extended to handle this combination of solid bodies and fluids by adding sets of particles to the equation, to represent the solid bodies.</p>
<p>These adjustments and extensions to SPH can be made to produce very realistic-looking results.</p>
<p>In industry, SPH is used to describe the motion of offshore rigs in a storm, fluid flow in pumps, and injection moulding of liquid metals. In zoology, it’s being used to investigate the dynamics of fish. </p>
<h2>SPH and the stars</h2>
<p>As hinted at above, it’s not just water and its inhabitants that can be modelled using this technique.</p>
<p>SPH simulations of star formation by Matthew Bate, from the University of Exeter, and Daniel Price, of Monash, have been able to <a href="http://users.monash.edu.au/%7Edprice/pubs/magsf/price_stromlo06.pdf">predict the masses of the stars</a>, and the number of stable two- and three-star systems that form from a typical molecular cloud. </p>
<p>In the case of stable two-star systems (known as <a href="http://www.universetoday.com/24203/what-is-a-binary-star/">binaries</a>) SPH can predict the shape of the orbits in good agreement with astronomical observations. </p>
<p>To get this level of accuracy, millions of particles are used in the SPH calculation, and the motion of these particles is calculated on a number of computer systems that work together in <a href="https://computing.llnl.gov/tutorials/parallel_comp/#Whatis">parallel</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IxKdtjVDh8s?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>SPH is also the method of choice for following the evolution of the universe after the Big Bang. This evolution involves <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-chatter-on-dark-matter-19">dark matter</a> and gas, and the simulations have one set of SPH particles for the dark matter and one set for the gas.</p>
<p>An advanced SPH code – known as <a href="http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/gadget/">Gadget</a> – used for this purpose was developed by Volker Springel. The code enables astrophysicists to predict the way galaxies form and their distribution in the universe, including the effects of General Relativity.</p>
<p>But for non-astrophysicists, admittedly, the movies may be more of a draw.</p>
<p>So next time you’re watching a film and you see large swathes of water in unusual places or doing incredibly destructive things, think about maths for a moment: without it, such breathtaking scenes would be virtually impossible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/680/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joe Monaghan receives funding from the ARC.</span></em></p>
Watching films such as Superman Returns or The Day after Tomorrow, you would have seen dramatic sequences of surging water and crumbling buildings. While doing so, mathematics was probably the last thing…
Joe Monaghan, Professor of Applied Mathematics, Monash University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.