Comic book depictions of superheroines as politicians illustrate how sexism weakens democracy and why comics history is relevant to contemporary politics.
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.
Back in black: the dark aesthetic of the caped crusader has evolved through several eras of iconic batsuits, each one reflecting a different style of Batman film.
Robert Pattinson is the latest Batman.
DC Comics/Warner Bros
In a time of increasingly complex geopolitical entanglements and moral failings, these films articulate a yearning for unsullied heroism, effective leadership and appropriate responses to crises.
Culturally, the joker turns socially significant places into spaces of carnival, revealing cracks within the social order. He is an enduring character – and a common figure in 2019.
An upcoming film will explore the origins of the Joker, last seen in the Batman franchise. But prequels are often poorly received – perhaps with good reason.
DC Comics/IMDB
From the Joker to a Game of Thrones prequel, origin stories are increasingly common in film and TV – perhaps at the expense of originality in popular culture.
The lynch-pin of the marketing for the new ‘Titans’ TV series is a line in which Robin says “F@#k Batman!”
Warner Bros. Television
In the trailer for the new DC TV series, Robin answers ‘F@#k Batman!’ when the bad guys ask about the Caped Crusader. This is a hopeful move to necessary character changes in superhero storytelling.
A strip from The Gift, a comic about organ donation.
Ashling Larkin/University of Dundee
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.
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.