Christine Folch's How The West Was Lost-And Why It Matter

When read with a critical eye, the world of superhero comics often offers a lens with which we can examine society, our values, the meaning of justice, and the role of the individual in regards to the greater community. If all of this information is garnered from critical reading, then the way in which the medium of comics constructs these meanings will reflect an embrace or a rejection of the common symbols and ideology of it’s source culture. In the case of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s 1987 graphic novel, Watchmen, the second approach is used, as Moore’s writing draws upon the common cultural understanding of superheroes and exaggerates or tweaks them, exposing their underlying ideals. In this way, Watchmen functions not only as a

A hero is universally seen as a selfless individual who puts the needs of others before themselves. Heroes usually hold the same values; honor, nobility, integrity, and strength. Now what happens when a person does not hold those heroic values? What if their motivations did not have good intentions? These are the questions that will be answered using the deconstruction critical lenses. “Today, it is much harder to detach the concept of heroism from morality; we only call heroes those whom we admire and wish to emulate.” (Lebarge web) The Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur has evolved into the modern trilogy of Batman which, when deconstructed, reveals how the selfish motivations of

The year 1500 is considered a major turning point in world history according to Paul Kennedy in his article “The Rise of the Western World”. This date has been chosen by countless scholars to mark the split between premodern and modern times. In the premodern world, the “gun powder empires” of the east, including the Ming of China and the Ottoman Turks had many achievements, making them two of the dominant world cultures prior to 1500. However, these great civilizations did not continue to gain greater power after 1500. Meanwhile, what Kennedy refers to as “the European Miracle” created a dynamic and competitive western world. As the eastern civilizations discontinued their overall progress, Europe began its rise to power.

There’s is arguably nothing worse in life than boredom. If given a chance to alleviate the mundanity of our everyday lives we would all gladly take it. Well, luckily there is or has been a remedy for boredom. Some people (the fans) have argued that the cure for our insufferable and bland lives has been on screen since 2010. And it’s name is Sherlock. The tv show brought to us by the BBC has become a cult phenomenon since it hit our screens in the early 2010s. But why? What’s so great about a tv show starring two British guys? Well the answer is simple, complexity. The substance in Sherlock whose synopsis is about a “consulting detective” named Sherlock Holmes who solves crimes along with his sidekick John Watson is unbelievable.In a book entitled Signs of Life in the USA, there are two writers Seger and Ray; both of whom discuss common Hollywood tools used to make films popular. In an article, published by Linda Seger entitled, Creating a Myth, she talks about the many tropes Hollywood or cinema in general uses relate to its audience. One of the most famous and popular methods she points out as being that of the “Hero Myth.” In it’s most simplistic form the “Hero Myth” is about an unwilling character seeking and finding adventure all the while being transformed. If we go back to the tv show Sherlock it contains specific parts of the “Hero Myth.” However, it also contains much more. According to Ray, in his article entitled The Thematic Paradigm, the type of heroes

Although Superman is unable to be controlled or contained, Batman is much to unpredictable and goes well outside of the law to get what he needs. Superheros are the fictional embodiment of all of our greatest aspirations, they are also a symbol of hope and give families a lightness in times of hardship or struggle. Sometimes people need something to take their attention off of everyday things.From the day we are able to walk, people want to run, but what happens after we run? We want to run faster, jump or even fly. As people we naturally want to be able to do more. Since we can’t do these thing that we all dream about doing, people write and tell stories about people that can do the things we can’t.

The artistic representation of the Batman myth is an important cultural artifact of our time because it represents modern society's thirst for heroic ideals in popular entertainment. Since his creation, readers and viewers have admired Batman's unique ability to battle villainy, transcend the law and administer justice. As cultivators of the noir genre in film as well as in literature, Americans have always identified with this enigmatic hero, who exists on the margins of society and yet represents one of the largest corporations in the world. The evolution of Batman in particular and the superhero genre in general (from comic book to television to film and back again) has seen in the latest adaptation from Christopher Nolan's Batman revamp a veritable tilting point for the character once known as the World's Greatest Detective. This paper will analyze why Batman is an important cultural artifact of our day, how he came into being, what he means for society, and how he will be treated in the future.

In this dissertation I will discuss how DC Comics have developed and improved the design of their comic books since their establishment in 1937. I will compare comics from past and present and talk about the different styles of comic books that have been released from the company. I will also talk about how the artwork from the comic books have influenced character and costume design in recent DC Comic films. I will do this by studying the history of the company and researching the designers behind the comic books. I will thoroughly research in detail the characters and the designs of their costume and equipment and compare them to the different films that have been released over the years. The main character I will look into is Batman. I will study the origins of the character, the man behind the character, the reason behind Batman’s creation, how he has changed over the years, the development of other characters in the series, the famous villains that Batman has had to face, the different costumes he has had over the years and I will also be researching and studying how Batman has become a national icon in American society, and the effects the character has had on people living in the country. Batman

Batman’s character is based on his will to fight for justice. Batman relates to the modern law through the unique ways in which he uses his intellectual abilities to reason. His reasoning provides insight about ‘true justice’ by operating externally to

Many stories have been passed down from ancient days in more than one version because, of different authors or because there has been some alterations done by people throughout time to meet the needs of the audience. Throughout the years the Batman tales have been speaking on social issues in society, adjusting and evolving to reflect the history of the world. As society changes, so does, social behavior, social institutions and social relationships. There is a notable change over time in behavior patterns and cultural norms. These changes influence ones life and storytellers and authors have a major task to incorporate the elements of a certain culture to a myth or story so the audience’s attention can be

Over the years, Batman’s character had become a household name when discussing anti-heroes from the DC universe. Although not every comic book fan would consider him an anti-hero, people would still associate anger and broodiness when referring to the character of Bruce Wayne due to his apparent dark nature. Frank Miller’s the Dark Knight Returns had changed things; not just did it focus on Batman’s broody nature, but it had also expanded on the internal battles that had been the cause of the darkness and the reason for Batman’s questionable methods. Miller managed to bring needed humanity to Batman that had been missing in earlier ages. The qualities that made the Dark Knight more in touch with his humanity were; having his origin story trauma affect him until adulthood, experiencing internal psychological conflict, and possessing moral flaws.

In this intricate time, Niall Ferguson, the author of Civilization: The West and the Rest, presents a story and what appears as a defense of the ascend of the west to supremacy and its unrivalled influence in restructuring the world of today. The West seems to be on the defensive, confronted economically, politically, and militarily by the rise of China (delete this: as well as politically along with militarily) by a gesture of Islamist abhorrence (what do you mean by “as well as politically and militarily by a gesture of Islamist abhorrence”? It’s not clear. Are you trying to convey the idea that the West’s political and military interventions in the Muslim world are a sign of their defensive posture and abhorrence of the Muslim world? Or

Being gifted with the term of "being a hero" holds tremendous power in our culture; children write cute assignments on who they look up to, adolescents watch and read about heroes in their entertainment, and even adults have personal or fictional heroes they will never get too old to stop idolizing. In our society, we 've been raised to associate this word, "Hero", to a perfect being; however, the evolving times and entertainment industry has made the "hero" a more complex and multifaceted character. From Jerry Siegle 's kid friendly "Superman", to Frank Miller 's night-dwelling "Batman", and lastly to our topic of discussion, Alan Moore 's "Watchmen" with its conflicted depiction of characters blurring the line between being a hero or a

the characters and mostly when the films are watched by the mass then people tend to actualize

Another work by Crutcher emphasizes that ‘Many Lives of the Batman’ and ‘Batman Unmasked’ are bought in three areas: popular culture studies, popular culture as it relates to marketing and consumerism, and the nature of the comic publishing industry. Most writers have examined the impact of Dark Knight Returns on cultural consciousness, politics, and so on. This antihero construction sparks centuries old dialogues on ethics, the kind of business that comprises the bulk of Batman. “The complexities and graphics in the novel and comic of Batman have been defined as his duality with his villains” (Crutcher 66). Due to popularity and the existence of Batman, people began using the Batman symbol as paraphernalia on personal belongings such as clothing, equipment, and supplies.

We know that television and movies can have various effects on us, our lives, and our society. We must understand that much of what we see on television or in the movies are there in order for us to change our minds about certain views or opinions. What is this but social control? In the current era of globalization, we must all be aware of the different factor that go into the production of television and movies and their implications on