Informative Speech : Comic Books

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

I love comics, especially superhero comics. I have been in love with them since I was seven, when my uncle introduced me to Superman and Batman. I was just so mesmerized by the plot, even if it was repetitive, I was so intrigued that I couldn’t stop. You know the plot, the one where a victim or victims are distressed and the hero swoops in at the right time to save them from any danger. Growing up though, as life got more complicated, so did comics. It wasn’t the same old plot anymore. More casualties occurred in the stories, heroes developed more weaknesses. It was as if the comic book creators were trying to make the readers realize that superheroes and an regular person are not so far apart. I will never be able to see it that way though. Why you ask? It’s because unlike a regular person, superheroes will never be a reality. No one will swoop in to save you in your time of need. The only person that can protect you, is yourself. If you are able to do that, maybe the next step is to protect people that can’t protect themselves.

There’s an age old battle amongst us “nerds” over who is better in the comic book world, DC Comics or Marvel Comics? Everyone has their own opinions on who has the better stories and characters, and which comes out with the better movies and shows, but when you break it down each one has different qualities that make it better. Marvel and DC are the most well-known comic creators in the world. These companies kick-started the superhero/supervillain franchise. Marvel comics was founded in October 1939 Timely Comics, by Martin Goodman. The first comic published by Marvel included the first appearance of the Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner (“Marvel Comics”). DC was founded six years earlier in May 1934, as National Allied

Why are comics not appreciated as much as the dry narratives of novels in the literary world? A comic is composed of symbols to express concepts shared by all people in their own social environment, and provide more tools than conventional art to truly show artistic intention.

Comics allow for a unique type of learning through the combination of prose and images. Not only does the reader have the ability to take away meaning from the text, but the images offer clarification and small details that one might miss when reading a novel or short story. “The Mixed Up Files”, a comic by Gabrielle Bell about how literature affected her life, and “Superman and Me”, an article by Sherman Alexie regarding comic books, include information about their childhoods. However, due to the ambiguity and the detail of the pictures and text in “The Mixed Up Files”, more information about Bell’s childhood is available to the reader.

(The teacher should give the list to students). They may then be asked to speak about the characters in those comics and express their views on their words and behavior. This can also be followed with a group discussion session about the various aspects like setting, place time when the comic was written, the history behind that work etc.

Over the years, comic books have reflected what has been happening in the world around

Over the years, comic books have reflected what was happening in the world around us. Hot topics and issues have taken place in these fantasy worlds. They have been used as propaganda. For example during the second world war, you could read about your favorite heroes fighting and eventually defeating Hitler and the nazis, therefore saving the world. During the cold war, they fought the soviets.

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

The number of movies adapted from comic books has, in recent years, become more and more popular, and more comic book films are being released now than in the past. In this essay I will explore the reasons why this pattern has emerged and potential reasons for 'the prevalence of comic book adaptations in post 9/11 cinema'.

Thesis/Central Idea: To understand Marvel Comics today, it is important to understand the history of the industry and its name changes from Timely Comics, to Atlas Comics, and lastly Marvel Comics.

The constant battle between our favorites has shown itself common now more than ever. Who do we like better? What do we like better? What is the absolute best? Are these questions necessary? No. But do they keep our lives interesting? Oh yes. In the spring of every year, there always seems to be a new superhero movie that debuts and leaves us on the edge of our seats, waiting for the next one. This year, we are being blessed with two movies, from two separate corporations, Marvel and DC; which leaves us with the question… Who did it better?

In the world of comic books, there are so much stories of comic book characters. Whether be it from a positive point of view, or a negative point of view. Whether it’s Spider-Man teaching us to not give up when going get bad. Or when Batman teaches it is ok to remember the past, as long you keep moving forward. The comic book genre offers many points of view, that sometimes they align themselves for the same common cause in different ways. Or sometimes the contrast each other drastically where, each view is dramatically different from each other. Alan Moore's Watchmen ideas of super heroes are realistic, and grounded to the brutal reality if superheroes existed, compared to Batman: The Long Halloween tackles the idea

Since the times of the Persian Empires, propaganda has been an effective tool for forces of the State government, or other institutions trying to spread a political message, usually for militarily or humanitarian missions. In modern times, propaganda has taken a new face with the Internet, but during the 1940’s one of the most effective types of propaganda was the use of comic books. Currently comic books are used around the world to spread the message of peace, war, and even religion. For example, in Egypt a comic book is used to spread the word of Islam and what a true Muslim should act like in accordance to Allah. Catholic undertones are used in comic books to spread a message of Christianity to people in an interesting way, with bloody action. In Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War, Superman was used to get out awareness of landmines to the people in affected areas. Comic Books are an effective form of propaganda because they are meant to be interesting, and the superheroes show people how they should be acting during times of strife. Throughout the history of comic books, they have been unifying and brought people together and light to certain messages for people from different countries, cultures, and ethnicities.