The Superheroes Of The Comics

Superheroes can be defined in many ways by many experts. Clare Pitkethly’s academic background consists of comparative literature, culture and communication as she also speaks and writes comic books and superhero, defines a superhero to be different. In Pitkethly’s article “Straddling a Boundary: The Superhero and the Incorporation of Difference,” talks about

DC comics, illustrated the comic book, Wonder Woman, that strive for female superheroes to be envisioned with great empowering messages for the other females who enjoy reading comics. The female superhero, Wonder Woman, is given empowering qualities such as leadership and devotion. Although, Wonder Woman is given these empowering qualities, the comic book artists clothed this female character with clothing that sexualizes them greatly because of the amount of skin that is being revealed. The suits that these female superheroes are shown to be wearing stimulates this sensual excitement to the male audience which erupts these superheroes to receive a greater amount of attention than those female superheroes who do not necessarily reveal as much skin. Similar to the group of girls described in Rat Queens, the female superhero, Wonder Woman, contributes to the way these adolescent girls are being judged for the appearance they should resemble. According to “An Analysis of Embodiment Among Six Superheroes in DC Comics”, the author, Edward Avery-Natale, has incorporated astonishing research on the presentation of female superheroes in comic books. Avery-Natale stated that “Lips, facial expressions, and hairstyles were also coded using the guide's discussion on how to make women appear "sultry"...” [Avery-Natale, 100] which goes to show that female superheroes are created to be shown as physically and sexually pleasing so that these heroes can attract more readers. Comic books

I believe we as a society are intrigued with shows like Dexter because they allow us a temporary escape from reality. A reality in which we witness injustices occur in our court systems such as a legal loop hole allowing a guilty person to essentially walk free and justice not being served for the victim. I will attempt to explain why these characters are thriving as pop culture icons.

The representation of diverse people and experiences in comics is important to expand the thoughts and minds of readers. Yang and Wilson, the minds behind American Born Chinese and Ms. Marvel, use the medium of comic books and graphic novels to help bring a new sense of belonging and acceptance to marginalized people. They do this by applying a “millennial mindset” to their respective stories. What this means is that the characters they have created, whether they are based off real people or are fiction, address the problems of race, religion, or sexuality that we are facing today. These characters also act to threaten the current atmosphere of the comic book industry. Typical comic book characters and superheroes, before now, were mostly white and from a typical American background. Heroes that were women were generally over-sexualized and unrealistic. These two authors hope to challenge the current status quo of the comic book industry by creating characters whose background is much different than previous superheroes.

The portrayal of superheroes in films has changed in terms of their character, appearance, style and strength. Superheroes has been a popular theme in hollywood films since its inception. They are what peoples imagination can only think of. A perfect human being who saves the world .The first time superhero appeared on T.V was “The Adventures of Captain Marvel” in 1941. Superheroes was on the rise within popular comic books in 1930′s to the 1940’s as well in which they were considered the ‘Golden Age of Comic Books’ . Comic books became widespread and popular which translated into making films about them.

Superhero movies have been on the rise lately. These movies are often looked at as entertainment for people who play Dungeons and Dragons and are simply mindless pleasure; however, this is not the case. The reason behind the popularity of superhero movies is more than just the want of the common comic book reader. The superhero movie industry has made a sharp incline in popularity; in fact there are more superhero movies now than ever before. A website called Fights, Tights and Movie Nights listed all of the superhero movies made since the 1980’s by year and these were their findings. In the 1980’s an average of three to four super movies came out a year. In the 1990’s these movies were made on average five to six times per year. In the 2000’s the movies doubled to 12-13 produced on average each year. Today, 2010’s, the average number of superhero movies has again doubled in size with it now resting at twenty-two to twenty-three superhero movies made on average each year. The drastic increase of the number of superhero movies leaves the average movie attendee wondering why they are seeing this spike of superhero movies. The increase of superhero movies can be contributed to a few key factors: the advances of technology in the movie industry, the movie genre’s adaption to be socially relevant, and the characters now possessing more humanistic qualities (Fights…).

Society always keeps the idea of heroes alive through media. Girls inspired by movies or television shows dream of knights in shining armor saving the day. These same shows often represent the women as weak and dependent on men. Men fight the bad guys and save the day while the women work behind the scenes giving information to the men. The gender stereotype of men protecting the women often reveals itself in television shows, especially in one episode of a television show called The Flash. The episode from The Flash titled “The Flash Reborn,” illustrates the gender stereotype of men as the protector of women and this negatively shows a stereotype of beautiful women that cannot take care of themselves.

In response to lack of strong female representation in Hollywood films, Jemina Lewis wrote a persuasive article on women being overlooked in Hollywood and how it is impacting kids-particularly young girls. Appearing in the Age on July the 4th, 2015, Lewis argues in a critical and sarcastic manner that Hollywood should dismissing the wants – even needs – of half its audience, and create more powerful female role models – particularly superheros. Adopting a challenging and scornful tone Lewis positions parents and superhero fans alike to accept her case against the Hollywood industry.

The presence of media is prevalent in our technology savvy lives. Yet with inequality shown in media, we are constantly bombarded with sexist concepts. This issue was specifically exemplified in the movie “The Avengers” where a bunch of superheroes get together to collectively defeat an enemy.

Steven English - 2A April 29, 2015 The comic book industry normally was ran by mostly male main characters, with female sidekicks, backups, or they weren't even included at all. The premier of the comic book series “Black Widow”, helped influence the women’s rights movements by inspiring them to fight for themselves and was said to have been a fighting icon to women in her time. Marvel created Black Widow, more specifically Don Rico, Don Hek, and

Take a moment to think of a superhero. What comes to mind? Superman, with his iconic pairing of a red cape and a blue suit, or perhaps Batman’s dark and mysterious bat costume? Now choose a female superhero, such as Wonder Woman. Revealing “armor” that barely protects anything besides her torso and wrists, and a focus on beauty and stereotypical femininity instead of functionality and her primary role as a strong, respected heroine. This same trend of sexualizing and looking down upon women is as rampant in current media as it is throughout Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s appraised graphic novel Watchman through the story’s negative and humiliating depictions of female superhero characters and their relationships. Watchmen reinforces these

In 2013, three comic book creators introduced the world to a character who is a modern day marvel in American society: a strong, female, non-stereotypical, Muslim-American superhero. Christened with the name Kamala Khan and the Ms. Marvel alter ego, the character became the first Muslim-American superhero to have her own comic book series. As the series tries to portray a universal American teenage experience through a Muslim American lens, it brings the cultural and religious discourse that would face a Muslim American superhero in to light without perpetuating the harmful stereotypes exhibited in past Muslim comic book characters.

The Incredibles - A Technological Masterpiece In today’s endless stream of superhero films, it becomes easy for one to shy away from some of the bland, overused storylines and messages so commonly seen in movies featuring superhuman individuals. However, The Incredibles, written and directed by Brad Bird, presents an interesting take on the superhero formula, focusing on the dynamic of a family of superheroes, and the conflicts that come with it. The story centers around the Incredibles family, a family of superheroes who are forced into hiding after all superhero activities are banned by the government. Mr. Incredible, forced to assume the role of Bob Parr, struggles to adjust to suburban life and spends his time reminiscing about the “glory

In the long legacy of DC comics there are two female archetypes who couldn 't be more different: one is a paragon of virtue and one is a psychopath. One has an abusive relationship with an insane criminal that defines her identity; the other encourages women and girls to fight for their independence. One has decades of historical canon and an inception full of purpose; the other was meant to be a one-off and a short amusement in a kids ' cartoon, but exploded into a phenomenon. Despite their many differences, they are both beloved the world over. They hold constant interest for fans over the years and, for many women, both mark milestones of feminism. To understand this phenomenon more we will take a closer look at the characters of

Through my analyzation of these values, I have assessed the relevance of superheroes in cinema through the impact of American popular culture, the contrast of gender roles, and their impact on children. As a result, society should be gracious toward the immense popularity of superhero films, as they bolster American popular culture and positively impact children from a young age. Although the gender roles might be a bit skewed, many film companies are taking steps to include women in more empowering roles such as Wonder Woman in the DC cinematic universe. Therefore, superheroes in cinema tend to only create and preserve positive characteristics within society, which is glorious in the future of mankind. In closing, I end with the question, “Which superhero best depicts