Thursday, 8 May 2014
pres
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aNMV__gQMWNHSpNz34rU5T_Qi1uKlO8-ixQjUzlX9tA/edit#slide=id.g383e068b0_044
Thursday, 1 May 2014
How are Superheroes representative of the 'outsider'? (Essay Practice)
How is the presentation of superheroes in media representative of the outsiders in society?
"The history of the Superhero is about the misfit, the unlikely hero; the ability to create greatness where there once was doubt."
Sana Amanat (Marvel – Editor)
Superheroes, as much as they are domineering Hollywood these past years, and as much as they have evolved into Pop-Culture icons, are fictional, and therefore audiences cannot identify as a Superhero (no matter how much they would like to). So, by this rule, Superheroes cannot be a collective identity, however, they may be representative of one. The first ever Superhero, DC's Superman, coming from a distant planet, having to integrate into a new, unfamiliar society, reflects perhaps the experience an immigrant faces. And Marvel's X-men are human beings with fantastical mutations, that separate them from the rest of humanity who perceive them as a threat; their experience being discriminated against by the majority can be representative of humans being discriminated due to race and sexuality. The Superhero is a subversion of normality, a representation of the under-represented, and a vehicle to tell the untold story of the outsider.
Monday, 28 April 2014
"Young readers of Marvel's Comics, many of whom doubtless shared his 'nerdy' status, could empathise with Peter as a character, and so be inspired by his devotion to a superhero's career."
"The persecution of the mutants was a fitting allegory for the Holocaust, the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and all forms of racism and homophobia."
"(Professor Xavier and Magneto) are the equivalent of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm, one preaching understanding, the other ready to attain their goal 'by any means necessary'."
"The persecution of the mutants was a fitting allegory for the Holocaust, the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and all forms of racism and homophobia."
"(Professor Xavier and Magneto) are the equivalent of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm, one preaching understanding, the other ready to attain their goal 'by any means necessary'."
Friday, 4 April 2014
Video Bank
"Why not tell stories that are empowering, and aspirational, and challenge us to be better?
That is exactly what superhero stories do. The history of comics is about the misfit, the unlikely hero; the ability to create greatness where there once was doubt."
"For 75 years Marvel has been telling the tale of the outcast behind the mask. It's through his flaws and desires that we connect with the heart of the character. So that when he emerges as a hero, we have a real reason to champion him. Because we understand those struggles too, don't we?"
"We all want to be heroes, don't we? And wouldn't it be amazing if heroes looked just like us?"
Monday, 31 March 2014
Superhero Quote-Bank.
Superheroes and Patriotism
"Superheroes are the American Gods, they are American Mythology. Just like the Greeks had theirs, the Romans had theirs. These are the all-American heroes."
"Superheroes have always flourished in times of the greatest American adversity. In the depression era we were afraid of whether or not we would be able to put food on the table. We were afraid of being involved in a great world war that would take our freedom away. In the atomic age we were afraid of radiation. Today, we're afraid of terrorist attacks. And all of those eras of history, that's when superheroes enjoyed their greatest eras of resurgence."
"It's American. It's sort of like Jazz. It's an American art form."
Stan Lee (Comic Book Writer)
"Superman is an Alien; he's an immigrant. He comes from Crypton, he immigrated to Earth, he left everything behind. His old world is gone, he comes here, he changes his name to something that sounds gentile: Clark Kent. He transforms himself into the ultimate symbol for the American way of life. That was a powerful expression of the American immigrant experience."
Michael Chabon (Author)
"When you strip everything else away, what you get is a stranger in a strange land, who wants to be part of a world, and not an isolated alien. That's the backbone of America."
Mark Waid (Writer)
"Because the war effort was so prominent (...) It was an important propaganda device, especially that first cover, Captain America was throwing a right cross into Hitler's jaw."
Jim Steranko (Artist/Writer)
"This was at a time, where everybody was patriotic (...) And it was ridiculous not to do Captain America."
Jack Kirby (Co-Creator, Captain America)
Superheroes and Aspiration
"Superheroes are really just a personification of who we believe ourselves to be. Pioneers, and heroes."
"I think as symbolic ideas (superheroes) remain useful, and we should try and treat them not as anything that could possibly be real, but as fiction, as fantasy designed to tell us things about ourselves."
Grant Morrison (Writer)
"Superman may have started as a fantasy imagination of a couple of teenagers, but he became a social crusader very quickly."
Bradford Wright (Comic Book Historian)
"A lot of folks who came to this country had this feeling of: I can become the hero to my family, I can be better, I can be bigger."
"The whole superhero industry was seized by space-age fever. The sleekness of the costumes, the sleekness of the artwork, and more importantly, the goals and the boundaries that we can break as a society."
Mark Waid (Writer)
Superheroes and Controversy
"Wertham warned parents that superhero stories seduced their children with messages about sadism, homoeroticism, and gender role reversal"
SHARON PACKER M.D. (Superheroes and Superegos: Analyzing the Minds Behind the Masks)
"The "Big Three" – Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman – were each linked to different aspects of subversive sexuality. Dr. Wertham said that superhero stories substitute sadism for ordinary interactions without sublimating any instincts at all. He linked Superman to sadism, Batman to homoeroticism and man-boy love, and Wonder Woman to bondage and discipline; female domination."
SHARON PACKER M.D. (Superheroes and Superegos: Analyzing the Minds Behind the Masks)
"Bruce Wayne is described as a socialite and Dick Grayson is Bruce's ward. Batman is sometimes shown in a dressing gown. It is like a wish-dream of two homosexuals, living together."
Fredric Wertham (Psychiatrist, Author)
"Superman (...) has long been recognised as a symbol of violent race-superiority."
Fredric Wertham (Psychiatrist, Author)
"Almost exclusively, until the past few years, Wonder Woman has been written by and drawn by men. Wonder Woman is a classic exercise in watching how men, through the decades, are trying to handle the idea of women and equality through this character."
Phil Jimenez (Artist)
"I wish that I could say that super heroines have changed in a way that reflects the women's movement (...) but they're still sex objects for the most part."
Trina Robbins (Comic Book Historian)
"Superheroes are the American Gods, they are American Mythology. Just like the Greeks had theirs, the Romans had theirs. These are the all-American heroes."
"Superheroes have always flourished in times of the greatest American adversity. In the depression era we were afraid of whether or not we would be able to put food on the table. We were afraid of being involved in a great world war that would take our freedom away. In the atomic age we were afraid of radiation. Today, we're afraid of terrorist attacks. And all of those eras of history, that's when superheroes enjoyed their greatest eras of resurgence."
"It's American. It's sort of like Jazz. It's an American art form."
Stan Lee (Comic Book Writer)
"Superman is an Alien; he's an immigrant. He comes from Crypton, he immigrated to Earth, he left everything behind. His old world is gone, he comes here, he changes his name to something that sounds gentile: Clark Kent. He transforms himself into the ultimate symbol for the American way of life. That was a powerful expression of the American immigrant experience."
Michael Chabon (Author)
"When you strip everything else away, what you get is a stranger in a strange land, who wants to be part of a world, and not an isolated alien. That's the backbone of America."
Mark Waid (Writer)
Jim Steranko (Artist/Writer)
"This was at a time, where everybody was patriotic (...) And it was ridiculous not to do Captain America."
Jack Kirby (Co-Creator, Captain America)
Superheroes and Aspiration
"Superheroes are really just a personification of who we believe ourselves to be. Pioneers, and heroes."
"I think as symbolic ideas (superheroes) remain useful, and we should try and treat them not as anything that could possibly be real, but as fiction, as fantasy designed to tell us things about ourselves."
Grant Morrison (Writer)
"Superman may have started as a fantasy imagination of a couple of teenagers, but he became a social crusader very quickly."
Bradford Wright (Comic Book Historian)
"A lot of folks who came to this country had this feeling of: I can become the hero to my family, I can be better, I can be bigger."
"The whole superhero industry was seized by space-age fever. The sleekness of the costumes, the sleekness of the artwork, and more importantly, the goals and the boundaries that we can break as a society."
Mark Waid (Writer)
Superheroes and Controversy
"Wertham warned parents that superhero stories seduced their children with messages about sadism, homoeroticism, and gender role reversal"
SHARON PACKER M.D. (Superheroes and Superegos: Analyzing the Minds Behind the Masks)
"The "Big Three" – Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman – were each linked to different aspects of subversive sexuality. Dr. Wertham said that superhero stories substitute sadism for ordinary interactions without sublimating any instincts at all. He linked Superman to sadism, Batman to homoeroticism and man-boy love, and Wonder Woman to bondage and discipline; female domination."
SHARON PACKER M.D. (Superheroes and Superegos: Analyzing the Minds Behind the Masks)
"Dr. Wertham does accuse Superman of being a fascist, Batman and Robin of being a homosexual fantasy of a man and a boy living together, and Wonder Woman of being just plain kinky."
Dwight Decker
Dwight Decker
"Bruce Wayne is described as a socialite and Dick Grayson is Bruce's ward. Batman is sometimes shown in a dressing gown. It is like a wish-dream of two homosexuals, living together."
Fredric Wertham (Psychiatrist, Author)
"Superman (...) has long been recognised as a symbol of violent race-superiority."
Fredric Wertham (Psychiatrist, Author)
"Almost exclusively, until the past few years, Wonder Woman has been written by and drawn by men. Wonder Woman is a classic exercise in watching how men, through the decades, are trying to handle the idea of women and equality through this character."
Phil Jimenez (Artist)
"I wish that I could say that super heroines have changed in a way that reflects the women's movement (...) but they're still sex objects for the most part."
Trina Robbins (Comic Book Historian)
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Representation/Collective Identity
Write 500 words on the representation of a character/collective identity of your choice. You must take a theoretical approach to it, referencing media theory and utilising your media terminology.
I've chosen to look at the hero, more specifically, the superhero.
The superhero is undoubtably an aspect of our modern culture that has branched out in all sorts of ways. Superheroes are icons, idols, symbols of hope, patriotism, not to mention they are dominating every type of media text, most notably film.
On average, how many superhero films are released to cinemas every year? Usually, five. Five big-budgeted, epic superhero blockbusters dominate the cinema every year, be it the Man of Steel, The Avengers, or The Amazing Spiderman, it's clear to see that audiences can't get enough of supers. Why? Why is that? Superheroes are icons. They are representative of greater things. Superheroes can be an incredibly patriotic thing. Look at the ending to the trailer for the 2002 film Spiderman.
Look at Spiderman. Gosh, what an American icon. God bless America!
Spiderman, being released in 2002 was struck by the trauma of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre. Which is exceptionally unfortunate these teaser trailers for Spiderman being released before the events of 9/11.
Incredibly creative use of the towers. But good golly, post-9/11, vastly distasteful.
But we shan't talk about that.
Previous controversy aside, the point is, Spiderman became a symbol of hope for the distressed society of America, post-9/11. The audience needed to see a symbol of hope, the audience needed a hero to glorify America after the shock of 9/11.
Of course, they revisited the American-flag motif in the third film in the trilogy, pandering to the American people. Symbol of Hope, exclusively for Americans. Because who doesn't want a nation-specific hero?
I rest my case.
May I take some time to talk to you about our personal lord and saviour: Superman?
Other-worldly father, with other worldly powers, sacrificing himself for the betterment of humanity? The Church should sue on grounds of copyright infringement. And with imagery like this:
The portrayal of Superman, in Zach Snyder's 2014 film Man of Steel is laden with Jesus analogies.
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