Why are audiences so fascinated with heroes? What makes the idea of heroes so necessary in society? The superhero has reached a level of popularity never witnessed before, making a successful and prolific transfer from the comic book and graphic novel into the multi-million dollar blockbuster film. A number of films and their sequels, including Spider-Man, Batman, Batman Begins, Sin City, and X-Men represent only a handful of examples that have attained unprecedented box-office success or cult status in recent years. This collection of essays explores contemporary superhero narratives, including comic books and films, in a wider mythic context. This is the first study to evaluate the social function of the super/hero in contemporary, ancient and multiple media contexts, evaluating its continuities, transformations and cultural significance. The exploration of issues and hero types across time, cultures and media will open up the possibilities of hero studies across disciplines.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations (viii)
Angela Ndalianis: Do We Need Another Hero? (1)
BEING A SUPER/HERO: MYTH AND MEANING (11)
1. Louise Krasniewicz: “True-Lies” Superhero: Do We Really Want Our Icons to Come to Life? (12)
2. Peter Coogan: The Definition of the Superhero (21)
3. Robert M. Peaslee: Superheroes, “Moral Economy,” and the “Iron Cage”: Morality, Alienation and the Super-Individual (37)
4. Gabrielle Murray: El Santo: Wrestler, Superhero and Saint (51)
5. Erin O’Connell: Homer and Rap: Epic Iconographies (65)
INTO THE LABYRINTH: DARK JOURNEYS (81)
6. C.J. Mackie: Men of Darkness (83)
7. Raymond Younis: “Restlessly, violently, headlong, like a river that wants to reach its end”: Nihilism, Reconstruction and the Hero’s Journey (97)
8. Paul M. Malone: My Own Private Apocalypse: Shinji Ikari in Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion as Schreberian Paranoid Superhero (111)
9. Lucy Wright: Shamans vs (Super)heroes (127)
10. Jamie Egolf: Dreaming Superman: Exploring the Action of the Superhero(ine) in Dreams, Myth, and Culture (139)
WE CAN BE HEROES: BODIES THAT HAMMER (153)
11. Gwyn Symonds: The Superhero Versus the Troubled Teen: Parenting Connor, and the Fragility of ‘Family’ in Angel (155)
12. Peter Horsfield: Gibson’s The Passion: The Superheroic Body of Jesus (167)
13. Wendy Haslem: “Perception Is Reality”: The Rise and Fall of Professional Wrestlers (181)
14. Joanna Di Mattia: “No Apologies, No Regrets”: Making the Margins Heroic on Queer as Folk (197)
15. Aleks Michalewicz: Gods Amongst Us/Gods Within: The Black Metal Aesthetic (211)
COLLISIONS: GODS AND SUPERMEN (223)
16. Babette Pütz: Harry Potter and Oedipus: Marked Men with Strong Characters (225)
17. Ruby Blondell: Hercules Psychotherapist (239)
18. Lisa Beaven: Someone to Watch over Me: The Guardian Angel as Superhero in Seicento Rome (251)
19. Claire Norton: Smack-Head Hasan: Why are all Turkic Superheroes Intemperate, Treacherous, or Stupid? (263)
20. Estelle Strazdins: Conqueror of Flood, Wielder of Fire: Noah the Hebrew Superhero (275)
MEDIA CONVERGENCE AND SELLING HERO CULTURE (289)
21. Gareth Schott and Andrew Burn: RIPPED OFF! Cross-Media Convergence and ‘The Hulk’ (291)
22. Kim Toffoletti: Transforming Superheroics through Female Music Style (307)
23. Holly Stokes: Check the Use-By Date: Shelving an Icon as Superheroes Become Super-brands in Advertising to the Junior Generation (321)
24. Michael G. Robinson: I Outwit Your Outwit: HeroClix, Fans, and the Politics of the Collectible Superhero Tabletop Combat Game (335)
25. Craig Norris: Girl Power: The Female Cyborg in Japanese Anime (347)
Contributors (363)
Notes (369)
Index (413)
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