Are all superheroes orphans? Why?
Do they all come from America? Why?
Can we divide superheroes into kinds? Which?
How does The Dark Knight Returns resonate with some of the keywords of postmodernism?
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HPostmodernism
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Fragmentation and deconstruction /
Collage / “syntagmatic gaps”
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Parody
Pastiche / debunking of grand narratives (sex, religion, politics,
gender)
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Hybridity / heterogeneity
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A-historicity / relativism
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Revisionism / Alternate History
De-differentiation (coherence gaps)
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Kitsch
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A. Why do they wear their underwear on the outside?
ResponderEliminarThe superhero underwear style was created after the garb of aerial circus performers and wrestlers of that era. Mind that they weren’t actually wearing underwear, but rather tight underwear-like shorts over their leggings.
B. Are all superheroes orphans? Why?
The fact that some superheroes like Batman, Superman and Spiderman are orphans, relieves the writers of having to script stories regarding the characters' interactions with parents. I also makes it easier for the writers to garner sympathy for the characters as few people wouldn't sympathise or empathise with orphans. An last but not least, it gives the character a 'driving force' at the core of their existence, that may not exist in someone from an 'intact family'.
C. Do they all come from America? Why?
I would probably say that besides the fact that superheroes are mostly created in the USA, their stories usually represent the American Dream idea.
D. Can we divide superheroes into kinds? Which?
We can. Superman archetype (those with superpowers, like Superman), Martial artist (those who usually don't have a superpower but are very athletic and trained, like Batman), Brick/Tank (those who are big, muscular and strong, like Hulk), Blaster (those whose primary power is a distant attack, like Cyclops), Gadgeteer (those who use special gadgets to have superpowers, like Iron Man), Speedster (those who have superhuman speed and reflexes, like Flash), Mentalist (those who have psychic or telekinetic powers, like Professor X), Shapeshifter (those who can manipulate their body in order to take any form and shape, like Mr Fantastic) and Rider (those who use special transportation that gives powers, like Silver Surfer).
E. How does The Dark Knight Returns resonate with some of the keywords of postmodernism?
The Dark Knight unmasks the crisis of values in which America, and the west more widely, finds itself at the beginning of the 21st century. Cultural theorists portrayed the late 20th century in terms of "the postmodern condition": an era in which traditional values, identities and social institutions were disintegrating and being replaced by proliferating narratives, conflicting truth claims and multiple identities. For those secure and wealthy enough to enjoy the opportunities presented and the illusory freedoms offered, it was a time of parody and play; of irony and iconoclasm; of extravagance and experimentation. But since 9/11, the postmodern fantasy has become more nightmare than dream, as the rootless and drifting societies of the modern liberal democracies have come under assault by the violent forces of radical Islamism, and have in turn responded with war and the threat of war, and with new forms of terror and torture, surveillance and repression.
Sources:
- http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/12/superheroes-wear-underwear-outside/;
- http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/let-me-ask-you-this-why-are-superheroes-often-orphans-9595298.html;
- http://hubpages.com/literature/The-different-types-of-superheroes;
- https://www.opendemocracy.net/article/the-dark-k-night-of-a-postmodern-world.