Superheroes and Philosophy-Truth, Justice and the Socratic Way-Tom Morris and Matt Morris
Image of the Superhero
Superman and Batman are internationally recognised characters and have been inspired different forms of media to showcase their stories
Superhero comics combine one of the original American art forms such as jazz, blues, muscle cars and 'krispy Kreme' doughnutswhich have in themselves made an impact on the world
Superman, the 'grandfather of all suerheroes'...fights a never-ending battle for truth, for justice, and for the 'American Way'
Comic book superheroes were created as, and always ave been at root, and adolescent power fantasy
...they're intended to excite the imaginations of children with the same fire and energy as th emyths an d fairy tales of years past. But, to kids today, as the stars and profiles of Batman, Spider-Man, and wolverine have risen, Superman has become increasingly irrelevants
Gen-Next...perceive the world around them as far more dangerous, far more unfair, and far more screwed up than my generation (the writers) ever did
How relevant is a man who flies and wears a red cape to kids who have to pass through metal detectors at school?
...He's not from around here. He doesn't belong here. He was raised as one of us, but he's really not one of us. Superman is the sole survivor of his race. He is an alien being, and he is probably more alone in this world than anyone else ever has been
Heroes and Superheroes
Many writers, artists and other people in the superhero business...the stories of these characters embody our deepest hopes and fears, as well as our high aspirations, and that they can help us deal with our worst nightmares
What is a superhero? They tend to look different...they pursue justice, helping those who cannot help themselves, and overcoming evil with the force of good
Understanding a hero as a person who risks life and limb for the sake of others and taking the prefix 'super' to indicate the posession of superpowers
...the reason that the more super an individual might be, the less heroic he or she could possibly be, and the more heroic a person is, the less super they'd have to be
The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'hero' as a term coming down to us from Greek antiquity, and as meaning 'man of super-human qualities, favoured by the gods'. The second definition given is 'illustrious warrior', and the third is 'man admired for achievements and noble qualities'
We all fear harm
Superhero Revisionism in Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns
The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen have been enormously influential in terms of how superheroes have been presented and thought of since the mid-to-late 1980s-the way they raise questions of justice and vengeance, their exploration of the ethics of vigilantism
independent costumed crime-fightersare by definition vigilantes-they take the law into their own hands
It makes us all more secure, on this theory, to have the pursuit and punishment of wrongdoers be the delegated task ofsome agency of the state
1939 Original Depiction of Batman was prompted to devote his life to fighting crime and by the murder of his parents. Costumed crime-fighter, was a vigilante but had close relations to the authority figures who came to depend on him
Frank Miller's 1986 Batman The Dark Knight Returns-examines the the issues surrounding the vigilantism by re-imagining the Batman's psyche as traumatized much more by the death of his parents
Breaking laws to catch the criminals who break the much more important laws and trying to keep the law abiding citizens safe
Miller's stories show debates by the tv talking heads and public on Batman's vigilantism-viewing him as dangerous, a true champion and even as far as a criminal psychiatrist blaming Batman for The Jokers and Two-faces crimes
Alan Moore's superhero concept created a different viewpoint of the concept and posed the question of what if the 1938 1st issue of Superman influenced real people to become masked crime-fighters
Psychology as well as ethical and political ramifications of vigilantism-rethink the portayal of superhero through several costumed crime-fighters as being psychologically troubled
Rorshach-traumatized by an abusive childhood-is absolutely ruthless in his willingness to use violence to fight crime
Earlier Moore superhero characters were prompted by the 'Superman' comic but Rorshach was spawned by the real live event that culminated in 1964 the murder of Kitty Genovese
Real world event of Kitty Genovese had no masked crime-fighters come to life and neither did Superman comic but in Moore's depiction this event had made Rorshach become the character that he becomes-'ashamed for humanity' and don a ink-blot mask that allowed him to go out and fight crime
Rorshach and Batman have no superpower but devote themselves to fight crime to take action rather than choose to ignore it, as ignoring the horrific events makes them monsters like the murderers and the villains
Friedrich Nietzsche 1844-1900 "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you"-Spider-Man "...With great power comes great responsibility"
'Who watches the Watchmen?'-Vigilantes look after the law abiding citizens but in Watchmen when stated to retire or work for the government those that resist such as Rorshach become criminals-become more feared vigilantes for not following the law such as Superman or Dr. Manhattan
Power-becomes an urge after viewing the Superman comic of being superior in any shape or form to those around you, to stand out and be visible to abide by your own laws
Superheroes are good due to the reader being aware of the line that is superhero and supervillain-doing good and fighting evil shows the reader which character is the villain and which is the good guy
Watchmen redefined the nature of a superhero being good through their characters like Dr. Manhattan who is seen as a god like figure with the powers he attained-so the definition of being good is changed because this superhero has the power but needs to make the choice and stay on that path of being good
Why be a Superhero?-Getting power which improves you physically and mentally, being able to prove something, being superior to the world and being able to do what you want
Why be Moral?-"...With great power comes great responsibility" Spider-Man-failing to do your moral duty will result in consequences to affect you in some form-doing the right thing allows the peace of mind, no bad conscience
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