A Month in the Life

Comic Books Finally Grow Up
I saw this weird, very short article yesterday on Slate about the "new" breed of superheroes gracing comic book stores everywhere (be sure to view slide show accompanying said article). They are entirely, well, normal. Not that they don't have superpowers! But their superpowers don't have much effect on, say, the archnemesis "Unfolded Laundry" or "Unclean Bathroom Sink". You should see the damage laser vision can wreak on bathroom tile!

For us 90/9ers who strive to stay abreast of culture currents, we shouldn't miss this one. Superheroes are being forced to grow up and take on "real" responsibilities. (I really wouldn't be surprised if the next Batman movie features Wayne Enterprises going belly-up and Brucey Playboy Batman Wayne ending up homeless. It's reality TV for fantasy fiction!) The themes are becoming (dare I say it?) more "mature". By that, I don't mean that superheroines are showing more skin, though that is pretty much the case, but the new supers have very "ordinary" problems: they struggle with addictions, their alter-ego lives are in shambles, etc, etc, etc.

And It's All Disney's Fault!
As with all pop culture shifts, it is virtually impossible to put a single date on any phenomenon. Shifts are so gradual (or sudden, as the case may be) that they often escape notice. But let me be adventurous here (this is a reflection on superheroes, after all) and make a "date-claim". It happened with The Incredibles, one of the best spoofs ever! It's all about a superhero family hilariously attempting to live "normal" lives. I never thought about this until recently: the hero's alter ego name is Bob Parr. Par is Latin for "average". Coincidence? I think not! Nothing happens at Disney by accident!

Think about the implications of that detail. Historically, we Americans push ourselves to excel, to supercede expectations; here's a comedy about the struggle to be "average". Basic message: "It's easy being great; it's tough to be average!" Hmmm . . .

Part of it is about the postmodern search for authenticity; Superman just isn't authentic. If you or I missed work as much as Superman did, we couldn't keep our job. The new comic book philosophy seems to be, "Fire Superman! Then see how he squirms! Is he still bulletproof on an empty stomach?"

The Basic Human Need
Part of what made this story "stick out" is this book I've been reading, The Myth of the American Superhero by Robert Jewett & John Shelton Lawrence. Parts of it are, for lack of a better word, "technical", but the overall point is the oddity that a democratic nation creates a mythology (that's really what comic books are-American mythology) where certain specially endowed individuals are key to the fate of the nation. Democracy is supposed to be about the cooperation of common people; leadership by a few specially qualified persons is an aristocracy or a monarchy.

Jewett and Lawrence's analysis is thorough, almost skull-numbingly thorough at points, but at the end of the day, I think they miss something very important. Yeah, "all-American superhero" may be at odds with the "democratic ideal", but it is right in line with the basic cry of humanity. We know in a way past expression, that no amount of human effort can save us from ourselves.

I mean, it's not hard to see the Christological format of the Superman story: Jor-El sends his one and only son to earth to rescue us and help humanity reach their full potential. He is our guardian from evil and our guide into the truth. In fact, in the newest installment, Superman "returns".

But there's a new push for supermen and women to "get a life", to become "normal"; you may not agree, but this marks a cultural death-the death of belief that One from Beyond is the key to our salvation. And that worries me.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!