Analysis of DC and Marvel Comics - Essay Example

Pop Culture icon about Superman Superman is a fictional film and comic book superhero character published by the DC comics; he is arguably the oldest superhero having been around for 75 years. He was created in 1938 by Writer Jerry Siegel and Artist Joe Shuster who were both high school students at the time, the character was sold to DC comics and he later appeared in action comic and then in various radio and TV and film programs (Curland). He was immensely popular and he is without doubt the superhero that made way for later figures such as batman and Spiderman, his blue costume, red cape and stylized red and yellow shield has become a symbol for a myriad of media appearances. The Man of steel has appeared in almost a 1000 comics radio series, the TV series Smallville, films and in in innumerable other media such as; posters, adverts, film clips and cartoons. Superman originated from Krypton where he was conceived but he was sent to earth before he could be “delivered” from the incubation chamber and he was the sole survivor from the doomed planet. Superman was then “born” on earth as his parents the Kents found him in a field and adopted him, he was named Clark Kent, as he grew up he discovered his superpowers and origins and he decide to use his powers for the good of mankind. When he was first introduced to Action comics he became an instant hit, this because prior to his appearance, there had been very few costumed crime fighters and definitely none with a superhuman abilities. His predecessors like the phantom got their powers from being physically stronger and smarter than their villains as well as sometimes incredible coincidences contrived by their creators to keep them winning all the time. The arrival of superman was therefore a refreshing change since audiences could read about impossible feats and not feel cheated since the hero had superhuman powers after all. Nevertheless, the very nature of- superman was a source of controversy and criticism from the onset and which have persisted even today, by virtue of his kryptonite heritage, he is omnipotent by earth’s standards and impervious to any physical danger known to man (Shannon). He is immune to bullets, solar radiation, he has the strength to stop fling rockets lift buses and he can virtually achieve any physical feat without breaking a sweat. However in literature and film, suffering provides the key to sympathy and by extension identification all which are hard to come by in a character that can escape any foe and is virtually incapable of suffering at least in the physical sense. Nevertheless, this criticism wasn’t so apparent in the onset owing to the euphoria of a superhero character, in fact the idea of a perfect savior stuck a cord with the post-world war two audiences who probably appreciated the fantasy of a morally incorruptible sentinel who could watch over the world and vanquish any forces of evil. When the first superman movie came out in 1978, it was a resounding success in regard to direction and cultural programming, for the first time, in a long time the film audiences encountered a protagonist who want unlikeable and deeply flawed. Prior heroes included the likes of Michael Corleone and Randal Murphy and other antihero-like protagonists who were just as much villains as they were heroes. His appeal was added to by the fact that there had not been, before him a character powerful enough to stop trains and pick up buses with his bare hands. He is however vulnerable to Kryptonite radiation and magic, his power although superhuman is not infinite and when he flies off to space he has to fill his lungs with air otherwise he would suffocate. Superman’s inflexible moral compass that drives him to use his powers for the sake of other has been touted as one of the appeals of the superman films and cartoon as it was seen to impart moral virtues in young viewers who were likely to model superman. Nonetheless, with time, the magic appeal of superman begun to fade and chinks started appearing in his impenetrable kryptonite amour, after being around for over 40 years, audiences were tired of his impossible perfection and begun to demand for more realist superheroes which inspired other superhero films. The latter’s creator were careful to avoid giving their superhero’s perfect powers since their invincibly that came with being superman was proving expensive for the superman franchise in that he looked too real to be believable. Spiderman for instance was not particularly strong, batman was did not actually have any superpower and Xman is a cynic who anybody can relate to. Gradually these later superheroes begun to take over from superman and in 1987 Warner bros had to temporarily discontinue superman because of poor reception and profitability of the last two films. Superman, like most of the products of comic franchises such as DC and marvel comic targets children and youths, however this comes with a major drawback in that the violence depicted in the films and cartoon strips portend psychological problems for young viewers (Smith). Superman as a teen is depicted as having superpowers and he engages in risky behaviors such as jumping in front of a train to show off to bullies and at one point kicks a ball for several miles without caring if it would end up injuring someone. Much of his action as teen is a reflection of a normal teen’s mind since many of them do actually feel and act invisible. Therefore when teens watch superman they may try to model his aggressiveness and violence and thus increase their predisposition for violent and risky behavior (Bender, Kambam and Pozios). Scientific research has proven that everything children seen on TV film or other media has an impact on their lives (French and Judy 79), while the media and those who profit from the production of the violent shows argue they are healthy family entertainment the scientific reality is different. Children who are exposed to violence that is depicted in films such as superman tend to develop feelings of hostility and have a decreased emotional reaction or remorse. In the process of fighting his enemies, superman causes colossal destruction; be destroys entire buildings and hurls buses and trains through the air, logically one would imagine that such destruction should have consequences not to mention that it may actually result in injury or death. Nevertheless the films seem to justify the notion of using violence to solve life’s problems irrespective of the cost. Pediatricians hold that a significant exposure to violent media also makes children feel that the world is more violent and scary than really is, furthermore they mentally adapt to the idea of violence and grow up subconsciously believing it to be normal (Upson). One example of the extent to which violent media can negatively impact children is in the Kentucky shootings where Michael Carneal, shot and killed three of his classmates. It turned out that the young man has been an addict of violent video games and these significantly contributed to his actions, surprisingly for a boy who had never fired a gun in his life, he managed to hit his target with 8 out of nine shots displaying above military level marksmanship. From this example one must take cognizance the fact the long term effects of watching violence in games, movies and comic strips could be dire both for themselves and society. Admittedly, superman is still popular and the latest release man of steel was moderately well received by both audiences and critics, nevertheless, the superman has been overtaken by more realistic superheroes such as iron man and Thor. These all have one thing in common, they are weak and vulnerable which has proved to be a serious challenge for superman, while several writers have tried to tone down his powers and make him more realistic, they seem to run into a familiar paradox. Superman’s main appeal is not so much that he has power but because he chooses not to use if for his own selfish ends, his restraint makes him a superman not in the physical but in the mental sense. Therefore, by stripping him of his power, he will begin to look less significant as a superhero since his restraint for which he is so loved would be irrelevant, in a nutshell, the public is quickly getting tired of a perfect superman but making him imperfect would still make him even more unappealing. In conclusion, it is apparent to most viewers that superman’s reign does not have long to go and his relevance is rapidly fading and increasingly being g viewed as irreverent outdated or just plain boring (Garret 318). However it is worth noting that the negative effects of superman especially on young children that have been mentioned herein have no bearing in this. Most of today’s action films including, but not limited to superheroes films are based on violence and destruction, in fact the superheroes gradually replacing superman are no less destructive than he was/is. At the end of the day, the world no longer feels the need to have a perfect savior because they are too cynical to the idea and thus as superman celebrates his 75 year, it is possible that his best days are behind him. Works Cited Bender, Eric, Kambam, Praveen and Pozios, Vasilis. Psychiatrists. “Explore Superman’s Emotional Issues in Man of Steel (And Beyond)” Underwire. 2013. Web. Nov. 19, 2013. Curland, Richard. “Historically Speaking: Superman has grown into pop culture icon” The Bulleting. 2013. Web. Nov. 19, 2013. French, Judy and Pena Sally. “Children’s Hero Play of the 20th Century: Changes Resulting from Television’s Influence”. Child Study Journal;Jun 91, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p79. Shannon, Michael. Why Superman is the greatest American hero. US Today. 2013. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/06/13/superman-75th-anniversary/2368055/ Smith, Sky “Psychological Effects of Violent Media on Children” Livestrong. 2010 Web. Nov. 19, 2013. Stephen Garrett “Why We Love TV’s Anti-heroes”. Sings of life in the USA. Boston, New York. 2002. Print. Upson, Kayla. “ Do Super Heros have a Positive or Negative Effect in Children”. Prezi. N.p. 10 Sep 2013. Web. 14 Oct 2013. Read More