From Renaissance to the Dark Age
From Renaissance to the Dark Age
This chapter discusses how the superhero paradigm introduced by Marvel Comics in the 1960s evolved over the course of the twentieth century, ushering what many theorists refer to as a postmodern sensibility. Characterized by fluidity, plasticity, alienation, freedom, and a free reign of possibility, this new postmodern approach to superhero fiction pervaded the industry as a whole, and reflected the ways in which creators and fans oriented themselves toward the genre, toward their professional lives, and toward society in general. Increasingly cynical, the American superhero became a vehicle for expressing disgust with and disdain for the meta-narratives of American society. Even the narratives traditionally employed by superhero fiction came under attack by creators and audiences themselves, as evidenced by deconstructionist works like Alan Moore and David Gibbons's Watchmen, which aims to unveil the social dysfunctions that allegedly lie at the heart of superhero fiction.
Keywords: Marvel Comics, postmodern sensibility, superhero fiction, American superhero, American society, deconstructionist works, Alan Moore, David Gibbons, Watchmen, social dysfunctions
University Press of Mississippi requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
