When I first heard it in class, and read it in the introduction, I was surprised to realize about comic books being, in itself, an art form, and something like Super Heroes being a genre within this art form. I felt like I almost disrespected the comic world that I have always had love for by not classifying it as such before learning this. I suppose it is because of my relationship with frequent movie watching and how much of my knowledge on super heroes comes from other mediums, most likely allowing me to mistakenly undermine the credit that comics deserve. I was also interested in the idea of comics “engaging from other angles—cultural, historical, sociological, even literary and aesthetic” (Hatfield, Heer, Worcester XIII) and may act as a “shaper of moral values” (XIV) I found this true reading the Superman Chronicles, for Superman defends what he believes is right, often giving people ‘their own medicine’. This comes from an angle of oppression and having someone fight for the victims and help them rise rather than dictate them or use his power to command them at his own will.
The PDF we were assigned by Worcester mentioned Roosevelt and focused on The New Deal. This New Deal was an attempt at positive reformation during the Depression established by Roosevelt and was said to be a huge influence on Superman, along with Wylie’s Gladiator. I was amazed to see the shaping of Superman influenced by outside factors, being a historically valuable asset. Superman was not only an interesting and fresh character, he was also something the people of that time needed and so desperately wanted as their hero.
Reading Gladiator was a good glimpse into the accumulation of ideas for Jerry Siegel. I thought it was awesome that he took inspiration from events such as the Depression and The New Deal and incorporated it into a Gladiator-esque story involving a super human. I am a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other works by Joss Whedon and I focus hugely on his creative process because I think the steps to creating something amazing is important to take inspiration from. I found the info that Siegel used as his inspiration just as essential, for he not only made a story that was fun, new, and entertaining, he made something that was missing. That that generation needed. Joss gave us a strong female hero in a time that feminism is growing more active. Siegel created a strong, otherworldly hero in a time that people were poor, hungry, mistreated, underrepresented, and in need of a savior.
The mentioning of Hitler in the Worcester PDF was also interesting; the comparison between a real-life villain such as Hitler and a fictional character such as Superman was strange to think about. Hitler had such power for being a dictator and wanting to create a ‘super race’, while Superman was a super human but was rather the opposite of Hitler by not wanting to lead the crowd or make people follow him. He did not want to force the people to follow him, he simply wanted to life them up.
The Superman Chronicles continued to be awesome to the finish. He continues to be the bully of bullies that wishes to give ‘bad guys’ a taste of their own medicine. The reads in TSR and the PDF gave me a good understanding of why Superman is the way he is, and why it was so important for him to be that way.
The PDF we were assigned by Worcester mentioned Roosevelt and focused on The New Deal. This New Deal was an attempt at positive reformation during the Depression established by Roosevelt and was said to be a huge influence on Superman, along with Wylie’s Gladiator. I was amazed to see the shaping of Superman influenced by outside factors, being a historically valuable asset. Superman was not only an interesting and fresh character, he was also something the people of that time needed and so desperately wanted as their hero.
Reading Gladiator was a good glimpse into the accumulation of ideas for Jerry Siegel. I thought it was awesome that he took inspiration from events such as the Depression and The New Deal and incorporated it into a Gladiator-esque story involving a super human. I am a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other works by Joss Whedon and I focus hugely on his creative process because I think the steps to creating something amazing is important to take inspiration from. I found the info that Siegel used as his inspiration just as essential, for he not only made a story that was fun, new, and entertaining, he made something that was missing. That that generation needed. Joss gave us a strong female hero in a time that feminism is growing more active. Siegel created a strong, otherworldly hero in a time that people were poor, hungry, mistreated, underrepresented, and in need of a savior.
The mentioning of Hitler in the Worcester PDF was also interesting; the comparison between a real-life villain such as Hitler and a fictional character such as Superman was strange to think about. Hitler had such power for being a dictator and wanting to create a ‘super race’, while Superman was a super human but was rather the opposite of Hitler by not wanting to lead the crowd or make people follow him. He did not want to force the people to follow him, he simply wanted to life them up.
The Superman Chronicles continued to be awesome to the finish. He continues to be the bully of bullies that wishes to give ‘bad guys’ a taste of their own medicine. The reads in TSR and the PDF gave me a good understanding of why Superman is the way he is, and why it was so important for him to be that way.