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Showing posts from November, 2010

Superman, Superheroes, and the New Global Media

The run up to TEDx Orlando got me thinking about the origin of the superhero and the link to the American experience. At some point in the future, you will be able to check out my talk online, but I continue to observe the intersection of graphic media and the American experience. Consider the announcement and speculation over the casting of the new Superman film . It comes to no surprise to me that this re-reboot (coming after the less than stellar Superman Returns in 2006) will be an origin story. Interest is strong in part because the names behind the camera have had big success with other comic properties. Christopher Nolan is producing, David Goyer is scripting and Zack Snider is directing and together these innovative creative types have decided to go with an origin story!?! Some diehard comic fans I know have already asked why, but they are missing the point. The success the collective creators have experience with Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, 300, and the Watchmen all

Wonder Woman

The ruminations over new activity to bring Wonder Woman back to the small screen once again remind me of the unique place DC Comic characters occupy in our collective mind’s eye. The struggle to produce a Wonder Woman film says much about the challenge represented by the Amazon Warrior/Princess who does not need to be rescued. Despite the growth of women’s role in society, we still assume a paternal and maternal model for men and women's in society. While Wonder Woman is not barred from motherhood, she is not seeking to place herself within the familial framework in an obvious way. Indeed, the recent runs of Wonder Woman have been better in part, because they have embraced the character as who she is--warrior, diplomat, and leader. Wonder Woman is one of the key characters from DC, yet she has not had the iconic stories similar to Batman ( The Dark Knight Returns , The Killing Joke , or Year One ) or Superman ( Greatest Stories or Red Son ) in print. Instead, many people k