'Nuff Said: American Graphic Media

The Cape - Endgame - Video - NBC.com The costumed crime fighter's return to primetime television with The Cape did not prove a draw for the television audience. For all the emphases on superheroes in popular media, those heroes, at least on television, have shied away from costumes. Non costumed crime fighting dramas (or melodrama) provide the function associated with superheroes, but not the comic book form. The "No capes" approaches frees television shows from the stigma associated with superhero. The recent furor over Wonder Woman's costume in the forthcoming pilot for a propose new primetime show this fall highlights the difficulties associated with making a costume work for the viewing audience. Why then, the effort to return the superhero costumed hero to the small screen? What, if any clues can we garner from The Cape's demise about the traction offered by superheroes in the public's mind? The Cape was a family friendly show about a wrongfu...

Rebuilding American Manhood: The Green Hornet Circa 2011 The good folks at popmatters.com just published a short essay I wrote on the Green Hornet . My goal here was to contextualize the new movie within the American experience. If you have been following my recent musings, you know that I think there is a link between pulp era and contemporary superhero inspired media. This article maps some elements of that relationship through a close examination of the new Green Hornet film. As you know, I like the film, but my goal was to look beyond the surface to find a deeper meaning in the cultural foundation of the Green Hornet character.

So, I saw the Green Hornet at an advanced preview screening and and it was good. I can honestly say see it. You won't have that, "I can never get this time back" or "I can't believe I paid 10 bucks" feeling from this movie. You might recall that I have been thinking about the neo-pulp moment. To me the return of classic pulp characters to the small screen ( The Cape ) and big screen extends and progresses a message of masculinity, identity, and agency linked to the American experience. The Green Hornet is a reboot movie and works in part because the character's placement in U.S. popular culture is distinct, but limited. This movie was funny, had lots of action, and interesting visuals. There is something more to be said here. The visual engagement in the Green Hornet has little to nothing to do with 3D, that was pointless. The greatest impact of the 3D, in my opinion, is the end credits sequence. The visual artistry comes from Michel Gondry'...

The costumed crime fighter returned to primetime television Sunday with NBC’s midseason debut of The Cape . For all the emphases on superheroes in popular media, those heroes, at least on television, have shied away from costumes. They provided the function associated with superheroes, but not colorful form. Why then, the return to the costumed hero on the small screen? The Cape is a family friendly show about a wrongfully accused cop who takes on the persona of his son’s favorite comic book hero to clear his name and save “Palm City.” A genre show that draws on familiar themes, The Cape offers a fight for justice and an individual’s struggle against societal corruption. As with its big screen counterpart, The Green Hornet , The Cape returns places the pulp hero in the spotlight at a time when the value of individual agency is in question. This neo-pulp moment is both stimulated by and a reaction to social upheaval and economic uncertainty. Like superheroes, pulp character...