DOCSLIB.ORG

Abstract the Gendered Superhero

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Abstract the Gendered Superhero i ABSTRACT THE GENDERED SUPERHERO: AN EXAMINATION OF MASCULINITIES AND FEMININITIES IN MODERN AGE DC AND MARVEL COMIC BOOKS Jennifer Volintine, M.A. Department of Anthropology Northern Illinois University, 2016 Kendall M. Thu, Director This thesis examines American gender concepts of masculinity and femininity depicted in six Modern Age superhero comic books. Specifically, it examines how the American gender concepts of hegemonic masculinity, hypersexualized masculinity, emphasized femininity, and hypersexualized femininity are depicted in three Marvel and three DC comic books. This examination found that despite gender differences defined by biological essentialism that legitimates gender inequality, female and male superheroes are much more alike than different through what I term ―visionary gender.‖ Also, it examines indicators of gender not previously examined in American superhero comic books. In particular, it examines the text of superhero comic books to demonstrate that language use in comic books is gendered and that female superheroes use interruption as a way to control and dominate male superheroes in conversation. In addition, two viewpoints within the comic book subculture are examined: the comic book readers and the comic book artists. It addresses the readers‘ interpretation of gender depicted in a selection of images illustrating superhero characters‘ bodies and it observes the artists‘ intention in illustrating superhero characters with respect to gender. i NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY DE KALB, ILLINOIS AUGUST 2016 THE GENDERED SUPERHERO: AN EXAMINATION OF MASCULINITIES AND FEMININITIES IN MODERN AGE DC AND MARVEL COMIC BOOKS BY JENNIFER VOLINTINE ©2016 Jennifer Volintine A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY Thesis Director: Kendall M. Thu ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply grateful to many individuals who have contributed their expertise, time, and resources to various areas of this research project. First, I would like to thank my primary thesis advisor, Dr. Kendall Thu, who helped me shape and focus every aspect of this research project and whose keen eyes during the editing of numerous drafts of this paper was deeply appreciated. I am indebted to my other two advisors, Dr. Judy Ledgerwood and Dr. Kristen Myers, who both offered their ideas, insight, and suggestions in interpreting my results in a different direction. An additional thank-you goes to Dr. Kristen Myers who helped me term ―visionary gender.‖ My three advisors have helped me immensely in broadening my perspectives and ultimately in producing a stronger and more thorough research project. Next, I would like to thank the three comic book conventions for allowing me the opportunity to conduct research. I am deeply indebted to and would like to thank the comic book readers and artists who participated in my research. I am also grateful to Graham Crackers Comics of DeKalb, Illinois, whose friendly staff acquired the selection of comic books I needed. For use of the copyrighted material, I would like to thank the rights-holders, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and the artists and writers. Special thanks to Dr. Kristopher K. Robison and Dr. Mark Mehrer for the Letters of Recommendation. Without your letters, positive remarks, and encouragement I would never have continued my academic career. Finally, to my family. To my siblings: Georgene, Daniel, and Jeanette, and above all, to my mom, Carol, who acted as a table-helper when I conducted research and whose love of science fiction and fantasy contributed to mine. Mom, you are my superhero. iii DEDICATION In loving memory of my father, Dale James Volintine, who taught me the importance of working hard to accomplish my goals. Also, for my canine companion, Rakka, who put a smile on my face from high school to graduate school. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………… viii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………....... ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………. 1 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW……………..... 6 Defining of Key Terms…………………………………………………….. 6 Culture and Subculture…………………………………………….. 6 Mass Media and Popular Culture………………………………….. 7 Gender……………………………………………………………... 8 Discourse and Text………………………………………………… 10 Theoretical Frameworks………………………………………………….... 11 Gender Theories…………………………………………………..... 11 Hegemonic Masculinity and Emphasized Femininity……………………………………………….. 11 Gender is a Performance………………………………… 14 Doing Gender and Undoing Gender……………………... 15 v Chapter Page Linguistic Theories………………………………………………… 17 Dominance Theory and Difference Theory……………… 17 Media Theories…………………………………………………….. 20 The Male and Female Gaze……………………………… 20 Meaning, Representation, and Encoding and Decoding…………………………………………….. 22 The Imagined Community……………………………….. 23 Comics Theory……………………………………………………... 24 The History of Comic Books and the Birth of the Superhero……………… 26 The Four Ages of American Comic Books……………………….... 26 Empirical Studies of Comic Books………………………………………… 34 Comic Books and Comic Book Characters……………………….... 34 Ethnographic Research on Comic Book Conventions……………... 53 3. METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………..... 56 Theoretical Framework Review……………………………………………. 56 The Comic Book Convention………………………………………………. 57 Ethnographic Settings……………………………………………………… 58 Convention One……………………………………………………. 58 Convention Two……………………………………………………. 60 Convention Three…………………………………………………... 61 Data Collection…………………………………………………………….. 63 4. DATA ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………… 74 Content Analysis…………………………………………………………… 74 vi vi Chapter Page Types of Masculinities Displayed by the Superhero Characters………………………………………………. 75 Types of Femininities Displayed by the Superhero Characters………………………………………………. 76 Stereotypical Feminine and Masculine Traits Displayed by the Superhero Characters……………………………. 78 Visionary Gender: A New Type of Gender Displayed by Superheroes…………………………………………. 80 The Superhero Characters‘ Body Emphasis………………….......... 83 Section Summary……………………………………………........... 86 Text Analysis………………………………………………………………. 88 Dominance Theory…………………………………………………. 88 Difference Theory………………………………………………….. 92 Section Summary…………………………………………………... 97 Comic Book Reader Survey Analysis……………………………………… 98 Descriptive Statistics and Frequencies on the Survey Data…………………………………………………….. 98 The Importance of a Superhero Comic Book Character‘s Gender to Comic Book Readers………………….......... 103 Reader Perception of Masculinity and Femininity in Superhero Comic Books…………………………….. 104 Perception of Male and Female Superhero Bodies………………………………………………………………. 104 Survey Participants‘ Feedback to Comic Book Artists…………………………………………………………......... 109 Section Summary…………………………………………………... 112 viivii Chapter Page Interviews………………………………………………………………….. 114 Interviews with Comic Book Readers…………………………….. 114 Interviews with Comic Book Artists………………………………. 123 Section Summary………………………………………………….. 127 5. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………….. 129 Significance and Contribution of Research……………………………….... 131 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………... 138 COMIC BOOKS USED…………………………………………………………………….. 149 APPENDIX: THE COMICS CODE OF 1954...............……………………………............. 150 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Survey respondents‘ comic book reading length…………………………………... 101 2. Publishers that respondents purchase and/or read comic books from…………………………………………………………………... 102 3. The importance of a superhero‘s gender according to survey respondents‘ gender..................................................................................... 103 4. The perceived sexual desirability of the DC Comics‘ characters………………………………………………………………………….... 107 5. The perceived sexual desirability of the Marvel Comics‘ characters………………………………………………………………...... 109 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Harley Quinn and Mason are depicted as sex objects on this cover page from DC Comics‘ Harley Quinn #14…………………………………... 77 2. Lady Thor and Thor Odinson display physical strength and competitiveness in Marvel Comics‘ Thor #004..…………………………………... 82 3. Harley Quinn demonstrates sexual agency in DC Comics‘ Harley Quinn #14…………………………………..………………………………. 83 4. Barbara Gordon as Batgirl in DC Comics‘ Batgirl #38……………………………. 85 5. Black Cat interrupts Dragonclaw two times in Marvel Comics‘ Silk #001………………………………………………………………….. 91 6. Lex Luthor engages in a conflict-causing conversation with Superman in DC Comics‘ Justice League #38……………………………...……... 93 7. Superman reacts to Lex Luthor‘s conflict-causing language in DC Comics‘ Justice League #38………………………………………………... 94 8. Thor Odinson uses argumentative language in Marvel Comics‘ Thor #004……………………………………………………………..….. 96 9. Survey participants per convention……………………………………………….... 98 10. Survey participants‘ gender………………………………………………………... 99 11. Survey participants‘ regional location……………………………………………... 100 12. DC Comics‘ survey image #1 depicting Wonder Woman and Superman from Justice League #38…………………………………………… 105 13. DC Comics‘ survey image #2 depicting Wonder Woman and Superman from Justice League #39…………………………………………… 105 x x Figure Page 14. Marvel Comics‘ survey image #1 depicting Lady Thor from Thor #004…………………………………………………………………….. 106 15. Marvel Comics‘ survey image #2 depicting Thor Odinson from Thor #004…………………………………………………………………….. 106 16. DC Comics‘ interview image #1 depicting Batman climbing down a rope from Batman Eternal #42………………………………….. 117 17. DC Comics‘ interview
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Myth, Metatext, Continuity and Cataclysm in Dc Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths
    WORLDS WILL LIVE, WORLDS WILL DIE: MYTH, METATEXT, CONTINUITY AND CATACLYSM IN DC COMICS’ CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS Adam C. Murdough A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS August 2006 Committee: Angela Nelson, Advisor Marilyn Motz Jeremy Wallach ii ABSTRACT Angela Nelson, Advisor In 1985-86, DC Comics launched an extensive campaign to revamp and revise its most important superhero characters for a new era. In many cases, this involved streamlining, retouching, or completely overhauling the characters’ fictional back-stories, while similarly renovating the shared fictional context in which their adventures take place, “the DC Universe.” To accomplish this act of revisionist history, DC resorted to a text-based performative gesture, Crisis on Infinite Earths. This thesis analyzes the impact of this singular text and the phenomena it inspired on the comic-book industry and the DC Comics fan community. The first chapter explains the nature and importance of the convention of “continuity” (i.e., intertextual diegetic storytelling, unfolding progressively over time) in superhero comics, identifying superhero fans’ attachment to continuity as a source of reading pleasure and cultural expressivity as the key factor informing the creation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths text. The second chapter consists of an eschatological reading of the text itself, in which it is argued that Crisis on Infinite Earths combines self-reflexive metafiction with the ideologically inflected symbolic language of apocalypse myth to provide DC Comics fans with a textual "rite of transition," to win their acceptance for DC’s mid-1980s project of self- rehistoricization and renewal.
    [Show full text]
  • Gotham Knights
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 11-1-2013 House of Cards Matthew R. Lieber University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Screenwriting Commons Recommended Citation Lieber, Matthew R., "House of Cards" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 367. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/367 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. House of Cards ____________________________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Social Sciences University of Denver ____________________________ In Partial Requirement of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts ____________________________ By Matthew R. Lieber November 2013 Advisor: Sheila Schroeder ©Copyright by Matthew R. Lieber 2013 All Rights Reserved Author: Matthew R. Lieber Title: House of Cards Advisor: Sheila Schroeder Degree Date: November 2013 Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to approach adapting a comic book into a film in a unique way. With so many comic-to-film adaptations following the trends of action movies, my goal was to adapt the popular comic book, Batman, into a screenplay that is not an action film. The screenplay, House of Cards, follows the original character of Miranda Greene as she attempts to understand insanity in Gotham’s most famous criminal, the Joker. The research for this project includes a detailed look at the comic book’s publication history, as well as previous film adaptations of Batman, and Batman in other relevant media.
    [Show full text]
  • DOWN the RABBIT HOLE and INTO the CURIOUS REALM of COSPLAY By
    DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE AND INTO THE CURIOUS REALM OF COSPLAY by Margaret E. Haynes A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Anthropology Committee: ___________________________________________ Director ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Department Chairperson ___________________________________________ Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences Date: _____________________________________ Fall Semester 2017 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Down the Rabbit Hole and into the Curious Realm of Cosplay A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at George Mason University by Margaret E. Haynes Bachelor of Arts George Mason University, 2016 Director: Rashmi Sadana, Assistant Professor George Mason University Fall Semester 2018 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Copyright 2017 Margaret E. Haynes All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION To my dog, Gypsy, who had to forgo hours of walks and playtime in order to supervise my writing. To my loving parents and younger brother, who are the foundation of my success with their unconditional support. To the cosplay community who welcomed me with open arms. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank everyone who helped make this thesis possible! I would first like to give a huge thanks to my thesis advisor, Dr. Sadana, and the other members of my committee, Dr. Gatling and Dr. Schiller, who were always happy to give me constructive criticism on my ideas. A special thanks to the convention committees at Nekocon, Katsucon, and Anime Mid- Atlantic, who gave me permission to interview cosplayers at their conventions. This work would not have been possible without my friend, Samantha Ouellette, who introduced me to cosplay and conventions.
    [Show full text]
  • TV Review: Supergirl – Series 1 | Nouse
    Nouse Web Archives TV Review: Supergirl – Series 1 Page 1 of 3 News Comment MUSE. Politics Business Science Sport Roses Freshers Muse › Film & TV › Features Film Reviews TV Reviews Festivals TV Review: Supergirl – Series 1 Supergirl had a good first series, establishing solid foundations for the show whilst exhibiting only a few teething problems that could easily be remedied in the second series, says Liam Dooley Tuesday 10 May 2016 ★★★★☆ Image: CBS Supergirl is an upbeat, feel-good television series that follows the story of Kara Zor-El, cousin to the famous Superman, as she struggles to balance her newfound hero status with her life as Kara Danvers: sister to Alex Danvers, assistant to Cat Grant and love-interest to both James Olson and Winn Schott. Despite becoming Supergirl sometime after her cousin had already become the fully-fledged hero of Metropolis, Kara by no means lives in his shadow. The first series, as any opening gambit for a superhero programme does, finds Kara coming to terms with her powers, establishing herself as a hero and learning who she can and cannot trust. In this sense it might seem a little generic, but what makes Supergirl such an interesting show is precisely the traditional style of its protagonist’s story. Nowadays it would seem that everything needs to be ‘gritty’ and ‘dark’, especially in the world of DC adaptations, to be impactful. Supergirl, however, shines out of this as a bright beacon of hope. The Kyrptonian heroes have always been a little too perfect. With a whole array of supernatural powers and with the strength of Gods, there’s only really two ways that they can be dealt with on screen.
    [Show full text]
  • Crossmedia Adaptation and the Development of Continuity in the Dc Animated Universe
    “INFINITE EARTHS”: CROSSMEDIA ADAPTATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONTINUITY IN THE DC ANIMATED UNIVERSE Alex Nader A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2015 Committee: Jeff Brown, Advisor Becca Cragin © 2015 Alexander Nader All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Jeff Brown, Advisor This thesis examines the process of adapting comic book properties into other visual media. I focus on the DC Animated Universe, the popular adaptation of DC Comics characters and concepts into all-ages programming. This adapted universe started with Batman: The Animated Series and comprised several shows on multiple networks, all of which fit into a shared universe based on their comic book counterparts. The adaptation of these properties is heavily reliant to intertextuality across DC Comics media. The shared universe developed within the television medium acted as an early example of comic book media adapting the idea of shared universes, a process that has been replicated with extreme financial success by DC and Marvel (in various stages of fruition). I address the process of adapting DC Comics properties in television, dividing it into “strict” or “loose” adaptations, as well as derivative adaptations that add new material to the comic book canon. This process was initially slow, exploding after the first series (Batman: The Animated Series) changed networks and Saturday morning cartoons flourished, allowing for more opportunities for producers to create content. References, crossover episodes, and the later series Justice League Unlimited allowed producers to utilize this shared universe to develop otherwise impossible adaptations that often became lasting additions to DC Comics publishing.
    [Show full text]
  • The Get Right
    VOL. 1 ISSUE 1 • APRIL 2020 THE GET RIGHT The Official Newsletter of F3JAX, F-L-A The mission of F3 is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership. The F3 Credo: Leave no man behind, but This issue: leave no man where you find him. Words from our Nantan PAGE 02 Fitness in the time of COVID Core Value of the Month PAGE 03 CSAUP CONCEPT: GROUP IS STRONGER THAN PAGE 04-05 INDIVIDUAL AO Updates PHRASE: WE LOCK SHIELDS TO PAGE 06-08 STRENGTHEN THE WHOLE, TO Value of the Q Source PROTECT THE INJURED, AND TO PAGE 09 WATCH OUR FLANKS; GUARDING AGAINST A WORLD INTENT ON JAX PAX of the Month ATTACK. PAGE 10-11 Core Value QUOTE: "UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED PAGE 12-13 WE FALL." PATRICK HENRY The SIX Words from the Nantan BY HEISENBERG “Have you tried to perform a hard reset?” The woman at the helpless desk asked as I was informing her my iPad wouldn’t "If you fell connect to the VPN. It’s always the first suggestion they provide when you are desperate enough to call. It might apply to our current situation right now. As your down Nantan, making the call to shut down all AO’s was a most difficult decision for many reasons. First of all, I like so many yesterday, others, didn’t want to admit that this was as dire as the media portrayed. Second, I realized how much my routine would be altered.
    [Show full text]
  • Club Add 2 Page Designoct07.Pub
    H M. ADVS. HULK V. 1 collects #1-4, $7 H M. ADVS FF V. 7 SILVER SURFER collects #25-28, $7 H IRR. ANT-MAN V. 2 DIGEST collects #7-12,, $10 H POWERS DEF. HC V. 2 H ULT FF V. 9 SILVER SURFER collects #12-24, $30 collects #42-46, $14 H C RIMINAL V. 2 LAWLESS H ULTIMATE VISON TP collects #6-10, $15 collects #0-5, $15 H SPIDEY FAMILY UNTOLD TALES H UNCLE X-MEN EXTREMISTS collects Spidey Family $5 collects #487-491, $14 Cut (Original Graphic Novel) H AVENGERS BIZARRE ADVS H X-MEN MARAUDERS TP The latest addition to the Dark Horse horror line is this chilling OGN from writer and collects Marvel Advs. Avengers, $5 collects #200-204, $15 Mike Richardson (The Secret). 20-something Meagan Walters regains consciousness H H NEW X-MEN v5 and finds herself locked in an empty room of an old house. She's bleeding from the IRON MAN HULK back of her head, and has no memory of where the wound came from-she'd been at a collects Marvel Advs.. Hulk & Tony , $5 collects #37-43, $18 club with some friends . left angrily . was she abducted? H SPIDEY BLACK COSTUME H NEW EXCALIBUR V. 3 ETERNITY collects Back in Black $5 collects #16-24, $25 (on-going) H The End League H X-MEN 1ST CLASS TOMORROW NOVA V. 1 ANNIHILATION A thematic merging of The Lord of the Rings and Watchmen, The End League follows collects #1-8, $5 collects #1-7, $18 a cast of the last remaining supermen and women as they embark on a desperate and H SPIDEY POWER PACK H HEROES FOR HIRE V.
    [Show full text]
  • Damien Rivera ([email protected]) Transaction: 22572 Dragon Companion Handbook
    Damien Rivera ([email protected]) Transaction: 22572 Dragon Companion Handbook Author: Alexander Augunas Cover Design: Alexander Augunas Cover Art: Jacob Blackmon Interior Art: Jacob Blackmon DESIGNATION OF PRODUCT IDENTITY All company names, logos, and artwork, images, graphics, illustrations, trade dress, and graphic design elements and proper names are designated as Product Identity. Any rules, mechanics, illustrations, or other items previously designat- ed as Open Game Content elsewhere or which are in the public domain are not included in this declaration DECLARATION OF OPEN GAME CONTENT All content not designated as Product Identity is declared Open Game Content as described in Section 1(d) of the Open Game License Version 1.0a. Compatibility with the PATHFINDER ROLEPLAYING GAME requires the PATHFINDER ROLEPLAY- ING GAME from Paizo Inc.. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Inc. does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse this product. Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Inc., and the PATHFINDER ROLEPLAYING GAME and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compat- ibility License. See http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license. Draconic Companion Handbook © 2014 by Everyman Gaming, LLC. About the Author Alexander Augunas has been a freelance writer for various PATHFINDER ROLEPLAYING GAME compatible products since 2012. Alex is best known as the writer of Know Direction’s tri-weekly blog, Guidance, as well as the PACT MAGIC UNBOUND series by Radiance House. In addition to writing for Everyman Gaming, LLC, Know Direction, and Radance House, Alex has worked with companies such as Raging Swan Press, Loius Porter Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • Archons (Commanders) [NOTICE: They Are NOT Anlien Parasites], and Then, in a Mirror Image of the Great Emanations of the Pleroma, Hundreds of Lesser Angels
    A R C H O N S HIDDEN RULERS THROUGH THE AGES A R C H O N S HIDDEN RULERS THROUGH THE AGES WATCH THIS IMPORTANT VIDEO UFOs, Aliens, and the Question of Contact MUST-SEE THE OCCULT REASON FOR PSYCHOPATHY Organic Portals: Aliens and Psychopaths KNOWLEDGE THROUGH GNOSIS Boris Mouravieff - GNOSIS IN THE BEGINNING ...1 The Gnostic core belief was a strong dualism: that the world of matter was deadening and inferior to a remote nonphysical home, to which an interior divine spark in most humans aspired to return after death. This led them to an absorption with the Jewish creation myths in Genesis, which they obsessively reinterpreted to formulate allegorical explanations of how humans ended up trapped in the world of matter. The basic Gnostic story, which varied in details from teacher to teacher, was this: In the beginning there was an unknowable, immaterial, and invisible God, sometimes called the Father of All and sometimes by other names. “He” was neither male nor female, and was composed of an implicitly finite amount of a living nonphysical substance. Surrounding this God was a great empty region called the Pleroma (the fullness). Beyond the Pleroma lay empty space. The God acted to fill the Pleroma through a series of emanations, a squeezing off of small portions of his/its nonphysical energetic divine material. In most accounts there are thirty emanations in fifteen complementary pairs, each getting slightly less of the divine material and therefore being slightly weaker. The emanations are called Aeons (eternities) and are mostly named personifications in Greek of abstract ideas.
    [Show full text]
  • Department of Political Science Chair of Gender Politics Wonder Woman
    Department of Political Science Chair of Gender Politics Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel as Representation of Women in Media Sara Mecatti Prof. Emiliana De Blasio Matr. 082252 SUPERVISOR CANDIDATE Academic Year 2018/2019 1 Index 1. History of Comic Books and Feminism 1.1 The Golden Age and the First Feminist Wave………………………………………………...…...3 1.2 The Early Feminist Second Wave and the Silver Age of Comic Books…………………………....5 1.3 Late Feminist Second Wave and the Bronze Age of Comic Books….……………………………. 9 1.4 The Third and Fourth Feminist Waves and the Modern Age of Comic Books…………...………11 2. Analysis of the Changes in Women’s Representation throughout the Ages of Comic Books…..........................................................................................................................................................15 2.1. Main Measures of Women’s Representation in Media………………………………………….15 2.2. Changing Gender Roles in Marvel Comic Books and Society from the Silver Age to the Modern Age……………………………………………………………………………………………………17 2.3. Letter Columns in DC Comics as a Measure of Female Representation………………………..23 2.3.1 DC Comics Letter Columns from 1960 to 1969………………………………………...26 2.3.2. Letter Columns from 1979 to 1979 ……………………………………………………27 2.3.3. Letter Columns from 1980 to 1989…………………………………………………….28 2.3.4. Letter Columns from 19090 to 1999…………………………………………………...29 2.4 Final Data Regarding Levels of Gender Equality in Comic Books………………………………31 3. Analyzing and Comparing Wonder Woman (2017) and Captain Marvel (2019) in a Framework of Media Representation of Female Superheroes…………………………………….33 3.1 Introduction…………………………….…………………………………………………………33 3.2. Wonder Woman…………………………………………………………………………………..34 3.2.1. Movie Summary………………………………………………………………………...34 3.2.2.Analysis of the Movie Based on the Seven Categories by Katherine J.
    [Show full text]
  • A Celebration of Superheroes Virtual Conference 2021 May 01-May 08 #Depaulheroes
    1 A Celebration of Superheroes Virtual Conference 2021 May 01-May 08 #DePaulHeroes Conference organizer: Paul Booth ([email protected]) with Elise Fong and Rebecca Woods 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This has been a strange year, to be sure. My appreciation to everyone who has stuck with us throughout the trials and tribulations of the pandemic. The 2020 Celebration of Superheroes was postponed until 2021, and then went virtual – but throughout it all, over 90% of our speakers, both our keynotes, our featured speakers, and most of our vendors stuck with us. Thank you all so much! This conference couldn’t have happened without help from: • The College of Communication at DePaul University (especially Gina Christodoulou, Michael DeAngelis, Aaron Krupp, Lexa Murphy, and Lea Palmeno) • The University Research Council at DePaul University • The School of Cinematic Arts, The Latin American/Latino Studies Program, and the Center for Latino Research at DePaul University • My research assistants, Elise Fong and Rebecca Woods • Our Keynotes, Dr. Frederick Aldama and Sarah Kuhn (thank you!) • All our speakers… • And all of you! Conference book and swag We are selling our conference book and conference swag again this year! It’s all virtual, so check out our website popcultureconference.com to see how you can order. All proceeds from book sales benefit Global Girl Media, and all proceeds from swag benefit this year’s charity, Vigilant Love. DISCORD and Popcultureconference.com As a virtual conference, A Celebration of Superheroes is using Discord as our conference ‘hub’ and our website PopCultureConference.com as our presentation space. While live keynotes, featured speakers, and special events will take place on Zoom on May 01, Discord is where you will be able to continue the conversation spurred by a given event and our website is where you can find the panels.
    [Show full text]
  • Decoder Ring--Reprints and Refrigerators in "The American Comic Book (Critical Insights)" Jerry Spiller Art Institute of Charleston, [email protected]
    Against the Grain Volume 27 | Issue 6 Article 43 2015 Decoder Ring--Reprints and Refrigerators in "The American Comic Book (Critical Insights)" Jerry Spiller Art Institute of Charleston, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/atg Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Spiller, Jerry (2015) "Decoder Ring--Reprints and Refrigerators in "The American Comic Book (Critical Insights)"," Against the Grain: Vol. 27: Iss. 6, Article 43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7771/2380-176X.7256 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Decoder Ring — Reprints and Refrigerators in “The American Comic Book (Critical Insights)” Column Editor: Jerry Spiller (Art Institute of Charleston) <[email protected]> often lament that printed academic and schol- “Comic Fandom Through the Ages” sums up The essayists also note the lack of credit arly works lag behind online sources in time- changes in readership and the relationship and “larger than life” appeal afforded to even Iliness. To a degree, this is a simple necessity. between readers, creators, and the tone and positively portrayed female characters, as any I was pleasantly surprised in this regard subject matter and tone. The changes in both heroism or actual plot contributions they make when reading through the Salem Press volume fandom and creators detailed by Munson and are are often simply forgotten or overshadowed The American Comic Book, part of their Critical Helvie work well together to set up Katherine by the acts of male figures.
    [Show full text]