Superhero Miscommunication

Alternative Media: Superheroes

We live in a world where self expression and individualism are important to our survival. These attributes are needed to satisfy our desires of establishing our own identities, in order to differentiate ourselves from others in a world of 7 billion people. Mass media has enabled us to express ourselves freely and create our own images. (add in more points about media)

While mainstream mass media represents the dominant discourse of our society, alternative media provides us with an escape from our harsh capitalistic reality. You could say alternative media allows us to re-establish our identities and create changes to our lives. It is an outlet for our need to not conform with society's mainstream ideologies - allowing us to follow our own set of ethics and rules.

According to Intersections of Media and Communications by Greenberg and Gilberds, alternative media are non-hierachical and “seek to give a voice to the concerns and aspirations of groups marginalized by mainstream media [to democratize communication]" (p 207). Alternative media are and should be extensions to our senses to achieve the goal of self expression and freedom, giving everyone a chance to voice their opinions.

 A media production like Superheroes act as an alternative medium empowering people, allowing us to express  and communicate freely, and helping us establish identities in our society. The superhero theme also validates ideals of justice and utopia in a historical and social context. This essay will look at how Superheroes, categorized into the Golden, Silver, and Bronze era, as alternative media redressing a lack of diversity in the content of mainstream media outlets – or the lack of diversity in dominant discourse.

Golden Age

In the previous post, I mentioned how superhero culture is categorized into eras of Golden, Silver, and Bronze. Superheros origin from changes in our society, in relation to real world events such as

World War II, The Nuclear Age, Great Depression, or the outbreak of AID. For the next few posts, I will discuss how the superhero culture acts as alternative media in each era - starting off with the Golden Age - broadcasts alternative ideologies to empower, change, and democratize people. 

The golden age of superheroes lasted from 1938 to the 1940s. This era is marked by iconic superheros such as Superman (DC) and Captain America (Marvel). This era started with the publication of Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, with Superman as the protagonist. The golden age set the standard for future superheros: super powers, secret identity, costume, and signifying symbol.

As the popularity of superhero comics expand, so did the formula for creating the superhero universe. The simplicity of superheroes became intertwined with ideas in reality. No longer, are the superheros only about saving the day, or chasing down villains. These caped forces of good are pit against the Axis power (ie. Germany). Even, before America entered World War II, dozens of America themed superheroes were created: The Shield, Miss America, Captain America, and many others; the patriotic fever was on full force. Superheroes would join the Army or Navy in their secret identities, and beat down Nazis or the Japanese. For instance, on the cover of Captain America No. 1, the hero socks Hitler.

Comic books about superheros took on an entirely different role than just to entertain. During the golden age, the Superhero genre as alternative media empowered North American citizen. In the 1930s, the American Dream was destroyed following the Great Depression. Superhero comics acted as an escapist form of entertainment for its audience. Marvel and DC were creating costumed heroes to symbolize the hopes of a nation faced with many difficulties.

The public desired for tales of  good triumphing over evil; it salvaged people during the war torn era. Tales of superheroes defeating the Facists or Nazis, brought hope to society in ways the government could not achieve. Superhero comics became a medium that delivers messages to its readers promoting patriotism. Patriotism and nationalism created pride and hope for one's country, creating a sense of protection, peace, and the idea that North America will not loose the war.

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What are superheroes? People usually think of righteous masked characters with bright awkward spandex outfits, and corny lines. Beyond the silly uniforms superheroes are modern myths; Batman, Spiderman, Ironman, Hulk and many more are equivalent to Hercules and Odysseus from Greek mythology. 

In Power of Myths, Jospeh Campbell states that "myth in modernity are not carriers of religious content, but of political and economic organization"(Campbell 387). Modern myths are not founded upon religious ideologies, but developed from ethical association to our political and economic society. Superhero culture has become an integral part of our culture’s myths since 1938, broadcasting powerful message of right and justice.  

  

Plato's explanation of myths in The Republic, is that myths plays an important role in educating society and constructing the ideal state. Plato emphasizes that, in youth especially, mythic tales make an impression on a person’s character (Plato 377b), making it clear that myths influence moral character. People observe and learn social norms of justice from iconic superhero characters such as Superman.  As a result, the superhero culture as modern myths guides us, and we have resorted to these alternative media, since mainstream ideologies does not usually offer us answers to our need for democracy, protection, and change. 

Superhero culture at its height, has dominated all forms of media, from TV, film, video games, and comic books. Mass media has brought these fantastical character to audiences around the world. These superheroes have infiltrated society in ways that not even Jerry Sigel and Joel Shuster could have imagined when they first came up with the idea of Superman. Superheroes are a reflection of who we are and our need to personify our faults and successes in exaggerated terms. They are mirror images of our own relationships and interactions. Society has formed a need for superheroes beyond entertainment; people look to these characters for morality and justice to fight for what is right.

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