"As a man, I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol... as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting". In the 2005 reboot of the Batman film franchise, Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne articulates how the figure of the superhero can serve as a transcendent icon. It is hard to imagine a time when superheroes have been more pervasive in our culture. Today, superheroes are intellectual property jealously guarded by media conglomerates, icons co-opted by grassroots groups as a four-color rebuttal to social inequities, masks people wear to more confidently walk convention floors and city streets, and bulletproof banners that embody regional and national identities. From activism to cosplay, this collection unmasks the symbolic function of superheroes. Bringing together superhero scholars from a range of disciplines, alongside key industry figures such as Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini, The Superhero Symbol provides fresh perspectives on how characters like Captain America, Iron Man, and Wonder Woman have engaged with media, culture, and politics, to become the "everlasting" symbols to which a young Bruce Wayne once aspired.
Contents Introduction: Everlasting Symbols: Unmasking superheroes and their shifting symbolic function, Liam Burke Section 1: Superheroes, Politics, and Civic Engagement 1. What Else Can You Do With Them? : Superheroes and the Civic Imagination Henry Jenkins 2. America Is A Piece of Trash : Captain America, Patriotism, Nationalism, and Fascism Neal Curtis 3. This Land is Mine! Understanding the Function of Supervillains Jason Bainbridge Interview 1: Comics artist, writer, and herstorian Trina Robbins Section 2: The Superhero as a Brand 4. The Secret Commercial Identity of Superheroes: Protecting the Superhero Symbol Mitchell Adams 5. Siegel and Shuster as Brand Name Ian Gordon 6. Practicing Superhuman Law: Creative License, Industrial Identity, and Spider-Man's Homecoming Tara Lomax 7. The sound of the cinematic superhero Dan Golding Interview 2: Former President of DC Entertainment Diane Nelson Section 3: Becoming the Superhero 8. Arkham Knave: The Joker in Game Design Steven Conway 9. Being Super, Becoming Heroes: Dialogic Superhero Narratives in Cosplay Collectives Claire Langsford 10. From Pages to Pavements : A Criminological Comparison Between Depictions of Crime Control in Superhero Narratives and Real-Life Superhero Activity Vladislav Iouchkov and John McGuire Interview 3: Dark Night: A True Batman Story writer Paul Dini Section 4: Superheroes and National Identity 11. Captain America, National Narratives, and the Queer Subversion of the Retcon Naja Later 12. Apes, Angels, and Super Patriots: The Irish in Superhero Comics Liam Burke 13. Missing in Action: The Late Development of the German-Speaking Superhero Paul M. Malone 14. Chinese Milk for Iron Men: Superhero Coproductions and Technological Anxiety Shan Mu Zhao 15. Age of the Atoman: Australian Superhero Comics and Cold War Modernity Kevin Patrick Interview 4: Cleverman creator Ryan Griffen and star Hunter Page-Lochard Acknowledgements Notes on the Editors Notes on Contributors Index
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