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A super-hero is a fictional reputation – quintessentially an adventurer or vigilante of a great deal of sort – with superhuman powers or abilities (physical, mental or spiritual in nature), whose exploits are chronicled closely totally in comic books or other media adaptations of those comic book adventures. These are quintessentially children’s cartoons, but various super-hero movies have been freed in the past 10 years. Some mutual characteristics include:
Not all super-heroes fall neatly into those characteristics (The Fantastic Four, for example, do not operate with mystery identities), but most do. Super-heroes may trace their history to the pulp heroes of the 1920s and 30s. Specifically, constituents of Doc Savage, who was the peak of humane evolution, may be seen in Superman’s abilities in his earliest adventures; and Batman’s dark tone may be drawn to The Shadow, while his costume has more in mutual with comic strip hero, The Phantom. The Phantom predates Superman, but because Superman has super-human powers, he is in general considered the introductory super-hero. The vast majority of super-hero comic books invented today are published by either DC Comics or Marvel Comics. In fact, they co-own the copyright to the term “super-hero.” No other comic book company may use “super-hero” or any variation of the term. Super-hero stories lend themselves well to other genres, from the “intergalactic cop” science fiction of Green Lantern to the Law & Order kind of police procedural in Powers. Most modern super-hero stories carry on to feel the affect of The Watchmen. Characters that were written mainly for children for 40-70 years are now dealing with much more mature themes including political corruption, betrayal, madness, and what happens when the “bad guys” win. Lex Luthor has been President of the United States, and Norman “Green Goblin” Osborn is, as of this writing, presently one of the most powerful politicians in the Marvel Universe. The future of super-heroes is as uncertain as super-hero comics. As independent comics and graphic novels gain a more outstanding foothold in the industry, DC and Marvel are taking more chances with their properties, permitting creators the probability to dramatically kill off all but the most recognizable properties if it suits the needs of the story. |
