Why I Want to Write about Superheroes

Occasionally, I have to interrogate myself and answer the question of why I want to devote so much of my intellectual energy on what Alan Moore recently termed "emotionally subnormal." Needless to say, while I respect (although I do not often revel in) the work of Moore, his disdain of the genre strikes home. At the end of the day, scholars like Peter Coogan, Geoff Klock, and any other enthusiast are writing about fictional characters who dress up in tights and punch each other. Truly, how legitimate can such scholarship be?

The answer to that question, and Moore's indictment by extension, is that it is rather supercilious to claim that art targeted at intellectual people is worth more time than popular culture. After all, the work of Charles Dickens, now Victorian canon, was popular culture at the time, and Dickens was paid by the installment, not unlike the comic books of our time. However, that question is barely laid to rest when another, even more biting question rears its beastly head: what use is a thoughtful, academic analysis of superheroes? Aside from providing material for students, scholars, and intelligent people things to endlessly debate, there does not seem much practical use for a theory-laden close reading of such popular culture, culture that often exists in a separate and even resistant realm of being.

Here are my reasons for desiring to study superheroes in a professional, academic fashion.

Superheroes Are in My Blood

Ever since I can remember, popular culture has fascinated me. My first memories are of playing Super Mario Brothers on the NES with my uncle and watching Godzilla versus the Sea Monster. Although Mario and Godzilla are not traditional super-heroes, both have a history of appearing in nerd-culture and comic books. Afterwards, I fell in love with the Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons of the 90s. I had a cherished box of comics as a child before I could even understand how to read them. Simply put, superheroes are such a cherished part of my life that it would be silly not to consider thinking about them from an intellectual perspective. I think that other scholars would agree with me.

Superheroes Are More Culturally Relevant Than Ever Before

Another important reason to think about superheroes is that they have never had more cultural clout in our society. Although the readership of comics may not be what it was when the genre was first invented, never before has the media been so dominated by superheroes. The financial success of the Avengers franchise is evidence of this fact. Comic book adaptations, especially of the superhero variety, are simply ubiquitous now. An intellectual perspective is certainly relevant for anything possessing the sheer cultural impact that superheroes have. It would be simply irresponsible and ignorant to ignore analyzing them. 

Superhero Comics Can Be Better

While the previous points are important, I personally feel that the most important reason to study superheroes, from a practical perspective, is to gain insight so that they may be refined to be the best that they can be.

I want to make an important distinction here. My desire to improve superhero comics is not necessarily an attempt to change them into some higher form of culture. Taking a more literary approach to superhero comics is something that has been done before, and the lessons learned from such experiments as The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and others are well known. Trying to elevate popular culture, though an interesting and possibly even a noble goal, is not my ultimate intention (although I may tarry there from time to time). Rather, my ultimate wish is to study superheroes from a thoughtful and academic fashion so that they be the most genuine and pure expressions of what they have always intended to be: positive action-fantasy. 

One reason why I think superhero comics have struggled from time to time with their artistic integrity is that they are somehow trying very had to become something other than what they naturally are. Instead of embracing and refining how to be the best action fantasies that they can be, I think that superhero comics often want to be something else: deep, philosophical high-art. Well, that and a corporate consumer generator. Ultimately, it seems that I read comics that fail at being high-art and at being a genuine action fantasy, which is a sad state of affairs indeed. Grant Morrison, commenting on the American reaction to the British Invasion, writes that "comics would do much better business if they just looked cool and stopped trying to be so goddamned clever" (Supergods 243). I think that it is important to study how superhero comics communicate their unique messages so that this popular culture can be refined and developed to its full potential. My focus, therefore is of a narrative nature.         

So there you have it. I wish to study superhero comics because they are important, and I hope to find ways to genuinely improve upon the unique methods that they have for telling a story. So the next time someone says that they want to make a go of studying superheroes, don't roll your eyes at them. Instead, ask them why they want to study them. The answer may pleasantly surprise you.