Unlike mythical Jesus, Superman really has no conflict, or you never see it. Sure, his homeworld was destroyed, but does it bother Kal-El? Not really - he's got Earth to protect, which he does without doubt or despair. Now, that is, and over the last 50 years or so. But the Superman as originally created (Action Comics #1 1938 - the most expensive Comic Book in the world) was a Super Lefty - perhaps like Jesus - who fought stupid Repuglicans of the day. Check it, from the Wiki:
An influence on early Superman stories is the context of the Great Depression.
The left-leaning perspective of creators Shuster and Siegel is
reflected in early storylines. Superman took on the role of social
activist, fighting crooked businessmen and politicians and demolishing
run-down tenements.[34] This is seen by comics scholar Roger Sabin as a reflection of "the liberal idealism of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal", with Shuster and Siegel initially portraying Superman as champion to a variety of social causes.[35] In later Superman radio programs the character continued to take on such issues, tackling a version of the KKK in a 1946 broadcast.[36][37]
Siegel and Shuster's status as children of Jewish immigrants is also
thought to have influenced their work. Timothy Aaron Pevey has argued
that they crafted "an immigrant figure whose desire was to fit into
American culture as an American", something which Pevey feels taps into
an important aspect of American identity.[38]
Another sign of the times, right? Also too, this guy:
Batman suffers for all our sins. But, really? He's a billionaire playboy, who's something of a highly functioning psychopath. Is that really a hero we should admire? A vigilante? Sure, he's doing the right thing, but in many wrong ways. But did not Jesus break many laws in service to a higher calling? Was he not a criminal in the eyes of the powerful and corrupt? Jesus as Batman would be awesome - kicking ass in the Temple, than fighting some Romans, than escaping with powered grappling cables and a dramatic use of the Robe Glider. Awesome!
Also awesome in the eyes of many - but not really me - is the ultimate tortured "hero", the Hulk. If a hero he is it all. He smashes many things, and inevitably this causes the loss of many innocent lives - for no real reason, usually, for the Hulk is a force of nature, of rage and anger and confusion. And guilt - perfect qualities to be a priest!
The Hulk is Jekyll and Hyde, man and God, wishing to do right but all too often doing wrong. We as humans have foibles and failings, we impose and are imposed upon by fictional moral standards, frightened by demons and boogeyman, lost in this world so often that makes no sense we cry out for an answer! For a why! For someone in charge!
The longing for heroes: A miraculous empowering that frees us from what we perceive as our failed human nature, and the chaos of nature. An answer to the why. And so for the whole of human history we have made up stories to answer the why's, and these stories get repeated and repeated, transformed and multiplied, till over and over again and again across the world for all of human time, we've had our Gods, our mythical heroes This does in no way mean there are such things as Gods, but rather speaks to our need for answers. It defines our use of metaphor, as we are defined by our metaphors.
And I would argue now, at last, we have the true means to find these answers: Science! With Sci Fi and Comics for fun and stimulation!
No comments:
Post a Comment