The purpose of the present study is to explore six-year-old children&amp / #8217 / s understanding of the superhero phenomenon, through cartoon superhero figures. Particularly Spiderman was chosen as a typical symbol of the superhero genre, futhermore Spiderman is found to be the favorite cartoon character in Turkey.The study was conducted in the preschool of Middle East Technical University in Spring 2007. Ten children / five girls and five boys, attending to the preschoolprogram participated in the study. The main emphasis in the present study is given to children&#039 / s own expressionsvia drawings, play and interviews, to understand their ways to make sense of the superheroscenarios. Therefore selecting qualitative methods and aphenomenological approach in particular was considered to be a valid form of nquiry. At the end of the analysis procedure the total number of meaning units (MUs)was 40. In order to verify the results of the study, randomly selected 30 MUs were presented to completely independent and separate reviewers. The feedback from the reviewers indicated a high rate concordance of established at 86.6 %. After the results of this auditing process, confirmability of the present study is maintained. The results indicated that superhero theme was enjoyable for participant children, as it provided a sense of well-being. Aggressive behavior, which is generally linked to superhero issue, was hardly ever observed. However, gender is found to be a central factor on children&#039 / s understanding of superheroes, and stereotypical thinking was perpetuated via superhero animations.

This study examined whether gender stereotypes and tropes are still used in movies, through analyzing two popular film trilogies with an age difference of 20 years. Each trilogy’s protagonist and love interest were analyzed with the goal of determining how each character were potrayed. This study was seen through a gender perspective, and based on a structuralism approach. To answer the study’s research questions, Mulvey’s (1975) male gaze theory and Hall’s representation theory were used. The study had a qualitative approach and a discourse analysis was used as an method, and the analysis model Mise-en-scène (Selby & Cowdery, 1995) was used. Upon completion of the study, the following could be ascertained: first, gender stereotypes and tropes are still used in films. But has become better at be hidden into the plot. Second, each character was portrayed according to gender stereotypes as well as tropes. Finally, both similarities and differences could be established in the representation of each character. Where it was clear that even though Elle were the protagonist of one trilogy, it was still the man who controlled the relationship. The same thing was stated in the Spiderman trilogy.

Comic book superheroes have become adopted into American popular culture, and yet few have considered why these characters resonate with Americans. The first comic book superhero premiered in 1938 when Superman appeared on the cover of the first issue of Action Comics. For almost seventy years his adventures and the adventures of other costumed heroes have been continually published. Batman soon joined Superman as a popular costumed crime-fighter, and the early 1960s saw another generation of superheroes created that would be embraced in American culture. Among this new group of heroes were Spider-Man and the X-Men, who have proved as popular as Superman and Batman. The never-ending narratives of comic book characters provide a unique opportunity to analyze how superheroes have evolved across the decades to remain relevant for new generations of Americans. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men are the most popular heroes, not only in comic books, but in other media adaptations. An exploration of why these specific characters have such resonance with Americans will provide insights into American mindsets, ideologies, and philosophies. Furthermore, comic books are uniquely positioned to allow a new historicist reading, as the characters' adventures have been published on a monthly schedule for decades. A consideration of the alterations made in the narratives to reflect the time periods is inherently enlightening.