The focus of this thesis is to look at Geoff John's Justice League in the "New 52" universe. More specifically, the research concentrates on the relationship of the members of DC Comics "Trinity," Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The three heroes have a special relationship that spans over 75 years, and now, with the "New 52," there is an opportunity to examine the relationship from its beginning to its end in the modern era of comic book history. The scope of this project will span eight graphic novels and five years of storytelling. To properly evaluate the relationship of "The Trinity" this thesis will look at research on friendship, interpersonal relationships, and management styles, all through the lens of a thorough character study on each hero. In the end, "The Trinity" will grow from uneasy allies to friends to family. They will solidify their relationship through fighting for their lives, making mistakes together, and ultimately saying goodbye to each other. This thesis will find their relationship is unique amongst comic book characters and should be considered the archetype for all the superhero teams that would come after their creation. Moving forward, to build upon this research one should take the analysis approach followed in this thesis and apply it to either the "Rebirth" version of the Justice League or the 2017 Justice League film which also will feature a version of "The Trinity"

No description available.

This study examines ethical decision-making processes as practiced by the cultural mythic hero of our time: the superhero. This study conducts a rhetorical narrative analysis of three key superhero films (The Dark Knight, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War) to locate moments when superhero characters make ethical decisions. The study evaluates their decision-making process using three ethical frameworks selected for their popularity in ethics courses as well as their relevance to the subject material; deontology, virtue ethics, and utilitarianism. Superheroes are famous for doing ‘the right thing’, and the purpose of this study is to determine to what degree these films function as an ethics education tool for the public which consumes them. In other words: do these films have a potential to instruct the viewer in answering ‘what is right’? This study looks closely at the ethical decision-making process in superhero films and determines the ways in which superhero films may indicate a potential for teaching ethical theory when these characters make the moral decisions for which they are famed. This study determined that utilitarianism and virtue ethics are both highly visible in superhero films, but rather than serving as a medium for learning, these films build and glorify a cult of personality. Ultimately, these films create messages which encourage the viewer to blindly accept ethical decisions made by the powerful, and to tolerate – and even crave – a tyrannical ruler. Because of the cultural impact these films have, a propagandistic message like this reaches millions of people, and it is vital to understand what the contents of that message are. / Media & Communication

Dentro da área de Ensino de Ciências é possível identificar a existência da linha de trabalho que advoga o ensino de uma Física detentora de valor Cultural dentro de sala de aula. Trabalhos como os de Zanetic (1989) sugerem que a Física, por não ser desprovida de conteúdo ideológico e político seja ensinada nas escolas públicas dentro de um contexto sociocultural. Neste caminho, pretendemos contribuir para o diálogo entre a Física e a Cultura, em especial a Cultura de Massas, apresentando uma análise do potencial didático apresentado pela Leitura de Histórias em Quadrinhos de Ficção Científica dentro da sala de aula em um curso de Física. Utilizamos como referenciais para a relação entre Física e Cultura os trabalhos de George Snyders (1988) C.P. Snow (1959) e do próprio Zanetic (1989). A relação entre História em Quadrinhos e Educação foi analisada a partir dos trabalhos do prof. Waldomiro Vergueiro (2009) da ECA-USP e de outros estudiosos da área. Para iluminar o laço entre a Ficção Científica e o Ensino de Física, nos baseamos na teoria de análise dos pólos temáticos desenvolvida por Piassi (2007). Como demonstraremos adiante, o diálogo entre a Física, as Histórias em Quadrinhos de Ficção Científica e o período histórico-social que as produz é profundo, fazendo com que a leitura deste material em sala de aula possa fornecer o ponto de partida para o estudo de uma Física detentora de um perfil cultural, cujo domínio é capaz de levar o aluno ao questionamento, resultando em uma ação de mudança social. O recorte temático para estudo adotou as histórias do título em quadrinhos \"Quarteto Fantástico\", publicado originalmente desde 1962 e cujo lançamento pode ser considerado uma resposta cultural as sucessivas derrotas enfrentadas pela sociedade norte-americana no campo da corrida espacial. Exploraremos o panorama geral delineado pelos três números iniciais da publicação, responsáveis pela definição de uma matriz narrativa publicada de forma ininterrupta até os dias de hoje. Para fins de comparação adotamos as três primeiras aventuras de sua versão reformulada para o Século XXI após os eventos de 11 de Setembro de 2001, o chamado \"Quarteto Fantástico Ultimate\". Nosso objetivo é apresentar as relações entre a expressão artística da Ciência e os anseios sociais relacionados às descobertas científicas, apresentadas nos dois títulos. O resultado obtido evidencia que discutir uma História em Quadrinhos de Ficção Científica em sala de aula significa discutir a sociedade que as criou, fazendo com que a leitura crítica de um título possibilite ao aluno o contato com uma Física fruto da construção humana e detentora de um papel cultural. / Within the area of Science Education it is possible to identify a line of work where several studies advocate the teaching of a Cultural Physics in the classroom. Authors such as Zanetic (1989) suggests that physics can be taught in public schools within a sociocultural context, because it is not devoid of ideological and political content. In this way, we intend to contribute to the dialogue between physics and culture, especially the mass culture, presenting an analysis of the didactic potential represented by reading Sci Fi comics during physics class. We used works such as George Snyders (1988) C.P. Snow (1959) and the very own Zanetic (1989) as references for the relationship between physics and culture. The relationship between Comics and Education was analyzed based on the studies of prof. Waldomiro Vergueiro (2009), ECA-USP and other scholars in the field. To illuminate the link between science fiction and physics teaching, we rely on the theory developed by Piassi (2007) for exploration of thematic poles. As we intend to demonstrate further, the dialogue between physics, sci fi comics and the socialhistorical period which produces it is deep, making the reading material in the classroom provide a starting point for the studies of physics with a cultural profile. This domain leads to questioning the student, which may result in an action for social change. The cutout theme adopted for the stories study is the comic book title \"Fantastic Four\", originally published in 1962 and whose release can be considered as a cultural response to the successive defeats faced by the American society throughout the space race, as will be demonstrated below. We explore the big picture outlined by the first three numbers of the publication, responsible for the definition of a matrix narrative published uninterruptedly up until the present day. For comparison purposes we will adopt the first three adventures of a reformulated version for the twenty-first century after the events of September 11, 2001, called \"Ultimate Fantastic Four\". Our goal is to demonstrate the relationship between expressive artistic science and social expectations related scientific findings, presented in both titles. As a result, we expect to demonstrate that discussing a sci fi comic book in the classroom means discussing the society that created them, making the critical reading of a title possible for the students to make contact with detaining physics that hold a cultural result of the human construction.

As décadas de 1980-1990 marcam um ponto importante da história das revistas de quadrinhos de super-heróis. Mudanças no mercado, no público, na política, nos debates morais e culturais do momento ofereceram um cenário propício para novos desenvolvimentos no gênero super-herói. Esse quadro é cercado pelo pós-modernismo, a urbanização, a contracultura, mudanças nas artes e condições políticas que se desenvolvem da Guerra Fria, geograficamente centrada entre a Europa e os Estados Unidos, para a Guerra do Iraque, o que desloca atenções geopolíticas e conflitos para o Oriente Médio. Os quadrinhos de super-herói passam a oferecer maior liberdade temática para seus autores, e discussões sobre direitos autorais ganham força. Este cenário dispõe das condições para que alguns autores pudessem levar os super-heróis para discussões diferentes das décadas precedentes, permitindo o surgimento de trabalhos significativos, de autores que marcam suas obras abordando os super-heróis de forma pessoal. A presente pesquisa procura entender como o autor de histórias em quadrinhos Frank Miller se posicionou diante de uma determinada área de produção artística, utilizando-se das revistas de super-herói para discutir posicionamentos ideológicos, e reforçar seu caráter mítico e simbólico. Utilizando princípios da história cultural desenvolvidos por autores como Ginzburg, Burke, Gombrich, Schorske e Barzun, contextualiza-se a trajetória das histórias em quadrinhos até os anos 1980 e 1990, estabelecendo as condições da mídia quando do trabalho do artista. Para posicionar Miller em relação a seu mercado e suas relações de produção, são utilizadas as ferramentas analíticas de Michael Baxandall, que oferecem um modelo interpretativo das relações que se dão na produção artística. Finalmente, observam-se as abordagens temáticas e morais de sua obra, com seu contexto dentro de uma trajetória na história cultural. Para isso, traça-se um panorama que discute como a obra de Miller atualiza a jornada do herói de Joseph Campbell, utilizando-se da cultura popular para fazer um diálogo entre discussões morais, históricas e políticas, por meio de uma construção de narrativas heroicas que operam como mitos populares modernos e parâmetros civilizacionais, carregando em si princípios, valores e ideias de uma cultura. / The decades of 1980-1990 establish an important point in the history of comic books. Changes in the market, the audience, in politics and in the cultural and moral debates of the time offered a scenario which was welcoming to new developments on the super-hero genre. This moment is marked by post-modernism, urbanization, the counter-culture, changes in arts and the political conditions which develop from the Cold War, geographically centred between the United States and Europe, to the Iraq war, which moves the geopolitical attentions and conflicts to the Middle- East. Super-hero comics start offering wider thematic freedom to their authors, and discussions about creator\'s rights gain momentum. This scenario contains the conditions for some of these authors to take super-heroes to discussions which are different from the ones happening in the preceding decades, allowing the emergence of important works, made by authors which marked their work in a very personal manner. This research seeks to understand how comic-book author Frank Miller has positioned himself before an area of artistic production, using super-hero comics, and comics in general, to discuss moral positions, and to underline their mythical and symbolic character. Exercising principles of cultural history developed by authors like Ginzburg, Burke, Gombrich, Schorske and Barzun, we situate the trajectory of comics from their inception as magazines until the 1980s and 1990s, establishing which were the conditions of this medium when Miller produced the works we look at. To understand Miller in relation to his market and his production, we use the analytic tools of Michael Baxandall, which offer an interpretative model of the relationships which happen in artistic production. Finally, we observe the thematic and moral approaches of his work, with their context within a trajectory in cultural history. In order to perform this, we establish a context which discusses how Miller work updates Joseph Cambell\'s hero\'s journey, using popular culture to make connections between moral, political and historical debates, creating heroic narratives which operate as modern popular myths and as civilizational benchmarks, carrying with them the principles, values and ideas of a culture.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:23:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thiago Sanches Costa.pdf: 25589665 bytes, checksum: 94ade514b36f694c686d617a089bfd79 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-30 / This research investigates the existent relations between digital transposition phenomenon and transmedia on a mutual influence context of comic book and game culture and its repercussions on digital storytelling structures. The methodological proposal is to read and deepen the relations between different concepts in search of its understanding process as a digital culture phenomenon, identifying as an historical action previous to transmedia storytelling: the transmediatic jump. For this, it uses superheroes, characters born in comic books at the beginning of the twentieth century, to show this path and the passage from the concept of transformation by the transmediatic jump to the transposition phenomenon and the transmedia object. It also show that the model object has philosophical, psychological, cultural and ontological features that made them leading figures on the modern entertainment industry that only exists on transmedia plurality. The research done is theoretical, as it s a study that looks forward to concept rebuilding and to enhance theoretical fundaments. The utilized method is bibliographic research, using prevailing materials about the theme, such as: Scott McCloud and Will Eisner as the main references about comic books structure and language; Gerard Jones research as the most used source about superheroes and its creators History; Joseph Campbell points the mythological way and Richard Reynolds connect it to superhero, central to comprehend storytelling that flows from a media support to other; and Janet Murray is the perfect complement to understand how this structures works at the digital game environment. This is how the superheroes transmedia jump, comics-movie-game, discussion base is formed / A pesquisa investiga a relação entre os fenômenos digitais da transposição e transmídia no contexto da mútua influência entre a cultura dos HQs e games e suas repercussões nas estruturas narrativas digitais. Metodologicamente propõe a leitura e o aprofundamento das relações entre os conceitos buscando o seu entendimento de processo enquanto fenômeno da cultura digital, identificando- os em uma ação história anterior à narrativa transmídia: o salto transmidiático. Para tanto, utiliza-se do movimento e história dos super-heróis, personagens nascidos nas histórias em quadrinhos (HQs) no início do século XX, para demonstrar este caminho e passagem do conceito de transformação do salto transmidiático para o fenômeno da transposição e o objeto transmídia. Mostra ainda que o objeto modelar (HQs) possui características filosóficas, psicológicas, culturais e ontológicas que os tornaram protagonistas da moderna indústria do entretenimento, a qual não existe senão na pluralidade transmídia. A pesquisa realizada é teórica, pois se trata de um estudo com vistas a reconstruir conceitos, para a melhoria de fundamentos teóricos. O método utilizado é a pesquisa bibliográfica, utilizando os materiais existentes acerca do tema, sendo: Scott McCloud e Will Eisner as principais referências sobre a estrutura e linguagem das HQs; os estudos de Gerard Jones a fonte mais utilizada no tocante à História dos superheróis e de seus criadores; Joseph Campbell indicando o caminho mitológico e Richard Reynolds conectando essa visão aos superheróis, fundamental para compreender as narrativas que seguem de um suporte midiático a outro; com Janet Murray sendo o complemento perfeito para o entendimento do funcionamento dessas estruturas no ambiente do game digital. Forma-se assim a base para a discussão do salto transmidiático dos super-heróis: HQ-Filme-Game

Dentro da área de Ensino de Ciências é possível identificar a existência da linha de trabalho que advoga o ensino de uma Física detentora de valor Cultural dentro de sala de aula. Trabalhos como os de Zanetic (1989) sugerem que a Física, por não ser desprovida de conteúdo ideológico e político seja ensinada nas escolas públicas dentro de um contexto sociocultural. Neste caminho, pretendemos contribuir para o diálogo entre a Física e a Cultura, em especial a Cultura de Massas, apresentando uma análise do potencial didático apresentado pela Leitura de Histórias em Quadrinhos de Ficção Científica dentro da sala de aula em um curso de Física. Utilizamos como referenciais para a relação entre Física e Cultura os trabalhos de George Snyders (1988) C.P. Snow (1959) e do próprio Zanetic (1989). A relação entre História em Quadrinhos e Educação foi analisada a partir dos trabalhos do prof. Waldomiro Vergueiro (2009) da ECA-USP e de outros estudiosos da área. Para iluminar o laço entre a Ficção Científica e o Ensino de Física, nos baseamos na teoria de análise dos pólos temáticos desenvolvida por Piassi (2007). Como demonstraremos adiante, o diálogo entre a Física, as Histórias em Quadrinhos de Ficção Científica e o período histórico-social que as produz é profundo, fazendo com que a leitura deste material em sala de aula possa fornecer o ponto de partida para o estudo de uma Física detentora de um perfil cultural, cujo domínio é capaz de levar o aluno ao questionamento, resultando em uma ação de mudança social. O recorte temático para estudo adotou as histórias do título em quadrinhos \"Quarteto Fantástico\", publicado originalmente desde 1962 e cujo lançamento pode ser considerado uma resposta cultural as sucessivas derrotas enfrentadas pela sociedade norte-americana no campo da corrida espacial. Exploraremos o panorama geral delineado pelos três números iniciais da publicação, responsáveis pela definição de uma matriz narrativa publicada de forma ininterrupta até os dias de hoje. Para fins de comparação adotamos as três primeiras aventuras de sua versão reformulada para o Século XXI após os eventos de 11 de Setembro de 2001, o chamado \"Quarteto Fantástico Ultimate\". Nosso objetivo é apresentar as relações entre a expressão artística da Ciência e os anseios sociais relacionados às descobertas científicas, apresentadas nos dois títulos. O resultado obtido evidencia que discutir uma História em Quadrinhos de Ficção Científica em sala de aula significa discutir a sociedade que as criou, fazendo com que a leitura crítica de um título possibilite ao aluno o contato com uma Física fruto da construção humana e detentora de um papel cultural. / Within the area of Science Education it is possible to identify a line of work where several studies advocate the teaching of a Cultural Physics in the classroom. Authors such as Zanetic (1989) suggests that physics can be taught in public schools within a sociocultural context, because it is not devoid of ideological and political content. In this way, we intend to contribute to the dialogue between physics and culture, especially the mass culture, presenting an analysis of the didactic potential represented by reading Sci Fi comics during physics class. We used works such as George Snyders (1988) C.P. Snow (1959) and the very own Zanetic (1989) as references for the relationship between physics and culture. The relationship between Comics and Education was analyzed based on the studies of prof. Waldomiro Vergueiro (2009), ECA-USP and other scholars in the field. To illuminate the link between science fiction and physics teaching, we rely on the theory developed by Piassi (2007) for exploration of thematic poles. As we intend to demonstrate further, the dialogue between physics, sci fi comics and the socialhistorical period which produces it is deep, making the reading material in the classroom provide a starting point for the studies of physics with a cultural profile. This domain leads to questioning the student, which may result in an action for social change. The cutout theme adopted for the stories study is the comic book title \"Fantastic Four\", originally published in 1962 and whose release can be considered as a cultural response to the successive defeats faced by the American society throughout the space race, as will be demonstrated below. We explore the big picture outlined by the first three numbers of the publication, responsible for the definition of a matrix narrative published uninterruptedly up until the present day. For comparison purposes we will adopt the first three adventures of a reformulated version for the twenty-first century after the events of September 11, 2001, called \"Ultimate Fantastic Four\". Our goal is to demonstrate the relationship between expressive artistic science and social expectations related scientific findings, presented in both titles. As a result, we expect to demonstrate that discussing a sci fi comic book in the classroom means discussing the society that created them, making the critical reading of a title possible for the students to make contact with detaining physics that hold a cultural result of the human construction.

Throughout history, comic books and the media they inspire have reflected modern society as it changes and grows. But women’s roles in comics have often been diminished as they become victims, damsels in distress, and sidekicks. This thesis explores the problems that female characters often face in comic books, but it also shows the positive representation that new creators have introduced over the years. This project is a genealogy, in which the development of the empowered superwoman is traced in modern age comic books. This discussion includes the characters of Kamala Khan, Harley Quinn, Gwen Stacy, and Barbara Gordon and charts how these four women have been empowered and disempowered throughout their comic canon. It rejects the lens of postfeminism and suggests that an intersectional feminism is still needed in today’s ever-evolving and diversifying world. Popular culture must be representative of everyone, and today’s women authors will be the driving force of diversity in comic books.

The goal of this thesis is to explore the way heterosexism and homophobia are present in the coding that has created an implied and monstrous queer identity for the Joker, present in many versions of the character over the past forty years. Through close readings of several of the Joker’s most iconic appearances, queer theory texts, and analytical essays on pop culture, this paper will analyze the use of queer signifiers present in the comics and the way that these portrayals of the Joker are rife with harmful and heterocentric perceptions of what comic creators have seen as necessary signifiers for queerness. Additionally, I will be using knowledge gleaned from my own preexisting work with fan and cultural studies in order to talk about the way that this portrayal of the Joker has been developed within fandom/fan communities and how it is continually replicated in superhero media.

The academic study of comic books - especially superhero comic books - has predominantly focused on the analysis of these books as texts, as teaching and learning resources, or on children as comic book readers. Very little has been written about adult superhero comic fans and their responses to superhero comics. This thesis explores how adult comic book readers in New Zealand engage with superhero comics. Individual interviews and group conversations, both online and face-to-face, provide insights into their responses to the comics and the characters as well as the relationships among fans. Analysis of fans’ talk about superhero comics includes their reflections on how masculinities are represented in these comics and the complex ways in which they identify with superheroes, including their alter egos. The thesis examines how superhero comic book readers present themselves in their interactions with other readers. Comics ‘geekdom’, fans’ interactions with one another and their negotiation of gendered norms of masculinity are discussed. The contrast between the fan body and the superhero body is an important theme. Readers’ discursive constitution and management of superheroes’ bodies, and their engagement with representations of superheroes are related to analyses of multiplicity in individual identities and current theories of audience reception and identification.