The comic book superhero film has become a mainstay amongst Hollywood blockbuster films. However, despite their popularity and financial success, the genre has only recently begun to receive scholarly attention. In particular, there has been little research on what traits distinguish and define the genre, and even less on the music which accompanies the films. This scope of this dissertation can be divided into three parts. First, it is a study of the superhero film genre. I provide a historical overview both of the superhero comic, as well as its filmic adaptations -- delineating the semantic and syntactic traits of the superhero film genre and the ways in which it adheres to and differs from its encompassing genre of the action film. Second, it is a study of the music for superhero films. By examining the musical themes of superhero films over time, I establish what musical parameters are held in common amongst superhero films -- namely, what contributes to the comic book sound. Finally, it is a study of topic theory, and in particular, how topical analysis can function within, and enrich the study of film music. By expanding on topical theories established for the study of classical music, I further systematize the topical study of film music, using superhero films as a model for demonstrating the potential for new musical topics to be uncovered through the topical analysis of film music. / text

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This thesis examines and argues that superhero narratives, beginning with their comic book origins in the early twentieth century, exhibit many of the qualities found in folklore. Furthermore, these narratives not only demonstrate a folkloric evolution across multi-media formats, including printed work, television, and film, but that they fit within classic hero narrative structures posited by various folklore theorists. The hero theories presented by Lord Raglan, Vladimir Propp, and Joseph Campbell, along with traditional folklore patterns of dynamism and conservatism discussed by Barre Toelken, Alan Dundes, and others, support the assertion that folklore can, and does, exist and propagate in the mass media popular culture sphere. What follows is an academic analysis of core folklore elements, as well as a presentation of how these core qualities can be found in superhero narratives, and how the discipline of folklore may benefit from a study of these narratives.

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Reflecting the masculine ethos of the larger comic book industry, superhero comics continue to be male-dominated spaces. Within comic studies, superhero scholars problematically normalize this androcentrism by reiterating the genre’s masculinist rhetoric, repeatedly positioning superheroes as stoic figures of whiteness, nationhood, heteronormativity and able-bodied masculinity. Although some intervention has been made to challenge these interpretations, scholars fail to acknowledge how transgender and/or transsexual readers evaluate comic heroes. This thesis provides one such intervention into the field, specifically focusing on the last son of Krypton, Superman. Drawing together the work of trans, queer, feminist, psychoanalytic, and monster theorists, my research attempts to “trans” Superman; thus, (re)reading the Man of Steel in a way that distinctly reflects the experiences of those who are denied access to the figure via their/our own gender “transgressions”. By interpolating transsexuality into the Superman narrative, I rewrite the figure’s place within the genre’s cis-sexist, masculinist history and while doing so, (re)position him as a more suitable hero for the trans community. / Thesis (Master, Gender Studies) -- Queen's University, 2013-12-05 10:35:05.511

This study explores controlling images as essential to the representation of black women’s lives within the media, especially the comic book character, Storm from the X-Men series. The researcher uses content analysis to examine the graphic images, text and dialogue of the comic books chosen for this study. Furthermore, the researcher juxtaposes Storm to the main controlling images that Patricia Hill Collins discusses in her seminal work, Black Feminist Thought, but also to expand this discussion to include the stereotype of the Magical Negro.

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This thesis looks at the contemporary superhero comic Hawkeye and its depiction of able-bodiedness and non-able-bodiedness, in general and more specifically the portrayal of deafness that takes place in the last story arc. Issues and depictions of various levels of functionality in comics, as a visual media, and superhero comics in particular, have been and are frequently present. They, however, rely heavily on old stereotypes, both in the visual and the textual elements. The small intersection of disability studies, crip theory and the study of superhero comics have mostly focused on the comics published between 1960 and 1980. The superhero genre is a genre known for idealized depictions of healthy and strong bodies, which is why it is such an interesting and complex theme to analyse. Matt Fraction and  David Aja’s Hawkeye comic utilizes the tools and elements inherent in the comic book style to portray disability and deafness in new enriching ways both in narrative terms and in the reader’s response to the text. Looking at both the visual and textual elements of the comic this thesis finds that the comic medium and the Hawkeye comic in particular manages to depict disability in an engaging and thought provoking way. / Inspirerad av min personliga reaktion av att läsa Matt Fraction och David Ajas superhjälteserie Hawkeye, och speciellt tidningen där protagonisten i serien plötsligt blir döv, har jag undersökt hur serien arbetar med föreställningar och normer om funktionalitet. Tidigare forskning inom just den smala intersektionen av cripteori och/eller handikappforskning samt forskningen av superhjälteserier har främst fokuserat på superhjälteseriernas så kallade Silverålder, vilket är åren mellan 1960 och 1980. Efter en kort introduktion till Hawkeyes fiktionella historia i förlaget Marvels serieuniversum och hanteringen av handikapp i tidigare tecknade serier diskuterar jag i analysen hur tematiken av funktionsduglighet och funktionsnedsatthet porträtteras. Jag undersöker såväl den visuella som den textuella skildringen samt hur denna tematik problematiseras, i själva berättelsen men även för läsaren, i seriens utformning. Jag använder mig av Mitchell och Snyders teorier om narrativa proteser och handikapp-narrativ för att undersöka hur Hawkeye förhåller sig till dessa. I början av Fraction och Ajas berättelse om Clint Barton följer handikapp-tematiken deras teori om narrativa proteser och det nedtystande och/eller ignorerande av handikappet som litterära skildringar av funktionsnedsättningar vanligtvis följer. När dövheten sedan tar plats i berättelsen förändras den attityden och Hawkeye #19 och senare serier bryter starkt mot dessa konventioner. Resultatet av denna analys är att tecknade serier, i egenskap av sin speciella medieform, är synnerhet är väldigt bra lämpad för att skildra alternativ funktionalitet och serieskaparna till Hawkeye använder detta till sin fördel för att avbilda Clints upplevelse av tillfälliga skador och dövhet.

Esta dissertação analisa a série iconográfica de cartuns e charges sob o título geral de Os Zeróis, do artista gráfico Ziraldo Alves Pinto, entre os anos de 1967 e 1972. Paródia aos super-heróis das histórias em quadrinhos norte-americanas Super-Homem, Batman, Capitão América etc. , Os Zeróis oferecem uma perspectiva crítica aos ideais e aos valores transmitidos por essas personagens. Nesse sentido, situam-se essas personagens, num primeiro momento, por princípio e por método no contexto político-histórico em que foram concebidas Guerra Fria, no contexto internacional, e Ditadura civil-militar, em nível nacional. Com isso, pretende-se perceber as estratégias que Ziraldo utilizou para, num cenário adverso, dada a censura do regime militar, manter-se atuante. Em um momento seguinte, parte-se à análise da trajetória profissional de Ziraldo, sobretudo àquela relacionada com a produção de histórias em quadrinhos nacionais, que teve na revista Pererê (1960-1964) seu ponto alto. / This dissertation analyses the iconographic series of cartoons and caricatures under the general title of Os Zéróis by the graphic artist Ziraldo Alves Pinto, between the years 1967 and 1972. As a parody of superheroes from North American comics such as Superman, Batman, Captain America , Os Zérois provides a critical perspective to the ideals and values transmitted by these characters. In this sense, they are located at first, by principle and method, in the historical and political context in which they were designed: the Cold War, as international context, and the civil-military dictatorship, at the national level. With this approach, one intends to understand the strategies used by Ziraldo to remain active even in an adverse scenario considering the censorship of the Military Regime. In the following moment, the analyzis of Ziraldo\'s professional trajectory is started, especially in regard to the production of national comics whose climax was Pererê magazine (1960-1964), reaching the Os Zéróis in 1967 until 1972.

As the American superhero films continue to increase their popularity around the globe, and because of the reccurent criticism against their poor and stereotypical representation, this essay aims to analyse the two newly made productions Man of Steel and Wonder Woman from a gender perspective. The essay argues a difference in Superman and Wonder Woman’s superhero images and further discussess the opportunities as well as potential problems the superhero narratives can offer to discuss gender in the EFL classroom.