Heroes and VillainsHercules, Jesus, James Bond, Luke Skywalker, Gandalf, Frodo, Harry Potter, Buffy Summers, Spiderman, Batman, Captain Kirk, Dr. Who, Darth Vader, Sauron, Voldemort, Lex Luthor, Dr. Doom, the Daleks, the Borg. Almost anybody living in the developed West would be able to group these individuals into two camps: the heroes and the villains. However, what criteria they may use to do this is less clear. Mike Alsford introduces us to a range of heroic and villainous archetypes on a journey through film, television, comic books, and literature. On the way, he addresses questions such as: What is a true hero? What is a true villain? Have we misunderstood these terms? What kind of societal values do our mythical heroes and villains represent? In trying to understand the extremes of hero and villain we are made more aware of our own ethical standards and given a space in which to explore contemporary concerns over notions of right and wrong, good and bad. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 29
... Batman possesses no superhuman or para- normal abilities . the Batman is one of the very few self - made comic super heroes , his abilities while formidable are nevertheless human abilities honed by obsession to their highest degree ...
... Batman is certainly not a god , he fits the role of avenging angel very well indeed . In many ways the Batman is more the Nietzschean superman than is his red , white and blue counterpart who actually bears the name . While Superman is ...
... Batman informs the Joker that Gordon remains sane and that perhaps it is a flaw in the Joker's own character that made him what he is , the last half a dozen panels of the graphic novel , depicting the Batman and the Joker laughing ...
Contents
Myth and Imagination | 1 |
Heroes and Otherness | 23 |
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | 63 |
Copyright | |
2 other sections not shown