From Hero to Superhero
The Update of an Archetype
This paper offers an analysis of the interpretative keys of the
character of the superhero in comic books, in comparison with those of the
hero of Classical Antiquity. It is not only that both characters come to
play similar functions in their respective fictional universes, but there is
also a genetic link between the latter and the former. And this relationship
is two-way, since this dependency determines the contemporary rewritings of
the ancient hero in comic books. Taking El héroe
(The Hero), by the Spanish scriptwriter David Rubín, as
a case study, this paper tries to exemplify that relationship, according to
which an ancient hero such as Hercules immediately evokes the typical
features of the superhero of comic book.
Article outline
- Classical tradition and comics?
- Comics on (Greco-roman) classics
- The superhero genre
- To conclude: A round trip
-
Notes
-
References
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