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Rento
recamara
amueblada
THEREPRESENTATION
con closet
OFVIOLENCE,HEROISM
ANDGENDERIN
IDENTITYCRISIS
Author:DavidHernandoSerrano
Tuesday,January10,2006

ABSTRACT

SuperherocomicbooksreflectUnitedStatessocial
historysince1938,whenSupermanwasfirst
[created].Superheroeshavebeenconstructed
accordingtowhateachdecadehasdemandedfrom
WorldWarIItothefeministmovementortherace
issue.Disguisedasanactionorientednarrative,
MX$850 superherocomicbookshavebecomeagenrewithin
SAN JOAQUIN. genres,e.g.SUPERMANissciencefictionBATMANis
Hoy Recamara detectivestoriesXMENissocialmarginalization,and
soon.However,therearethreemainaspectsthatco
para una sola
occurinallofthem:violence,heroismandgender.
persona cama Theyhavebeentransformedandchangedthroughthe
individual con su years,buttheirbasishasnot.IDENTITYCRISIShas
llave,... becomethemostsuccessfulcomiceventof2004andit
isofgreatimportancetoexamineinwhatwaysdoesit
Ofertas portrayheroismincomparisonwiththekindof
Vivanuncios heroismpresentedinthelate1930s,aswellaswhat
kindofviolenceisrepresentedandwhatiswomens
roleincomicsnowadays.

INTRODUCTION

Violence,heroismandgenderarethreeofthemost
importantissuestobedealtwithingraphicnovels,
andespeciallyinthesuperherogenre.IDENDITY

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CRISISseemstotakeonestepfurtherintheevolution
ofthenarrativeestablishedwithinthatfield,yetit
reinforcesthetraditionalsuperherovaluesthatwere
introducedinthe1930sandreinventedinthe1980s
malebonding,womenspassiveroleandviolenceas
anessentialaspectoftheherosevolution.

Inordertounderstandtheanalysisthatwillbe
featuredinthefollowingessay,thefirstsectionisa
generaloverviewofcomicbookhistoryintermsof
howwomen,heroesandviolencehavebeen
representedsince1938,i.e.,Supermansfirst
appearance.Afterthat,thesecondpartoftheessay
willanalyzetherepresentationofviolence,heroism
andgenderonlybylookingatthecontentsofIC,but
takingintoaccounteverythingexplainedinthefirst
section.Thisissoinordertoemphasizehowthis
graphicnovelrecapturesoldtraditionaltopicsabout
womensroleincomicbooksand,atthesametime,
howitreconstructsandrepresentsviolenceand
heroisminamorehumananddarkertone.

COMICBOOKHISTORYGENERALOVERVIEW

Thishistoricaloverviewisfocusedonlyonthe
superherogenre,thusitdoesnottakeintoaccountany
otherfieldwithingraphicnovels.Inthoseterms,this
overviewmustbegininJune1938whenAction
Comics#1firstappeared.Itportrayedacharacterthat
changedthewayheroeswerefeaturedforyounger
audiences:Superman.CreatedbyJerrySiegelandJoe
Shuster,Superman(andhisalteregoClarkKent)
embodiedeverythingthosetwoyoungboysfeltwhen
theywere19yearsold.

Siegelfelthewasdifferentbecausehepreferred
readinginsteadofplayingsports.Hewasafraidof
womenandhealsowasextremelyshyabout
everythingelse.Hisonlywaytomakepeopleawareof
whowashewasbycreatinganewpersona.
Supermanwas,therefore,thewaySiegelwanted
everybodytoseehim,whileClarkKentwasthe
Siegeleverybodygettosee.Hecreatedafantasy
worldwherethegirl,LoisLane,wasdisgustedbyClark
Kentsmerepresence,yetshedidntknowhewasthe
mansheloved(i.e.Superman).

TherepresentationofLoisLaneasdamselindistress
wasquiteeffectiveforthatperiod(1930s/1940sand
partofthe1950s)aseverymonthshewasindanger
onlytobesavedbySuperman.Thisrepresentation
wasappliedtoallsuperheroesthatwereborndueto
Supermanssuccess(e.g.BatmanandFlash,among
manyothers).

Thus,womenwereportrayedasmereobjectswhose
functionwastobesavedbythehero.Theywerethe
reasonfortheheroestoshowtheirpowers.Theywere
theobjectofdesire,notonlyforheroes,butfor
readerstoo.Therewasasenseofidentificationwith
SupermansrelationshipwithLoisLaneinevery
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readersmind,eitherfromthe1930sorfrom
nowadays.Readersrelatedtothatman(ClarkKent)
whodoesntgetthegirlasClarkonlyasSuperman.

Thisconstructionofwomenreflected,nota
misogynisticpointofview(asitcouldbearguedthat
womenweretherewaitingtobesavedaspassive
objectsinsteadofbeingpartoftheplotasactive
characters),butalackofwomenknowledgebythe
authorspart.

In1954,psychiatristFredicWerthampublishedTHE
SEDUCTIONOFTHEINOCENT,abookwherehe
accusedcomicbooksofbeingfascist,promoting
homosexualityandservingasaverydangerous
weaponforyoungaudiences.Thisattackonthecomic
bookindustrycausedtheendofseveralpublishing
companiesandtheonesthatsurvived,likeDCComics
(thecompanywhereSuperman,Batman,Wonder
Woman,Flashandothersbelong),keptpublishingtheir
comicsbychangingtheirtoneintoacampyandhappy
versionofwhattheyoncewere.Onlythree
superheroessurvived:Superman,BatmanandWonder
Woman.Alltherestwerecancelled.

Oncethesuperherogenrewasreborn(in1956dueto
JuliusSchwartzrecreationofFlash),theheroismand
violencewaspresentedinthesamevenue:heroes
wereGodlikefigureswhoachievedvictorythrough
violence.However,womensrolechanged,asPeter
Sandersonexplains:

Inthelate1950sandearly1960s,beforethefeministrevolution,
Schwartz'sleadingladiesincludedareporter(IrisWestinTheFlash),a
lawyer(JeanLoringinTheAtom),andeventheheadofanaircraft
company(CarolFerrisinGreenLantern).ShieraHallwasmerelya
secretaryattheMidwayCityMuseum,butasHawkgirlshewasapolice
officeronhernativeplanetThanagarandanequalpartnertoher
husbandHawkman(CarterHall)intheirsuperheroicexploits.Thenthere
wasZatanna,bravelytraversingthedimensionsinhersearchforher
ClickHeretoBuyMovie
missingfather(aschronicledintherecentDCtradepaperbackZatanna's
Posters!
Quest).BarbaraGordoninitiallyconformedtohackneyedstereotypesas
adowdylibrarian,buthertransformationintoBatgirlcouldbeseenin
retrospectasasymboloftheemergingfemaleempowermentmovement
ofthe1960s.(Moreover,bythe1970sBarbarahadgivenherselfa
makeovereveninher"civilianidentity"andranforCongress.)(January
07,2005)

Thistransformationintheconstructionofwomensrole
withinsuperherocomicsmayhavebeentriggeredby
thefeministmovementsofthatperiod,butits
importanttonoticehowfemalesuperheroeswerefully
acceptedalmosttwentyyearsaftermalesuperheroes,
despiteexceptionslikeWonderWoman.This
substitutionofmaleheroesbywomenheroinesisalso
applicabletotherealworldofthelate20thcentury
andwomensroleduringWorldWarII,asDanny
Fingerothpointsoutinthefollowingquote:

Itwouldbeuptocreatorsafewgenerationsdowntheroadtoassimilate
feministattitudesintomainstreamculturethroughthefactthatboth
weresonaturaltothem.Theirmothersweredoctors,theirsisters,
lawyers,theirfemalecousinsrancorporations.Tothisnewgeneration,a
womancouldbeinapositionofpowerwasnotunusualoracreditto
hersex,butjustthewaythingswere.Thesethingshadhappened
before,ofcourse.DuringWorldWarII,withmanymenofffighting,

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womentooktheirplacesinallsortsofprofessionsandjobs.Butitwas
understoodthatwhenherfightingmancamehome,RosietheRiveter
wouldhandherrivetinggunbackoverandpickupherfryingpanand
knittingneedlesagain.(2004:8182)

MarvelComics,acompanythatbeganpublishingthe
comicsitismostknownofin1961(TheFantasticFour,
SpiderMan,XMen,TheHulkallofthemcreatedby
StanLee),featuredwomenaspartoftheirsuperhero
rostersincethebeginning,e.g.JeanGreyinXMen
andSusanStorminTheFantasticFour.However,they
weregiventhelessactionorientedsuperpowers:Jean
wasatelepathandSusanwastheInvisibleWoman.
Jeanspowerwasrelatedtothemind(asifwomen
couldntbeconnectedwithbodyaction)andSusans
nicknameisquiteselfexplanatory:herpowerwasto
becomeinvisible,i.e.,nonexistentinthebattlefield.
Whenviolencewaspresent,thebestshecoulddowas
todisappear.

The1970scomicsweremorefocusedonsocial
problemslikedrugs,thoughwomenachievedmore
andmorerelevanceintheirrolesastheheroslove
interestandalsoassuperheroines.Itsimportantto
takeintoaccountthatuntilthisdecade,comicbook
historywasdividedintotwoperiods:theGoldenAge
(1930s/1950s)andtheSilverAge(1950s/1960s).The
firstonedatesfromSupermansfirstappearanceto
FredicWerthamsbook.Thesecondonebeginswith
SchwartzsreinventionofTheFlashandthewholenew
recreationofthesuperherogenre.The1970swere
thebeginningoftheBronzeAge,withamore
realisticapproachtosuperherostories.Itbeganwith
GwenStacysdeathSpiderMansgirlfriend.The
1980swasthetimewhensuperheroesbecamedarker
anditisgenerallyknownasgrimandgritty,i.e.,a
dark,violentworldwheresuperheroesaretoughguys
fightingfortheirownpurposesratherthanworld
peace.FrankMillersTHEDARKKNIGHTRETURNSand
AlanMoore&DaveGibbonsWATCHMENwerethetwo
graphicnovelsresponsibleforthischange,aswellas
DCComicsCRISISONINFINITEEARTHS.AsSanderson
describesit:

CRISIS,however,representsasharpbreakwiththepast.Thisseries
effectivelydeclareswarontheGoldenandSilverAges,killingoffeditor
JuliusSchwartz'sSilverAgeFlash(whosedebutstartedtheSilverAge)
andSupergirl,whorepresentstheMortWeisinger'seditorialreignonthe
Supermantitles.CRISIS,alsodisposesofSchwartz'sparallelworld,
Earth2,onwhichGoldenAgeversionsofcharacters(includingthe1940s
versionsofSupermanandBatman)existed.CRISIS,pavedthewayfor
DC'sevenmoreradicalinnovation:obliteratingacharacter'spast
continuityaltogetherand"rebooting"hisseries.GeorgePerez'sWonder
WomanrebootwassetupinCrisis,butJohnByrne'sManofSteelreboot
wasnottiedintopastSupermancontinuity:thepastwasconsignedto
oblivion,andtheSupermansagastartedoverfromscratch.(October15,
2004)

Today,superheroesaretreatedinamorecomplex
way.Supermanwasaherowhosavedthegirland
punishedthecriminals,butafterCRISISONINFINITE
EARTHS,Supermanwasreenvisionedfromanangle
thatfocusedwhathethoughtabouthisaliencondition
andabouthisrelationshipwithLoisLane.Evenhis
ClarkKentpersonawasempowered,challengingthe
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mildmanneredattitudehewasbetterknownof.
Therefore,heroismisrepresentedinarealisticand
naturalisticapproachwhereheroesarenolongerGod
likefigures,buthumanbeingswithextraordinary
abilities.

Violenceisstillpresentinthesuperherogenre,butit
isnotonlyrepresentedasthemediumthroughwhich
goodovercomesevil,butasaninnerbattlewithin
thesuperherohimself.Violencecanaffecthim
personallyandthatkindofviolenceturnsoutasa
moredangerousthreatthanthephysicalone,e.g.by
killingoffsecondarycharacters(usuallytheheros
girlfriend),highlightinghowwomenarestillportrayed
inarchaicwayswithinsomesuperherocomics.

Thisgeneraloverviewofcomicbookshistoryfocused
onlyonsuperherocomicsandonthethreemainissues
discussedinthisessay(violence,heroismand
gender).Itservesasintroductiontothefollowing
analysisofIDENDITYCRISIS.Asviolence,heroismand
genderareverymuchinterconnectedwhentalking
aboutsuperheroes,therewillnotbeanyspecific
structuraldivisionwithintheanalysis.

VIOLENCE,HEROISMANDGENDER

IDENDTITYCRISISisagraphicnovelserializedasa
sevenissueminiseriesandpublishedin2004byDC
Comics.WrittenbyBradMeltzerandpenciledbyRags
Morales,ICseemstorecreateCRISISONINFINITE
EARTHSthroughanintimateangleratherthana
cosmicone.

Atthesametime,itseemstodevelopthesuperhero
genreintoamorematurekindofnarrativeby
introducingelementsofrape,murderandtreason,i.e.,
itconnectswiththegrimandgrittyperiodofthe
1980s,asSandersondescribesit:

Thereappeartobetwocompetingpointsofviewintoday'ssuperhero
comics.Thereisthe"NeoSilver"movement,whichattemptstorevivify
thespiritofearliercomicswithinacontemporarycontext.Andthen
thereisanintensificationofthe"grimandgritty"movementofthe
1980s,pairedwithanarguablyevenmoresevereattackonpastcomics
continuity.IDENTITYCRISIS,whoseown"catalyst"istherapeand
murderofSueDibny,thewifeoftheElongatedMan,the"Stretchable
Sleuth"ofJulieSchwartz'sSilverAgeDCComics,isthemostprominent
currentexampleofthislattermode.(October15,2004)

ThiswouldalienateIDENTITYCRISISfromthe
stereotypeofherogetsgirlandsavesthedayasitis
replacedbyadarkerapproachtothesametypeof
material.However,whenanalyzingthisminiseriesin
depth,aconservativereadingariseswhereold
traditionalvaluesarereinforcedandsustained
disguisedasanaturalisticandrealistictreatment.As
Sandersonpointsout:

TheopeningstatementofI>IDENTITYCRISISevokesthereisno
mysteryeverythingendsindeath.Deathisindeedinevitableinreal
lifethisisnosurprise.Inothermodestheheroes'deathscanbe
ignored,asincomedy,wherethey"livehappilyeverafter."Atragicor
romantichero'sdeathmayneverthelessbetriumphant:Hamletdies,but

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indoingsohesucceedsinavenginghisfather'smurder.Forthe
religious,thehero'sdeathisnottheend,andcanevenbethemeansof
achievinghisultimatereward.Ordeathcanbedepictedasthenatural,
properendtoalong,fulfillinglife.

ButtheElongatedMan'ssimplestatementthattheonlymysteryabout
deathis"when"establishesableaktonetotheseriesfromtheoutset.
It'slikeatechnicaltreatmentofdeath:theonlyquestiontheElongated
Manhasisatwhatspecifictimenonexistencewillbegin.Hisrejection
ofthenotionthatlifehas"mystery"mayimplythatthereisnospiritual
dimensiontoexistence,orevenanythingremarkableaboutit.You're
aliveandthenyou'renot.Whereasthesuperherogenreworksthrough
metaphorsfortheheroic,transcendentpotentialofthehumanbeing,
IDENTITYCRISISbeginswithanironicreductionoflifetothedrab,
distinctlyunmysteriouspassageoftimetoaninescapableendpoint.
There'snohopefromthestart.(October08,2004)

Thus,IDENTITYCRISISdistancesitselffromtheold
notionofthesuperheroasaneverlastingsymbol
capableofsavingusalls/hebecomesnothingmore
thananordinaryhumanbeingoffleshandbloodthat
willdieasifs/hewasoneofus.Inthissense,
IDENTITYCRISISevokesadifferentkindofheroismas
theonealreadydiscussedinthehistoricaloverview.
Godlikefiguresnomore:superheroesbecome
characterstowhoreaderscanrelateto.

Ifasenseofidentificationmustsurfacebetween
readerandhero,thentheheromustsufferwhatreal
peoplesuffer.Thisherossufferingisembodiedby
onecharacterinIDENTITYCRISIS:SueDibnyshe
wasrapedinthepastandsheismurderedinthe
presentand,curiouslyenough,sheisnotasuperhero.

BeforegoingintoheranalysisinIDENTITYCRISIS,itis
worthofhighlightingSueDibnysroleinthe1960s,
whenshewascreatedalongtherestoffemale
charactersthatwereportrayedasrelevantsocial
workers,likelawyersorreporters.InSanderson
words:

ThewealthySueDibny,thewifeofRalphDibny,theElongatedMan,was
notacareerwoman,butsheprovedtobearolemodelinadifferent
way.Hawkman,HawkgirlandtheElongatedManwerethefirstmarried
superheroes,andSchwartzandwriterGardnerFoxportrayedtheDibnys
andtheHalls'marriagesinapositivelight.Thiswasunusualinthe
comicsofthattime.LoisLane,LanaLang,andVickiValewere
nuisances,attemptingtoexposetheheroes'secretidentities.Most
superheroseriessubliminallyconveyedthemessagethatmenshould
keepfreeofromanticentanglementsandthatwomencouldnotbe
trusted.Presumably,sincesuperherocomicsthenwereaimedat
children,editorsandwritersthoughtthatyoungboyswouldn'twantto
readaboutmarriedcouples,whomightremindthemoftheirparents.
ThroughtheHallsandtheDibnys,SchwartzandFoxcounteredthe
implicitmisogynyoftheseearlysuperheroseriesandhelpedthegenre
growup.(January07,2005)

HercharacterizationinIDENTITYCRISISisnon
existentandsheservesonespecificpurpose:tobethe
catalystofanidentitycrisisformalesuperheroesand,
moreover,forthewholesuperherogenre.When
IDENTITYCRISIS#2revealsDr.Lightsmindwipe,it
transformsthegeneralrepresentationofsuperheroes.
Theywereconstructedandrepresentedforthelast
sevendecadesasflawlessheroes.Atleast,theycould
haveoneflaw,butitwasntanordinaryhumanbeing
flaw,e.g.Supermanskryptonite.

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InIDENTITYCRISIS,superheroesareconstructedas
ordinaryhumanbeingswithspecialpowersthatthey
donothesitatetousewhentheyfeelthreatenedjust
whateveryotherhumanbeingwoulddo.Superheroes
aresupposedtobeabovetheordinarypopulationand
theyhavetoovercomethosesituationsthatwouldbe
impossibleforustoovercome.Thus,theyhavetobe
anexampleofwhatweshouldbe.However,they
becomeareflectionofwhatweare.Superheroesare
nolongergodsamonghumans,buthumansactingas
gods.AsSandersonputsit,TheJusticeLeague,these
iconsofheroism,severelycompromisedtheirown
idealsinretaliatingagainsttherapist.(October08,
2004).

Thishumanizationofsuperheroesisemphasizedbythe
waytheyrefertoeachother,highlightinganother
identitycrisiswithin,asSandersonexplainsinthe
followingquote:

Significantly,inIdentityCrisisthesuperheroesusuallyrefertoeach
otherbytheirfirstnames.That'srealistic,butitalsosubliminallydenies
theirsuperhumanidentities:evenincostume,Batmanisstillonly
"Bruce"tohiscolleagues.Atonepointinissueone,commentingon
Batman,GreenArrowsays,"It'sBruce'sbiggestflaw.Idon'tcarehow
goodheis.Idon'tcarehowwelltrained.Attheendoftheday,whenall
issaidanddone,likemeandmyson,likesomanyofus,he'sonly
human."That"only"demonstratesthestrategyofthisseries:the
superheroesarenobetterthananyoneelse.(October08,2004)

Astheyarenobetterthananyoneelse,theymust
sufferasanyoneelsewouldsuffer:byseeingtheir
lovedonesdead.ThatswhathappenstoRalphand
SueDibny.Heisthesuperhero,yetsheistheonewho
suffersphysicallyinordertoseehimsuffer
psychologically.Thissituationevokestheendofthe
SilverAgewithGwenStacysdeath(SpiderMans
girlfriend)inthemid1970s,asSandersonpointsout:

ThedeathofGwenmarkedtheunmistakableendoftheSilverAge.
Unfortunately,itnowalsoseemstohaveprovidedthemodelforawhole
seriesofstoriesofsuperherostoriesinwhichleadingfemalecharacters
becomesacrificialvictims,ofwhichSueDibny'sdemiseisthelatestand
oneofthemostdisturbingexamples.(October08,2004)

SueDibnysbrutaldeath(herbodyisbeatenand
burned)reinforcesthemalebondinginwhich
superheroteamsarebasedon.TheJusticeLeague,in
thiscaseformedbyTheFlash,GreenLantern,Green
Arrow,Hawkman,Atom,ElongatedMan,Batmanand
Zatanna,isaffectedbySuesdeathbecauseittriggers
thedownfallofthesuperheroesasweknowthem.The
bestexampleofthissituationisIDENTITYCRISIS#2
(p.17)wherewegettoseethememberwhosevote
decidesthefinalfateofDr.Light:BarryAllen,The
Flash,theherowhodidrebornsuperheroesin1956.
HebegantheSilverAgeandheendsitwiththat
decision,throwingallsuperheroesintoagrimand
grittyworldofviolencethesameviolencethat
affectsthemsodeeplythatchangestheiridentities.
E.g.Robinbecomesorphanattheendoftheseries
becauseoftheviolencethatsurroundshisworld.
Heroesarenolongerunaffectedbyviolence,itshapes
andcontrolstheirworld.

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Itsimportanttonoticehowallofthemembersofthe
JusticeLeaguevotewhethermindwipingDrLightor
not,buttheonewhodoesitisZatanna,theonly
femalememberofthegroup.Thus,sheistheguilty
onewhodoeswhatmentellhertodo.This,alongwith
Suesmurder,hasbeenreadasamisogynisticissuein
thewholeseries.AsSandersonnotesinthefollowing
quote:

InitsownreportonIdentityCrisis,TheNewYorkTimes(Sept.15,
2004)statedthatitswriter,BradMeltzer,hadbeenaccusedbysome
readersof"misogyny."Well,MeltzerandDCwouldsurelyarguethat
Sue'scharacterispresentedverypositively(inRalph'sreminiscences),
andthattheyaremerelyintroducingagreaterdegreeofrealismintothe
DCUniverse,thatwomendogetrapedandmurderedinreallife,and
thatIDENTITYCRISIStakestheappropriateattitudeofhorrorand
sadnessoverSue'sfate.(October15,2004)

SojustwhyisIDENTITYCRISISsupposedlyso
revolutionaryinhavingSueDibnyrapedandkilled?
Leadingladiesincomicshavebeenregularlyconsigned
tobrutalfatesforoverthirtyyears.It'sasifevery
handfulofyearssomewriterfeelshehastoreaffirm
theseriousnessofthegenrebybrutallykilling
someone,usuallyawoman.Andthisisbasicallythe
excusethatIdentityCrisisisusingnow.Justwhatis
reallygoingonwiththisrecurringmotifofthe
sacrificialwomanvictim?Itusedtobethatsuperhero
comicsvoicedmisogynybyhavingSupermanfoiling
yetanotherofLoisLane'ssnoopyattemptstoprovehe
wasClarkKent.JulesFeiffercontendedinTheGreat
ComicBookHeroes(see"ComicsinContext"#26),
Supermandisdainedwomenand,inhisheroicidentity,
wasnotreallyinterestedinLois.Hencetheywould
nevergetmarried.Nowheroes'romancesareoften
doomedbecausethewriterskilloffthewomenin
question.Oh,theheroesmournthedeadwomen,and
sodothewriters.Butarethestoriesreallyconveying
acontemptforwomen,whateverthewriters'
consciousintent?(October15,2004)

ThemurderofSuegeneratesawholedebateamong
themalesuperherocommunitywheremalebondingis
challenged.IDENTITYCRISISdoesnotreflectSues
feelingswhensheisraped.Readersgettoseeonly
howthemeninthesuperherocommunityreacttothat
horribleact.Sueisrapedand,afterthat,sheis
removedfromthemainpicturetobecome,again,a
secondaryandvoicelesscharacter.

Weonlyhaveaccesstoherthroughthewaymen
constructherintheirminds,especiallyherhusband
Ralph.Thisissobecauseherreactiontotherapeof
herbodyisnotrelevant.Herfeelingsareobscured
becausesheisanexcusetoexploremalerelationships
withinastrongandviolentpatriarchalstructureasthe
superherogenreis.Sandersonsupportsthisargument
inthefollowingquote:

NoticethatSuemostlyappearsinIDENTITYCRISISeitherasacorpse
(onanautopsytableorconcealedwithinacoffin),orinflashbacks.
ThereareonlyafewsceneswithalivingSueinthe"present,"and,of
course,inoneofthesesheisavictimofamurderer.Inthelongestof
herflashbacks,sheisavictim,too,thistimeofrape.Inother

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flashbacks,sheisportrayedthroughRalph'spointofview:happy,
beautiful,andidealized.

ButSueisnotallowedtomakemuchofanimpressionthroughherown
efforts.EithersheisviewedbyRalph(andthereader)astheIdeal
Woman,orsheisthevictimofbrutalmen.(Herunknownmurdereris
apparentlymale.)

IDENTITYCRISISismoreaboutthereactionsofRalphandother
characterstoSue'sdeaththanitisaboutSue.She'salmosttreatedasa
HitchcockianMcGuffininthisstory:thecatalystthatisofnoreal
importance.Sheisa"minor"characterinthetaleturningonherown
rapeanddeath!Herhusband'sgriefseemstobeofmoredramatic
importancethanherlifeandhersuffering.Sueistreatedasan
extensionofaman'sgrief(andofothermen'shatred)morethanasa
personinherownright.(October08,2004)

Thismisogynisticangleisemphasisedwhenreading
IDENTITYCRISIS#7,withtherevelationofSue
Dibnysmurderer:JeanLoring,theAtomswife.Her
confessionrevealsshewantedherhusbandtopay
attentiontoher.Theproblemisthatthereisno
closureinthatstorybecausethemurderersidentity
hasnosenseatall.Thereisnoplausiblereasonfor
JeantokillSue,despitewhatsheconfesses.

Iswomensfateinsuperherocomicstobejusta
passiverole,anobjectfortheherotobesaved?Thats
whatIDENTITYCRISISseemstoestablishbecause
whenwomenarepresentedasactivecharacters(a
murdererinthiscase)herreasonsarenootherthana
willformaleattention.Thatsoundsmoremisogynistic
thanthetraditionalrepresentationofwomenincomic
bookssincethe1930s.

AsSandersonnotes:

InIDENTITYCRISIS#7comesthegrandrevelationthatthemurdererof
oneSchwartzheroine,SueDibny,isnoneotherthananotherSchwartz
heroine,JeanLoring.InthepastI'veheardcomediansjokethatthe
typicallyobtusemalereactionwhenaguyandhisgirlfriendbreakupis
that"Shewentnuts!"So,manyyearsagoJeanhadmarriedRayPalmer,
theAtom,andsubsequentlyitwasdecidedtohavethemdivorce.Now,
inIdentityCrisis,itturnsoutthatJeanisinsane.Havingdecidedshe
wantsRayback,JeandecidedtoendangerSuesothatallthe
superheroes,includingRay,wouldreactbydrawingclosertotheirloved
ones.It'slikeoneofLoisLane'sharebrainedschemesfromthe1950s
andearly1960s,whensheoftenseemedlikeLucyRicardotransplanted
intoMetropolis,gonehorriblywrong.(Jean'splotentailedusingthe
Atom'scostumetoshrinkherselftomicroscopicsize.Thismightconfuse
oldtimereaders,whowillrecallthatintheSilverAgeifRayPalmer
triedtousethewhitedwarfstarmattertoshrinkandreenlarge
anythingbuthimself,thethingwouldblowup.)Jeanclaimsthatshe
didn'tintendforSuetodie,or,forthatmatter,thefatherofTimDrake,
thecurrentRobin:thisseemsanoddargumentforahighlyaccomplished
lawyertomake.JusthowdidtherationalMs.Loringcometoloseher
mind?ThereisnoexplanationIDENTITYCRISIShasbeenaccusedof
misogyny.Inmypastreviewsoftheseries,I'vebeenwillingtogiveit
thebenefitofthedoubt.Butnowit'sclearthat,intentionallyornot,
IDENTITYCRISISisindeeddisturbinglymisogynistic.(January07,2004)

IDENTITYCRISISisseenasastepbackwardsinthe
evolutionofwomensroleinthesuperherogenre
becausepowerfulwomenwasalabelonlyevil
characterscouldachieve(e.g.Catwoman),whilegood
womenwerethosewomenwhodidnthesitateand
waitedpatientlytheherosarrival.Thisrepresentation
waschallengedinthe1960s/1970s,asithasbeen
alreadydiscussed,andthereforeJeanLoringsattitude

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isofnousefornowadayswomenportrayal,as
Fingerothrecalls:

Womennowhaveculturalpermissiontobeangryandviolentwithout
havingtobeevil.Ittookseveralgenerationsofmodernpopularculture
toarrivehere.Oursocietyisataplaceinhistorywhereyounggirlsdont
havetohesitatetofulfiltheirdreamsandambitions.Or,atleast,they
donthavetohesitateanymorethanyoungboysdo.Girlsandboys,
mensandwomens,humanpotentialisseenasequal,atleastinthe
idealview.(2004:95)

Intheidealviewitworksperfectly,butwhenputtingit
intopractice,itdoesnotworkasitcanbe
demonstratedbylookingatIDENTITYCRISISs
representationofwomensrolewithinthesuperhero
genreagenrefulfilledwithviolenceandmale
heroismthathasbeentransformedgenerationafter
generationandyet,itremainsunchanged.

CONCLUSION

IsIDENTITYCRISISreallytakingthesuperherogenre
intoanew,moresophisticateddirection,reenergizing
itforanewgeneration,asDCclaims?Orisitasign
thatsuperherocomicsarenowdominatedbywriters,
artistsandeditorswhohavereadsuperherocomics
theirwholelives,growntiredofit,grownjaded,and
aresubvertingthegenrewiththeirownpessimistic
viewoflife,whichisnotnecessarilyanytruerthanthe
sunnyoptimismofearlysuperherostories.
(Sanderson,October152004)

Whileearlysuperherostoriesarenotsosunny
optimisticasSandersondescribesthem,itistruethat
IdentityCrisisisnotreallyanew,moresophisticated
directioninthesuperherogenre.Itembodiesevery
aspectthatmadeitwhatitistoday,i.e.,violence,
heroismandgenderquestions.

Perhapsviolenceandheroismarethemostupdated
issues,whilegenderseemstobeinthesameplaceas
itwasoncebefore.Ifviolencewasthemeanstofight
injusticeinearlysuperherocomicbooks,today
violencemayaffecteitherthevillainorthehero
himself.Thisisduetothenewheroismthathasarisen
throughthelastdecadesandoneIDENTITYCRISIS
ultimatelyportrays.Theheroasahumanbeingmore
awareoftheirlovedonesthanwhichvillainhehasto
fightagainst.

Thishumanizationbringsanewrepresentationofthe
superherogenrewhereviolencegetspersonal,it
increasesthereforeitsrelevancy,andmalebonding
becomesessentialinthesurvivalofthesuperhero
society.Asithasbeendiscussedpreviously,theonly
issueyettobepolishedisthegenderonebecause
womenstillplaynonrelevantrolesinaworld
dominatedbymalesuperheroeswiththeirownsetof
rules.

DespiteIDENTITYCRISISispresentedasanexample
ofthiskindofgendertreatment,itsimportantto

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noticeothercomicbookworks(likeGregRuckas
DETECTIVEorGOTHAMCENTRALstories)whereitis
highlightedtheimportanceofthefemininefigureina
maledominatedworld.Therefore,comicbookskeep
constructingandrepresentingUnitedStatessocial
historywithinitspages,asithasdonesince1938and
itwillcontinuedoingfortheyearstocome,as
Fingerothnotes:Thereisaneedforsuperheroes,that
someone,whoisessentiallyagoodheartedcop,must
alwaysinterveneinthedomesticandglobalsquabbles
thatcomprisehumanexistence.Wecantdoitonour
own.(2004:155156)

WORKSCITED:

Fingeroth,Danny.2004.upermanontheCouch:WhatSuperheroes
ReallyTellUsaboutOurselvesandOurSociety.
NewYorkandLondon:Continuum.

Sanderson,Peter.October08,2004."AsGrimasItGets.Petertears
intoDCsIdentityCrisis."
"ComicsinContext."IGNFILMFORCEAccessDate:04/12/2004

Sanderson,Peter.October15,2004."CrisisofConscience.Peterwraps
uphisdecimationofIdentityCrisis."
"ComicsinContext."IGNFILMFORCEAccessDate:04/12/2004

Sanderson,Peter.January7,2005."CatchasCatsCan.Gaimananda
GoodbyetoIdentityCrisis."
"ComicsinContext."IGNFILMFORCEAccessDate:4/15/2005

WriterDavidHernandoSerranoisacontributortobothBATMANON
FILMandBATMANINCOMICS.

1998presentBATMANONFILM.Allrightsreserved.MaterialfromBOFmaynotbereprintedwithoutpermission.

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