"I read some comics when I was younger, but not too many," says Brendan Conway '09 (North Caldwell, N.J.) on his experience in the field of superhero literature. Now, however, he is spending the entire summer reading comics. After a friend recommended Watchmen by Alan Moore, one of the greatest graphic novels ever written, Conway started looking for other superhero comics that showed the same level of depth and complexity…"and one led to another," he says. "Eventually, I was knee-deep in superhero lore, and I was finding it fascinating."
From there, Conway wanted to show the literary value of superhero comics and prove that the genre was not simply escapist or juvenile fiction. He decided to pursue a summer research grant because he knew there was a precedent in the 2006 project on vampires by William Welles '08, partially inspired by the hit TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Conway was drawn to superhero comics by the continuing presence and popularity of the characters, and wanted to show what function superheroes serve in society. His research, in collaboration with Assistant Professor of English Tina Hall, is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant program, which provides students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, researching an area of interest.
With his project, "Why We Need Supermen," Conway intends to rescue superheroes from their usual fate of being dismissed as juvenile or escapist, what he terms the "literary trash bin." He finds that the stories function as a kind of modern mythology, where the characters represent extreme versions of humanity's essential qualities, helping readers to make sense of their environment. Superheroes are especially important in the modern world, he says, where we constantly try to tear down real-life heroes and expose their faults. "Superheroes can reinvigorate hope in us," Conway explains. "They can show us the meaning of heroism and its existence in the world around us, regardless of whether the stories are realistic or not."
Conway has been reading stories from the two main publishers, Marvel and DC comics, as well as looking at critical commentaries, and he focuses especially on Superman, the "quintessential superhero." He writes one report on his readings each week, as well as supplementary creative fiction in the form of short stories and poems. Conway says he appreciates the chance to pursue his own ideas and research, while still being able to count on the advice and support of a skilled professor. The main difficulty is "controlling the floodgates," he admits, and not getting carried away by the sheer wealth of material.
In comparing story arcs across time, Conway has found that "each generation seems to be moving away from the stories of its youth into some other area." The farcical and absurd "Silver Age" of comics, which extended from the mid '50s to the early '70s, gave way to a darker, grittier period, which in turn was followed by a revival of the Silver Age style. However, one constant is that the stories have a core idea of human realism that has become more important as the genre continues.
Personally, Conway's major discovery is a changed view of the classic hero Superman. Initially, Conway says, "He seemed empty. Nothing could ever truly challenge him, and he always won in the end. He just seemed dull." But in focusing his research on Superman, Conway found that since the Man of Steel personifies all the key qualities of a superhero, stories about him work as commentaries on all of his compatriots. "Any story about him is a story about the entirety of the genre, almost inherently," Conway says.
In spite of his newfound appreciation for Superman, however, Conway admits that if forced to pick his favorite superhero, he would choose Batman. Not as the better character, but "because I just think his stories are a bit more demented, and as much as I hate to admit it, I love a good demented story."
-- by Laura Bramley
From there, Conway wanted to show the literary value of superhero comics and prove that the genre was not simply escapist or juvenile fiction. He decided to pursue a summer research grant because he knew there was a precedent in the 2006 project on vampires by William Welles '08, partially inspired by the hit TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Conway was drawn to superhero comics by the continuing presence and popularity of the characters, and wanted to show what function superheroes serve in society. His research, in collaboration with Assistant Professor of English Tina Hall, is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant program, which provides students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, researching an area of interest.
With his project, "Why We Need Supermen," Conway intends to rescue superheroes from their usual fate of being dismissed as juvenile or escapist, what he terms the "literary trash bin." He finds that the stories function as a kind of modern mythology, where the characters represent extreme versions of humanity's essential qualities, helping readers to make sense of their environment. Superheroes are especially important in the modern world, he says, where we constantly try to tear down real-life heroes and expose their faults. "Superheroes can reinvigorate hope in us," Conway explains. "They can show us the meaning of heroism and its existence in the world around us, regardless of whether the stories are realistic or not."
Conway has been reading stories from the two main publishers, Marvel and DC comics, as well as looking at critical commentaries, and he focuses especially on Superman, the "quintessential superhero." He writes one report on his readings each week, as well as supplementary creative fiction in the form of short stories and poems. Conway says he appreciates the chance to pursue his own ideas and research, while still being able to count on the advice and support of a skilled professor. The main difficulty is "controlling the floodgates," he admits, and not getting carried away by the sheer wealth of material.
In comparing story arcs across time, Conway has found that "each generation seems to be moving away from the stories of its youth into some other area." The farcical and absurd "Silver Age" of comics, which extended from the mid '50s to the early '70s, gave way to a darker, grittier period, which in turn was followed by a revival of the Silver Age style. However, one constant is that the stories have a core idea of human realism that has become more important as the genre continues.
Personally, Conway's major discovery is a changed view of the classic hero Superman. Initially, Conway says, "He seemed empty. Nothing could ever truly challenge him, and he always won in the end. He just seemed dull." But in focusing his research on Superman, Conway found that since the Man of Steel personifies all the key qualities of a superhero, stories about him work as commentaries on all of his compatriots. "Any story about him is a story about the entirety of the genre, almost inherently," Conway says.
In spite of his newfound appreciation for Superman, however, Conway admits that if forced to pick his favorite superhero, he would choose Batman. Not as the better character, but "because I just think his stories are a bit more demented, and as much as I hate to admit it, I love a good demented story."
-- by Laura Bramley
