ABSTRACT
Debates around the politics of superheroes in academia and fandom are typically framed either by the now-commonplace critique of superheroes as fascist enforcers of order or by the conservative-liberal spectrum of American politics. The former, derived largely from the much-examined ‘deconstruction’ of the superhero by Alan Moore and his contemporaries in the late 1980s and early 1990s, draws on generic conventions to make a broad political assessment of superheroes and their relationship to hegemonic capitalism and the state (Dittmer 2007c, Hughes 2006, Klock 2002, Skoble 2005, Wolf-Meyer 2003). The latter approach typically goes further back for its touchstone, emphasizing the 1970s ‘social relevance’ movement and often referencing the 1970-1971 Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams run on Green Lantern. This approach is less totalizing in its approach but remains ensconced within the frame of American politics, especially those concerning liberalism and civil rights (Mondello 1976, Moore 2003, Trushell 2004). This paper largely approaches superhero politics through this latter perspective, but as will be seen in the conclusion tacitly speaks to the former.
