Superhero Research Papers

What is superhero fiction? Superhero fiction is a genre mainly originating in and most common to American comic books, though it has expanded into other media through adaptations and original works. The form is a type of speculative fiction examining the adventures of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals that we like to call villains. Occasionally, this type of fiction is referred to as superhuman or super-powered fiction rather than superhero fiction in order to reflect that broader scope of both heroes and villains, as well as cover those characters with enhanced abilities that fall outside the classic superhero/villain dichotomy. Most common superhero fiction shows that an outsider may think of is Batman and Superman cartoons. While those cartoon superhero shows were great, the genre has evolved into live action super hero fiction and has …show more content…
In 1993, the ABC Network had a success with “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”, which reformatted the Superman mythos as a romantic/action drama. This led to several non-traditional approaches to superheroes in live-action shows aimed at older audiences. The most successful were “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, featuring a dyed-in-the-wool idealist superhero who exists within a consciously humorous take on the horror genre, and “Smallville”, another Superman reincarnation, which portrayed the hero’s early years in a teen drama format which enjoyed a lengthy ten season run. Other recent TV superhero or superhero-like series enjoying varying degrees of success include: “Angel”, “Arrow”, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”, “Birds of Prey” (TV series), “Dark Angel”, “Mutant X”, “Heroes”, “Misfits”, and “No Ordinary