WK7 Material culture: The Hollywood Sign

 Material culture: The Hollywood Sign

Batman is one of the most popular superheroes. Part of the reason that superheroes such as Batman have been able to create a postmodern American mythology is because they were created for a postmodern American art form: the comic book. 

It was written by Bob Cane. For inspiration, it is said that he looked to Leonardo da Vinci's quote, “And your bird shall have no other model than a bat”. The result looked much more like Batman's eventual sidekick, Robin. Even with the costume, Batman wouldn't have lasted long in the competitive marketplace without a powerful backstory. That's what still keeps him relevant. People like powerful stories that are full of different events and have a inspirational message at the end. Umberto Eco offers an explanation: “Forced to improvise a plot, the authors mixed a little of everything, and everything they chose came from a repertoire that had stood the test of time”.

Batman is certainly a visual figure and does represent certain western values, such as justice, darkness and fear, etc. He also embodies less generic values, in particular an existential cynicism about mankind's progress, which is what makes him more real. Without the spiritual component, Batman cannot be said to fulfill all the functions of myth. Perhaps he is best described as a mythic archetype, in particular a mythic American archetype. 

The idea of America as a new Eden began with the Puritans in Massachusetts, as we already know, who wished to establish a “city upon a hill.” This mentality has been passed on until today, when many Americans view the nation's status as the only superpower in the world as fulfillment of this original mandate. American's tend to put lot of signs of some important events in their movies but I cannot help but say that they see it all black and white. For them, you either win or lose, and the story always continues according to that. The opinion of the society now is built on criticism and backstabbing. Those things are exactly what the character in Batman portray so vividly.

The Joker is the antagonist, an arbiter of chaos and destruction. He's a psychopath, a murderer, and a criminal mastermind. Don't we always have one of that kind in real life? Especially in America. Pennyworth is Bruce Wayne's butler and the one constant in Batman's life. I've always considered him the safe side "of the world". 

Speaking of backstabbing and the representation of the American controvery - Harvey Dent is the District Attorney of Gotham City and one of Batman's strongest allies. However, he's corrupted by the Joker and turned into a psychotic villain.

As you can see, these stories would work in any society, because people sympathize with it.