Language, Blood, Sexuality - Turning the American Monomyth Upside Down

Essay from the year 2012 in the subject American Studies - Literature, University of Bayreuth (Nordamerikastudien), course: Superheroes and the American Monomyth, language: English, abstract: When considering the American Monomyth, one usually thinks about a tale like Superman or Spider-Man, a selfless hero on a journey to save mankind and to find his place as a Redeemer inside an endangered society. Before 2008, those typical journeys have consistently featured the same patterns: They deal with serious enemies and serious topics, like politics and ethics, they try to avoid the depiction of blood and violence, and they change the reality of sexuality to hyper- masculine superheroes and weak-and-helpless women. But finally, in 2008, time had come to break these standards of narration and to change the reputation as well as the representation of the typical superhero. That is when Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. have released Kick-Ass.