Friday, 22 October 2010
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/analysing-heroes-using-key-concepts/
Analysing Heroes using Key Concepts
One of the first lessons media students get to attend is ‘What are the key concepts?’. Then the rest of the students’ Media Studies life is spent applying them to media texts, issues and debates. Here we investigate what they can they tell us about Heroes (series 1, 2006-07).
Most media texts are commodities; that is they are produced to make money. This is probably most evident in American television where shows exist only if they get sufficient ratings.
The first ‘scripted’ (drama) cancellation of the ‘fall’ (autumn) season in 2007 was CBS’s Viva Laughlin, which lasted just two episodes. The first series of Heroes was NBC Universal’s top scripted show of 2006-7 and so the production of season two was inevitable.
Season one premiered in the UK on the SciFi channel – owned by NBC Universal – with impressive ratings; it also beat BBC1 in the 9pm slot, on its first showing on BBC2, in July 2007 (source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_%28TV_series%29), accessed October 2007).
Sequels and spin-offs are favoured as they trade on successful properties. These don’t have to be in the same medium; in November the official Heroes magazine was published by Titan Magazines, who specialise in tie-ins with TV shows.
This institutional perspective focuses on, amongst other things, the business and in order to make money, in its home market, NBC Universal needs to sell the Heroes audience to advertisers. On NBC peak time audiences are sold to advertisers at a rate of $330,000 for 30 seconds. (according to Media Week cited at http://www.dingorue.com/2007/09/30/30-second-commerciacosts/, accessed October 2007).
However when considering the concept of audience properly we also need to examine how audiences use the text as fans.
Whilst fandom has been with us since at least the 18th century in Britain, when prostitutes were feted, the internet has enabled fans to communicate with, and create shrines in honour of, their idols much more readily.
For example at http://www.superhiro.org/, fans are able to discuss the programme on a forum; chat live during a broadcast; create fan fiction, videos and art (the artist Isaac Mendez’s work acts as an obvious stimulus for this).
It’s not just the serial that can generate a fan following; a number of the actors have their own websites. Hayden Panettiere, in particular, has benefited from this with over 80,000 friends on her official MySpace page, a tool she used to help launch her pop career.
The uses and gratifications model suggests audiences get entertainment, information, a sense of their identity and something to discuss from the media. It’s not surprising, because it is a mainstream text, that Heroes’primary function is entertainment. Richard Dyer (1992) suggested that entertainment served to give audiences an idea of what an ideal world, a utopia, would feel like. He contrasted the qualities offered by entertainment with reality:
(adapted from Dyer (1992), p. 12)
This isn’t the place to fully investigate Dyer’s categories (see Lacey 2002), however we can readily see the qualities of the right column present in Heroes. By definition the ‘heroes’ have energy that exceeds us mere mortals. The economics of everyday life are mostly absent form the programme. When Matt Parkman needs to get a job quickly, when he’s suspended by the police, he has no problem forming his own security company quickly.
The soap opera elements – see below – guarantee that direct emotion will be highlighted. This links with transparency as ‘true love’ is important for: Claire and her ‘father’, Noah; Jessica, D.L. and Micah; and the Petrelli brothers. The final episode, when all the heroes come together to confront Sylar, emphasise their common purpose and so defines them as a community.
Entertainment is also garnered by the use of suspense, special effects, narrative development and resolution.
Although Heroes does not give us information about our world, it isn’t entirely divorced from reality. For example, the references to Guantanamo and the ‘war on terror’ place the series firmly within the Realpolitik of the 21st century.
When ‘President Petrelli’ (chapter 20) states that he has to make ‘hard decisions’, which includes exploding a nuclear bomb in New York, the programme is clearly critiquing the Bush Administration. It is surprising that a mainstream, and primetime, American serial should be so overtly political, however one of the advantages of the science fiction (SF) genre is that, because it does not appear to be situated in reality, it can offer subversive comment. Indeed, as it is in fact Sylar, disguised as Petrelli, who makes that statement then the producers can claim that no President would really say that.
It is likely that many in the audience, because they are consuming the product as entertainment and not something to intellectually engage with, won’t have noticed the programme’s political element. However, it’s post-9/11 sensibility was signified in chapter one which starts with Peter Petrelli considering jumping off a building; which he does at the end of the episode. This vision in New York references the people who jumped off the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, to die on the sidewalk rather than burn.
The wide variety of characters, young, middle aged, old, African-American, Caucasian, Indian, Japanese and so on, offers a wide range of identification points for audiences. This cosmopolitan make up helps in exporting the programme around the world. It has already been noted the degree to which fansites discuss the programme; this discussion, of course, can also take place at school or work.
Narratively Heroes is particularly interesting as it uses the structure of soap opera in an SF context. Soaps have several narrative strands within one episode (though chapter 17 breaks this pattern by focusing on the events in the Bennett household). Soap narratives are serial in nature where the narrative runs across several episodes; 23 in the case of Heroes season one and, potentially forever, in the case of soap operas. This contrasts with series where the narrative problem is resolved at the end of each episode.
Serial narratives obviously make a greater demand on audiences as it demands every episode be watched; though the ‘previously on…’ introduction tries to alleviate this.
In order to hook audiences into the programme, episodes characteristically end on a cliff-hanger so people will ‘tune in’ next week. If audiences are hooked then there’s a greater desire to watch a serial, as it matters little if you miss one episode of a series.
The ‘previously on’ device works slightly differently with Heroes. Because there are so many narrative strands, some of which may lie dormant for a few episodes, the reminders serve to highlight which strands and characters will be central in the chapter to follow.
Like many mainstream texts, Heroes dramatises an Oedipal narrative where:
The hero proves his worthiness to take up his place as a man, by accomplishing a series of directed tests: a process which will often culminate, in self-contained narratives, with his integration into the cultural order through marriage… it provides the most familiar structure for such male-orientated Hollywood genres as the Western and the adventure film. (Krutnik, 1991, pp. 87-8)
In chapter one, Mohinder states ‘I need to finish what he started’ and so starts the quest, initiated by his father, to find the heroes. Hiro feels he can’t measure up to his father’s expectations; this is resolved in the final episode when his father teaches him Samurai sword craft. It could be argued that the Petrelli brothers’ uncertainty is caused by the absence of a father; for Peter this is resolved, again, unsurprisingly, in the final episode, when he gets advice from the dying Charles Deveaux whom he had nursed.
One of the reasons soap operas are such a popular genre is having several narrative strands increases the likelihood that audiences will find something they can relate to and enjoy. In soaps, the narratives are linked by setting; in Heroes the characters’ super hero abilities, and the necessity to ‘save the world’, acts as a bond. Soap operas also emphasise narratives about relationships, in families and between individuals. This ‘human’ angle is also important in Heroes as it allows the extraordinary superhero aspect to be humanised; there are several soap-like narratives including:
Claire Bennett’s search for her true mother and problem with cheerleader cliques
The love triangle between Simone, Peter and Isaac
Mohinder Suresh’s conflict with his father
Matt Parkman’s marriage, his wife’s infidelity and pregnancy
The fraternal conflict between the Petrellis and their dominant mother
Although soap opera is an important structuring agent, another way in which Heroes cements its wide appeal is through using many genres:
Science fiction (SF)
Gangster (Linderman and Nathan Petrelli)
Cop (Matt Parkman)
Serial killer (Sylar)
Comic book (Isaac and Hiro)
Teen/high school pic (Claire)
Thriller and action (use of suspense and dramatic action to engage audience)
Genres
Genres can often be defined by their repertoire of elements: typical narratives; iconography; setting; characters. Genres also often have associated themes and styles. For example the repertoire of elements of SF consists of ...
Narratives
first contact – what will happen when humanity meets other beings?
exploration of space – an extension of the American frontier myth of the 18th and 19th centuries; exploring, and civilising, new worlds.
the uncontrolled machine – what if we can’t control technology?
after a holocaust – what might happen if nuclear or biological weapons were used on a large scale?
time travel – how might travelling to the future or past change the course of history?
alternative worlds – how might the world have developed if history had been different; such as the Nazis winning World War II?
doppelganger: the consequences of ‘doubling’ human beings; this might be through cloning or with robots indistinguishable from people.
Heroes draws on three of these narratives: time travel and alternative worlds (both Hiro); doppelganger (Sylar and Candice). These narratives are all, essentially, dealing with ‘what if…?’ questions, which allows SF to explore contemporary issues by defamiliarising the present. This is particularly the case in episode 20 (Five Years Gone) that’s set in a future where the bomb had exploded. Both ‘future’ Hiro and Matt are shown to be cynical in their behaviour, contrasting with the desire to ‘do good’ of their past selves.
The iconography, characters and the setting of SF can only be loosely defined as the type of narrative heavily determines them. One of the reasons SF has been popular in Hollywood, in the last 15 years, has been because it allows the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI); arguably, these special effects have become part of the iconography of SF. And one of the attractions of Heroes is the pleasure of seeing the superheroes use their talents, whether it’s to fly, change appearance or come back from the dead.
The comic book genre is closely aligned with SF, though many of the superheroes’ talents do, at least, border on fantasy. Heroes draws attention to this lineage in the work of Isaac Mendez and Hiro’s geeky enthusiasm for the form; it may appear ‘geeky’ to western eyes, manga, however, are mainstream publications in Japan. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen (DC Comics, 1986-7) also has ‘ordinary’ superheroes and clearly has influenced the programme.
Although setting is a loose element in SF, virtually all texts set in outer space are SF. Time travel, as time is a setting given it is the fourth dimension, situates the genre in SF. The characters of Heroes are all drawn from other genres; there are no aliens or mad scientists. Parkman is a cop; Claire a cheerleader and so on, and are more interesting to consider as part of the ‘representation’ key concept.
There are four structuring questions of representation:
how the world is re-presented (media language)?
how types are used?
who is producing the representation?
how are the representations read by audiences?
Representation often focuses on how gender is presented. We’ve seen how the patriarchal, Oedipal narrative is important and of the 12 main characters featured on the BBC Heroes characters’ page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/heroes/characters, accessed December 2007) only Claire and Niki are female.
In addition, both are representations of women that emphasis their sexual attractiveness; Claire’s cheerleading and Niki’s internet porn business. Niki also inhabits that traditional female role of mother.
Other typical representations include Nathan’s cynical politician and Isaac as a tormented genius. That said, Peter’s male nurse is atypical (though it’s used to emphasise his lack of male qualities such as decisiveness) and it is heartening to see D.L. and Niki forming a mixed race couple, a rarity in American media.
The multinational aspect of the characters has already been remarked upon; Mohinder’s Indian intellectual draws upon conventional representational tropes (he speaks with the clipped accent of an upper class Brit); the Japanese duo – Hiro and Ando – not only speak Japanese (subtitles in primetime TV!) and are two of the most likeable characters in the programme.
Although Heroes uses types, it also allows the characters to develop. Mr Bennett, in particular, gains depth as he evolves from the unquestioning company man to one who will do anything to protect his family. Nathan Petrelli also offers more than a cynical politician and Claire develops from a shallow cheerleader:
she moves beyond the role of victim and becomes someone who tries to change her world… as audiences watch her work through these difficult times, they see an extraordinary young woman evolve out of a stock character. (Strickland, 2007, p. 90)
This brief trawl through Heroes (series one) using the key concepts has, hopefully, enabled you to put the programme more into context rather than simply consider it as a discrete phenomenon. It is not an exhaustive analysis, we haven’t, for instance, considered media language; Heroes is such a rich text that there is plenty more to investigate.
One of the first lessons media students get to attend is ‘What are the key concepts?’. Then the rest of the students’ Media Studies life is spent applying them to media texts, issues and debates. Here we investigate what they can they tell us about Heroes (series 1, 2006-07).
Most media texts are commodities; that is they are produced to make money. This is probably most evident in American television where shows exist only if they get sufficient ratings.
The first ‘scripted’ (drama) cancellation of the ‘fall’ (autumn) season in 2007 was CBS’s Viva Laughlin, which lasted just two episodes. The first series of Heroes was NBC Universal’s top scripted show of 2006-7 and so the production of season two was inevitable.
Season one premiered in the UK on the SciFi channel – owned by NBC Universal – with impressive ratings; it also beat BBC1 in the 9pm slot, on its first showing on BBC2, in July 2007 (source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes_%28TV_series%29), accessed October 2007).
Sequels and spin-offs are favoured as they trade on successful properties. These don’t have to be in the same medium; in November the official Heroes magazine was published by Titan Magazines, who specialise in tie-ins with TV shows.
This institutional perspective focuses on, amongst other things, the business and in order to make money, in its home market, NBC Universal needs to sell the Heroes audience to advertisers. On NBC peak time audiences are sold to advertisers at a rate of $330,000 for 30 seconds. (according to Media Week cited at http://www.dingorue.com/2007/09/30/30-second-commerciacosts/, accessed October 2007).
However when considering the concept of audience properly we also need to examine how audiences use the text as fans.
Whilst fandom has been with us since at least the 18th century in Britain, when prostitutes were feted, the internet has enabled fans to communicate with, and create shrines in honour of, their idols much more readily.
For example at http://www.superhiro.org/, fans are able to discuss the programme on a forum; chat live during a broadcast; create fan fiction, videos and art (the artist Isaac Mendez’s work acts as an obvious stimulus for this).
It’s not just the serial that can generate a fan following; a number of the actors have their own websites. Hayden Panettiere, in particular, has benefited from this with over 80,000 friends on her official MySpace page, a tool she used to help launch her pop career.
The uses and gratifications model suggests audiences get entertainment, information, a sense of their identity and something to discuss from the media. It’s not surprising, because it is a mainstream text, that Heroes’primary function is entertainment. Richard Dyer (1992) suggested that entertainment served to give audiences an idea of what an ideal world, a utopia, would feel like. He contrasted the qualities offered by entertainment with reality:
(adapted from Dyer (1992), p. 12)
This isn’t the place to fully investigate Dyer’s categories (see Lacey 2002), however we can readily see the qualities of the right column present in Heroes. By definition the ‘heroes’ have energy that exceeds us mere mortals. The economics of everyday life are mostly absent form the programme. When Matt Parkman needs to get a job quickly, when he’s suspended by the police, he has no problem forming his own security company quickly.
The soap opera elements – see below – guarantee that direct emotion will be highlighted. This links with transparency as ‘true love’ is important for: Claire and her ‘father’, Noah; Jessica, D.L. and Micah; and the Petrelli brothers. The final episode, when all the heroes come together to confront Sylar, emphasise their common purpose and so defines them as a community.
Entertainment is also garnered by the use of suspense, special effects, narrative development and resolution.
Although Heroes does not give us information about our world, it isn’t entirely divorced from reality. For example, the references to Guantanamo and the ‘war on terror’ place the series firmly within the Realpolitik of the 21st century.
When ‘President Petrelli’ (chapter 20) states that he has to make ‘hard decisions’, which includes exploding a nuclear bomb in New York, the programme is clearly critiquing the Bush Administration. It is surprising that a mainstream, and primetime, American serial should be so overtly political, however one of the advantages of the science fiction (SF) genre is that, because it does not appear to be situated in reality, it can offer subversive comment. Indeed, as it is in fact Sylar, disguised as Petrelli, who makes that statement then the producers can claim that no President would really say that.
It is likely that many in the audience, because they are consuming the product as entertainment and not something to intellectually engage with, won’t have noticed the programme’s political element. However, it’s post-9/11 sensibility was signified in chapter one which starts with Peter Petrelli considering jumping off a building; which he does at the end of the episode. This vision in New York references the people who jumped off the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, to die on the sidewalk rather than burn.
The wide variety of characters, young, middle aged, old, African-American, Caucasian, Indian, Japanese and so on, offers a wide range of identification points for audiences. This cosmopolitan make up helps in exporting the programme around the world. It has already been noted the degree to which fansites discuss the programme; this discussion, of course, can also take place at school or work.
Narratively Heroes is particularly interesting as it uses the structure of soap opera in an SF context. Soaps have several narrative strands within one episode (though chapter 17 breaks this pattern by focusing on the events in the Bennett household). Soap narratives are serial in nature where the narrative runs across several episodes; 23 in the case of Heroes season one and, potentially forever, in the case of soap operas. This contrasts with series where the narrative problem is resolved at the end of each episode.
Serial narratives obviously make a greater demand on audiences as it demands every episode be watched; though the ‘previously on…’ introduction tries to alleviate this.
In order to hook audiences into the programme, episodes characteristically end on a cliff-hanger so people will ‘tune in’ next week. If audiences are hooked then there’s a greater desire to watch a serial, as it matters little if you miss one episode of a series.
The ‘previously on’ device works slightly differently with Heroes. Because there are so many narrative strands, some of which may lie dormant for a few episodes, the reminders serve to highlight which strands and characters will be central in the chapter to follow.
Like many mainstream texts, Heroes dramatises an Oedipal narrative where:
The hero proves his worthiness to take up his place as a man, by accomplishing a series of directed tests: a process which will often culminate, in self-contained narratives, with his integration into the cultural order through marriage… it provides the most familiar structure for such male-orientated Hollywood genres as the Western and the adventure film. (Krutnik, 1991, pp. 87-8)
In chapter one, Mohinder states ‘I need to finish what he started’ and so starts the quest, initiated by his father, to find the heroes. Hiro feels he can’t measure up to his father’s expectations; this is resolved in the final episode when his father teaches him Samurai sword craft. It could be argued that the Petrelli brothers’ uncertainty is caused by the absence of a father; for Peter this is resolved, again, unsurprisingly, in the final episode, when he gets advice from the dying Charles Deveaux whom he had nursed.
One of the reasons soap operas are such a popular genre is having several narrative strands increases the likelihood that audiences will find something they can relate to and enjoy. In soaps, the narratives are linked by setting; in Heroes the characters’ super hero abilities, and the necessity to ‘save the world’, acts as a bond. Soap operas also emphasise narratives about relationships, in families and between individuals. This ‘human’ angle is also important in Heroes as it allows the extraordinary superhero aspect to be humanised; there are several soap-like narratives including:
Claire Bennett’s search for her true mother and problem with cheerleader cliques
The love triangle between Simone, Peter and Isaac
Mohinder Suresh’s conflict with his father
Matt Parkman’s marriage, his wife’s infidelity and pregnancy
The fraternal conflict between the Petrellis and their dominant mother
Although soap opera is an important structuring agent, another way in which Heroes cements its wide appeal is through using many genres:
Science fiction (SF)
Gangster (Linderman and Nathan Petrelli)
Cop (Matt Parkman)
Serial killer (Sylar)
Comic book (Isaac and Hiro)
Teen/high school pic (Claire)
Thriller and action (use of suspense and dramatic action to engage audience)
Genres
Genres can often be defined by their repertoire of elements: typical narratives; iconography; setting; characters. Genres also often have associated themes and styles. For example the repertoire of elements of SF consists of ...
Narratives
first contact – what will happen when humanity meets other beings?
exploration of space – an extension of the American frontier myth of the 18th and 19th centuries; exploring, and civilising, new worlds.
the uncontrolled machine – what if we can’t control technology?
after a holocaust – what might happen if nuclear or biological weapons were used on a large scale?
time travel – how might travelling to the future or past change the course of history?
alternative worlds – how might the world have developed if history had been different; such as the Nazis winning World War II?
doppelganger: the consequences of ‘doubling’ human beings; this might be through cloning or with robots indistinguishable from people.
Heroes draws on three of these narratives: time travel and alternative worlds (both Hiro); doppelganger (Sylar and Candice). These narratives are all, essentially, dealing with ‘what if…?’ questions, which allows SF to explore contemporary issues by defamiliarising the present. This is particularly the case in episode 20 (Five Years Gone) that’s set in a future where the bomb had exploded. Both ‘future’ Hiro and Matt are shown to be cynical in their behaviour, contrasting with the desire to ‘do good’ of their past selves.
The iconography, characters and the setting of SF can only be loosely defined as the type of narrative heavily determines them. One of the reasons SF has been popular in Hollywood, in the last 15 years, has been because it allows the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI); arguably, these special effects have become part of the iconography of SF. And one of the attractions of Heroes is the pleasure of seeing the superheroes use their talents, whether it’s to fly, change appearance or come back from the dead.
The comic book genre is closely aligned with SF, though many of the superheroes’ talents do, at least, border on fantasy. Heroes draws attention to this lineage in the work of Isaac Mendez and Hiro’s geeky enthusiasm for the form; it may appear ‘geeky’ to western eyes, manga, however, are mainstream publications in Japan. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen (DC Comics, 1986-7) also has ‘ordinary’ superheroes and clearly has influenced the programme.
Although setting is a loose element in SF, virtually all texts set in outer space are SF. Time travel, as time is a setting given it is the fourth dimension, situates the genre in SF. The characters of Heroes are all drawn from other genres; there are no aliens or mad scientists. Parkman is a cop; Claire a cheerleader and so on, and are more interesting to consider as part of the ‘representation’ key concept.
There are four structuring questions of representation:
how the world is re-presented (media language)?
how types are used?
who is producing the representation?
how are the representations read by audiences?
Representation often focuses on how gender is presented. We’ve seen how the patriarchal, Oedipal narrative is important and of the 12 main characters featured on the BBC Heroes characters’ page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/heroes/characters, accessed December 2007) only Claire and Niki are female.
In addition, both are representations of women that emphasis their sexual attractiveness; Claire’s cheerleading and Niki’s internet porn business. Niki also inhabits that traditional female role of mother.
Other typical representations include Nathan’s cynical politician and Isaac as a tormented genius. That said, Peter’s male nurse is atypical (though it’s used to emphasise his lack of male qualities such as decisiveness) and it is heartening to see D.L. and Niki forming a mixed race couple, a rarity in American media.
The multinational aspect of the characters has already been remarked upon; Mohinder’s Indian intellectual draws upon conventional representational tropes (he speaks with the clipped accent of an upper class Brit); the Japanese duo – Hiro and Ando – not only speak Japanese (subtitles in primetime TV!) and are two of the most likeable characters in the programme.
Although Heroes uses types, it also allows the characters to develop. Mr Bennett, in particular, gains depth as he evolves from the unquestioning company man to one who will do anything to protect his family. Nathan Petrelli also offers more than a cynical politician and Claire develops from a shallow cheerleader:
she moves beyond the role of victim and becomes someone who tries to change her world… as audiences watch her work through these difficult times, they see an extraordinary young woman evolve out of a stock character. (Strickland, 2007, p. 90)
This brief trawl through Heroes (series one) using the key concepts has, hopefully, enabled you to put the programme more into context rather than simply consider it as a discrete phenomenon. It is not an exhaustive analysis, we haven’t, for instance, considered media language; Heroes is such a rich text that there is plenty more to investigate.
Friday, 8 October 2010
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962). Lee and Ditko conceived of the character as an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and as a teenager, having to deal with the normal struggles of adolescence in addition to those of a costumed crime fighter. Spider-Man's creators gave him super strength and agility, the ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot spider-webs using devices of his own invention which he called "web-shooters", and react to danger quickly with his "spider-sense", enabling him to combat his foes.
When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist. The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker, a teenage high school student to whose "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness" young readers could relate.[1] Unlike previous teen heroes such as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes and Robin, Spider-Man did not benefit from being the protegé of any adult mentors like Captain America and Batman, and thus had to learn for himself that "with great power there must also come great responsibility" — a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man story, but later retroactively attributed to his guardian, the late Uncle Ben.
Marvel has featured Spider-Man in several comic book series, the first and longest-lasting of which is titled The Amazing Spider-Man. Over the years, the Peter Parker character has developed from shy, high school student to troubled but outgoing college student, to married high school teacher to, in the late 2000s, a single freelance photographer, his most typical adult role. He is now a member of an unofficial splinter group of the Avengers, one of Marvel's flagship superhero teams. In the comics, Spider-Man is often referred to as "Spidey," "web-slinger," "wall-crawler," or "web-head."
Spider-Man is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes.[citation needed] As Marvel's flagship character and company mascot, he has appeared in many forms of media, including several animated and live-action television shows, syndicated newspaper comic strips, and a successful series of films starring actor Tobey Maguire as the "friendly neighborhood" hero in the first three, and Andrew Garfield in a planned reboot of the films.[2] Reeve Carney will star as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the new musical adaptation of the comics.[3]
When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist. The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker, a teenage high school student to whose "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness" young readers could relate.[1] Unlike previous teen heroes such as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes and Robin, Spider-Man did not benefit from being the protegé of any adult mentors like Captain America and Batman, and thus had to learn for himself that "with great power there must also come great responsibility" — a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man story, but later retroactively attributed to his guardian, the late Uncle Ben.
Marvel has featured Spider-Man in several comic book series, the first and longest-lasting of which is titled The Amazing Spider-Man. Over the years, the Peter Parker character has developed from shy, high school student to troubled but outgoing college student, to married high school teacher to, in the late 2000s, a single freelance photographer, his most typical adult role. He is now a member of an unofficial splinter group of the Avengers, one of Marvel's flagship superhero teams. In the comics, Spider-Man is often referred to as "Spidey," "web-slinger," "wall-crawler," or "web-head."
Spider-Man is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes.[citation needed] As Marvel's flagship character and company mascot, he has appeared in many forms of media, including several animated and live-action television shows, syndicated newspaper comic strips, and a successful series of films starring actor Tobey Maguire as the "friendly neighborhood" hero in the first three, and Andrew Garfield in a planned reboot of the films.[2] Reeve Carney will star as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, the new musical adaptation of the comics.[3]
Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film, the first in the Spider-Man film series based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. It was directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Koepp, and stars Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco.
The film begins with Peter Parker, a high school student, being bitten by a genetically altered spider. After misusing his newly-given abilities, which indirectly causes the death of his Uncle Ben, he becomes the heroic Spider-Man. Peter hopes to win the heart of Mary Jane Watson, the girl he has loved since he was a boy. Meanwhile, he must battle the villainous Green Goblin, the alter ego of the father of his best friend, Harry Osborn.
After being stuck in development hell for nearly 25 years, the film was released on May 3, 2002, by Columbia Pictures, to excellent reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend. With $821.71 million worldwide, it was 2002's third-highest-grossing film and is the 24th highest-grossing film of all time. Spider-Man was, for its time, the most successful film based on a comic book. The film's success has led to two sequels, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man 4 was set to be released worldwide on May 6, 2011, but Sony announced plans to reboot the series after Raimi left the project.
The film begins with Peter Parker, a high school student, being bitten by a genetically altered spider. After misusing his newly-given abilities, which indirectly causes the death of his Uncle Ben, he becomes the heroic Spider-Man. Peter hopes to win the heart of Mary Jane Watson, the girl he has loved since he was a boy. Meanwhile, he must battle the villainous Green Goblin, the alter ego of the father of his best friend, Harry Osborn.
After being stuck in development hell for nearly 25 years, the film was released on May 3, 2002, by Columbia Pictures, to excellent reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend. With $821.71 million worldwide, it was 2002's third-highest-grossing film and is the 24th highest-grossing film of all time. Spider-Man was, for its time, the most successful film based on a comic book. The film's success has led to two sequels, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man 4 was set to be released worldwide on May 6, 2011, but Sony announced plans to reboot the series after Raimi left the project.
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