Thursday 19 February 2015

Five Reasons Why Superheroes Are Superb (Guest Post)

This is a guest post written by 'Amira. She'll be writing about the reasons to why people love superheroes and despite the fact that they're fictional, they're still important to us. I've always admired superheroes and their fellow counterparts, whether it's from DC or Marvel, and 'Amira, who is also an avid Ms Marvel (Kamala Khan) fan, will explore the reasons to the hype in this new, trending league of superheroes in the media today. This post can also be found on Medium.
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The stories of Superman, Batman and well, all those other people with extraordinary abilities in tight-suits have been told and retold through generations. So it’s no question that they were a part of our lives once (or still are, for that matter). But have we ever stopped to think why these heroes and their stories have resonated so much with us?

Just the other day I was watching a TEDxTeen talk by an editor of Marvel Entertainment, Sana Amanat, and she was sharing why she loved the X-Men. Growing up, she never felt like she could fit in. But soon she learned about the X-Men and how they had mutated and enhanced genes that gave them superpowers, which was “the coolest thing in the world.” She could relate to these mutants because they were different. They were just like her. And this brings me to the first reason why superheroes are superb:

1. They are human.

Okay, I know some superhero fans out there are going to start screaming, “What about Barrions? Asgardians (alien species in the DC and Marvel universe respectively)?” and so on, but what I’m referring to is their humanity – that altruism that never fails to shine through. That is the fundamental virtue about being human. We look out for one another. We form healthy relationships as the basis of social intelligence. We show love. We show kindness and all values in nature that make us human. What superheroes do encompasses all these acts of humanitarianism – they protect the innocent and they save the world. And as cliché as this sounds, they are our role models.

This is not to say they are perfect either. As the saying goes, “To err is human.” So there’s a second reason:

2. They make mistakes.

In the comics and their stories, I’ve noticed a necessary element in their characterization: flaws. And how is this superb, you may ask?

These little hiccups in their personality make them effortlessly human. And they embrace these imperfections and learn from their mistakes.

Five Reasons Why Superheroes Are Superb, Kamala Khan, Ms Marvel Quote

Even more so, these superheroes exist in an imperfect world. There is never a balance of war and peace. But when they do bring peace, they also present hope on the other side of the spectrum.

3. They represent hope.

A classic example of this is Captain America. He was created in a time where people had much to lose – their loved ones, their home. What Captain America did was give them a form escapism as well as unity and hope amidst the World War.

The Happy Candle: Five Reasons why Superheroes Are Superb, Marvel's Agent Peggy Carter Quote

And it is difficult to recognize that when we were young and watched superheroes like Spiderman every Saturday morning. All we cared about was how good beats evil and how these extraordinary people save the day. But there is still so much about superheroes that we’ve missed as kids, including the fact that,

4. They have an alter ego.

An alter ego makes them more appealing to children because it is a primary need in one’s early development. In self-psychology, it is defined as ‘the desire to feel alikeness to other human beings.’ Of course, we couldn’t have pointed this out when we were kids. Psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan provides a common example of this desire to mirror: ‘The child who strikes another says that he has been struck; the child who sees another falls, cries.’

So it’s almost as if these double lives of our favourite superheroes have influenced us subconsciously, but positively. They succumbed to that primary narcissism we had as a child.

And the fact that we grew up with these characters makes them all the more superb. The same answer to this lies in: Why are decade-long franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars so successful?

5. They have a compelling journey.


The Happy Candle: 5 Reasons Why Superheroes Are Superb, Iron Man Quote

American scholar Joseph Campbell defined the narrative pattern ‘Hero’s Journey’ as the backbone of modern literature. It is a recurring theme of ordinary people being called upon extraordinary circumstances. We subscribe to a character’s inspiring adventures on a personal level, but as superb as they are, these are not our stories.

One of my favourite poets, Rumi once said: 'Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.'

Have a great week everyone,

‘A.

Photo + Lettering + Illustration by Dian
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'Amira is a contributor to Wattpad, where she publishes her books 'Storms and Other Short Poems', 'Speculum' and 'The Avocationonline, with over 10k reads since October 2014 and more than 1000 votes. She enjoys reading, writing and videography.

Wattpad is a world of free stories - a writing community which users are able to post articles, stories and poems about anything. The content includes work by undiscovered and published writers. 

Check out a snippet of 'A's second and third book 'Speculum' and 'The Avocation'. 



26 comments

  1. Your designs are superb as well, D! :) Oh and I just have to add, #KamalaKorps represent!!

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    1. Thank you for your wonderful guest post too. I learnt a lot from this read. :)

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  2. I know this post is about superheroes and generally I'd be freaking out and ranting about different comic stuff but I'm too much in awe of your illustrations and lettering simply amazing..I really need to find a new adjective which compliments your work..
    "O!Captain my!Captain!" (That reference was a total waste unless you've seen Dead Poet Society)
    Wow just wow.
    Your sister has some real good points there :)

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    1. Thank you, Neal. Unfortunately, I've not seen Dead Poets Society, but I've heard of it. A well-known quote I remember reading about that is from the film though, is 'carpe diem', 'seize the day'. And yes, my sister does have pretty interesting points. :)

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    2. Yeah Carpe Diem was cool..they used the captain one to show respect to Robin Williams the teacher in the movie it seems lame after explaining (the reference :P)
      You know I love these new age comics superhero's because they aren't perfect anymore and neither they all American they belong to different caste's and society like Ms.Marvel..
      who's your favourite?
      PS - Did you watch this week's Agent Carter! it was so cool!

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    3. Yes, these new age superheroes are rather unique. My sister did tell me of the new Spiderman, Miles Morales too. But Ms Marvel is one of the superheroes I know about most from her, so I suppose that's my favourite (from the new comics). I find it interesting that she's Pakistani. :) And yes, I did watch this week's Agent Carter, it was brilliant! I'm happy they finally trust Peggy. But what happened to the chief was devastating. I'm pretty disappointed that there's only 8 episodes of this series though, after all it's just a spin-off. But I'd love to watch more of her adventures. :)

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    4. So would I they should replace it with agents of shield :P

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  3. Dian, this is such a powerful and encouraging post. And please don't worry about changing your blog for a darker background on my behalf. I visit blogs that I enjoy the content and the people behind them, not for the colour or anything. While it is true that white backgrounds are harder on my eyes I have found a way to make it easier on my side, so it's all good.

    Thank you so much for the kind comments you leave on my blog posts, I really appreciate it.

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    1. Thank you, Linda, it was my sister who wrote this guest post, and she did a wonderful job. :) I appreciate your generous comment as well, and it's nice to hear that you value the content more than the design, and that you've found a method to make it easier too. Have a lovely day. :)

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  4. Your sister made some wonderful points Dian. Superheroes are superb, I agree. Thank you so much for all of the kind comments that you always leave on my blog. They make my day :)

    ~Noor
    a little bit of sunshine

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    1. Yes, she made some pretty interesting points. Thank you for your kind comment, Noor. :)

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  5. This post was amazing. When I was starting to get caught up in the Marvel universe, most of my friends laughed at me. Captain America was (and still is) my favorite superhero and all my friends said I just liked him because Chris Evans has nice abs. When I tried explaining that I liked everything Captain America stands for and not just the actor who played him, they wouldn't listen. Probably because I couldn't put it into words liked your sister just did. This was truly great.

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    1. I appreciate your generous comment, Envy. My sister did a great job in this post, I've learnt something too. Now we can explain why superheroes are wonderful not just because of their powers and abilities but because of their attributes too. Captain America is indeed very noble and steadfast. :)

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  6. I really like this Dian... when you broke it down and I thought about it... you are right, I love that the super hero's are not perfect, the represent hope and they have such a great journey that got them to where they are today and no... they are not perfect... really great read xox

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    1. Thank you for your kind comment, Launna, but it was my sister who wrote this as a guest post, and she did a wonderful job, so it's her who deserves the credit. :) I've learnt some things from her article too. Superheroes are as imperfect as we are and that's why we resonate with them. :)

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    2. Sorry Dian... I read that in the beginning of the post then forgot by the end... your sister writes so wekk and with wonderful meaning ♡♡♡

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  7. Hey I nominated you for the liebster award so go here if you want to answer to the questions I chose: http://craftyhandsandnails.blogspot.fr/2015/02/the-liebster-award.html

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    1. Thank you, Elsa. I'll take a look at them. :)

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  8. This post is awesome! Did I mention it was awesome? :D Great guest post, and I love Kamala Khan - currently waiting for my next copy to arrive because I can't get it till March here! :( Great post! x

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    1. Salam Fatima! Jazakilllah khairan, I'm pleased you enjoyed this post, I had so much fun writing it too :)
      And yes #KamalaKorps unite!! Haha I've just read the Valentine's Day issue (I got the digital issue) and I loved it. :D And I'm sure you'll find it awesome too, because well, Kamala is awesome ;)
      Thanks again for taking the time to read this post and have a great week ahead!

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  9. The graphics in this post are super cute - go you! c:

    I totally agree with the 'they are human' and 'they make mistakes' bits, because, well, it's so true! I think that they inspire us to do lots of things - stand up for ourselves, fight for what we believe in, etc, and the morals are normally good, like help people and be nice and whatnot.I haven't got a favourite but I think it's probably cat woman or someone because hey, girl power! c;

    Amy;
    Little Moon Elephant

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    1. Thank you, Amy. :) I agree with those points my sister mentioned in this guest post too. Superheroes are indeed inspiring. It's really interesting that you brought up Catwoman, because she's often seen as a supervillain. Yet even in these stories, every villain has a tinge of morality in them. I suppose hers would be that she has an empathetic relationship with animals like cats, despite her originally violent nature. It goes to show that not everyone is entirely 'good' or completely 'evil' - imperfections make up who we are. And female characters are definitely empowering with girl power too! :)

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  10. The part about mistakes, it couldn't be more true. Our flaws and mistake form the person we're today, it could either be good or bad, and I love how super heroes take both of these sides to another level and serve the fellow human beings.

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    1. Yes, nobody's perfect and superheroes are just as genuine as we are, and it's what makes them so relatable. Thank you for your comment. :)

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  11. I've never stopped to analyse why I love superheroes so much. But I completely agree with all your points. Superheroes have amazing powers and do things that most of us could only dream of, but they're still people, they still make mistakes, and we can relate to them so well that we can aspire to be as awesome as them. Thanks for the awesome post.

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    1. My sister did make some agreeable points in the article. We definitely resonate with superheroes because they have similarities to us like being genuine and imperfect. Thank you for taking your time to read this. :)

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