Holy Men in Tights! Academic Superhero Conference

Malfourmed writes "The University of Melbourne's Cinema Studies Program, School of Art History, Cinema, Classics & Archaeology is hosting a four day conference (and fancy dress ball and movie programme) on superhoeroes and supervillains. The interdisciplinary conference will address the varying roles, identities, and social functions that these superheroes serve. Topics include censorship; industry and franchise differentiation (eg DC vs Marvel); mythology; the female superhero ("It has been a very much male-centred universe," co-convener Saige Walton said. "They need some more chicks."); ethnicity, class and race; diverse media formats (cinema, comics, computer games, television) ; the resurgence in the cult of superpowers in recent cinema; super-auteurs (eg Frank Miller, Alan Moore, Tezuka Osamu, Grant Morrison); fan culture; the science and physics of the superhero; ancient superheroes; and the 'hero' who isn't 'super'."

Comments

relax, this is just how fanboy academics score

[Anonymous Coward]

I've organised a paypal account (geeksex@unimelb.edu.au) for donations to help hire some local working girls (many of whom will turn around and hand that money right back to the university in the form of student fees) to dress up in spandex and give the comic-buying geek academics something to live for in the small hours after the speeches are done.

So far, I've worked out the costumes for Libido Girl, The Thigh Mistress, Ms Pneumatic and (my favourite) Gyneodia.

For the (small but significant) gay academic contigent, there may possibly be an appearance by 'Krotch,' the rubber-wearing unambiguously gay superhero who punches you if you ever utter the name 'Batman' within his hearing.

Re:For you maybe

[hey!]

religious ideas and symbols were never hammered into my brain while I was growing up

Can you be sure of that?

Certain symbolic motifs have, I think, a natural potency, because they fly under the radar of conscious reason and hit us where we live. Crucifiction is one of these motifs, and is not exclusively Christian by any means (e.g., Baldur impaled on a holly sprig). Crucifiction/resurrection taps into commonplace experiences of suffering, death and rebirth (symbolic death and rebirth, obviously) in a universal way. It also has special potency in a way that is highly particular to our culture. It's not necessary to feed children in our culture this myth, whether by spoon or firehose, any more than it is necessary to give a fish a drink.

when I watch things like that there is nothing for my mind to connect it to and I can watch it without religious symbolism smacking me in the face (which I am sure I would find extremely irritating).

Well, I commend study of the Bible to everyone, especially atheists. The themes in the Bible are extremely powerful, in themselves and because of their subliminal ubiquity. Being unconscious of them does not make you immune to their power; quite the contrary. Many who consider themselves sophisticate are putty in the hands of a master communicator. And I promise that semiotic sophistication isn't going to ruin anybody's fun. It just gives you something else to think about later on.