The Ever-Ending Battle Project: The Ever-Ending Battle Project: Superhero ComicsSuperhero Comicsand Thanatologyand Thanatology
with A. David LewisAs part of Comic Art & Comics IV: The Quick and
the Dead: Death, Revenge, and the Undead2005 National Meeting of the PCA/ACA - San
Diego, CAMarch 23 - 26, 2005
Superheroes:“Death Becomes Them”
X-Men: “Death Becomes Them” flash file
• “Didn’t I just kill you four months ago?”• “No, that was the second time you died...”• “How did I die this time?”• “Oh, and you killed Jean.” “She’s dead again?”• “Like none of you have ever died before...”• “I haven’t died either...At least, not to the best
of my recollection.”
“Hydrogen Age”
From BrokenFrontier.com columns, “The Library of Babble”:– 1986: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dark Knight Returns,
Watchmen, Secret Wars II– Morality (Golden), Authority (Silver), Autonomy
(Bronze), Mortality (Hydrogen)– Death of Illyana Rasputin, Superman, and Metmorpho;
passing of Starman mantle, the quantum bands, the Green Lantern legacy, the Star Brand, and the Fantastic Four roster; reboots of Onslaught. Heroes Reborn and Heroes Return; the Ultimate line, the All-Stars line; new JLA, the New X-Men, a reborn JSA, the return of Hawkman, the Astonishing X-Men, the New Avengers; the resurrection of Green Arrow, the rebirth of Green Lantern; the murder of Sue Dibney in Identity Crisis and a purported second DC Crisis; etc.
Thanatology
• Elisabeth Kubler-Ross– 5 Stages of Grieving– Hospice Care
• Ernest Becker– Denial of Death– Role of Heroism
EEB Questionaire
• Launched January 27, 2005 via the International Comic Arts Association (ICAA) website
• ICAA membership notified; online comic book news sources alerted.
• Made available in print form.
• Over 200 responses to date (150 prepared for PCA/ACA analysis)
EEB Questionaire
• Anonymous• Personal Data:
– Immigrant (D. Fingeroth)– Orphan (D. Fingeroth)– Religious background– Sexual Orientation– Place of birth, Citizenship– Recent Loss(es)– “Morbid?”– “Concerned with Death?”
SHI: Superhero Index
• Participants asked:– For approximately how many years have
you been reading comic books on at least a consistent monthly basis?
– Roughly what percent of your current comic book reading consists of the superhero genre?
– How many superhero titles do you currently buy per month, on average?• Also asked comic book news sources,
message boards, and comic book properties they frequent, if applicable; not factored into SHI.
SHI: Superhero Index
• SHI calculated as:– 4 factors:
• Age (2005-D.O.B.)• YearsReading [and YearsNotReading = Age–
YearsReading]• PercentageSuperheroes• NumberSuperheroTitles [and TotalTitles =
(NumberSuperheroTitles + 1)/PercentageSuperheroes]
– YearsReading/YearsNotReading = A– NumberSuperheroTitles/TotalTitles = B– SHI = A x B
Revised Collett-Lester Scale
• Death Studies 14:451-468, 1990
• Determined to be valid and over various scenarios.
• Four sections, 8 questions each
Death Dying
Yours
Your Own Death
Your Own Dying
Others
The Death of Others
The Dying of Others
• “How disturbed or made anxious are you by the following aspects of death and dying? Read each item and answer it quickly. Don't spend too much time thinking about your response. We want your first impression of how you think right now. Circle the number that best represents your feeling. (5 = Very, 3 = Somewhat, 1 = Not)”
SHI vs. TotalDying & TotalDeath
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00
SHI
To
tals
Totals-AllDy
Totals-AllDe
Poly. (Totals-AllDe)
Poly. (Totals-AllDy)
SHI vs. TotalOwn & TotalOther
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00
SHI
To
tals
Totals-OwnDeDy
Totals-OtherDeDy
Poly. (Totals-OtherDeDy)
Poly. (Totals-OwnDeDy)
SHI vs. Total DA (Loss)
30.00
50.00
70.00
90.00
110.00
130.00
150.00
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 5.50
SHI
To
tal D
A
No Loss
Recent Loss
Poly. (No Loss)
Poly. (Recent Loss)
Initial Evaluations
• Education levels needed; general reading needed
• Control group needed – Consisting of...?
• Statistical difference between:– Dying & Death trends?– Personal and Other trends?– Loss and No Loss trends?
• “Disenfranchised grief”• Causation