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

www.EverEndingBattle.comwww.ComicArts.org/

study_eeb.php

The Ever-Ending Battle Project: The Ever-Ending Battle Project: Superhero ComicsSuperhero Comicsand Thanatologyand Thanatology