AN ANALYSIS OF EMBODIMENT AMONG SIX SUPERHEROES IN DC COMICS

Abstract

This study analyzes the changes in physical presentation of several DC comic book superheroes, finding that the bodies of superheroes have become far more sexualized, exaggerated, and unrealistic in recent years. The comic reader’s “gaze” upon the bodies of the characters produces an intersection of spectacle and narrative that cannot be disconnected from both the physical body and the costume of the hero. Literature on the bodies of male and female bodybuilders reveals a connection to the hyper-embodiment of male and female superheroes, which represent the ego ideal of Western representations of “perfect” gendered bodies. The study concludes by asking if contemporary comic books must shift from the “Modern Age” to the “Postmodern Age” in order to break out of their practices of reaffirming gender binaries. The argument expands on work by Jean Baudrillard and Judith Butler.