"I Think You and I Are Destined to Do This Forever": A Reading of the Batman/Joker Comic and Film Tradition through the Combat Myth
This paper compares comic and film representations of the characters Batman and the Joker to the structure and characterization of religious narratives known as "combat myths," which generally portray a figure of order defending society against a chaos monster. The paper also demonstrates...
| Published in: | Journal of religion and popular culture |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
University of Saskatchewan
[2011]
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| In: |
Journal of religion and popular culture
Year: 2011, Volume: 23, Issue: 2, Pages: 236-250 |
| Further subjects: | B
Superheroes and myth
B chaos monsters B politics and myth B religion and film B religion and graphic novels |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This paper compares comic and film representations of the characters Batman and the Joker to the structure and characterization of religious narratives known as "combat myths," which generally portray a figure of order defending society against a chaos monster. The paper also demonstrates how the Batman film of 2008, The Dark Knight, updates the mythic theme by casting the opposing characters as representatives of democratic society and terrorism, respectively. Ultimately, I argue that by investigating how the rivalry of Batman and the Joker reinvigorates this ancient, cross-cultural mythic theme, we gain insight into the enduring popularity and significance of these characters. |
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| ISSN: | 1703-289X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion and popular culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3138/jrpc.23.2.236 |