"The Best Thing We Can Do With Power Is Give It Away" - On The Leftist Critique Of Superhero Narratives

"The best thing we can do with power is give it away" - On the leftist critique of superhero narratives as authoritarian power fantasies:

The ongoing "Jason Todd is a cop" debate has reminded me of a brilliant brief image essay by Joey deVilla. So here it is, images first and the full essay text below:

"A common leftist critique of superhero comics is that they are inherently anti-collectivist, being about small groups of individuals who hold all the power, and the wisdom to wield that power. I don’t disagree with this reading. I don’t think it’s inaccurate. Superheroes are their own ruling class, the concept of the übermensch writ large. But it’s a sterile reading. It examines superhero comics as a cold text, and ignores something that I believe in fundamental, especially to superhero storytelling: the way people engage with text. Not what it says, but how it is read. The average comic reader doesn’t fantasize about being a civilian in a world of superheroes, they fantasize about being a superhero. One could charitably chalk this up to a lust for power, except for one fact… The fantasy is almost always the act of helping people. Helping the vulnerable, with no reward promised in return. Being a century into the genre, we’ve seen countless subversions and deconstructions of the story. But at its core, the superhero myth is about using the gifts you’ve been given to enrich the people around you, never asking for payment, never advancing an ulterior motive. We should (and do) spend time nitpicking these fantasies, examining their unintended consequences, their hypocrisies. But it’s worth acknowledging that the most eduring childhood fantasy of the last hundred years hasn’t been to become rich. Superheroes come from every class (don’t let the MCU fool you). The most enduring fantasy is to become powerful enough to take the weak under your own wing. To give, without needing to take. So yes, the superhero myth, as a text, isn’t collectivist. But that’s not why we keep coming back to it. That’s not why children read it. We keep coming back to it to learn one simple lesson… The best thing we can do with power IS GIVE IT AWAY." - Joey deVilla, 2021 https://www.joeydevilla.com/2021/07/04/happy-independence-day-superhero-style/

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Artbook collection Master-post

Dorohedoro MUD AND SLUDGE + Dorohedoro Sketch Book 'Day Dream Hour' Artbooks 1-5 by Ryōko Kui (Dungeon Meshi) AKIRA Club

Witch Hat Atelier Special Edition Volume 02 + 06 Artbooks Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou - Book of Paintings + Postcard Book "BLAME! and so on" Artbook

The Art of Ponyo The Art of The Wind Rises The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service

The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Miyazaki Moebius exhibition catalog The Art of Moebius

"Der Mond" Neon Genesis Evangelion Artbook "EYES ONLY" SPY×FAMILY Official Fanbook The Art of Fullmetal Alchemist 1 + 2

Elden Ring Art Book Volume 1 + 2 Dark Souls 1-3 Design Works Bloodborne Official Artworks

SEKIRO - SHADOWS DIE TWICE Official Artworks Grimoire Nier + NieR Art – Kazuma Koda Art Collection

The art of Alice Madness Returns SCORN The art of the Game The FLCL Archives

The Art of Metal Gear Solid I - IV - Gallery Works and Studio Works Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse -The Art of the Movie Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse The Art of the Movie

The Artwork of Berserk Alphonse Mucha's "Figures Decoratives"

Here's a link to the entire collection, in case any of the individual links are broken.

This post will also be edited as more Artbooks are added, check this link for the up-to-date version.

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crypticamanita

2 years ago

when i was a teenager it felt very revolutionary to be cruel to myself. like some kind of slow passive protest against how much everything hurt. i starved myself of sleep and food and tenderness because it felt right. it felt sharp and angry and radical and i wanted to be those things. adulthood is the realisation that the world is already working to cut into you well before you learn how to do it yourself. caring for yourself and others is the real protest

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crypticamanita

1 year ago

Girls night✨

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reblog adventure time

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crypticamanita

1 year ago

Imogen Temult and her new best friend, mystery flesh pit

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yeah cr3 spoilers

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crypticamanita

1 year ago

Some oc art. The flowers are: blue iris, chaste tree flowers, narcissus, poppies, white cyclamen and gum cistus. The symbolism of each is relevant.

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oc art original character oc artwork original character art original content

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crypticamanita

1 year ago

I feel it's important you all know this is the cat Astarion is based on.

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reblog baldur's gate 3 astarion of course he would be a tuxedo

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crypticamanita

3 years ago

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ocs original character oc artwork original content

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crypticamanita

2 years ago

Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

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