Political behavior images of superhero comics’ characters as a source for perception of the political

The article examines the images of interaction with the political sphere in case of superhero comics, which can be perceived in the process of political socialization. Works of art in general and comics in particular are considered as a source of images that influence the audience’s perception of possible models for the implementation of their own political behavior. Several possible scenarios of how the authors present the reader with the possibility of interacting with the political realm through the political behavior of their characters are analyzed. As a result, “Cooperation with the political”, “Opposition to the political” and “Ignoring the political” are highlighted as the main options for constructing the plot structure of the political behavior of a comics character. These structures affect both the discursive strategies of the characters and the direct correlation of words and actions. With the help of contextual analysis, examples that affect each of the main options for the implementation of the plot in terms of ideas about the political are considered. Based on the results of the review, the authors assume the necessity and inevitability of interaction with the political. The content of this interaction varies depending on the practical and ideological context in which the work was created, but the political as an element of the surrounding world remains inevitable. Scenarios in which interaction with the political is not necessary involve the character’s renunciation of his humanity, which indicates the inextricable connection between the human and the political. The high degree of metaphorical nature of the comics as a political narrative is noted, as well as the active use of simplified, but bright and accented images to form a message based on the author’s intention.

1. Bateman J. A. Multimodality and Genre: A Foundation for the Systematic Analysis of Multimodal Documents. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008, 331 p.

2. Di Paolo M. War, politics and superheroes. Ethics and propaganda in comics and film. Jefferson, North Carolina, London: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2011, 343 p.

3. Dmitrieva D. The age of superheroes. History, theory, ideology of the American comics. Moscow: Izoteka, 2015, 235 p. (In Russ.)

4. Dubovitskaya M. A. American Graphic Novel: Multimodality and Identity. Nauchnyi dialog. 2022, Vol. 11, N 3, P. 228–246. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2022-11-3-228-246 (In Russ.).

5. Hesmondhalgh D. The cultural industries. Moscow: Publishing House of Higher School of Economics, 2020, 456 p. (In Russ.)

6. Kress G., Van Leeuwen T. Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication. Oxford: The United State: Oxford University Press, 2001, 162 p.

7. Kuznetsov I.I., Kulikova E.V., Petrova I.V. Mass culture as a symbolic environment of the younger generation political socialization. Outlines of global transformations: politics, economics, law. 2022, Vol. 15, N 5, P. 68–88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31249/kgt/2022.05.04 (In Russ.)

8. McCloud S. Understanding comics. The invisible art. Moscow: White Apple, 2016, 222 p. (In Russ.)

9. Reisigl M., Wodak R. Discourse and discrimination. London: Routledge, 2001, 298 p.

10. Rodkin P. Cinemapolitics. 13 Essays on modern cinema hermeneutics. Moscow: Coincidence, 2018, 184 p. (In Russ.)

11. Shabrov O.F. The concept of political. Vlast’. 2016, N 9, P. 51–61. (In Russ.)

12. Skinner Q. Meaning and understanding in the history of ideas. In: Antashev T., Velizhev M. (eds.) Cambridge school. Theory and practice of intellectual history. Moscow: New Literary Review, 2023, P. 53–123. (In Russ.)

13. Sogomonyan V. Politics as a plot. The dramaturgy of modern political campaigns. Moscow: Alpina Pro, 2022, 138 p. (In Russ.)

14. Tally J.H. The pen is a mighty sword: Quentin Skinner’s analysis of politics. In: Atnashev T., Velizhev M. (eds). Cambridge school. Theory and practice of intellectual history. Moscow: New Literary Review, 2023, P. 218–248. (In Russ.)

15. Tsyrkun N. The universe of superheroes. History and mythology of the American comics-based cinema. Moscow: Cabinet Scientist, 2020, 320 p. (In Russ.)

16. Wandtke T. The meaning of superhero comic books. Jefferson, North Carolina, London: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2012, 271 p.

17. Watmore R. What is intellectual history? Moscow: New Literary Review, 2020, 200 p. (In Russ.)

18. Worcester K. Comics, comics studies and political science. International political science review. 2017, Vol. 38, N 5, P. 690–700. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512116667631