“How ‘ya gonna keep’em down at the farm now that they’ve seen Paree?”: France in Super Hero Comics
Any extensive reading of super hero comics will reveal that the representation of France within the genre borrows mostly from touristic clichés, using the country as a foreign, exotic yet not too disorientating setting. Narrative economy and gradual refinements have led to the creation of a codified...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Association Française d'Etudes Américaines
2010-09-01
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| Series: | Transatlantica |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/4943 |
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| author | Nicolas Labarre |
| author_facet | Nicolas Labarre |
| author_sort | Nicolas Labarre |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Any extensive reading of super hero comics will reveal that the representation of France within the genre borrows mostly from touristic clichés, using the country as a foreign, exotic yet not too disorientating setting. Narrative economy and gradual refinements have led to the creation of a codified, consensual and unrealistic depiction of France, centered mostly on Paris and the Eiffel Tower. However, this efficient codification is not value-free. A study of Justice League Europe, a rare example of super-hero series set in France over a long period reveals that France is consistently depicted as a place of history, while being denied a contemporary significance. The country appears as a fascinating but subordinate neighbor, and this evaluation can in turn be found, albeit in a more elliptic way, in numerous series portraying France only in short episodes. The self-consciousness of modern super hero comics, however, suggests that the notion of representation should be handled with care. The depiction of France in super-hero comics originates in part in the perception of the country in the United States, but it also derives in a significant way from the internal evolutions of the genre. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f4337108046941449d85801f1e8df342 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1765-2766 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2010-09-01 |
| publisher | Association Française d'Etudes Américaines |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Transatlantica |
| spelling | doaj-art-f4337108046941449d85801f1e8df3422025-01-30T10:44:51ZengAssociation Française d'Etudes AméricainesTransatlantica1765-27662010-09-01110.4000/transatlantica.4943“How ‘ya gonna keep’em down at the farm now that they’ve seen Paree?”: France in Super Hero ComicsNicolas LabarreAny extensive reading of super hero comics will reveal that the representation of France within the genre borrows mostly from touristic clichés, using the country as a foreign, exotic yet not too disorientating setting. Narrative economy and gradual refinements have led to the creation of a codified, consensual and unrealistic depiction of France, centered mostly on Paris and the Eiffel Tower. However, this efficient codification is not value-free. A study of Justice League Europe, a rare example of super-hero series set in France over a long period reveals that France is consistently depicted as a place of history, while being denied a contemporary significance. The country appears as a fascinating but subordinate neighbor, and this evaluation can in turn be found, albeit in a more elliptic way, in numerous series portraying France only in short episodes. The self-consciousness of modern super hero comics, however, suggests that the notion of representation should be handled with care. The depiction of France in super-hero comics originates in part in the perception of the country in the United States, but it also derives in a significant way from the internal evolutions of the genre.https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/4943 |
| spellingShingle | Nicolas Labarre “How ‘ya gonna keep’em down at the farm now that they’ve seen Paree?”: France in Super Hero Comics Transatlantica |
| title | “How ‘ya gonna keep’em down at the farm now that they’ve seen Paree?”: France in Super Hero Comics |
| title_full | “How ‘ya gonna keep’em down at the farm now that they’ve seen Paree?”: France in Super Hero Comics |
| title_fullStr | “How ‘ya gonna keep’em down at the farm now that they’ve seen Paree?”: France in Super Hero Comics |
| title_full_unstemmed | “How ‘ya gonna keep’em down at the farm now that they’ve seen Paree?”: France in Super Hero Comics |
| title_short | “How ‘ya gonna keep’em down at the farm now that they’ve seen Paree?”: France in Super Hero Comics |
| title_sort | how ya gonna keep em down at the farm now that they ve seen paree france in super hero comics |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/4943 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicolaslabarre howyagonnakeepemdownatthefarmnowthattheyveseenpareefranceinsuperherocomics |