Reviewed by Rachael A. Zubal-Ruggieri
There are not many book-length contributions on disability and comics—and almost none of these accomplish what editor and introduction author Amber E. George and the book’s authors have done with Disability and the Superhero: nuanced, intersectional, and interdisciplinary analyses of superheroes in comic media, particularly encompassing formats and characters that have rarely or never before been examined.
As George states, “superheroes reflect…their complex relationship to disability and ableism” (p. 9), and this book’s particular assemblage certainly “unmasks” ableism in mostly mainstream superhero narratives. What sets this book apart is how there are also contributions focusing on less studied media, such as fanfic, young adult literature, and children’s media.
The majority of chapters explore the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise—for a reason. As contributor Kelly A. Kane points out, “…the MCU [is] arguably the most important benchmark of American popular culture in the last decade and, therefore, cannot escape cultural scrutiny” (p. 13). Thus, the breadth of MCU media contains more than enough disability representations, both prominent and problematic. More often than not, within the MCU’s oeuvre, disabilities are either temporary plot devices, metaphorical, or erased. Disabilities are typically depicted as problems to be fixed, cured, or overcome. Additionally, Kane details the many missed opportunities to explore disability representation, from unaddressed accessibility concerns to unresolved plot points to unexplored interrelated issues, including race and privilege. In a statement that is important for media creators and consumers to consider, Kane asserts:
Creators must find other ways to create drama aside from leaning on ableist tropes for character development. Using the disabled body as a container for ableist perspectives about disability experience is disempowering (p. 16).
While Kane discusses multiple disability narratives throughout the expansive MCU, other scholars focus on specific MCU characters. Shanti Srinivas discusses disability and cultural appropriation in the MCU film, Doctor Strange. Grace McCarthy analyzes disability and the “filmic stare” present in all three Iron Man films. Divya Garg analyzes fanfic featuring MCU characters, particularly Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier), factoring in relevant topics, such as PTSD, violence, and war, as well as invisible disabilities, sexuality, and mental health.
Sue Scheibler examines the Fox television series The Gifted, set within the X-Men universe, a Marvel property that has by no means received adequate scholarly attention with regard to disability. The expansive and profitable X-Men franchise (also a personal favorite of mine) is almost as popular as the MCU. X-Men media often includes intersectional representations of mutants (who are genetically different than humans). Mutants have always “…resonated with readers/viewers/gamers who identify with a variety of marginalized and underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, non-gender conforming, and genderqueer” (Scheibler, p. 31). These same X-characters resonate with disabled fans as well. Scheibler explains that, while seemingly more progressive, the X-Verse ultimately falls into some of the same literary traps and tropes as the other media examined in Disability and the Superhero.
While MCU media are the most prolific in American popular culture, there are DC Comics media with problematic disability representations as well. Courtney Stanton examines the ableist plot devices related to technology in the Arrowverse, a shared universe consisting of multiple television shows. As Stanton notes:
….various [Arrowverse] characters have acquired disability identities in some form or another, often from injuries sustained during clashes with criminals. However, disability is rarely portrayed as anything other than temporary and easily surmountable [fixable] via technological intervention (p. 62).
Tatiana Prorokova-Konrad examines the confluence of disability and gender in the recent filmic representation of Wonder Woman, especially the problematic gender roles and the specific forms of ableism often encountered by disabled women.
The book’s final three chapters are a departure from the previous ones. Robin E. Field and Christopher Boucher examine the young adult novel, The Ables, and how the young disabled superheroes not only recognize ableism, they confront it in their own way.
Daisy L. Breneman offers a rare example of positive superhero representation in children’s media—Super Grover from the children’s television show, Sesame Street. On the surface, Super Grover may seem an outlier character in scholarly discourse on superhero media, but Breneman provides a convincing examination of the loveable furry character without reverting into childishness or tropes. (And for the record, Grover is my favorite Muppet.)
In the last chapter, Sean Thomas Milligan analyzes the DC Comics villain, the Joker. The inclusion of this chapter is an interesting choice in a volume concerning superheroes, despite the fact that, as Milligan asserts, the Joker is “…undeniably interesting and can serve as a portal into a meaningful and productive discussion of ableism” (pp. 166-167). Milligan discusses many interrelated problems concerning this famous character, such as violence and criminality, madness, class, gender, and more—but he does so without acknowledging the Joker’s role in disabling Barbara Gordon in the graphic novel, The Killing Joke. Perhaps this is true irony, as the Joker has such a prominent role in transforming Barbara Gordon/Batgirl into a popular disabled superhero, Oracle.
It seems that the more expansive the superhero franchise, the more ableism might be revealed. This scholarly text, an important contribution to Disability Comics Studies, offers insight into disability and superheroes using prose that both academic and casual readers might appreciate. The range of characters and media included demonstrates how alternate media and other comic-specific conventions might offer more material available for analysis when considering disability representation. I hope that George and the other authors continue to contribute.
Note:
- Publications about disability and comics, inclusive of superheroes, continue to expand. A listing of such material is regularly updated via: “Cripping” the Comic Con: Readings and Resources on Disability and Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Manga,”
Title: Disability and the Superhero: Essays on Ableism and Representation in Comic Media
Editor: Amber E. George
Publisher: McFarland
Date: 2023
Read poetry and fiction by Rachael A. Zubal-Ruggieri in this issue of Wordgathering.
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About the Reviewer
Rachael A. Zubal-Ruggieri (she/her/hers, they/them/theirs) is a long-time employee at Syracuse University. She co-created (with Diane R. Wiener) “Cripping” the Comic Con, the first of its kind interdisciplinary and international symposium on disability and popular culture, previously held at SU. At conferences and as a guest lecturer for many years, Rachael has presented on the X-Men comic books, popular culture, and disability rights and identities from her perspective as a Neurodivergent person and as a Mad Queer Crip. Entries in their “Micro Mutant Postcard Project” have been published in Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature and Stone of Madness. Their most recent publications include two articles (co-authored with Diane R. Wiener) in the Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies‘ Special Issue, “Cripping Graphic Medicine I: Negotiating Empathy and the Lived Experiences of Disability in and through Comics” (Volume 17, Issue 3).