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Genre Deconstruction: Difference between revisions
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* [[Superhero]] comics had a huge wave of [[Deconstruction]] in the '80s and '90s, caused chiefly by two examples:
** Frank Miller's ''[[Batman|Batman: The Dark Knight Returns]]'' takes straightforward superhero action and makes it look absurd by having politics interfere. Batman's work becomes a tool for debates about "toughness on crime," while Superman's idealism makes him an easy dupe for the US government's plans for nuclear war. It also asked the question: "What sort of a man would dress up in a bat outfit and fight crime." The answer: "A man who isn't very pleasant or sane."
*** Its sequel, ''[[The Dark Knight Strikes Again]]'', tries to deconstruct the [[
* ''[[Watchmen]]'' deconstructs the entire [[Silver Age]] [[Superhero]] genre. The premise of the comic is exactly like any other [[Superhero]] comic; some people put on strange costumes in order [[They Fight Crime|to fight crime]]. However, it didn't start with [[Superman|an alien child coming to earth]], but rather, with a bunch of off-duty cops wearing masks to counter mask-wearing criminals. Along the way, every trope associated with [[Superhero]] comics of the time is [[Deconstructed]]: [[Impossibly Cool Clothes]] turn out to be <s> extremely</s> fatally impractical, [[American Political System|politicians]] get involved and deputize and weaponize superheroes, these superheroes end up changing the course of history, and the main cast of [[Superhero]] characters are all rather screwed up. Specifically
** Rorschach embodies morally absolutist vigilante [[Superhero]] characters like [[The Question]]. He is so morally absolutist that he will stop at nothing to enforce his view of justice and will commit heinous acts as a means to an end; ultimately it turns out he is a [[Nietzsche Wannabe]] with a [[Woobie]]-worthy past.
** The Comedian is the [[Unbuilt Trope]] of the [[Nineties Anti-Hero]]. Big guns, wisecracks, big muscles, [[Badass]] mannerisms and... [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick|attempted rape, misogyny, murder of innocents and moral nihilism]] abound. All these are merely his emotional shields. He has a breakdown when he discovers {{spoiler|Adrian Veidt}}'s plot because it was so horrifying [[Even Evil Has Standards|even to him]] {{spoiler|and [[Crazy Enough to Work]]}}. The Comedian also deconstructs the idea of superheroes like [[Captain America (comics)]] who embody patriotic ideals and work for the government—he's a black-ops agent who does highly unethical things, and as noted, couldn't give a damn about any ideals.
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