Figures and Figurations of the Heroic in Comics

Heroic figures are very present and persistent in contemporary comics. In the history of comics, however, they appear much later than is commonly assumed: in the early days of the medium, slapstick, the grotesque, the avant-garde, and, importantly, everyday subjects dominated. A character who can be compared (albeit initially in a broader sense) to the classic concept of the hero is introduced only in and after the 1920s, with the widespread establishment of realistically drawn comics (Terry and the Pirates, Tarzan, Prince Valiant, Dick Tracy, Superman). Soon, however, they covered every conceivable genre, even inventing a new genre with the superhero comic, which for a long time belonged exclusively to comics. From then on, comics have serially produced heroic subjects in all their facets – although the popularity of superhero comics and their heroic characters raises the question of how much realism the so-called realistic comic actually contains. Since every reader knows that these stories are unreal, the question of the reality of their heroes does not really arise. Their fictionality is obvious, and the hero’s aura is exposed as unreal from the outset.

The discourses they represent, perpetuate, and co-construct are, however, highly real. The fictional characters, particularly in the case of the heroic type, are ultimately real configurations, inflections of discursive reality that is mediated, among other things, through the comic medium and its narratives of heroism. Conversely, one may ask whether Floyd Gottfredson’s anarchic Mickey Mouse is not in fact a hero who repeatedly, and in ever-new ways, outwits his antagonists. So which qualities, then, define a hero?

Undoubtedly, the hero archetype represents a form of masculine bravery that is soon iconically portrayed in a type-appropriate manner (protruding, angular chin; flashing eyes; forehead curl, not necessarily blond), which today, although these figures still exist seriously, mostly appears embarrassing. The hero seems to represent a patriarchal, paternalistic, hegemonic, and latently violent semiotics. It is therefore unsurprising that the opening of the medium to heroines beyond masculine templates has proceeded only hesitantly. The first prominent heroine figure is Wonder Woman, introduced in the early 1940s, who immediately takes up the fight against Hitler in an Amazonian fashion. Heroines who compete with their masculine role models in terms of intellect and action have been appearing explicitly since the 1960s (Modesty Blaise). In the process, the line to the eroticization of the female body is quickly crossed (Natasha, Druuna, Barbarella). The question is whether figurations of female-coded heroizations in comics follow a pattern similar to that of male-coded heroizations.

It remains to be clarified what differences arise or do not arise in the gendering of heroes and heroines. This raises the question of whether essentializations can be undermined at all with regard to the cultural techniques of heroization and how the category of hero or heroine is used in cultural semiotics. Whether the hero can be translated so easily into the heroine epistemologically and symbolically, or whether this would even be desirable, remains to be seen. For quite some time, the focus was rather on attempts to deconstruct and marginalize the hero or the heroic. Only in more recent times can we observe a rehabilitation of the heroic, which, however, still appears to be reflexively fractured in its more significant contributions (Wessely/Heimerl 2020; Spilker 2025; Kainz 2009).

In the serial medium of comics, the use of static figures has certainly helped to establish typified characters, which has been particularly conducive to the development of the hero type. This involves character drawings and narrative figurations in which they are embedded, which, in addition to the above-mentioned iconic nature of the hero, also contain clear character criteria. Heroes are decision-makers of the moment; their dramaturgy thrives on continuous decisions that are as contingent as they are determined, and which may also draw on an oversized repertoire (of powers, skills, gadgets, or gimmicks). They follow a code of honor rather than the prevailing law. Concepts of nemesis-driven and instinct-guided impulsivity in action overshadow, in adventure-saturated emergencies, the hero’s morally and ethically regulated duties. Ethical integrity is not a mandatory characteristic of heroism; even where it is emphatically proclaimed, it remains questionable (Batman). Intelligence is not essential either, but it is a helpful additional tool among heroic skills. When in doubt, however, the ability to act quickly and decisively (as vital decisionism) is always more important than lengthy reflection (according to Blueberry, Largo Winch, The Spirit). Often, the moral of the heroic narrative is to refrain from overthinking and thus missing the kairos of decision-making, because otherwise the hero’s lifespan can be significantly shortened. A few examples show a reflexive and at the same time successful heroine (usually women) who then has at least a few other problems in life (Caroline Baldwyn).

The cultural-historical models for heroes and heroic figures are clearly the heroes of classical Greek mythology. And, of course, mythology and seriality also have clear similarities, especially with regard to the principles of iteration and difference. The ancient hero, complex in character, not always ethically clean, but at the same time co-founder of the law (Orestes) and, above all, close to the gods, is the clear reference figure. In this sense, every heroic figure contains not only a spark of antiquity (and of ancient conceptions of the gods) but also a touch of Classicism, with all its not entirely unproblematic ideals and normative values. On the other hand, the heroic always opens up a connection to the transcendent, which should not be underestimated despite all the criticism often levelled at the heroic (Bröckling 2020). Ultimately, heroic figures probably embody more difference than is assumed (Früchtl 2004).

Ultimately, however, the question remains whether comics are indeed a heroic medium. Is heroism inherent in comics due to their media-historical development, dramaturgical settings, and aesthetic sedimentation? Or does the medium distance itself from heroism, whose proliferation it ostensibly continues to promote to this day?

These and other questions will be addressed at the 21st Annual Conference of the Society for Comic Studies (ComFor) from Sept. 30-Oct. 02, 2026.

Abstracts for presentations, not exceeding 250 words, are invited for submission until March 15, 2026.

Contact details: joern.ahrens@sowi.uni-giessen.de; kirsten.v.hagen@romanistik.uni-giessen.de; frank.t.brinkmann@evtheologie.uni-giessen.de