Revision 2

 The Role of Superman in Jimmy Corrigan

Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth is not your typical comic book story, rather than the extraordinary, Ware displays the ordinary, rather than the brave and mighty superhero, there is Jimmy, a depressed, lonely man. Where most comic books offer action, Jimmy Corrigan illustrates deep and complex emotions. Jimmy’s life parallels a superhero’s at times, but he does not possess the attributes that make them extraordinary. Ware also uses early images in the book to show the connection between superheroes and fathers.

The difference between Jimmy Corrigan and the “normal” graphic novel is revealed within the first few pages with two panels depicting the superhero jumping off the building.  The first panel, taken by itself, seems as if the man is just about to fly off to rescue the damsel and save the world. This picture could be in any number of superhero comics. Somehow, a superhero always ends up on a tall building overlooking the city, whether it’s Batman, Superman or Spiderman. These scenes offer a sense of hope and safety. We know that our bravest and strongest are watching over us and our city. The hope created by this picture is destroyed in the next panel with the man lying face down in the street. The image is strikingly emotional and highlights the departure from the traditional comic book.  Of course, we all know that men cannot fly, and this is the logical progression of events, but there is something about the cape that makes us think otherwise. A cape represents all that we wish to be: the extraordinary. This power of the cape is highlighted by contrast between the drab background and the bright, powerful colors of the superhero costume.  This represents the seeming untouchability of superheroes. The thing about superheroes is that we can never achieve that status; nobody can. They represent a better version of humans. Not just in the expected, literal superpowers of extreme strength, flight, or invisibility, but also usually in morality, bravery, and courage. “Largely, this vision of superheroes is created for individuals who feel somewhat powerless and weak in the face of the larger natural and social forces that dictate their lives” (Rosenberg 114). For those individuals, superheroes bring hope to a situation where they may not find it otherwise. Seeing superheroes perform acts of the incredible gives us hope for the difficult situations in our own lives.  We expect to find stories of the impossible in comic books, so when we are instead given reality in the two frames, it right away tells us that this will not be the story about the brave superhero saving the world. The strong version of the superhero we hold in our heads is replaced by man unable to take control of his life, one that obviously feels “powerless and weak” and therefore chooses to commit suicide, the ultimate act of hopelessness. Ware illustrates the hopeless where we expect to find the hope.  This gives us a greater understanding of the rest of the novel, as we realize that instead the story will be about a tragic version of reality.

Jimmy’s story, like these two frames in the book, is at the same time similar and vastly different from some super hero stories. Looking at the beginning scenes of the book we see a sort of origin story. “Many superheroes are either orphaned or otherwise estranged from their families of blood” just as Jimmy is (Kaveney 9). Batman for example “is separate and estranged, however, as the result not of accident but of human malice – as a boy, he witnessed the deaths of his parents during a mugging and swore vengeance on all criminals” (Kaveney 5).  The difference is that Jimmy is not estranged as a result of human malice. He is not fueled by the lack of a father but instead lost because of it. In a way, Jimmy is doomed by the normalcy of his situation. Like Jimmy, many superheroes is also separated from society. He is alone, and really no one knows his true identity, arguably not even Jimmy himself. But this is not a result of a mask or a suit, but rather it is a result of his inability to interact or converse with people. The Batmans of the world also have Robins, Alfreds and Catwomen. None are completely alone as Jimmy seems to be. In some ways, Jimmy is like the secret identities of the superhero. Jimmy somewhat resembles the shy, dorky Peter Parker or the passive, introverted Clark Kent, only he never puts on the mask and becomes more. He also lacks their attributes of heroism outside of their superpowers. Peter Parker, for instance, is “generous, funny, self-sacrificing, courageous, humble, and persistent” and possesses “an overwhelming sense of optimism” (Rosenberg 68, 72). Jimmy’s most prominent trait is awkwardness. These small differences turn into giant schisms as the stories go on.

There is something especially heartbreaking about a fallen hero (in this case literally). If the invincible can’t survive, how are we supposed to? Seeing a hero figure struck by misfortune, or in this case death, takes away not only a life but also the hope that life brought to so many people. Ware uses this image to almost instantly introduce the reader to the depression and tragedy of Jimmy’s life in the novel. We are guided in the opposite direction of the normal superhero story about rising from the ashes and we are just given the ashes. Superman, a man who is supposed to be practically invincible, perishes. Not only does he die, but he does not fall during an epic battle, sacrificing himself to save the world, but rather in a mundane, unexciting scene of taxi cabs and bicycles. Even after he falls, no crowd forms; only one man seems to be concerned. The rest of the people in the scene just carry on with their lives. We are left with no inconsolable lover, just a scene of ordinary people going on with their lives, the tragedy of indifference at the death of a man dressed as a superhero. In the movies or comic books, a superheroes are extremely high-profile. So much so that they create secret identities, but in this image no one cares, no one is heart-broken as we expect them to be.  Much of Jimmy's life, it seems, is a tragedy of indifference. Those around him merely tolerate him; they do not feel many strong emotions towards him at all, the only exception being his mother.

 Many people, including the character Jimmy, idolize superheroes from a young age. Even into adulthood, the magic about them lingers. Ware makes us question our undying admiration of superheroes. Why is it that a cape can make so much difference? Superheroes are a departure from reality and the shining example of valor, courage, strength, and bravery. These panels shred all of those labels. They clash the fantastical and amazing journey of the superhero with the tragedy of reality. In the image, the colors of the background are dreary and mundane. The only bright colors are represented in the superhero.  This represents the usual dichotomy people see between superheroes and the rest of the world. In the first image, this brings a sense of hope, as superheroes normally do. The second image of our superman lying on the ground, effectively destroys this hope and reveals the seemingly unbreakable faith and trust we have in superheroes. The panels illustrate the amazing belief people have in heroes. Often, people fail to see them for what they are, people. They can do no wrong and do not have to live by the normal laws, such as gravity, in our minds. Ware effectively shows that this idea is false. In the end, the people we put an inordinate amount of trust and belief in are just like us.

Ware also makes a connection between fathers and superheroes. He effectively uses the shirt that Amy gets her father to represent the similarity between the roles of a father and a superhero. A superhero is defined as “a man or woman with powers that are either massive extensions of human strengths and capabilities, or fundamentally different in kind, which she or he uses to fight for truth, justice and the protection of the innocent” (Kaveney 4). With the addition of the shirt, all the qualities of a superhero are then transferred to fathers as well.  To a small child, fathers seem amazingly strong and giant, and they use these powers to protect their innocent children. At least, that is the ideal situation. The reality can be quite different, as Ware illustrates in the novel. Jimmy's dad was not present for much of his life and now that he is, he displays none of the characteristics we expect in fathers. The same can be said for Jimmy's ancestor’s father. Rather than saving and watching over Jimmy’s grandfather as we expect, he abandons him.  Ware tears down the traditional roles and views of both fathers and superheroes, and these panels clearly show the lack of congruity between expectations (set up in the first panel) and the harsh reality (the second panel). While reality might not always live up to our expectations, they still serve an important purpose. They give us something to shoot for. Our expectations of the superhero provide “an inspiring example of a person who rises to challenges on a consistent basis, and flourishes because he has the opportunity to use his greatest talents and strengths. He inspires all of us to harness our virtues”, even if they are not perfect in reality (Rosenberg 74). Jimmy’s father eventually tries to live up to what a father should be, and although it is too late for Jimmy, he effectively becomes an almost ideal father-figure for Amy. He even tried to amend his wrong-doing with Jimmy. That sense of responsibility represents why even though the perfect father or superman doesn’t exist, he does play an important role in society.

Sources

Kaveney, Roz. Superheroes! : Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films. London, GBR: I.B. Tauris, 2008. p 4. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/pitt/Doc?id=10289955&ppg=14 Copyright © 2008. I.B. Tauris. All rights reserved.

Rosenberg, Robin S. (Editor). Psychology of Superheroes : An Unauthorized Exploration. Dallas, TX, USA: BenBella Books, 2008. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/pitt/Doc?id=10298263&ppg=117 Copyright © 2008. BenBella Books. All rights reserved.

Ware, Chris. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. New York: Pantheon, 2000. Print.