ourchair
Well-Known Member
First: This is not a thread designed to imply that Obama's term is the dawn of a new paradise or whatever... or exploring the political implications his term will have for the industry itself.
Second: This is a thread exploring what implications a new political zeitgeist has for comics themselves, particularly superheroes, but necessarily limited to them.
Anyway, one of my pet obsessions is how the zeitgeist affects what kind of fictions get ultimately written in movies, TV and other forms of popular culture... so I found it really interesting when sci-fi group blog io9 posted "Clinton Era Science Fiction: The Return of Clinton Futurism."
It mostly enumerated the different ficto-traits of science fiction that was produced during the Clinton era, but ultimately it hypothesizes that the last time science fiction was characterized by multiculturalism, optimism, technocracies, white anxiety and subversive narratives was when Democrats controlled both the White House and Congress.
The question they ask then is to what extent these traits will return to science fiction now that Democrats have 'grand slammed' the elections. So here's my discussion question: What is the future of mainstream comic narratives now that Obamarama has brought Democrats back into power?
I have no clear thoughts on this yet, but I think it's a fertile discussion ground!
Second: This is a thread exploring what implications a new political zeitgeist has for comics themselves, particularly superheroes, but necessarily limited to them.
Anyway, one of my pet obsessions is how the zeitgeist affects what kind of fictions get ultimately written in movies, TV and other forms of popular culture... so I found it really interesting when sci-fi group blog io9 posted "Clinton Era Science Fiction: The Return of Clinton Futurism."
It mostly enumerated the different ficto-traits of science fiction that was produced during the Clinton era, but ultimately it hypothesizes that the last time science fiction was characterized by multiculturalism, optimism, technocracies, white anxiety and subversive narratives was when Democrats controlled both the White House and Congress.
io9's Charlie Jane Anders said:The last time the Democrats controlled the White House and both houses of Congress, Gillian Anderson wore pants. There were two Star Trek series at once, which promoted women and minorities and looked at the dark side of the Federation. Cyberpunk reigned supreme. The future was a shiny place — but with dread lurking just beneath its polish. Now that the Democrats have finally scored another grand slam, are we going to see the return of sunny-but-questioning science fiction?
The question they ask then is to what extent these traits will return to science fiction now that Democrats have 'grand slammed' the elections. So here's my discussion question: What is the future of mainstream comic narratives now that Obamarama has brought Democrats back into power?
I have no clear thoughts on this yet, but I think it's a fertile discussion ground!