I'll make the comments work by answering little bit at a time. :P
1. Definition of the superhero genre
Ok, you got me there. I guess I was thinking too narrowly within the confines of the Superman legacy. Even within modern comics, there's a pretty wide range of what is considered the superhero genre, and quite a bit of it not really "heroic".
My first impression is that the stereotypical superhero within the western comics genre is the whole abstracted ideal of "truth, justice, American way". But then I realize that something like Code Geas wouldn't have been out of place around the time of the original conception of the superhero genre, as part of the anti-Axis propaganda machine of WWII. Except, of course, with much more angst and better art.
The shounen series, I would say, don't count, since the hero-ing only counts for side panels and omakes, and are not the integral point of the story. With Bleach, as with Sailor Moon, it's interesting to note that the hero-ing takes place somewhat anonymously, in the sense that the public doesn't know about their saviors and what they are being saved from.
I suppose we can try defining superhero by the most well known icons of the genre.
Batman - Motivation is the whole "my parents were murdered when I was little and thus I rage against the whole criminal society so that no one else should suffer like me" angst
Spiderman - Well, his slogan is "with great powers come with great responsibility", but from what I understand of his backstory, it seems more like "my uncle died because of my inaction and thus I won't stand idle with my powers and let my inaction get someone else killed"
X-Men - Their whole shtick seems to be self defense (trying to keep from being killed/oppressed by the government, or keep other mutants from sparking a war with the government)
Fantasic Four - ...I'm not sure what their thing is other than they're a family and they fight together.
Hulk - Is he even considered a hero?
Hrm... that doesn't seem to help does it. I guess when it comes down to it, the "super" part of the word is easier to define than the "hero" part. Maybe it would just be easier to define the term by a superpowered (still doesn't explain Batman) person whose activities are regarded as heroic by ... the public (nope) ... their peers (maybe) ... the majority of the target audience? Close enough?
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1. Definition of the superhero genre
Ok, you got me there. I guess I was thinking too narrowly within the confines of the Superman legacy. Even within modern comics, there's a pretty wide range of what is considered the superhero genre, and quite a bit of it not really "heroic".
My first impression is that the stereotypical superhero within the western comics genre is the whole abstracted ideal of "truth, justice, American way". But then I realize that something like Code Geas wouldn't have been out of place around the time of the original conception of the superhero genre, as part of the anti-Axis propaganda machine of WWII. Except, of course, with much more angst and better art.
The shounen series, I would say, don't count, since the hero-ing only counts for side panels and omakes, and are not the integral point of the story. With Bleach, as with Sailor Moon, it's interesting to note that the hero-ing takes place somewhat anonymously, in the sense that the public doesn't know about their saviors and what they are being saved from.
I suppose we can try defining superhero by the most well known icons of the genre.
Batman - Motivation is the whole "my parents were murdered when I was little and thus I rage against the whole criminal society so that no one else should suffer like me" angst
Spiderman - Well, his slogan is "with great powers come with great responsibility", but from what I understand of his backstory, it seems more like "my uncle died because of my inaction and thus I won't stand idle with my powers and let my inaction get someone else killed"
X-Men - Their whole shtick seems to be self defense (trying to keep from being killed/oppressed by the government, or keep other mutants from sparking a war with the government)
Fantasic Four - ...I'm not sure what their thing is other than they're a family and they fight together.
Hulk - Is he even considered a hero?
Hrm... that doesn't seem to help does it. I guess when it comes down to it, the "super" part of the word is easier to define than the "hero" part. Maybe it would just be easier to define the term by a superpowered (still doesn't explain Batman) person whose activities are regarded as heroic by ... the public (nope) ... their peers (maybe) ... the majority of the target audience? Close enough?