Jason Dittmer, Retconning America: Captain America in the Wake of WWII and the McCarthy Hearings

(In The Amazing Transforming Superhero)

This was a very interesting article, treating questions of nation - Dittmer examines nation as a serial narrative not unlike weekly comic books. There was a huge retcon (retroactive continuity) of the 1950s commie-smashing Captain America, which turned him into a wannabe version of the hero, and reintroduced that version as a villain for the "real" Captain to contend with in the 1970s. Dittmer argues that this allowed America (as embodied by Captain America) to remain innocent and with the times in the liberal-leaning 60s and 70s, disavowing the McCarthyite 1950s version entirely. Crazy.

Franchises can be seen as "archives of discourse," much as the Bond franchise is viewed by many theorists. This is a good thought: texts do not passively reflect culture, but actively respond to them. They are culture. This is a good way of countering Bordwell's arguments.

Cites Reynolds' different kinds of continuity: serial (causal, issue to issue), hierarchical (internal coherency of powers, character, etc.) and structural (overall universe). Franchises as a whole are held together by all three, according to the logic of reintroduction.

"Elision" means "omission." Why do the words I need to look up always mean the same thing? Last time it was "lacuna." Weird.