Superman is coming to China

By Anthony James, Staff Writer

It is coming. From on top a large precipice a caped avenger swoops down to extend swift justice on its criminals and pride to the city’s citizens. Is this Gotham? Metropolis? New York City?

By Anthony James, Staff Writer

It is coming. From on top a large precipice a caped avenger swoops down to extend swift justice on its criminals and pride to the city’s citizens. Is this Gotham? Metropolis? New York City?

Shanghai?

It might not be such a farce, especially with a major comics company partnering in China with already a film, set in contemporary China, in the works. China has not been completely foreign to American comics. For example, in Christopher Nolan’s smash hit The Dark Night, Batman captures a villain who resides in one of Hong Kong’s towers. Though, for American comics, what has been produced in the past has always been with the American audience in mind, not the Chinese.

Illustration by Anthony James

This time might be a bit different, especially with the likes of legendary Stan Lee at the helm. This July, Pow! Entertainment, which was founded by Lee, announced a partnership with Hong Kong’s Ricco Holdings to form Magic Storm Entertainment. The new partnership will hopefully create a new line of superheroes to entertain Chinese audiences just as Spiderman, X-Men, and the Incredible Hulk captured U.S. culture.

For young Americans, the visceral tales of a caped crusader was held dear in their hearts. The comic books, radio programs, television shows and action figures are regular staple; past nostalgia and present merchandise litter memories and stuff closets. The contemporary image of comics and superheroes has taken much of the country, and most of the world, by storm. For most, the admiration can be primal, sometimes a bit jingoistic. Heroes like Superman, though not even born of the same planet in their fictitious history, spread American ideals such as personal freedom, democracy and Western justice.

It isn’t as if China hasn’t had its share of superheroes. The comics, known in China as Manhua, have been traced back to the 11^th century B.C. in stone reliefs and pottery. Lithographic printing methods expanded the medium into picture books and periodicals well into the late 1800s and early 1900s. In many instances, these distributed cartoons and comics enabled propaganda messages as well as conveying a sense of national pride. For many, the works of 1982’s Chinese Hero propagated the contemporary characteristics of modern Chinese comics, which would have realistic drawings and serious characters.

The kung fu heroes of the 1970s such as Bruce Lee created a large influence among Chinese audiences as well as an influence in Manhua. Many of the popular 1970s films from the Shaw Brothers and Godfrey Ho would not only have a major influence on how Chinese people viewed their own cultural icons, but how the West would accept China as a major entertainment industry. As a young American kid, I grew up watching many King Fu films, from Bruce Lee to Simon Yuen. Though there are obvious differences from Superman and Batman, there were many ways in which those heroic characters, with their fast fists, gravity defying kicks, and incredible strength, were comparable to the superheroes in the West. When I was in high school, I was treated to a midnight showing of one of the first Manhua crossovers to Chinese film: The Stormriders (Fung wan: Hung ba tin ha). Though not quite a hit among Western viewers, it gained quite much admiration among Hong Kong critics and with your faithful writer. With such impressive tales of fantasy and adventure, there seems little that would translate badly between Chinese and American paradigms. 

Though the country has seen their own superhuman crusaders, many experts would note that the Chinese would seek much kinder and culturally embedded characters than what is popular in Western entertainment. The American superhero is often a dark and mysterious loner: Batman is a nocturnal billionaire; Spiderman is an outcast geek. While American viewers gush over a much more misanthropic vagabond, the Chinese version would probably carry a kinder demeanor. Professor Wu Ganying of Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design spoke with Xinhua News concerning the differences between China’s and America’s heroes. "Chinese audiences have culturally different tastes from Western audiences," he said, "Western superheroes aren't very human and leave a disconnect with the viewers." Wu, who was responsible for the design and creation of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics Fuwa mascots, believes that, much like the mascots that he created, the Chinese will be more adept to a hero that embodies a personality closer to a common person.

Still, while the young audiences might not want a repackaged Western story, it must be noted that the East is not completely closed off to Western tastes. Films like the Pirates of Caribbean franchise, Kung Fu Panda, and Avatar have opened with incredible success in China.  As Professor Wu pointed out to Xinhua News, "Younger audiences in China have grown up in a global world, and are not afraid to explore the unfamiliar." Still, there is little clue of how well such a partnership will fare for the Western entertainment companies such as POW!, or how Eastern audiences will react when the premiering products are unveiled.