The Firsts
A History of French Superheroes
Published on 13. June 2023
195 pages
978-1-62897-489-8 (ISBN)
Description
The ugly side of superheroes What if you suddenly had superpowers? What would you do? How would your friends and family react? What would your obligations to society be? The superheroes' first missions-- combating terrorists or rescuing disaster victims-- are a boon to France. Yet while these actions bring the country pride, unity quickly starts to unravel. These superheroes, ultimately, are human. Paparazzi are everywhere. One has an affair with another's wife. Another questions following the government's imperialist agenda. Meanwhile the public carps on social media. Molia takes our fascination with superheroes and adds a cutting portrayal of contemporary social mores to create an entertaining and disturbing work with deep dystopian underpinnings.
More details
Persons
Xabi Molia was born in Bayonne, France, in 1977. After studying literature, he wrote a dissertation on Hollywood disaster films for his doctorate in film studies. Molia taught at the Université de Poitiers until 2011, when he left to pursue his career as a novelist and filmmaker full-time. He has directed three feature films and has published numerous books, including six novels. His latest novel, Des Jours sauvages [Wild Days], which tells the story of a group of French stranded on an island after an epidemic ravages the mainland, was published in France in Fall 2020.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Part One
- I
- II
- III. "Something That's Just for Us"
- IV
- V
- VI. "Forget Superman"
- Part Two
- VII
- VIII
- IX
- X
- XI
- XII
- XIII
- XIV
- XV
- XVI. "The Naive Years"
- Part Three
- XVII
- XVIII
- XIX
- XX
- XXI
- Part Four
- XXII
- XXIII
- XXIV
- XXV
- XXVI. "What's the Point of Knowing That?"
- Part Five
- XXVII
- XXVIII
- XXIX. "Life After the End"
- XXX
- XXXI
- Part Six: (Endings)
- XXXII
- XXXIII
- XXXIV. "Perfect People"
- XXXV. "Something To Live For"
- XXXVI
- Back Cover
