Abstract
This essay examines the DC anti-hero Lobo as an ideal example of the constructive, creative power of parody and Bakhtinian carnival. Unlike Bakhtin’s assertion that carnival since the Renaissance has lost its spirit of play and become purely destructive, Lobo uses grotesque violence to create just as much as he destroys social norms. Ultimately, the mini-series under consideration provide a valuable tool for students to understand carnival, parody, and its power as criticism.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Ryan L.
(2025)
"Fraggin’ The Superhero Genre: Parody And Carnival In DC’s Lobo,"
Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy: Vol. 12:
Iss.
2, Article 4.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dialogue/vol12/iss2/4
Included in
American Literature Commons, American Popular Culture Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons