Archetypal Dimensions of Comic Books

Abstract

Psychologically, the long-standing popularity of comic books rests in their connectedness to the deep archetypal dimensions of the psyche. C.G. Jung argued that creativity emerges from the play of imagination with fantasy images within the unconscious. From a depth psychological perspective these fantasy images are personified forms of archetypal energies within the collective unconscious. A key archetype within the unconscious is the savior, in which this figure facilitates engagement with evil and opens pathways to wholeness. In this chapter, I explore how comics provide images of the savior archetype and the psychological dynamics associated with this figure. I analyze the archetypal patterns and dynamics within the Fantastic Four stories published during the Silver Age and then provide a parallel analysis of Alan Moore’s comic series Promethea. The analysis considers how each of these series illustrates a religious function within the psyche and explores how changes in the social arena over the fifty years between the Fantastic Four and Promethea have affected thematic elements within comic book storylines.