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Dean Trippe’s Something Terrible & Subverting Narratives of Suffering

The iconic narrative of Batman’s strength and humanity in the face of adversity undeniably inspires real-world individuals to achieve similar kinds of personal rehabilitation and success. In this talk, I claim that Dean Trippe’s Something Terrible (2013), an “autobiographic fan comic” depicting his traumatic childhood experiences as a male rape survivor, re-tools the traditionally “macho” superhero subgenre to subvert dominant societal narratives of masculinity and vulnerability. By doing so, Something Terrible challenges the sociocultural norms that make it nearly impossible for men to talk about, let alone publicize, their trauma, and creates a “safe space” for such important discussions to occur.

Nicole Kurashige teaches introductory English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Her research interests include trauma narratives, graphic (auto)biographies, pop cultural studies, comics studies, and video game studies. In addition to teaching, Nicole is currently enrolled as an unclassified graduate student as she awaits her acceptance to a Ph.D. program.

Event Sponsor
Center for Biographical Research, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Center for Biographical Research, 956-3774, biograph@hawaii.edu,