This is a download from BBC learning English. To find out more visit our website.
6 Minute English from BBClearningenglish.com
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil…
And I'm Alice. So Neil, the subject of today's
show is superheroes! Who's your favourite?
Spiderman. He's cool and funny – and he
can spin webs and jump off skyscrapers!
Well, my favourite superhero is Ms Marvel.
I've never heard of her – and I’m a bit
on an expert on comic book superheroes. Well, a growing number of people from ethnic
backgrounds are getting bored of all these white male superheroes they can’t relate
to. And they're hungry for characters a little closer to home – or relevant to their own
lives.
So what's Ms Marvel's super power?
She's a shape shifter – which means she
can change shape and become anything she wants. But she's also just Kamala Khan, an average
teenager from New Jersey, who happens to be Asian and a Muslim.
It sounds good. But I think it must be time
for today's quiz question, Alice!
OK, here it is. What is the name of the new
character that replaces Tony Stark as Iron Man? Is it…
a) Miles Morales? b) Riri Williams?
Or c) Jane Foster?
I'm going to say a) Miles Morales because
he sounds like a man.
Well, we'll find out later on the show whether
you got the answer right or not. Now, I have another question. What are the rules for achieving
superhero status? Superman is an alien, Ms Marvel has alien genes, and Spiderman and
the Hulk are both contaminated – or poisoned – by radioactive substances that change
their DNA.
What about Batman and Iron Man? They're just
ordinary guys with a lot of money who use technology to create superpowers for themselves.
Good point. There don't seem to be any hard-and-fast
– or clear – rules. But these special powers – whether it's being able to fly,
or change shape, or spin webs – they allow the characters to do good in the world. And
that’s a big theme across all comic books.
That's true. But times have changed, and comic
books these days often blur the line between right and wrong – making things unclear.
Superheroes don’t always do the right thing and struggle with everyday problems like you
and me.
Let's hear more about imperfect superheroes
from Jason Ditmer, professor of political geography at University College London.
INSERT Jason Ditmer, professor of political geography
at University College London They [Marvel Comics] imbued these characters
with real human problems. So Peter Parker had just, was sort of… one problem after
another. The Fantastic Four was a family and they bickered and fought and Reed and Sue
were a couple, and then they got married, and that had, like, never happened in superhero
comics. So these people had lives that others could relate to.
So publishers – like Marvel Comics – imbued
– or filled – their characters with human problems. I can't imagine a character like
Captain America worrying about small things – or bickering with his wife!
And bickering means arguing about things that
aren't important. Well, like you said earlier, times change, Neil. These days, the publishing
houses want to attract a more diverse – or varied – readership: teenagers, women, ethnic
minorities – who want superheroes they can relate to, facing issues from racial discrimination
to bickering at home.
I know that women are indeed interested in
superheroes because they've been appearing in movies and on TV, but the world of comic
books has always been a bit of a guy thing.
Well, it isn't. Women read them and in some
places women work in them. In Japan for example, we have the manga – these are Japanese comic
books for adults and children. And, guess what – there is a strong tradition of female
illustrators there.
Really?
Yes. Let’s move on now and listen to Dr
Casey Brienza, Sociologist at City University in London, talking about manga.
INSERT Dr Casey Brienza, Sociologist at City University
in London One of the really interesting things about
producing comics in Japan is that it's one of the few, kind of, autonomous careers that
women can have. And so Japan has many, many female comic-book artists who write both for
men, women, boys, and girls. And in the United States and in Britain female comic-book artists
are far and away a minority.
Dr Casey Brienza there. So she says female
comic-book artists are common in Japan but are a minority in the US and the UK.
It's particularly interesting that being an
artist is an autonomous career – meaning you have the freedom to make your own decisions
- and apparently this is not common for women in Japan.
And do you know who draws Ms Marvel? Is it
a woman?
No. Ms Marvel is drawn by a man – the Canadian
comic book artist Adrian Alphona. But we are running out of time so let's go to today's
quiz question. I asked you: what's the name of the new character that replaces Tony Stark
as Iron Man? Is it… a) Miles Morales?
b) Riri Williams? Or c) Jane Foster?
And I said Miles Morales.
And you were… wrong, Neil. I'm sorry. The
answer is Riri Williams. Marvel Comics has recently diversified its characters to look
more like the world we know today, including the addition of female African-American college
student Riri Williams as Iron Man. Marvel has also given Thor's hammer to a woman, introduced
a black, Hispanic Spider-Man called Miles Morales and created Kamala Khan, a Muslim
superhero otherwise known as Ms Marvel.
Very interesting. Now, let's remind ourselves
of the words we learned today: closer to home
shape shifter contaminated
hard and fast blur
imbued bicker
diverse manga
autonomous
And that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.
Don't forget to join us again soon!
Bye!