Not Superhero Accessible: The Temporal Stickiness of Disability in Superhero Comics

Abstract

For this article, I will be examining the relationship between stickiness and visibility in the construction of disability in The Killing Joke, Hawkeye (2012) and Uncanny X-Men, specifically looking at how the practice of retroactive continuity both erases and cements disability. I argue through the use of retroactive continuity that the stickiness of disability in superhero comic books is dependent on visible signs of disability and those without a visible sign (wheelchair, white cane, etc ) are either "cured" of the disability or it is erased via a retcon.