h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Heroes often have nice houses and fine cars and everything they need, but how do they earn that money?

But true heroes don't always have a lot of money, many are people who are in jobs like Firefighters, Armed Forces and often the man or woman on the street who acts bravely at times of crisis.

Well, you think of real heroes, I more meant comic heroes. For example Donald Duck (ok he isn't a hero like Superman or the others) he is a little hero and they always talk about his money crises but he has a house and three nephews to feed. But okey, the true heroes haven't got often a lot of money.. life's unfair.
By the way, thank you for welcoming me

Well Donald Duck has EGGstra special bank accounts that just pour out money!

Oh no, then I'm really wrong with my live as a human. What a pity that I always wanted to be a tree and not a duck.
Thank you for your info, that really helped me, I always thought that Donald has a dark secret...

Let's see: Batman inherited a lot of money from his father and has several successful businesses; Spiderman takes photos of himself and sells them to the papers (though he lives with his aunt, so probably isn't that rich); and Superman smuggles goods for international criminals. Or he also works for a newspaper, I forget which.

Clark Kent works for The Daily Planet. I doubt that Superman needs an income - wouldn't people just give him stuff?

Well, Batman inherited all the money, but how he earn money now, he woudln't have the time to hold all his money, or does he works? Catwoman worked something with advertising but what does she after her death?
@ kea: Why should people just give him stuff? Or didn't I understand you?
Well, I don't know comics very vell (except Gaston ), but I heard this question several times and I'm happy to read some answers, then I can say something that sounds clever the next time...

I was given to understand that Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter-ego) inherited not only a fortune from his parents, but also the company Wayne Enterprises, which still turns a nice profit for him (which then sometimes goes straight into Batman). Which is also due to the size and number of the subsidiaries, now that I look at the Wikipedia entry ...

Wile E Coyote must be deeply in debt to ACME...
meep meep

I wouldn't say Wile E. Coyote's much of a hero ... though the principle is still the same.

Which also brings up the question: if he can afford all that ACME crap, why doesn't he just *buy* dinner?

He's a coyote and if he just buy his dinner, he wouldn't like it because he didn't catch the food by himself.

Well speaking from a post-modern economic perspective, as they are fictional universes, the economic model of supply & demand does not apply given that they are both fixed for the narrative context of the characters and the in environment in which they live.

In short, Spiderman does not need the money.

Except when the plot says he does.

When you only see the world in the comic I think like you that the hero doesn't need the money, but the author want to make his hero so that you can identify with him. So you have to ask you what's with the money, because in the real life you can't live with the money from your photos like spiderman does. Or am I totally wrong with this argument? I'm a student and live by my parents, I've no idea of the real life .
(Lady Admiral Ayeka:I'm not sure, if I understood you correctly, so when you ment something different please correct me )

We're both right, I explained that they don't need the money however you've explained why the characters are in the pursuit of money. Realistically, if there were superheroes, I severally doubt they would be flaunting a dual-personality lifestyle.

It could also argue that, from a Marxist-Feminist perspective, the villains are formulated from the opposite rhetoric (ie. not very nice super-billionaire super-villains) so you can identify against them.

My theory probably works best in the Star Trek Universe where in order to fulfil a convention they have completely done away with money altogether. However it is worth contemplating how on Earth do people get access to production including labour in the narrative context.

I'd say the Star Trek univers is rather ... not-very-well thought-out, as far as that goes. However, I've seen a couple essays suggesting that the Federation is a communist state:

http://stardestroyer.net/Empire/Essays/Trek-Marxism.html
http://www.kyradesign.co.uk/kate/opinion/trek.html