James Gunn's Peacemaker was less about fan service, and more about making the foibles of a superhero accessible to a viewer

VICE

"Superhero visual media—television and movies—is so ubiquitous that it has become its own genre, separate and apart from the comic books and action movies it’s derived from," says Gita Jackson. "James Gunn’s Peacemaker is one of the first entries in this genre that uses its narrative conventions in a similar way to the comics that first got me interested in superheroes. It was the first one that made me actually want to pick up a comic." Jackson adds: "In lesser hands, Peacemaker’s reflexive or metatextual nature would be the same kind of rote fanservice that other comic-book media offers its viewers. In Gunn’s hands, it’s simply a means to the end of raising questions about erring and forgiveness." ALSO: For a show based in graphic violence, nudity, and hair metal, Peacemaker found a depth missing from most of the genre.