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This chapter examines contemporary British superheroes created since 1994. In the aftermath of the phenomenal international success of Watchmen, Arkham Asylum, and The Sandman, British creators and artists became some of the most influential and in demand in the field of comics. Grant Morrison produced his magnum opus, The Invisibles, and Flex Mentallo. The chapter first discusses The Invisibles and Flex Mentallo before considering a number of DC Thomson superheroes. It also analyzes various publications such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Promethea, along with other series that revived some classic British superheroes and villains of the past. Examples are Brit Force, Jack Staff, and Albion. The chapter concludes with an overview of the second wave of the British Invasion and the resurgence of British comics in the city of Dundee.

This book examines the history of the British superhero. It shows that the British subversion of the superhero genre goes back to the 1930s, even as the best-known and most often cited examples of this appeared in the early to mid-1980s, when British writers and artists exerted a significant influence on American superhero comics, forming the first wave of the so-called British Invasion. The book also explores the relationship between British and American comics and the treatment of the superhero in Britain, as well as the various precursors to the superhero in British popular culture. It suggests that the British superhero is a parody of a parody, or at least, often parodies or reinscribes a genre and characters that are themselves decipherable as parody or reinscriptions of previous models. This introduction explains what a superhero is and highlights the key differences between American and British comics.

Following Russell T. Davies’ successful 2005 reboot of the once dead franchise, Doctor Who is now the BBC’s chief television export to the world and a global brand. The Doctor has become a quintessential British superhero: his knowledge knows no bounds; he has the power to travel through time and space; his companions bring their own spirit, personality and abilities to his time travelling missions; and, most of all, he is driven to protect the innocent and save those in need. One sign of the Doctor’s international success comes at the annual San Diego Comic Con where BBC America has made a concerted effort to attract and build a loyal American audience - with the latest series of Doctor Who achieving a Comic Con first for the BBC by having its panel held in the famous Hall H (a 7,000 seat auditorium usually reserved for big Hollywood premieres, attracting star names and very long queues). This chapter investigates the importance of the San Diego Comic Con in the global circulation of popular media texts, but then builds on this by discussing the increasing significance and popularity of international superhero and science fiction franchises in the American media industry.

This book has explored the British superhero's long and complex history, even though many have now faded into obscurity. It has also highlighted the ever-shifting balance between parody and satire in British comics and comics produced for international markets by British creators such as Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. Furthermore, it has analyzed the changing industrial and social context of British publishing and the market forces that have shaped British comics. Finally, it has discussed the complex relationship between British and American comics not only in terms of the British Invasion of American comics in the 1980s and its aftermath that is still being felt, but also in the context of the transnational nature of comics and, in particular, the close connections between the American and British markets. In conclusion, the book describes changes in the mainstream British comics industry over the years.