Liam Burke
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462036
- eISBN:
- 9781626745193
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462036.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
The Golden Age of Comic Book Filmmaking saw filmmakers engaging with the language of comics with unprecedented enthusiasm, often by utilizing the control offered by digital technologies. Bullet-time, ...
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The Golden Age of Comic Book Filmmaking saw filmmakers engaging with the language of comics with unprecedented enthusiasm, often by utilizing the control offered by digital technologies. Bullet-time, which was innovated for The Matrix as a means to approximate the limitless discourse time of comics, probably proliferated most widely. However, there were many further efforts to adapt the language of comics to cinema. For instance, filmmakers often went beyond ready-made equivalents in their desire to create comic book-like panels and transitions, visualize sound, and bring previously specific codes to the screen. The enthusiasm for the comic language, coupled with the plasticity of the digital film image, even led to a measure of comic book graphiation seeping into cinema. Although many of these techniques did not enjoy the success of bullet-time, collectively they testify to a concerted effort to achieve a comic aesthetic, which has served to enrich the expressivity of mainstream cinema.Less
The Golden Age of Comic Book Filmmaking saw filmmakers engaging with the language of comics with unprecedented enthusiasm, often by utilizing the control offered by digital technologies. Bullet-time, which was innovated for The Matrix as a means to approximate the limitless discourse time of comics, probably proliferated most widely. However, there were many further efforts to adapt the language of comics to cinema. For instance, filmmakers often went beyond ready-made equivalents in their desire to create comic book-like panels and transitions, visualize sound, and bring previously specific codes to the screen. The enthusiasm for the comic language, coupled with the plasticity of the digital film image, even led to a measure of comic book graphiation seeping into cinema. Although many of these techniques did not enjoy the success of bullet-time, collectively they testify to a concerted effort to achieve a comic aesthetic, which has served to enrich the expressivity of mainstream cinema.
Liam Burke
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462036
- eISBN:
- 9781626745193
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462036.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
The comic book film adaptation trend ushered in by X-Men in 2000 soon developed into a full-fledged genre. Chapter Two charted the development of this genre and probed its boundaries. Identifying the ...
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The comic book film adaptation trend ushered in by X-Men in 2000 soon developed into a full-fledged genre. Chapter Two charted the development of this genre and probed its boundaries. Identifying the conventions of these films, the chapter defined the comic-book movie as a genre that follows a vigilante or outsider character engaged in a form of revenge narrative, and is pitched at a heightened reality with a visual style marked by distinctly comic book imagery. Refining earlier genre models with a bacterial growth analogy, the development of this genre was plotted and its next phase was predicted.Less
The comic book film adaptation trend ushered in by X-Men in 2000 soon developed into a full-fledged genre. Chapter Two charted the development of this genre and probed its boundaries. Identifying the conventions of these films, the chapter defined the comic-book movie as a genre that follows a vigilante or outsider character engaged in a form of revenge narrative, and is pitched at a heightened reality with a visual style marked by distinctly comic book imagery. Refining earlier genre models with a bacterial growth analogy, the development of this genre was plotted and its next phase was predicted.
Liam Burke
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462036
- eISBN:
- 9781626745193
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462036.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
Comic book fandom has long been a participatory culture. As comic book characters made the transition to film, the fans, eschewing media boundaries, began effectively applying their collaborative ...
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Comic book fandom has long been a participatory culture. As comic book characters made the transition to film, the fans, eschewing media boundaries, began effectively applying their collaborative traditions to cinema. This process became more intensive and far-reaching in the digital age. Consequently, filmmakers, many of whom initially adopted a protectionist stance, have chosen to (or been forced to) recognize the merits of comic book publishing practices. In recent years, this has led to a refocusing of marketing campaigns, the development of new production practices, greater fidelity between texts, as well as a number of other strategies that position fans at the center of comic book adaptation production.Less
Comic book fandom has long been a participatory culture. As comic book characters made the transition to film, the fans, eschewing media boundaries, began effectively applying their collaborative traditions to cinema. This process became more intensive and far-reaching in the digital age. Consequently, filmmakers, many of whom initially adopted a protectionist stance, have chosen to (or been forced to) recognize the merits of comic book publishing practices. In recent years, this has led to a refocusing of marketing campaigns, the development of new production practices, greater fidelity between texts, as well as a number of other strategies that position fans at the center of comic book adaptation production.
Liam Burke
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462036
- eISBN:
- 9781626745193
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462036.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
In the summer of 2000 X-Men surpassed all box office expectations and ushered in an era of unprecedented production of comic book film adaptations. This trend, now in its second decade, has blossomed ...
More
In the summer of 2000 X-Men surpassed all box office expectations and ushered in an era of unprecedented production of comic book film adaptations. This trend, now in its second decade, has blossomed into Hollywood's leading genre. From superheroes to Spartan warriors, The Comic Book Film Adaptation offers the first dedicated study to examine how comic books moved from the fringes of popular culture to the center of mainstream film production. Through in-depth analysis, industry interviews, and audience research, this book charts the cause-and-effect of this influential trend. It considers the cultural traumas, business demands, and digital possibilities that Hollywood faced at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The industry managed to meet these challenges by exploiting comics and their existing audiences. However, studios were caught off-guard when these comic book fans, empowered by digital media, began to influence the success of adaptations. Nonetheless, filmmakers soon developed strategies to take advantage of this intense fanbase, while codifying the trend into a more lucrative genre, the comic book movie, which appealed to an even wider audience. Central to this vibrant trend is a comic aesthetic in which filmmakers utilize digital filmmaking technologies to engage with the language and conventions of comics like never before. The Comic Book Film Adaptation explores this unique moment in which cinema is stimulated, challenged, and enriched by the once-dismissed medium of comics.Less
In the summer of 2000 X-Men surpassed all box office expectations and ushered in an era of unprecedented production of comic book film adaptations. This trend, now in its second decade, has blossomed into Hollywood's leading genre. From superheroes to Spartan warriors, The Comic Book Film Adaptation offers the first dedicated study to examine how comic books moved from the fringes of popular culture to the center of mainstream film production. Through in-depth analysis, industry interviews, and audience research, this book charts the cause-and-effect of this influential trend. It considers the cultural traumas, business demands, and digital possibilities that Hollywood faced at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The industry managed to meet these challenges by exploiting comics and their existing audiences. However, studios were caught off-guard when these comic book fans, empowered by digital media, began to influence the success of adaptations. Nonetheless, filmmakers soon developed strategies to take advantage of this intense fanbase, while codifying the trend into a more lucrative genre, the comic book movie, which appealed to an even wider audience. Central to this vibrant trend is a comic aesthetic in which filmmakers utilize digital filmmaking technologies to engage with the language and conventions of comics like never before. The Comic Book Film Adaptation explores this unique moment in which cinema is stimulated, challenged, and enriched by the once-dismissed medium of comics.
Jason C. Bivins
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340815
- eISBN:
- 9780199867158
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340815.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The first of the book's four case studies examines the long‐standing cartoon ministry of Californian Jack Chick. Situating Chick's work in the history of the comics genre and in the visual culture of ...
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The first of the book's four case studies examines the long‐standing cartoon ministry of Californian Jack Chick. Situating Chick's work in the history of the comics genre and in the visual culture of American religions, this chapter explores the specific narrative structures of Chick's political vision alongside the particular demons he portrays in his graphic art. The chapter also includes a detailed biography of Chick, a history of American comics, and a close reading of the Chick canon. The chapter concludes by documenting Chick's sense of social decline and religious fear, themes that acquire power as the Religion of Fear develops over time.Less
The first of the book's four case studies examines the long‐standing cartoon ministry of Californian Jack Chick. Situating Chick's work in the history of the comics genre and in the visual culture of American religions, this chapter explores the specific narrative structures of Chick's political vision alongside the particular demons he portrays in his graphic art. The chapter also includes a detailed biography of Chick, a history of American comics, and a close reading of the Chick canon. The chapter concludes by documenting Chick's sense of social decline and religious fear, themes that acquire power as the Religion of Fear develops over time.
Liam Burke
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462036
- eISBN:
- 9781626745193
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462036.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This Introduction traces the history of today’s comic book film adaptation trend back to the earliest days of cinema with Louis Lumière’s 1895 film L’Arroseur Arrosé. It outlines the scope of the ...
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This Introduction traces the history of today’s comic book film adaptation trend back to the earliest days of cinema with Louis Lumière’s 1895 film L’Arroseur Arrosé. It outlines the scope of the book and establishes key terms. This section also identifies where this project fits in the field of adaptation studies. Specifically, it argues that a study of the comic book film adaptation is well positioned to traverse the research quagmires of the past and move the study of adaptation into new and more productive territory.Less
This Introduction traces the history of today’s comic book film adaptation trend back to the earliest days of cinema with Louis Lumière’s 1895 film L’Arroseur Arrosé. It outlines the scope of the book and establishes key terms. This section also identifies where this project fits in the field of adaptation studies. Specifically, it argues that a study of the comic book film adaptation is well positioned to traverse the research quagmires of the past and move the study of adaptation into new and more productive territory.
Jean-Paul Gabilliet
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732672
- eISBN:
- 9781621039860
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732672.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This book documents the rise and development of the American comic book industry from the 1930s to the present. It intertwines aesthetic issues and critical biographies with the concerns of ...
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This book documents the rise and development of the American comic book industry from the 1930s to the present. It intertwines aesthetic issues and critical biographies with the concerns of production, distribution, and audience reception. The introduction brings the book up to date with explorations of the latest innovations, particularly the graphic novel. The book is organized into three sections: a concise history of the evolution of the comic book form in America; an overview of the distribution and consumption of American comic books, detailing specific controversies such as the creation of the Comics Code in the mid-1950s; and the problematic legitimization of the form that has occurred recently within the academy and in popular discourse. Viewing comic books from a variety of theoretical lenses, the book shows how seemingly disparate issues—creation, production, and reception—are in fact connected in ways that are not necessarily true of other art forms.Less
This book documents the rise and development of the American comic book industry from the 1930s to the present. It intertwines aesthetic issues and critical biographies with the concerns of production, distribution, and audience reception. The introduction brings the book up to date with explorations of the latest innovations, particularly the graphic novel. The book is organized into three sections: a concise history of the evolution of the comic book form in America; an overview of the distribution and consumption of American comic books, detailing specific controversies such as the creation of the Comics Code in the mid-1950s; and the problematic legitimization of the form that has occurred recently within the academy and in popular discourse. Viewing comic books from a variety of theoretical lenses, the book shows how seemingly disparate issues—creation, production, and reception—are in fact connected in ways that are not necessarily true of other art forms.
Liam Burke
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628462036
- eISBN:
- 9781626745193
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462036.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This final section summarizes the key points raised in the book, while anticipating the future of the comic book movie.
This final section summarizes the key points raised in the book, while anticipating the future of the comic book movie.
Jean-Paul Gabilliet
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732672
- eISBN:
- 9781621039860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732672.003.0016
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This chapter examines the external consecration of comic books in France and the United States in order to demonstrate the specificity of the legitimizing mechanisms of comics in the North American ...
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This chapter examines the external consecration of comic books in France and the United States in order to demonstrate the specificity of the legitimizing mechanisms of comics in the North American context, as well as the heteronomy of the comics field in Europe. It considers praise for comics through analogy with the consecrated arts and looks at the rise of comic book original pages as a new segment of the art market. It also discusses the historiography of comics and the impact of popular culture as a new area of study in American universities and concludes with an evaluation of the possibility of a “scientific” discourse on comics that is not only detached from the stigma of fannish subjectivity but also accepted in the circles of academic publishing.Less
This chapter examines the external consecration of comic books in France and the United States in order to demonstrate the specificity of the legitimizing mechanisms of comics in the North American context, as well as the heteronomy of the comics field in Europe. It considers praise for comics through analogy with the consecrated arts and looks at the rise of comic book original pages as a new segment of the art market. It also discusses the historiography of comics and the impact of popular culture as a new area of study in American universities and concludes with an evaluation of the possibility of a “scientific” discourse on comics that is not only detached from the stigma of fannish subjectivity but also accepted in the circles of academic publishing.
Jean-Paul Gabilliet
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732672
- eISBN:
- 9781621039860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732672.003.0011
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
For publishers, selling copies of their publications has always been more important than advancing the status of comics as an art form. This commercial concern was what made comic books a pillar of ...
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For publishers, selling copies of their publications has always been more important than advancing the status of comics as an art form. This commercial concern was what made comic books a pillar of the mass periodical industry in North America until the beginning of the 1960s. Comics magazines, distributed at the start of the 1930s wherever periodicals were sold, benefited from a large-scale visibility that accounted for its initial success as well as its subsequent failure. In North America, the survival of comic books was tied to a much greater degree on their sales than on their advertising receipts. This chapter examines the business of comic books, from advertising to distribution, both traditional and direct market. It also looks at the crisis suffered by the comic book industry that began in 1993 and ended in 1996, along with the business of comic book specialty stores and their synergy with publishers.Less
For publishers, selling copies of their publications has always been more important than advancing the status of comics as an art form. This commercial concern was what made comic books a pillar of the mass periodical industry in North America until the beginning of the 1960s. Comics magazines, distributed at the start of the 1930s wherever periodicals were sold, benefited from a large-scale visibility that accounted for its initial success as well as its subsequent failure. In North America, the survival of comic books was tied to a much greater degree on their sales than on their advertising receipts. This chapter examines the business of comic books, from advertising to distribution, both traditional and direct market. It also looks at the crisis suffered by the comic book industry that began in 1993 and ended in 1996, along with the business of comic book specialty stores and their synergy with publishers.
Jean-Paul Gabilliet
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732672
- eISBN:
- 9781621039860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732672.003.0014
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This chapter examines the censorship of comic books in America. It begins by looking at the hysteria of 1948–1950, which focused on crime comics and the ordinances aimed at curbing their ...
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This chapter examines the censorship of comic books in America. It begins by looking at the hysteria of 1948–1950, which focused on crime comics and the ordinances aimed at curbing their dissemination. It then turns to the campaign of the period 1952–1954, this time against war comics and horror comics, and the hearings conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on juvenile delinquency chaired by Senator Robert Hendrickson. It also considers the main arguments advanced by the intellectuals in the debate regarding comic book censorship by analyzing three books published between 1949 and 1954: Gershon Legman’s Love and Death: A Study in Censorship, Fredric Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent, and Geoffrey Wagner’s Parade of Pleasure: A Study of Popular Iconography in the USA. In addition, the chapter analyzes Frank Tashlin’s 1955 film Artists and Models, which tackles the comic book controversy, and concludes with a discussion of contemporary arguments against comic books, along with the identity-building function of freedom of speech.Less
This chapter examines the censorship of comic books in America. It begins by looking at the hysteria of 1948–1950, which focused on crime comics and the ordinances aimed at curbing their dissemination. It then turns to the campaign of the period 1952–1954, this time against war comics and horror comics, and the hearings conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on juvenile delinquency chaired by Senator Robert Hendrickson. It also considers the main arguments advanced by the intellectuals in the debate regarding comic book censorship by analyzing three books published between 1949 and 1954: Gershon Legman’s Love and Death: A Study in Censorship, Fredric Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent, and Geoffrey Wagner’s Parade of Pleasure: A Study of Popular Iconography in the USA. In addition, the chapter analyzes Frank Tashlin’s 1955 film Artists and Models, which tackles the comic book controversy, and concludes with a discussion of contemporary arguments against comic books, along with the identity-building function of freedom of speech.
Jean-Paul Gabilliet
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732672
- eISBN:
- 9781621039860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732672.003.0013
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
Readership is a reflection of the legitimation of comic books not only in terms of consumption preferences relative to mass cultural media forms, but also in terms of the general public’s perception ...
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Readership is a reflection of the legitimation of comic books not only in terms of consumption preferences relative to mass cultural media forms, but also in terms of the general public’s perception of comic books. Legitimation is closely coupled with the “visibility” of a media, if visibility is defined by the occurrence of allusions to it in larger media discourses. Paradoxically, comic books enjoyed the greatest visibility during the period 1945–1955, when they were the targets of all kinds of censorship. This chapter focuses on the readers of comic books by tackling the question of knowing who read comics. It looks at comics readers during the Great Depression, the Golden Age of comic books, the impact of television on comic book reading, the emergence of underground comics along with an adolescent-adult readership, and the composition of comic book readership in the 1980s.Less
Readership is a reflection of the legitimation of comic books not only in terms of consumption preferences relative to mass cultural media forms, but also in terms of the general public’s perception of comic books. Legitimation is closely coupled with the “visibility” of a media, if visibility is defined by the occurrence of allusions to it in larger media discourses. Paradoxically, comic books enjoyed the greatest visibility during the period 1945–1955, when they were the targets of all kinds of censorship. This chapter focuses on the readers of comic books by tackling the question of knowing who read comics. It looks at comics readers during the Great Depression, the Golden Age of comic books, the impact of television on comic book reading, the emergence of underground comics along with an adolescent-adult readership, and the composition of comic book readership in the 1980s.
Jean-Paul Gabilliet
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732672
- eISBN:
- 9781621039860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732672.003.0015
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
As a complex social process, cultural legitimation is difficult to observe because its various modalities refer to distinct realities. Legitimation is an intricate mechanism that can be broken down ...
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As a complex social process, cultural legitimation is difficult to observe because its various modalities refer to distinct realities. Legitimation is an intricate mechanism that can be broken down into three modalities that function in relation to one another: visibility, recognition, and legitimacy. The legitimation of any cultural practice requires effects of consecration, that is, phenomena that “confirm” its accession to the dominant cultural hierarchy. This chapter examines how comics and comic books are inscribed in America’s cultural and social fields. It discusses the mechanisms and agents of internal consecration within the comic book field: the prizes, the specialty magazines, the fans, and the conventions. It also describes the second wave of comics fandom, the impetus of which came from a small group of adult science fiction fans who used to enjoy comic books in their childhood and whose interest was revived by DC Comics’s resurrection of the superhero genre in the late 1950s.Less
As a complex social process, cultural legitimation is difficult to observe because its various modalities refer to distinct realities. Legitimation is an intricate mechanism that can be broken down into three modalities that function in relation to one another: visibility, recognition, and legitimacy. The legitimation of any cultural practice requires effects of consecration, that is, phenomena that “confirm” its accession to the dominant cultural hierarchy. This chapter examines how comics and comic books are inscribed in America’s cultural and social fields. It discusses the mechanisms and agents of internal consecration within the comic book field: the prizes, the specialty magazines, the fans, and the conventions. It also describes the second wave of comics fandom, the impetus of which came from a small group of adult science fiction fans who used to enjoy comic books in their childhood and whose interest was revived by DC Comics’s resurrection of the superhero genre in the late 1950s.
Michael P. Jensen
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748635238
- eISBN:
- 9780748652297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748635238.003.0022
- Subject:
- Literature, Shakespeare Studies
This chapter first reviews that comics have ever been envisaged as a pedagogical tool in the teaching of literature. It also explains the choices about dialogue and visuals in comics based on ...
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This chapter first reviews that comics have ever been envisaged as a pedagogical tool in the teaching of literature. It also explains the choices about dialogue and visuals in comics based on Shakespeare's plays, and the differences and points of contact between comics in their British, American and Japanese incarnations. Many of Shakespeare's plays were made into comic books for the first time. Moreover, the critical issues surrounding translating Shakespeare's language into modern English are elaborated. Manga Shakespeare has been embraced by Japan. The books are used to teach Shakespeare to Japanese students. Comic book writers have used Shakespeare's cultural familiarity to plot teenage romance stories, funny animal stories, ghost stories and superhero stories. Some writers have quoted, paraphrased or alluded to Shakespeare to craft the structure and tone of their comic books, but use these quotations, paraphrases and allusions in very different ways.Less
This chapter first reviews that comics have ever been envisaged as a pedagogical tool in the teaching of literature. It also explains the choices about dialogue and visuals in comics based on Shakespeare's plays, and the differences and points of contact between comics in their British, American and Japanese incarnations. Many of Shakespeare's plays were made into comic books for the first time. Moreover, the critical issues surrounding translating Shakespeare's language into modern English are elaborated. Manga Shakespeare has been embraced by Japan. The books are used to teach Shakespeare to Japanese students. Comic book writers have used Shakespeare's cultural familiarity to plot teenage romance stories, funny animal stories, ghost stories and superhero stories. Some writers have quoted, paraphrased or alluded to Shakespeare to craft the structure and tone of their comic books, but use these quotations, paraphrases and allusions in very different ways.
Aldo J. Regalado
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781628462210
- eISBN:
- 9781626746183
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628462210.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This chapter examines the anti-comics crusade of the 1950s. Rooted in the ethos of an atomic modernity in which the suburban home was thought of as a vanguard against internal and external threats, ...
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This chapter examines the anti-comics crusade of the 1950s. Rooted in the ethos of an atomic modernity in which the suburban home was thought of as a vanguard against internal and external threats, this mainstream movement identified the comic book industry as a threat to children and hence to the nation's virtue and security. Superheroes were accused of undermining gender norms, atomizing families, promoting violent and antisocial behavior, subverting democracy, and otherwise making Americans more susceptible to the values of a capitalist economy run amok. As a result of the success of the anti-comics crusade, comic book companies reworked their characters, stripping superheroes of their more transgressive qualities and making them conform to Cold War consensus culture. The chapter concludes by studying how baby boomer aficionados of the superhero genre organized themselves into fan communities and reactivated the superhero's anti-modern potential during the 1960s as part of a broader rebellion against consensus culture.Less
This chapter examines the anti-comics crusade of the 1950s. Rooted in the ethos of an atomic modernity in which the suburban home was thought of as a vanguard against internal and external threats, this mainstream movement identified the comic book industry as a threat to children and hence to the nation's virtue and security. Superheroes were accused of undermining gender norms, atomizing families, promoting violent and antisocial behavior, subverting democracy, and otherwise making Americans more susceptible to the values of a capitalist economy run amok. As a result of the success of the anti-comics crusade, comic book companies reworked their characters, stripping superheroes of their more transgressive qualities and making them conform to Cold War consensus culture. The chapter concludes by studying how baby boomer aficionados of the superhero genre organized themselves into fan communities and reactivated the superhero's anti-modern potential during the 1960s as part of a broader rebellion against consensus culture.
Joe Sutliff Sanders
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496811677
- eISBN:
- 9781496811714
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496811677.003.0022
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This chapter provides an overview of the state of the field of digital comics for young readers today, especially in the context of the critical and aesthetic fears and hopes offered in the first ...
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This chapter provides an overview of the state of the field of digital comics for young readers today, especially in the context of the critical and aesthetic fears and hopes offered in the first reactions to the potential of the field. The central question is simply whether these comics take advantage of the available artistic tools to help their books succeed in their artistic goals or whether they produce stories that might as well have been told in the familiar boxes of paper comics. It is argued that most publishers are still anxious about digital comics because these comics have not yet proved themselves as a commodity at least as reliable as paper comics. And that is the case because consumers are not yet committed to reading comics in any medium other than paper. Creators have made little attempt to seize the artistic potential of digital comics when writing for children, but there is impressive reason to hope that the future holds promise.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the state of the field of digital comics for young readers today, especially in the context of the critical and aesthetic fears and hopes offered in the first reactions to the potential of the field. The central question is simply whether these comics take advantage of the available artistic tools to help their books succeed in their artistic goals or whether they produce stories that might as well have been told in the familiar boxes of paper comics. It is argued that most publishers are still anxious about digital comics because these comics have not yet proved themselves as a commodity at least as reliable as paper comics. And that is the case because consumers are not yet committed to reading comics in any medium other than paper. Creators have made little attempt to seize the artistic potential of digital comics when writing for children, but there is impressive reason to hope that the future holds promise.
Jean-Paul Gabilliet
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604732672
- eISBN:
- 9781621039860
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604732672.003.0012
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
The comic book industry lives in a universe of complex professional trajectories involving several thousand individuals ranging from artists, cartoonists, and writers to employees of publishing ...
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The comic book industry lives in a universe of complex professional trajectories involving several thousand individuals ranging from artists, cartoonists, and writers to employees of publishing houses. There is no typical career path in the comic book industry; comics artists may work in newspaper comics, animation, illustration, advertising, or even writing, whereas writers may find themselves in newspapers, magazines, radio, television, cinema, or literature. This chapter describes a succession of generations of comics creators by analyzing the history of the comic book industry as it has been represented by the creators themselves and their activities. It looks at four generations of creators: the pioneers such as Jack Kirby and Stan Lee; the postwar creators, including Carmine Infantino and Steve Ditko; the third generation that included Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams; and the fourth generation that included Dave Sim and the brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez. The chapter also considers four professional associations: the Society of Comic Book Illustrators, the Academy of Comic Book Arts, the United Cartoon Workers of America, and the Comic Creators Guild.Less
The comic book industry lives in a universe of complex professional trajectories involving several thousand individuals ranging from artists, cartoonists, and writers to employees of publishing houses. There is no typical career path in the comic book industry; comics artists may work in newspaper comics, animation, illustration, advertising, or even writing, whereas writers may find themselves in newspapers, magazines, radio, television, cinema, or literature. This chapter describes a succession of generations of comics creators by analyzing the history of the comic book industry as it has been represented by the creators themselves and their activities. It looks at four generations of creators: the pioneers such as Jack Kirby and Stan Lee; the postwar creators, including Carmine Infantino and Steve Ditko; the third generation that included Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams; and the fourth generation that included Dave Sim and the brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez. The chapter also considers four professional associations: the Society of Comic Book Illustrators, the Academy of Comic Book Arts, the United Cartoon Workers of America, and the Comic Creators Guild.
Ramzi Fawaz
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781479814336
- eISBN:
- 9781479840021
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9781479814336.003.0009
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
The introduction describes the origin of the American superhero in the late 1930s as a fantasy figure that linked a belief in the limitless possibilities of technological progress with liberal ...
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The introduction describes the origin of the American superhero in the late 1930s as a fantasy figure that linked a belief in the limitless possibilities of technological progress with liberal notions of justice and the rule of law. In the 1960s and after, superheroes were presented as mutants or biological “freaks,” and thus increasingly came to represent the aspirations and interests of a variety of minorities and social outcasts. This transformation was accompanied by comic books’ increasing attention to global and cosmic scales of social conflict, a heightened interaction between creators and readers that allowed the latter to be active participants in shaping the form and content of superhero stories, and those stories’ absorption of radical left-wing political ideals. These transformations composed a “comic book cosmopolitics,” an ethos defined by a democratic investment in cross-cultural communication and globe-spanning projects for political freedom. This ethos was grounded in the use of fantasy—or imaginative forms of world making and creative invention—to depict superhuman bodies that deviated from traditional ideals of bodily perfection and normative gender or ability as desirable and pleasurable. This project made fantasy itself a tool in promoting new progressive and left-wing ideals in the United States.Less
The introduction describes the origin of the American superhero in the late 1930s as a fantasy figure that linked a belief in the limitless possibilities of technological progress with liberal notions of justice and the rule of law. In the 1960s and after, superheroes were presented as mutants or biological “freaks,” and thus increasingly came to represent the aspirations and interests of a variety of minorities and social outcasts. This transformation was accompanied by comic books’ increasing attention to global and cosmic scales of social conflict, a heightened interaction between creators and readers that allowed the latter to be active participants in shaping the form and content of superhero stories, and those stories’ absorption of radical left-wing political ideals. These transformations composed a “comic book cosmopolitics,” an ethos defined by a democratic investment in cross-cultural communication and globe-spanning projects for political freedom. This ethos was grounded in the use of fantasy—or imaginative forms of world making and creative invention—to depict superhuman bodies that deviated from traditional ideals of bodily perfection and normative gender or ability as desirable and pleasurable. This project made fantasy itself a tool in promoting new progressive and left-wing ideals in the United States.
Chad A. Barbour
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781496806840
- eISBN:
- 9781496806888
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496806840.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Native American Studies
Chapter three follows the lineage of frontier and Western fantasies from the nineteenth century to the twentieth via the comic book adaptations of novels like The Last of the Mohicans and comic ...
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Chapter three follows the lineage of frontier and Western fantasies from the nineteenth century to the twentieth via the comic book adaptations of novels like The Last of the Mohicans and comic depictions of frontier figures like Boone and Girty. Following in the line of late-nineteenth century dime novels and early twentieth century film, comic books inherited many of the tropes and
conventions of the Western and frontier genres, including those of the white
Indian and playing Indian. Multiple adaptations of The Last of the Mohicans, from
the 1940s to the 2000s, testify to that story's persistent appeal. In the 1950s, a
flurry of Boone comics demonstrates his popularity as an American hero while engaging in many of the themes and cultural implications that are essential to this book's focus.Less
Chapter three follows the lineage of frontier and Western fantasies from the nineteenth century to the twentieth via the comic book adaptations of novels like The Last of the Mohicans and comic depictions of frontier figures like Boone and Girty. Following in the line of late-nineteenth century dime novels and early twentieth century film, comic books inherited many of the tropes and
conventions of the Western and frontier genres, including those of the white
Indian and playing Indian. Multiple adaptations of The Last of the Mohicans, from
the 1940s to the 2000s, testify to that story's persistent appeal. In the 1950s, a
flurry of Boone comics demonstrates his popularity as an American hero while engaging in many of the themes and cultural implications that are essential to this book's focus.
Ruth-Elen St. Onge (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496815118
- eISBN:
- 9781496815156
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496815118.003.0013
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This chapter applies Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the field of literary production, as well as critical evaluations of contemporary graphic novels and comic books (McCloud, Hatfield), in order to ...
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This chapter applies Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the field of literary production, as well as critical evaluations of contemporary graphic novels and comic books (McCloud, Hatfield), in order to consider the trajectory of Ray Fawkes, a Canadian comics artist and writer. Through analyzing the aesthetic presentation and material qualities of Fawkes’ works One Soul (2011),The Spectral Engine (2013), The People Inside (2014), and Intersect (2015), as well as industry standards and practices and their subsequent impact on the reader, this chapter contends that the creator’s adoption of a particular visual style in any given comic book or graphic novel can serve as a signal to readers as to the genre and subfield of literature to which their publication belongs. Through marked shifts in visual style and formal experimentation, Ray Fawkes subtly innovates from within both the mainstream and alternative subfields of the field of comics publishing.Less
This chapter applies Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the field of literary production, as well as critical evaluations of contemporary graphic novels and comic books (McCloud, Hatfield), in order to consider the trajectory of Ray Fawkes, a Canadian comics artist and writer. Through analyzing the aesthetic presentation and material qualities of Fawkes’ works One Soul (2011),The Spectral Engine (2013), The People Inside (2014), and Intersect (2015), as well as industry standards and practices and their subsequent impact on the reader, this chapter contends that the creator’s adoption of a particular visual style in any given comic book or graphic novel can serve as a signal to readers as to the genre and subfield of literature to which their publication belongs. Through marked shifts in visual style and formal experimentation, Ray Fawkes subtly innovates from within both the mainstream and alternative subfields of the field of comics publishing.
