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The Many Lives of the Batman: Critical Approaches To a Superhero and His Media
The phenomenal success of Batman: The Movie seemed to signal the apotheosis of the Batman in the American popular imagination. But what social conditions can account for the enduring popularity of such a dark and conflicted character?
The Many Lives of the Batman is the first serious academic exploration of this intriguing cultural phenomenon. Marketing savvy alone did not build the Batman's extraordinary success; it traverses a variety of audiences who have embraced the hero in a collage of different media manifestations throughout his fifty year history. These overlapping lives are illuminated in this critical anthology, which analyzes the contexts of the character's production and reception across a wide spectrum of time and media forms.
This volume includes new interviews with the character's original creators. The other specially commissioned essays consider such questions as the political economy of comic book and film production processes; the cult status of the sixties television series in various fan communities; and the postmodernism of past and present Batman films. Using the tools of cultural studies, The Many Lives of the Batman unmasks the Caped Crusader's mysterious attraction.
The Many Lives of the Batman is the first serious academic exploration of this intriguing cultural phenomenon. Marketing savvy alone did not build the Batman's extraordinary success; it traverses a variety of audiences who have embraced the hero in a collage of different media manifestations throughout his fifty year history. These overlapping lives are illuminated in this critical anthology, which analyzes the contexts of the character's production and reception across a wide spectrum of time and media forms.
This volume includes new interviews with the character's original creators. The other specially commissioned essays consider such questions as the political economy of comic book and film production processes; the cult status of the sixties television series in various fan communities; and the postmodernism of past and present Batman films. Using the tools of cultural studies, The Many Lives of the Batman unmasks the Caped Crusader's mysterious attraction.
213 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 9, 2024
Ok I’ve GOTTA watch the 1960s tv show now.
September 4, 2011
Well... the good news is that the only good essay in the book happens to be the first.
There is also a good interview in there with Frank Miller, but that's about it. Aside from being 20 years old, the book is a compilation of essays, which I have a struggling past with.
Some include charts on the decline of comic book sales and ethnographic studies on the kinds of people who buy them.
Not the book for me. I'd recommend reading Bill Boichel's essay "Batman: Commodity as Myth" and saving yourself a couple of hours. If it wasn't for him, one star.
If anyone has any good nonfiction stuff on the Batman send the mail my way. I was excited to read this.
There is also a good interview in there with Frank Miller, but that's about it. Aside from being 20 years old, the book is a compilation of essays, which I have a struggling past with.
Some include charts on the decline of comic book sales and ethnographic studies on the kinds of people who buy them.
Not the book for me. I'd recommend reading Bill Boichel's essay "Batman: Commodity as Myth" and saving yourself a couple of hours. If it wasn't for him, one star.
If anyone has any good nonfiction stuff on the Batman send the mail my way. I was excited to read this.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews