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    The Superhero Symbol
    Media, Culture, and Politics

    Liam Burke (Edited by), Ian Gordon (Edited by), Angela Ndalianis (Edited by), Liam Burke (Contributions by), Henry Jenkins (Contributions by), Neal Curtis (Contributions by), Jason Bainbridge (Contributions by), Mitchell Adams (Contributions by), Ian Gordon (Contributions by), Tara Lomax (Contributions by), Dan Golding (Contributions by), Steven Conway (Contributions by), Claire Langsford (Contributions by), Vladislav Iouchkov (Contributions by), John McGuire (Contributions by), Naja Later (Contributions by), Paul M. Malone (Contributions by), Shan Mu Zhao (Contributions by), Kevin Patrick (Contributions by)

    9780813597171

    Hardback, published 13 December 2019

    336 pages, 34 color images, 3 BW images, 1 table
    22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.476 kg

    "With contributions by an imposing list of scholars, The Superhero Symbol offers readers enlightening essays on the politics of the superhero, on the commercial branding, nationalism and national identity, on sexuality and sexual identity, and on the culture and mythology of the superhero; in short, everything about the superhero that you never asked because it never even occurred to you to ask."
    - Trina Robbins (author of Pretty in Ink, North American Women Cartoonists 1896 - 2013)
    "This extraordinary league of transmedial comics scholars pull off the impossible: the definitive tome on how global industries create and planetary consumers actively engage with the superhero symbol. The tack-sharp cross-disciplinary scholarship along with deep-probe interviews with industry titans take us on a wild journey through time and space to forcefully show how those costume-clad full-chested insignias and sky-beamed icons are much more than expressions of fan-boy wish fulfilment fantasies. Provocative. Field defining. A must read!"
    - Frederick Luis Aldama (author of the Eisner Award winning Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics)
    "Throughout the essays cross-refer, giving the collection considerable unity. Combining fundamental concerns in superhero studies with a variety of thought-provoking special topics, and studded with color illustrations, this is a worthwhile collection for both knowledgeable scholars and newcomers to superhero studies. Recommended."
    (Choice)
    "There is a lot of ground covered in this book, much of which will make you think beyond your normal perimeters and that’s never a bad thing and makes for an interesting book."
    (SFcrowsnest)

    “As a man, I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol... as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting”. In the 2005 reboot of the Batman film franchise, Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne articulates how the figure of the superhero can serve as a transcendent icon.
     
    It is hard to imagine a time when superheroes have been more pervasive in our culture. Today, superheroes are intellectual property jealously guarded by media conglomerates, icons co-opted by grassroots groups as a four-color rebuttal to social inequities, masks people wear to more confidently walk convention floors and city streets, and bulletproof banners that embody regional and national identities. From activism to cosplay, this collection unmasks the symbolic function of superheroes.
     
    Bringing together superhero scholars from a range of disciplines, alongside key industry figures such as Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini, The Superhero Symbol provides fresh perspectives on how characters like Captain America, Iron Man, and Wonder Woman have engaged with media, culture, and politics, to become the “everlasting” symbols to which a young Bruce Wayne once aspired. 
     

    Contents
                                                                                      
    Introduction: “
    Everlasting”
    Symbols: Unmasking superheroes and their shifting symbolic function, Liam Burke

    Section 1: Superheroes, Politics, and Civic Engagement
    1. “
    What Else Can You Do With Them?”
    : Superheroes and the Civic Imagination
    Henry Jenkins
     
    2. “
    America Is A Piece of Trash”
    : Captain America, Patriotism, Nationalism, and Fascism
    Neal Curtis
     
    3. “
    This Land is Mine!”
    Understanding the Function of Supervillains
    Jason Bainbridge
     
    Interview 1: Comics artist, writer, and "
    herstorian"
    Trina Robbins
     
    Section 2: The Superhero as a Brand
     
    4. The Secret Commercial Identity of Superheroes: Protecting the Superhero Symbol
    Mitchell Adams
     
    5. Siegel and Shuster as Brand Name
    Ian Gordon
     
    6. Practicing Superhuman Law: Creative License, Industrial Identity, and Spider-Man’
    s Homecoming
    Tara Lomax
     
    7. The sound of the cinematic superhero
    Dan Golding
     
    Interview 2: Former President of DC Entertainment Diane Nelson
     
    Section 3: Becoming the Superhero
     
    8. ­
    ­
    ­
    ­
    ­
    ­
    ­
    ­
    ­
    Arkham Knave: The Joker in Game Design
    Steven Conway
     
    9. Being Super, Becoming Heroes: Dialogic Superhero Narratives in Cosplay Collectives
    Claire Langsford
     
    10. “
    From Pages to Pavements”
    : A Criminological Comparison Between Depictions of Crime Control in Superhero Narratives and “
    Real-Life Superhero”
    Activity
    Vladislav Iouchkov and John McGuire
     
    Interview 3: Dark Night: A True Batman Story writer Paul Dini
     
    Section 4: Superheroes and National Identity
     
    11. Captain America, National Narratives, and the Queer Subversion of the Retcon
    Naja Later
     
    12. Apes, Angels, and Super Patriots: The Irish in Superhero Comics
    Liam Burke
     
    13. Missing in Action: The Late Development of the German-Speaking Superhero
    Paul M. Malone
     
    14. Chinese Milk for Iron Men: Superhero Coproductions and Technological Anxiety
    Shan Mu Zhao
     
    15. Age of the Atoman: Australian Superhero Comics and Cold War Modernity
    Kevin Patrick
     
    Interview 4: Cleverman creator Ryan Griffen and star Hunter Page-Lochard
     
    Acknowledgements
    Notes on the Editors
    Notes on Contributors
    Index
     
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