Download or read book The Joker written by Robert Moses Peaslee and published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. This book was released on 2015-02-26 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Along with Batman, Spider-Man, and Superman, the Joker stands out as one of the most recognizable comics characters in popular culture. While there has been a great deal of scholarly attention on superheroes, very little has been done to understand supervillains. This is the first academic work to provide a comprehensive study of this villain, illustrating why the Joker appears so relevant to audiences today. Batman's foe has cropped up in thousands of comics, numerous animated series, and three major blockbuster feature films since 1966. Actually, the Joker debuted in DC comics Batman 1 (1940) as the typical gangster, but the character evolved steadily into one of the most ominous in the history of sequential art. Batman and the Joker almost seemed to define each other as opposites, hero and nemesis, in a kind of psychological duality. Scholars from a wide array of disciplines look at the Joker through the lens of feature films, video games, comics, politics, magic and mysticism, psychology, animation, television, performance studies, and philosophy. As the first volume that examines the Joker as complex cultural and cross-media phenomenon, this collection adds to our understanding of the role comic book and cinematic villains play in the world and the ways various media affect their interpretation. Connecting the Clown Prince of Crime to bodies of thought as divergent as Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche, contributors demonstrate the frightening ways in which we get the monsters we need.

Download or read book Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture written by William Irwin and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2022-03-10 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can Wonder Woman help us understand feminist philosophy? How Does Wakandan technology transcend anti-Blackness? What can Star Trek teach us about the true nature of reality? Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture makes important philosophical concepts and the work of major philosophers relevant, fun, and exciting. Using engaging examples from film and television, this easy-to-read book covers everything from basic metaphysics and epistemology to abstract and complex philosophical ideas about ethics and the meaning of life. You don’t have to be a pop culture expert to benefit from this book—even a general awareness of cultural icons like Superman or Harry Potter will be more than enough for you to learn about a wide range of philosophical notions, thinkers, and movements. The expanded second edition offers timely coverage of important topics such as race, gender, personal identity, social justice, and environmental ethics. New essays explore the philosophical underpinnings of The Good Place, Game of Thrones, Black Panther, Star Wars, The Avengers, South Park, The Lego Movie, The Big Bang Theory, and more. This edition is supported by a new website with links to primary philosophical texts, information about all the popular culture discussed, and additional resources for teachers, students, and general readers alike. Features a selection of key essays from the bestselling Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series Draws on examples from popular media including The Matrix, Lost, Doctor Strange, The Hobbit, Westworld, and Star Trek Explains philosophical concepts such as relativism, skepticism, existentialist ethics, logic, social contract theory, utilitarianism, and mind-body dualism Discusses the ideas of Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Marx, Mill, Kierkegaard, and other important thinkers Introducing Philosophy Through Pop Culture is an excellent supplementary textbook for introductory philos for introductory philosophy courses and a valuable resource for general readers wanting to learn about philosophy and its connections with pop culture.

Download or read book Batman and Psychology written by Travis Langley and published by Turner Publishing Company. This book was released on 2022-03-01 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Batman is one of the most compelling and enduring characters to come from the Golden Age of Comics, and interest in his story has only increased through countless incarnations since his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. Why does this superhero without superpowers fascinate us? What does that fascination say about us? Batman and Psychology explores these and other intriguing questions about the masked vigilante, including: Does Batman have PTSD? Why does he fight crime? Why as a vigilante? Why the mask, the bat, and the underage partner? Why are his most intimate relationships with “bad girls” he ought to lock up? And why won't he kill that homicidal, green-haired clown? Combining psychological theory with the latest in psychological research, Batman and Psychology takes you on an unprecedented journey behind the mask and into the dark mind of your favorite Caped Crusader and his never-ending war on crime.

Download or read book Batman and the Shadows of Modernity written by Rafael Carrión-Arias and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-07-19 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book aims to study the Batman narrative, or Bat-narrative, from the point of view of its nodal relationship to modern narrative. To this end, it offers for the first time a new type of methodology adequate to the object, which delves both into materials scarcely studied in this context and well-known materials seen in a new light. This is a multidisciplinary work aimed at both the specialist and the global reader, bringing together comic studies, philosophical criticism, and literary criticism in a debate on the fate of our current global civilization.

Download or read book Super History written by Jeffrey K. Johnson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the less than eight decades since Superman's debut in 1938, comic book superheroes have become an indispensable part of American society and the nation's dominant mythology. They represent America's hopes, dreams, fears, and needs. As a form of popular literature, superhero narratives have closely mirrored trends and events in the nation. This study views American history from 1938 to 2010 through the lens of superhero comics, revealing the spandex-clad guardians to be not only fictional characters but barometers of the place and time in which they reside. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Download or read book Grant Morrison and the Superhero Renaissance written by Darragh Greene and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-08-01 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Superheroes are enjoying a cultural resurgence, dominating the box office and breaking out of specialty comics stores onto the shelves of mainstream retailers. A leading figure behind the superhero Renaissance is Grant Morrison, long-time architect of the DC Comics' universe and author of many of the most successful comic books in recent years. Renowned for his anarchic original creations--Zenith, The Invisibles, The Filth, We3--as well as for his acclaimed serialized comics--JLA, Superman, Batman, New X-Men--Grant Morrison has radically redefined the superhero archetype. Known for his eccentric lifestyle and as a practitioner of "pop magic," Morrison sees the superhero as not merely fantasy but a medium for imagining a better humanity. Drawing on a variety of analytical approaches, this first-ever collection of critical essays on his work explores his rejuvenation of the figure of the superhero as a means to address the challenges of modern life.

Download or read book Enter the Superheroes written by Alex S. Romagnoli and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2013-06-20 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ever since the first appearances of Superman and Batman in comic books of the late 1930s, superheroes have been a staple of the popular culture landscape. Though initially created for younger audiences, superhero characters have evolved over the years, becoming complex figures that appeal to more sophisticated readers. While superhero stories have grown ever more popular within broader society, however, comics and graphic novels have been largely ignored by the world of academia. In Enter the Superheroes:American Values, Culture, and the Canon of Superhero Literature, Alex S. Romagnoli and Gian S. Pagnucci arguethat superheroes merit serious study, both within the academy and beyond. By examining the kinds of graphic novels that are embraced by the academy, this book explains how superhero stories are just as significant. Structured around key themes within superhero literature, the book delves into the features that make superhero stories a unique genre. The book also draws upon examples in comics and other media to illustrate the sociohistorical importance of superheroes—from the interplay of fans and creators to unique narrative elements that are brought to their richest fulfillment within the world of superheroes. A list of noteworthy superhero texts that readers can look to for future study is also provided. In addition to exploring the important roles that superheroes play in children’s learning, the book also offers an excellent starting point for discussions of how literature is evolving and why it is necessary to expand the traditional realms of literary study. Enter the Superheroes will be of particular interest to English and composition teachers but also to scholars of popular culture and fans of superhero and comic book literature.

Download or read book Batman s Villains and Villainesses written by Justin F. Martin and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2023-09-12 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While much of the scholarship on superhero narratives has focused on the heroes themselves, Batman’s Villains and Villainesses: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Arkham’s Souls takes into view the depiction of the villains and their lives, arguing that they often function as proxies for larger societal and philosophical themes. Approaching Gotham’s villains from a number of disciplinary backgrounds, the essays in this collection highlight how the villains’ multifaceted backgrounds, experiences, motivations, and behaviors allow for in-depth character analysis across varying levels of social life. Through investigating their cultural and scholarly relevance across the humanities and social sciences, the volume encourages both thoughtful reflection on the relationship between individuals and their social contexts and the use of villains (inside and outside of Gotham) as subjects of pedagogical and scholarly inquiry.

Download or read book Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard s The Dark Knight written by Vasco Hexel and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-05-02 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christopher Nolan’s caped crusader trilogy—Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises—is considered by many to be one of the finest translations of comic book characters to the big screen. The second film in the series, The Dark Knight, was both a critical and commercial success, featuring an Oscar-winning performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker. The score—by Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer and eight-time Oscar nominee James Newton Howard—also received accolades, including a Grammy. Intricately interwoven with the sound design—and incorporating Mel Wesson’s ground-breaking ambient music design, —Zimmer’s and Howard’s music gives the film an added layer of ominous tones that makes palpable the menace facing Gotham City. In Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s The Dark Knight: A Film Score Guide, Vasco Hexel delves into the composers’ backgrounds to reveal the many facets of meaning in the highs and lows of the score. This book also highlights the working methods of Zimmer and Howard and how they collaborated with each other and the filmmaking team to create such a memorable soundtrack. By drawing on unprecedented access to some of the key creators of the film, the author provides unique insights into the score’s composition. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard’s The Dark Knight: A Film Score Guide will be of interest to cinema and music scholars, as well as fans of both composers.

Download or read book Understanding Superhero Comic Books written by Alex Grand and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-05-31 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work dissects the origin and growth of superhero comic books, their major influences, and the creators behind them. It demonstrates how Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and many more stand as time capsules of their eras, rising and falling with societal changes, and reflecting an amalgam of influences. The book covers in detail the iconic superhero comic book creators and their unique contributions in their quest for realism, including Julius Schwartz and the science-fiction origins of superheroes; the collaborative design of the Marvel Universe by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko; Jim Starlin's incorporation of the death of superheroes in comic books; John Byrne and the revitalization of superheroes in the modern age; and Alan Moore's deconstruction of superheroes.

Download or read book Stigmatized on Screen written by Lindsey Clouse and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2022-06-27 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyzes the 500 top-grossing films of the last 20 years to show how speakers of traditionally stigmatized dialects are represented, underrepresented, misrepresented, and mocked. Ultimately, the author demonstrates how Hollywood reinforces long-standing negative beliefs about the languages of marginalized communities.

Download or read book Harley Quinn A Rogue s Gallery The Deluxe Cover Art Collection written by Various and published by DC Comics. This book was released on 2017-10-24 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Celebrate the anniversary of DCÕs favorite psychotic psychiatrist with a book dedicated to nothing but Harley covers! From her first print appearance to her own long-running series to Rebirth and more, this deluxe hardcover art book collects 25 years of the Maid of MischiefÕs most iconic comic book covers all in one volume. As the headliner of her own long-running series and a regular star of both SUICIDE SQUAD and DC COMICS: BOMBSHELLS, Harley Quinn is DC ComicsÕ most in-demand cover girl. Beyond regular monthly appearances on her own series covers and variants, sheÕs also been front and center on too many miniseries and one-shot specials to count and has twice taken over the other books in the DC Universe with special variant cover-month events. From these hundreds of unforgettable cover scenes, this volume brings you a curated collection of Harley QuinnÕs best, most memorable cover art, drawn by dozens of the industryÕs top talents!

Download or read book Religion and Science Fiction written by James F. McGrath and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-08-01 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious themes, concepts, imagery, and terminology have featured prominently in much recent science fiction. In the book you hold in your hands, scholars working in a range of disciplines (such as theology, literature, history, music, and anthropology) offer their perspectives on a variety of points at which religion and science fiction intersect. From Frankenstein, by way of Christian apocalyptic, to Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and much more, and from the United States to China and back again, the authors who contribute to this volume serve as guides in the exploration of religion and science fiction as a multifaceted, multidisciplinary, and multicultural phenomenon. Contents List of Contributors / vii Introduction: Religion and Science Fiction--James F. McGrath / 1 1 The Dark Dreamlife of Postmodern Theology: Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, and Alien Resurrection--Joyce Janca-Aji / 9 2 Sorcerers and Supermen: Old Mythologies in New Guises--C. K. Robertson / 32 3 Star Trekking in China: Science Fiction as Theodicy in Contemporary China--Eriberto P. Lozada Jr. / 59 4 Science Playing God--Alison Bright MacWilliams / 80 5 Looking Out for No. 1: Concepts of Good and Evil in Star Trek and The Prisoner--Elizabeth Danna / 95 6 Robots, Rights, and Religion--James F. McGrath / 118 7 Angels, Echthroi, and Celestial Music in the Adolescent Science Fiction of Madeleine L'Engle--Gregory Pepetone / 154 8 Uncovering Embedded Theology in Science Fiction Films: K-PAX Revealed--Teresa Blythe / 169 Bibliography / 179 Index of Scripture / 187 Index of Subjects / 188 Index of Names / 191

Download or read book Soul of the Dark Knight written by Alex M. Wainer and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-06-19 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a book about the comics genre and language, how these were used to create Batman, and how that character's longevity is largely due to the medium's unique formal qualities. It argues that Batman's core appeal is his mythic nature which allows him to transcend changes in reader tastes, the vicissitudes of the comics industry, and the changing media landscape. While including some historical elements, it is mostly a study of how the formal aspects of comics are able to evoke uniquely mythic qualities that have made Batman such a long-lived cultural phenomenon and how efforts to adapt these qualities into other media, particularly live-action feature films, have succeeded or failed based on the strategies employed. The book sheds light both on comics as a medium and art form with its own language, syntax and codes and on the process of adaptation--a growing area of study, given Hollywood's continuing interest in working with comic book superheroes.

Download or read book The Cambridge Companion to the Graphic Novel written by Stephen E. Tabachnick and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-07-03 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Companion examines the evolution of comic books into graphic novels and the development of this art form globally.

Download or read book The Politics of Big Fantasy written by John C. McDowell and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-07-16 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing critical attention to a particular set of science fiction and fantasy films--Larry and Andy Wachowski's The Matrix, George Lucas' Star Wars saga, and Joss Whedon's Avengers--this book utilizes a wide-ranging set of critical tools to illuminate their political ideologies, while also examining any resistant and complicating turns or byways the films may provide. What they all have in common ideologically is that they--or at least the genres they belong to--tend to be regarded as belonging to politically conservative frames of sociocultural reference. With the Star Wars saga, however, this idea is shown to be superficial and weak.

Download or read book Science Fiction Fantasy and Politics written by Dan Hassler-Forest and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2016-07-21 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Tolkien to Star Trek and from Game of Thrones to The Walking Dead, imaginary worlds in fantastic genres offer us complex and immersive environments beyond capitalism. This book examines the ways in which these popular storyworlds offer valuable tools for anticapitalist theory and practice. Building on Hardt and Negri’s concept of Empire as a way of understanding globalization, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Politics shows how popular fantastic fiction has the potential of offering more than a momentary escape from capitalist realism in the age of media convergence and participatory culture. The book approaches fantastic world-building as an ideologically ambiguous way of imagining alternatives to global capitalism. By approaching transmedia world-building both as a narrative form and as a growing industry derived from fan culture, it shows on the one hand the limitations inherent in the political economy of popular genre fiction. But at the same time, it also explores the productive ways in which fantastic storyworlds contain a radical energy that can give us new ways of thinking about politics, popular culture, and anticapitalism.