Grand, Alex. Understanding Superhero Comic Books: A History of Key Elements, Creators, Events and Controversies. Jefferson: McFarland, 2023. Added by: joachim (6/4/23, 12:46 PM) Last edited by: joachim (6/4/23, 12:47 PM)
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Abstract
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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.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments (ix) Foreword by Jim Steranko (1) Preface (3)
Introduction (5) Part 1 — Building (Blocks) 1. Early Comic Book Origins (21) 2. Comic Strips’ Legacy in Modern Storytelling (29) 3. Comic Strips That Influenced Superheroes (43) 4. From Pulp Fiction to Comic Books (54) 5. Classic Hollywood Cinema and the Golden Age of Comic Books (70) 6. Classic American Illustrators Intersect with Comic Books (77) 7. Macfadden and Houdini, the Real-Life Superman and Batman (84) Part 2 — The Rise and Fall of (Superheroes) 8. Superman’s Greatest Strength: Litigation (95) 9. Cosmic Rays Create Superpowers (101) 10. Golden Age Comic Book Artists Leave Superheroes (107) 11. EC Comics versus Fredric Wertham (119) Part 3 — Flight of the (Superheroes) 12. Julius Schwartz’s Silver Age (131) 13. The Birth of the Marvel Comics Group (145) 14. Golden Age to the Marvel Age (152) 15. When Monsters Became Superheroes (161) 16. How Lee, Kirby, and Ditko Advanced Superheroes (168) 17. The Marvel Method’s Credit Controversy (189) 18. Stan Lee Expands Superheroes Beyond Comic Books (208) 19. Jack Kirby’s Space Gods (215) Part 4 — Modern (Superheroes) 20. Jim Starlin and the Death of Superheroes (227) 21. John Byrne and the Modernization of Superheroes (236) 22. Alan Moore and Deconstructing the Superheroes (243)23. The Origin of the Superhero Graphic Novel (253) Part 5 — Diversity and (Aftermath) 24. Women in 20th-Century Comic Books (263) 25. African Americans in 20th-Century Comic Books (270) 26. The Death of the 20th-Century Comic Book Greats (278) Epilogue (285)
Chapter Notes (287) Bibliography (311) Index (331)
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