BOBC

WIKINDX Resources

Bavlnka, Timothy. "Superheroes and Shamanism: Magic and Participation in the Comics of Grant Morrison." Thesis Master of Arts. Bowling Green State Univ. Popular Culture, 2011. 
Added by: joachim (30/05/2011, 02:06)   Last edited by: joachim (21/06/2011, 23:23)
Resource type: Thesis/Dissertation
Language: en: English
BibTeX citation key: Bavlnka2011a
Email resource to friend
View all bibliographic details
Categories: General
Keywords: "Batman", "Superman", Adaptation, Film adaptation, Morrison. Grant, Superhero, United Kingdom, USA
Creators: Bavlnka
Publisher: Bowling Green State Univ. Popular Culture
Views: 19/1002
Attachments   URLs   http://rave.ohioli ... num=bgsu1302288940
Abstract
Comic creator Grant Morrison is an adamant practitioner of magic, and in particular, the creation of sigils. A sigil is the infusion of abstract symbols with the goal to make manifest the creator’s particular desire. This thesis will discuss how Grant Morrison infuses his writing with his particular beliefs in an attempt to bridge the gap between fictional stories and reality. Morrison openly discusses the shamanic events in his life and writes about superheroes undertaking similar metaphysical journeys. As Morrison’s magic and the medium of comics allow the reader to become more easily “lost” within a fictional world, the relationship of fiction and the reader becomes increasingly malleable. This relationship of fiction and reality may seem abstract, but the comics support the connection by including the concept of textualization – where the reader associates himself or herself with the protagonist, becoming part of the narrative. The post-structural nature of Morrison’s work allows for a unique relationship between the author, diegetic worlds and readers. The stories become participatory events, engaging the reader and the comic community. Readers participate with his texts on extremely personal and intricate levels, and through their group analysis, they discover new interpretations and secrets within the comic panels. The purpose of Morrison’s comics develops as his relationship with magic grows. Readers experience his early experimentations with creating magical narratives and see them change to constructed fictional world for readers to journey into, where they are able to take on the heroic qualities of Superman.

Table of Contents

Introduction (1)

I. The Joke’s on Him: Shamanism, Literary Magic, and the Textualization of Grant Morrison, Heath Ledger, and Joker (10)

II. To Be Continued: When Superman Goes Beyond the Text (36)

III. /Co/operation and /Co/mmunity in /Co/mics: 4chan’s Hypercrisis and Anonymous Authenticity (59)
An Introduction to 4chan (61)
A Note on Methodology (65)
The Hypercrisis (67)

Conclusions (83)
References (89)
Image References (95)
Added by: joachim  Last edited by: joachim
WIKINDX 6.8.2 | Total resources: 14514 | Username: -- | Bibliography: WIKINDX Master Bibliography | Style: Modern Language Association (MLA)