Full Description
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.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction (Darragh Greene and Kate Roddy)
Part I: Formal Analysis
"And so we return and begin again": The Immersive/Recursive Strategies of Morrison's Puzzle Narratives (Chris Murray)
"Screw symbolism and let's go home": Morrison and Bathos (Kate Roddy)
The Writer and "the Writer": The Death of the Author in Suicide Squad #58 (Roy T. Cook)
"Let me slip into someone more comfortable": The Imaginary Adolescence of the Superhero (Keith Scott)
Parasitic Signifiers: The Invasiveness of Language in Grant Morrison's Comics (Clare Pitkethly)
Part II: Thematic Analysis
From Shame into Glory in The Filth (David Coughlan)
"The Jungian Stuff": Symbols of Transformation in All-Star Superman (Darragh Greene)
The Dark Knight and the Devil: Demons and Demonology in Batman, 2005-2013 (Schedel Luitjen)
"Our Father, Who Art in Gotham": The Life, Death and Rebirth of Batman (Nicholas Galante)
Fallout Boys: Paranoia, Power and Control in Morrison's Cold War Superheroes (Muireann O'Sullivan)
"Morrison Inc." and Themes of Benevolent Capitalism (Emmet O'Cuana)
Bibliography
About the Contributors
Index
