A Brief History of Comic Book Movies
A Brief History of Comic Book Movies traces the meteoric rise of the hybrid art form of the comic book film. These films trace their origins back to the early 1940s, when the first Batman and Superman serials were made. The serials, and lat
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Wheeler Winston Dixon • Richard Graham
A Brief History of Comic Book Movies
Wheeler Winston Dixon University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Richard Graham University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
ISBN 978-3-319-47183-9 DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-47184-6
ISBN 978-3-319-47184-6 (eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016957402 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 This book was advertised with a copyright holder in the name of the publisher in error, whereas the author holds the copyright. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: Détail de la Tour Eiffel © nemesis2207/Fotolia.co.uk Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
For the writers and artists who created the world of comic book films —Wheeler Winston Dixon For my partner-in-crime, Jennifer Walker Graham —Richard Graham
FOREWORD
When cultural historian John Dewey invited comparisons between film and comic book aesthetics in the late 1950s, noting that “the arts which today have the most vitality for the average person are things he doesn’t take to be arts: for instance, the movie [and] the comic strip” (Art as Experience, 5), he recognized their mass appeal and wished to elevate both media to high art, but even he could not foresee the vitality and appeal of the two once merged. As we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, movies based on comic book characters are more popular than ever, and the enormous financial success of 2012s The Avengers ($624 million) and 2014s Guardians of the Galaxy ($333 million) has cemented geek culture’s presence in Hollywood and promises additional A-list features. Whether the mass appeal of stories of heroes saving us from a world in turmoil reflects our own societal anxieties, or the rise and
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