Death, disability, and the superhero : the silver age and beyond / José Alaniz ; designed by Peter D. Halverson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Alaniz, José, author.

Contributor:

Halverson, Peter D., designer.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Comic books, strips, etc--History and criticism.

Comic books, strips, etc.

Death in literature.

People with disabilities in literature.

Body image in literature.

Graphic novels--History and criticism.

Graphic novels.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (376 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Jackson, Mississippi : University Press of Mississippi, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Thing. Daredevil. Captain Marvel. The Human Fly. Drawing on DC and Marvel comics from the 1950's to the 1990's and marshaling insights from three burgeoning fields of inquiry in the humanities-disability studies, death and dying studies, and comics studies-the book seeks to redefine the contemporary understanding of the superhero. Beginning in the Silver Age, the genre increasingly challenged and complicated its hypermasculine, quasi-eugenicist biases through such disabled figures as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, and the Doom Patrol. The author traces how the superhero became increasingly vulnerable, ill, and mortal in this era. He then proceeds to a reinterpretation of characters and series-some familiar (Superman), some obscure (She-Thing).

Contents:

Cover

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1. INTRODUCTION: "UNMASKED AT LAST!" Death, Disability, and the Super-Body

2. SUPERCRIP: Disability, Visuality, and the Silver Age Superhero

3. "WHAT CAN WE EVER HAVE TO FEAR FROM A BLIND MAN?!!" Disability, Daredevil, and Passing

4. BORDERLINE CASES: Gender, Race, and the "Disabled" Superhero

5. DISMODERNISM AND "THE WORLD'S STRANGEST HEROES"

6. HOW NOT TO BE A SUPERHERO: Narrative Prosthetics and The Human Fly

7. THE DISMAL TRADE: Death, the Market, and Silver Age Superheroes

8. FACING DEATH IN STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI

9. DEATH, BEREAVEMENT, AND "FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND"

10. CONCLUSION: VITAL LIES, VITAL TRUTHS

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62846-118-7

1-62674-065-8

OCLC:

876466911