Batman Unmasked
Analyzing a Cultural Icon
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:1st Oct '01
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
An academic monograph that traces the various ways in which Batman has been interpreted over the years - by wartime film producers, gay teenagers, pop artists, Internet fan communities, and so on. Written from both an academic and a fan's perspective, is examines how a character can be a brand and a myth at the same time. The book draws on substantial research from the DC Comics archives, as well as interviews with DC editors and writers. Also included is a comprehensive Batman iconography, listing examples of how Batman has been used as a reference in other TV shows, movies, and fast food restaurants.
"Brooker's account is bolstered by his fan expertise. This book usefully expands upon The Many Lives of Batman. Recommended"--Library Journal
"This is the definitive history of the Batman in all media: comics, film, television and the internet. The book's combination of rigorous historical research and a witty, fluid writing style make it both vastly instructive and vastly entertaining."--Roberta Pearson, editor of The Many Lives of the Batman
"A historical, detailed, deep analysis of Batman as a cultural icon in America. This isn't a simple polemic or surface-shallow analysis. This is deep stuff-analyzing art styles, histories, individual panels, cultural concepts, and historical documents.... plenty of startling revelations and analyses...This is a stunningly well-done, intelligent book. It's proof that comics are not throwaway ephemera, but real, vital, analyzable parts of our culture. It's also a must-have for the hardcore Batman fan and comics fan-who doesn't mind some ideas being challenged."--www.super-heroes.net
"Brooker cuts through the mumbo jumbo to deliver incisive analysis and very sharp reporting, particularly on the comic book's homoerotic subtext and on the 60's TV show's knowing self-mockery, as well as on how the 'official' 21st Century Batman nods to both."--Entertainment Weekly
"Eloquent and reasoned."--Popmatters.com
ISBN: 9780826413437
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 610g
368 pages