In 1997, the superhero movie was all but dead. The last Superman flick had been released a decade earlier to disastrous reviews and ticket sales. The most recent Batman film was a franchise-killing bomb. And an oft-promised Spider-Man feature was grounded. Yet a mere five years later this once-derided genre would be well on its way to world domination at the box office and even critical respectability. How did this happen? And why, two decades later, does the phenomenon show no sign of abating? Here, for the first time, is an extensively researched soup-to-nuts history of the superhero movie, from the first bargain-basement black-and-white serials to today's multiverse blockbusters. Chronicling eight decades of stops and starts, controversies and creators, good guys and bad guys--onscreen and off--this entertaining account explains how and why our entertainment universe came to be overpowered by costumed crimefighters and their nefarious counterparts.

Featuring the mind-bending truth about the world's bravest and baddest, this book includes all you need to know about the superheroes who save us - and their vile enemies.

Argues that this is a mistake, that, at their best, superhero comics are a form in which some writers and artists are doing fascinating work, not in spite of their chosen form, but because of it.

Chronicles the history of popular culture in America from 1960 through 1989, and discusses advertising, architecture, print media, entertainment, fashion, food, music, sports, art, and more; and includes time line for each decade.

Text by Valerie Cassel, Roger Sabin, Bernard Weldt, Marti Mayo.

The phenomenal success of Batman: The Movie seemed to signal the apotheosis of the Batman in the American popular imagination. But what social conditions can account for the enduring popularity of such a dark and conflicted character? The Many Lives of the Batman is the first serious academic exploration of this intriguing cultural phenomenon. Marketing savvy alone did not build the Batman's extraordinary success; it traverses a variety of audiences who have embraced the hero in a collage of different media manifestations throughout his fifty year history. These overlapping lives are illuminated in this critical anthology, which analyzes the contexts of the character's production and reception across a wide spectrum of time and media forms. --

Modern special effects have made large-scale superhero epics possible, but the diversity of the comics being published has made for a wide variety of subjects. This book looks at 20 key titles in detail, covering every stage of the journey from comic book panel to feature film frame.