This Companion explores the evolution, representation, and meaning of superheroes within the broader popular media and culture landscape, as connected … More
Category: Superheroes
The Divided Fourth Phase of Marvel Licensed Video Games (2013-)
The Early Phases (1982-2012) Borrowing terminology from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there are currently four distinct “Phases” when examining … More
Approaching Superhero Studies as a Field [Introduction]
In the 21st century, superheroes have proliferated and multiplied across the multimedia landscape. While superhero stories and characters have been … More
Digital Avengers, Disassembled: Understanding Thirty Years of Changing Superhero Bodies in Marvel Licenced Video Games Across Three Distinct Phases (1982-2012)
In part, this essay is prompted by Martin Flanagan, Mike McKenny, and Andy Livingstone’s observation in 2017 of ‘a position … More
New CFP – The Routledge Companion to Superhero Studies
Deadline for submissions: 1 December 2022 Lorna Piatti-Farnell and Carl Wilson In answer to the evolutionary portrayals of superheroes in our … More
“My relationship with Batman has never been what I’d call ‘stable'”: Catwoman’s Flirtations with Superheroism and Her Evolving Role as the Monstrous Feline Fatale
Clinical psychologist Robin S. Rosenberg considers Catwoman to be a “straightforward criminal” who “in many stories is motivated to acquire … More
Changing Masculinities: ‘Aquaman Volume I: The Trench’
Aquaman walks into a sea-side restaurant; he orders seafood and reassures horrified onlookers that he does not talk to fish … More
EDITOR – The Australasian Journal of Popular Culture (Volume 12. Issue 1): Special Issue on “Superheroes”
Table of Contents with Abstracts: Re-examining superhero politics in popular culture Authors: Carl Wilson, Lorna Piatti-Farnell Abstract:This Special Issue re-examines … More
Re-Examining Superhero Politics in Popular Culture [Editorial]
Superheroes have proliferated and multiplied in the twenty-first century, coming to prominence in comics, film, television and video game industries … More
Of Selina Kyle and Harley Quinn: Branding and Controlling Women in Batman Video Games
In the collective Batman multiverse, nothing stays static for long. Over the eighty-years since Batman was created by Bill Finger … More
This Year, I am Thankful for … Superman
It’s been a struggle, hasn’t it? I think it has been. Remember Joaquin Phoenix’s wheezy, scratchy laugh in Joker? That’s been … More
Frictions, Factions, and Fatalities: Adapting DC Comic Characters into Video Games
According to the online video game database Moby Games, Batman has starred in 105 titles, inclusive of downloadable content episodes, … More
Carl Wilson 