This Companion explores the evolution, representation, and meaning of superheroes within the broader popular media and culture landscape, as connected … More
Category: Television
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
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
Aliens in Popular Culture: ‘Firefly’/’Serenity’
Prior to Firefly (2002–2003), creator Joss Whedon had written demons (in the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer), mutants (in … More
‘Serenity: Leaves on the Wind’ and Developing the ‘Firefly’ Family
Leaves on the Wind has one central theme that stretches throughout its galactic core and on towards its border planets: Family. … More
‘The Sopranos’: Mythologizing the Gangster Genre
In a 1933 publicity piece for the film Blondie Johnson, Warner Brothers declared that, “The value of [gangster] films now … More
‘Sherlock’: “The Six Thatchers” Goes Beyond Disappointing Into Downright Nonsense
Holmes’ abductive methodology, through which an observed inference is arrived at through considering the known facts, may prove useful in … More
The Best TV of 2016: Preacher
Preacher occupies the foul-mouthed and gore-soaked terrain somewhere between NBC’s cancelled Constantine (2014) and the Starz network’s Ash vs Evil Dead (2015-). All three shows … More
Carl Wilson 