First published in 1991, The Many Lives of the Batman is a serious academic exploration of the cultural phenomenon called Batman. Marketing savvy alone did not build the Batmanâs extraordinary success; it encompasses a variety of audiences who have embraced the hero through a collage of different media manifestations during his long history. Batmanâs overlapping lives are illuminated in this critical anthology, which analyses the contexts of the characterâs production and reception across a wide spectrum of time and media forms. This volume includes interviews with the characterâs original creators. The other essays consider such questions as the political economy of comic book and film production processes; the cult status of the sixtyâs television series in various fan communities; and the postmodernism of past and present Batman films. Using the tools of cultural studies, the book unmasks the Caped Crusaderâs mysterious attraction.
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