Soul of the Dark Knight

Batman as Mythic Figure in Comics and Film

Add to my list

by Alex M. Wainer

Type: Studies
Subject: One Film > The Dark Knight
Keywords: Christopher Nolan, fantasy, characters, Batman
Publishing date: 2014
Publisher: McFarland & Co
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 208 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-0-7864-7128-7

User Ratings

(0 vote)

Average rating:

0	rating	= We can do without
0	rating	= Good book
0	rating	= Excellent book
0	rating	= Unique / a reference

Your rating: -

Report incorrect or incomplete information

Book Presentation:
This is a book about the comics genre and language, how these were used to create Batman, and how that character’s longevity is largely due to the medium’s unique formal qualities. It argues that Batman’s core appeal is his mythic nature which allows him to transcend changes in reader tastes, the vicissitudes of the comics industry, and the changing media landscape. While including some historical elements, it is mostly a study of how the formal aspects of comics are able to evoke uniquely mythic qualities that have made Batman such a long-lived cultural phenomenon and how efforts to adapt these qualities into other media, particularly live-action feature films, have succeeded or failed based on the strategies employed. The book sheds light both on comics as a medium and art form with its own language, syntax and codes and on the process of adaptation—a growing area of study, given Hollywood’s continuing interest in working with comic book superheroes.

About the Author:
Alex M. Wainer is an associate professor of communication and media studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Press Reviews:
"A welcome addition…excellent…will encourage both renewed thinking and healthy debate among its readers"—Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics
"Valuable"—sunnewsmiami.com

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co

See The Dark Knight (2008) on IMDB ...

> On a related topic: