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shiloniz's review against another edition
4.0
What an engaging read, especially for someone who, up until recently, had never read a superhero comic before. I was captivated by the literary conversations that were discussed in this imaginative discussion of the superhero comic book world, and what the implications of these artworks have on a large social, political, and theological scale.
whitneyborup's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked his perspective on Wonder Woman. It falls in line with a lot of the things I've been writing about, without stepping on my academic toes! (or...he was first. I guess I'd be stepping on his toes.) And I really liked this appendix about why superheroes studies are denigrated in a broader comics studies field.... UNTIL he had one paragraph about how LADY things (soap operas, romances, etc) are seen as academically interesting and worthy of study, and this somehow makes it so MAN things (violence, video games) get less attention. I have yet to study as a university where they offer classes on soap operas and romance. I HAVE, however, been at a university with classes on Kurosawa, Monty Python, Science Fiction, Comics, Violence and the Abject, Superheroes, Video Game Narratives, Digital Culture, etc. etc. etc. So I'm calling complete bullshit on that point. And coming at the end of a smart, detailed study, it left a really bad taste in my mouth. He's trying to dissolve these academic hierarchies, so pitting gendered genres against each other seems not only beside the point, but also completely antithetical.
noysh's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably not a book for someone not interested in academic-style close reading. But if grappling with the larger meanings in superhero comics is your thing, this is one of the few books out there at this point. And, dare I say it, a good one. While he does a good job of avoiding egregious examples of inscrutable academic language, Ben pulls no punches in terms of deep critical analysis of his chosen texts.
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