On the origin of superheroes [electronic resource] :from the big bang to Action Comics no. 1 / Chris Gavaler.
By: Gavaler, Chris.
Contributor(s): Project Muse.
Material type:
BookPublisher: Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, 2015. 2015)Description: 1 online resource (pages cm).Content type: text Media type: computer Carrier type: online resourceISBN: 9781609383824; 1609383826.Subject(s): SOCIAL SCIENCE / Popular Culture | Heroes -- Mythology | Heroes -- History | Heroic virtue | Superheroes in literature | Heroes in literatureGenre/Form: Electronic books. DDC classification: 809/.93352 Online resources: Full text available: Summary: "Most readers think that superheroes began with Superman in 1938, but that Kryptonian rocket didn't just drop out of the sky. By the time Superman's creators were born, the superhero's most defining elements--secret identities, aliases, disguises, signature symbols, traumatic origin stories, extraordinary powers, self-sacrificing altruism--were already well-rehearsed standards. Superheroes have a sprawling, action-packed history that predates Superman by decades and even centuries. On the Origin of Superheroes is a quirky, personal tour of the mythology, literature, philosophy, history, and grand swirl of ideas that have permeated western culture in the centuries that led up to the first appearance of superheroes as we know them today: Superman's appearance in Action Comics, no. 1 in 1938"-- Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"Most readers think that superheroes began with Superman in 1938, but that Kryptonian rocket didn't just drop out of the sky. By the time Superman's creators were born, the superhero's most defining elements--secret identities, aliases, disguises, signature symbols, traumatic origin stories, extraordinary powers, self-sacrificing altruism--were already well-rehearsed standards. Superheroes have a sprawling, action-packed history that predates Superman by decades and even centuries. On the Origin of Superheroes is a quirky, personal tour of the mythology, literature, philosophy, history, and grand swirl of ideas that have permeated western culture in the centuries that led up to the first appearance of superheroes as we know them today: Superman's appearance in Action Comics, no. 1 in 1938"-- Provided by publisher.
Description based on print version record.
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