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This definitive, unauthorized study of Christopher Nolan’s landmark 2005 film demonstrates how BATMAN BEGINS adapted and fused a half century of comic books into a single, unified movie. This book also examines past attempts to film Batman’s origins, how those origins evolved over time, and where Nolan’s realism falls on a spectrum with past Batman…
MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT examines WATCHMEN from a variety of perspectives and uncovers surprising answers about the history of scientific theory, the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, WATCHMEN’s murder mystery, Rorschach and Steve Ditko, the secrets of Captain Metropolis and the Minutemen, whether the Comedian was right, who shouldn’t read WATCHMEN, and how the motion picture adaptation…
No other run divides Legion of Super-Hero fans like Keith Giffen’s. To detractors, it dismantled everything good about the series.In this short book, Dr. Julian Darius argues that Giffen’s run offered an ambitious and unprecedented response to the growing maturity of super-hero comics – one that, far from trashing Legion history, actually respected it. From…
In 1988, Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE offered a violent, literate, and controversial take on the Joker’s origins and his relationship with Batman.Now, Dr. Julian Darius examines it in the context of the high-art ambitions of 1980s super-hero comics, exposing the narrative’s ambiguities and secrets. From Sequart Organization.
INFINITE CRISIS wasn’t just a crossover mini-series; it was a sprawling network of multiple such mini-series, leading both in and out of the main one. It redefined not only the DC Universe but what a crossover could be. In its scale, it exaggerated both the advantages and the downsides of the universe-wide crossover form. In…
In 1976-1977, comics legend Jack Kirby, known for his bombastic super-heroes, produced an adaptation and continuation of Stanley Kubrick’s cinematic sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. One could hardly imagine more celebrated creators in their respective fields — nor a greater clash of personal styles. The result, according to Dr. Julian Darius, was a mad…
Published in 1997-2002, Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson’s Transmetropolitan became famous for its foul-mouthed protagonist, Spider Jerusalem, and his “filthy assistants.” But it’s also a long-form comics masterpiece, a sci-fi comic that succeeded despite the odds, and an examination of journalism and politics – and how they intersect, or fail to do so. This book…
Through works like Transmetropolitan, Planetary, and The Authority, Warren Ellis has changed the history of comic books. In this book, Kevin Thurman and Julian Darius examine Ellis’s body of work, exploring (among other topics) how his early work for Marvel Comics prefigures the concerns of his later work, how his super-heroes respond to comics history,…
In 2010 and 2011, comic-book creator Warren Ellis sat down over several days to film career-spanning interviews for the documentary film Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts. In these extensive interviews, Ellis discusses his life, his work, and his thoughts. He looks back over how his career has evolved, describes his writing process, explores the themes that…
The first manga widely available in English, MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL — written by Kazuya Kudo, with art by Ryoichi Ikegami — offered a near-perfect story for American readers: a realistic super-hero story, in line with revisionist American comics of the time (like WATCHMEN). In this short book, Dr. Julian Darius explores the comic, its…
Glen A. Larson’s Battlestar Galactica only lasted for a single season, yet it earned its place among the most beloved science-fiction shows of all time. In 2003, Ronald D. Moore reimagined the story. This new take proved hugely popular, revitalizing the once-niche franchise. Moore’s Galactica successfully accomplished something few reboots of classic TV shows have…
In 1977, future lawman Judge Dredd roared onto the pages of 2000AD and quickly became a fan favorite. Under the pens of John Wagner, Pat Mills, and many others, Dredd’s world has thrilled fans and satirized society for over four decades. Judging Dredd: Examining the World of Judge Dredd travels the mean streets of Mega-City…
In this short consideration of Watchmen, Dr. Julian Darius considers this seminal work in context, helping readers place Watchmen within the comics tradition. It’s the perfect introduction to the work for students and readers new and old. Also included is Darius’s celebrated “58 Varieties: Watchmen and Revisionism,” which contextualizes Watchmen within the project of superhero…
Since 1984, the Transformers have been an almost ever-present part of American popular culture – in toys, cartoons, live-action, and comic books. Yet compared to other franchises, it’s been the subject of little scholarly attention, compared to other franchises. The Citybot’s Library seeks to remedy this, offering an eclectic collection of ten essays on Transformers…
