Contemporary Comic Book Superhero

Angela Ndalianis is the Head of Cinema Studies at the University of Melbourne. Her publications include Neo-Baroque Aesthetics and Contemporary Entertainment (MIT Press 2004) and the co-edited books Super/Heroes: from Hercules to Superman (New Academia 2006) and Stars in Our Eyes (Praeger 2002).

'Angela Ndalianis's collection leaves no cape unfurled.' - M/C Reviews'[A] genre-warping collection of essays... plenty of fanlike enthusiasm fuels these writers as they explore fascinating notions of time, space, identity, and colonialism inspired by superhero comics' colorful and disposable delights.' - The Village Voice, Sound of the City blog

• List of FiguresAcknowledgmentsPart I: "That’s the Problem with You Readers, You Know All the Plots": Time, Genre and Narration1. Comic Book Superheroes: An IntroductionAngela Ndalianis2. ‘Just Men in Tights’: Rewriting Silver Age Comics in an Era of MultiplicityHenry Jenkins 3. The Time of Heroes: Narrative, Progress and Eternity in MiraclemanPaul Atkinson4. ‘Worlds Within Worlds’: The Role of Superheroes in the Marvel and DC UniversesJason Bainbridge5. Baroque Mutants in the 21st Century? Re-thinking Genre through the SuperheroSaige Walton Part II: "We act normal, mom! I want to be normal!": Superbodies, Identities and Fans6. Secret Identity PoliticsScott Bukatman7. The Superhero as Labor: The Secret Corporate IdentityGreg M. Smith 8. When Fangirls Perform: The Gendered Fan Identity in Superhero Comics FandomKaren Healey 9. Recruiting an Amazon: The Collision of Old World Ideology and New World Identity in Wonder WomanClare Pitkethly10. ‘Oy Gevalt!’: A Peek at the Development of Jewish Superheroines Jennifer Dowling Part III: "I’m Just a Puppet Who Can See the Strings": Revisions, Retellings and Auteurs11. Entering the Green: Imaginal Space in Black OrchidSallye Sheppeard 12. The Mild-Mannered Reporter: How Clark Kent Surpassed SupermanVanessa Russell 13. It’s a Jungle in Here: Animal Man, Continuity Issues and the Authorial Death DriveSteven Zani 14. Morrison’s Muscle Mystery versus Everyday Reality ... and Other Parallel Worlds! Martyn Pedler 15. Enter the Aleph: Superhero Worlds and Hypertime RealitiesAngela NdalianisList of ContributorsIndex