Contributions by Jerold J. Abrams, Jose Alaniz, John Carey, Maurice Charney, Peter Coogan, Joe Cruz, Phillip Lamarr Cunningham, Stefan Danter, Adam Davidson-Harden, Randy Duncan, Stephen Graham Jones, Richard Hall, Richard Heldenfels, Alberto Hermida, Victor Hernandez-Santaolalla, A. G. Holdier, Tiffany Hong, Siegfried Kracauer, Naja Later, Ryan Litsey, Tara Lomax, Tony Magistrale, Matthew McEniry, Cait Mongrain, Grant Morrison, Robert Moses Peaslee, David D. Perlmutter, W. D. Phillips, Jerod Poon, Duncan Prettyman, Vladimir Propp, Noriko T. Reider, Robin S. Rosenberg, Hannah Ryan, Lennart Soberon, J. Richard Stevens, Lars Stoltzfus-Brown, John N. Thompson, Dan Vena, and Robert G. Weiner.

The Supervillain Reader, featuring both reprinted and original essays, reveals why we are so fascinated with the villain. The obsession with the villain is not a new phenomenon, and, in fact, one finds villains who are "super" going as far back as ancient religious and mythological texts. This innovative collection brings together essays, book excerpts, and original content from a wide variety of scholars and writers, weaving a rich tapestry of thought regarding villains in all their manifestations, including film, literature, television, games, and, of course, comics and sequential art. While The Supervillain Reader focuses on the latter, it moves beyond comics to show how the vital concept of the supervillain is part of our larger consciousness.

Editors Robert Moses Peaslee and Robert G. Weiner collect pieces that explore how the villain is a complex part of narratives regardless of the original source. The Joker, Lex Luthor, Harley Quinn, Darth Vader, and Magneto must be compelling, stimulating, and proactive, whereas the superhero (or protagonist) is most often reactive. Indeed, whether in comics, films, novels, religious tomes, or videogames, the eternal struggle between villain and hero keeps us coming back to these stories over and over again.

About the Author
Robert Moses Peaslee, Lubbock, Texas, is associate professor of journalism and electronic media in the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University. His work has been published in several journals, and he is the coeditor, with Robert G. Weiner, of Web-Spinning Heroics: Critical Essays on the History and Meaning of Spider-Man.

Robert G. Weiner, Lubbock, Texas, is humanities librarian at Texas Tech University where he serves as liaison to the College of Visual and Performing Arts and Film Studies. He is the editor and coeditor of a number of books on popular culture topics, and his work has appeared in numerous journals and collections.


Book Information
ISBN 9781496826473
Author Robert Moses Peaslee
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint University Press of Mississippi
Publisher University Press of Mississippi
Weight(grams) 645g
Dimensions(mm) 233mm * 155mm * 24mm