The Supervillain Reader explores why people are fascinated by villains. 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. Additionally, The Supervillain Reader moves beyond comics to show how the vital concept of the supervillain is part of our larger consciousness.
Editors Robert Moses Peaslee (editor of four books) and Robert G. Weiner (editor of 15 books) are world renowned experts on popular culture and have published several book collections which explore how the villains as complex narrative elements, regardless of a character’s 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 video games, the eternal struggle between villain and hero keeps us coming back to these stories over and over again.
Featuring reprinted and original essays from Phillip Lamarr Cunningham, Richard Hall, Richard Heldenfels, Víctor Hernández-Santaolalla, Tiffany Hong, Naja Later, Ryan Litsey, Tara Lomax, Matthew McEniry, Cait Mongrain, Grant Morrison (yeah, that Grant Morrison), Robert Moses Peaslee, David D. Perlmutter, Hannah Ryan, Robert G. Weiner, and many more, The Supervillain Reader is a one-of-a-kind book for scholars and comic book fans.
Information on where to purchase The Supervillain Reader can be found below.
University Press of Mississippi – https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/T/The-Supervillain-Reader
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Supervillain-Reader-Robert-Moses-Peaslee/dp/1496826477
Bookshop – https://bookshop.org/books/the-supervillain-reader/9781496826473
And make sure to check out your local bookstore.
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