Comic Book Crime Part 1
Channel: John Jay Research
Date: 2014-01-16

Book Talk: Comic Book Crime: Truth, Justice, and the American Way (http://bit.ly/1eFnwrF)
Authors:
Nickie Phillips, St. Francis College
Staci Strobl, John Jay College
Discussant:
James DiGiovanna, John Jay College

Wednesday, November 13th, 4-6pm
6.68 Moot Courtroom, New Building, John Jay College, 524 W. 59th St, NYC

"Carrying ahead the project of cultural criminology, Phillips and Strobl dare to take seriously that which amuses and entertains us—and to find in it the most significant of themes. Audiences, images, ideologies of justice and injustice—all populate the pages of Comic Book Crime. The result is an analysis as colorful as a good comic, and as sharp as the point on a superhero's sword."—Jeff Ferrell, author of Empire of Scrounge
  
Superman, Batman, Daredevil, and Wonder Woman are iconic cultural figures that embody values of order, fairness, justice, and retribution. Comic Book Crime digs deep into these and other celebrated characters, providing a comprehensive understanding of crime and justice in contemporary American comic books.  This is a world where justice is delivered, where heroes save ordinary citizens from certain doom, where evil is easily identified and thwarted by powers far greater than mere mortals could possess. Nickie Phillips and Staci Strobl explore these representations and show that comic books, as a historically important American cultural medium, participate in both reflecting and shaping an American ideological identity that is often focused on ideas of the apocalypse, utopia, retribution, and nationalism.
 
Through an analysis of approximately 200 comic books sold from 2002 to 2010, as well as several years of immersion in comic book fan culture, Phillips and Strobl reveal the kinds of themes and plots popular comics feature in a post-9/11 context.