Analyzing a Genre

I co-edited Superhero Synergies with James N. Gilmore. The book seeks to provide an overview of the superhero genre in the digital age covering films, TV, video games, and other media formats. It features 15 original essays on the superhero spectrum, from the Incredible Hulk to Iron Man and Batman, from Marvel and DC to Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment, from Comic Con to live theater.

In the introduction, co-written with James N. Gilmore, we situate the genre in the digital media landscape. In my essay, “Assembling The Avengers,” I analyze Marvel Studios’ innovative ‘synergy’ strategy in using the cinematic universe concept to build up the release of The Avengers, a pivotal moment in the history of the superhero genre.

The book’s essays examine innovations of the superhero genre from a variety of perspectives, including Hollywood’s shift to digital, the logic of new media marketing, the genre’s reconfiguration of cinematic space, superheroes’ transition from the page to the screen, the role of Comic-Con in promoting superhero films, and the value of brands in an increasingly fragmented marketplace.

Agile and witty as Spider-Man, brilliantly persuasive as Batman, these essays offer a series of new perspectives on the figure of the superhero across media platforms.

Will Brooker, King's University