Description
Book SynopsisAdaptations of comics have been an integral part of American cinema from its very inception.
Movie Comics is the first book to study the long history of both comics-to-film and film-to-comics adaptations. With a special focus on the Classical Hollywood era, Blair Davis investigates the factors that spurred this media convergence.
Trade Review"This is an enlightening, scholarly history. Davis treats his topic seriously while also celebrating the pleasures of these two lively arts." * Publishers Weekly *
"Both accessible and well written,
Movie Comics will appeal to specialists in film and popular culture and also to the wide fan community that enjoys comic books." -- Susan Ohmer * author of George Gallup in Hollywood *
"His proven talent for trenchant research well on display, Blair Davis not only chronicles comics' influence on cinema but shows innovatively the movies' frequent adaptation into comics. A masterful study." -- Dana Polan * author of The Sopranos (Spin Offs) *
"Take a studied look at the synergy between the silver screen and the pulpy pages from which Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and hundreds of other colorful characters have sprung." * Parade Preview *
"In addition to being a highly rewarding read, [
Movie Comics] is a thing of utter beauty, with photos, panels and pages reprinted in gorgeous full color. In film studies like this, that royal treatment is not the norm, but it makes perfect sense here. That Davis’ contents deserve it makes it all the more special." * Flick Attack *
"The curiosity which the
Movie Comics elicits about these mostly forgotten artifacts testifies to the success of its project: making accessible and understandable a period heretofore covered only tangentially in a variety of cinema and comics histories. The cultural history it presents provides a nuanced and polyphonic account of the practice of adaptation in the middle of the 20th century, a necessary background for anyone interested in the current surge in the practice and discussion of comics adaptations." * The Comics Grid *
"
Movie Comics makes a crucial contribution to media studies not only by unearthing and exploring the very long history of comics adapted for the screen, but also by simultaneously covering the myriad ways that comics presented material originally produced for film and television. The real subject of this book is the never-ending saga of media mediating one another, and in Blair Davis’s most capable hands, it’s a tale meticulously researched and engagingly told." -- Scott Bukatman * author of Hellboy’s World: Comics and Monsters on the Margins *
"Thanks to Davis's arduous work and keen knowledge of media and cinema,
Movie Comics is a masterful work, suitable for both academic use and leisure reading… Highly recommended." * Choice *
"As Davis’s
Movie Comics so masterfully proves: the modern explosion of comic book movies cannot be understood without looking at the origins of this dynamic and vital comic-screen alliance." * Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature. *
"Both accessible and well written,
Movie Comics will appeal to specialists in film and popular culture and also to the wide fan community that enjoys comic books." -- Susan Ohmer * author of George Gallup in Hollywood *
"This is an enlightening, scholarly history. Davis treats his topic seriously while also celebrating the pleasures of these two lively arts." * Publishers Weekly *
"Take a studied look at the synergy between the silver screen and the pulpy pages from which Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and hundreds of other colorful characters have sprung." * Parade Preview *
"His proven talent for trenchant research well on display, Blair Davis not only chronicles comics' influence on cinema but shows innovatively the movies' frequent adaptation into comics. A masterful study." -- Dana Polan * author of The Sopranos (Spin Offs) *
"
Movie Comics makes a crucial contribution to media studies not only by unearthing and exploring the very long history of comics adapted for the screen, but also by simultaneously covering the myriad ways that comics presented material originally produced for film and television. The real subject of this book is the never-ending saga of media mediating one another, and in Blair Davis’s most capable hands, it’s a tale meticulously researched and engagingly told." -- Scott Bukatman * author of Hellboy’s World: Comics and Monsters on the Margins *
"In addition to being a highly rewarding read, [
Movie Comics] is a thing of utter beauty, with photos, panels and pages reprinted in gorgeous full color. In film studies like this, that royal treatment is not the norm, but it makes perfect sense here. That Davis’ contents deserve it makes it all the more special." * Flick Attack *
"The curiosity which the
Movie Comics elicits about these mostly forgotten artifacts testifies to the success of its project: making accessible and understandable a period heretofore covered only tangentially in a variety of cinema and comics histories. The cultural history it presents provides a nuanced and polyphonic account of the practice of adaptation in the middle of the 20th century, a necessary background for anyone interested in the current surge in the practice and discussion of comics adaptations." * The Comics Grid *
"Thanks to Davis's arduous work and keen knowledge of media and cinema,
Movie Comics is a masterful work, suitable for both academic use and leisure reading… Highly recommended." * Choice *
"As Davis’s
Movie Comics so masterfully proves: the modern explosion of comic book movies cannot be understood without looking at the origins of this dynamic and vital comic-screen alliance." * Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature. *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Happy Hooligan, Buster Brown,
Dream of a Rarebit Fiend, Charlie Chaplin,
Film Fun, The Kinema Comic 1 1930s Comics-to-Film Adaptations
Skippy, Little Orphan Annie, Harold Teen, Popeye, Funny Page, Tailspin Tommy, Ace Drummond, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Jungle Jim, Dick Tracy, Blondie 2 1930s Cinema and Comics
Mickey Mouse, Big Little Books,
Tim McCoy, Police Car 17, Famous Funnies, Jumbo Comics, Action Comics, Marvel Comics, Motion Picture Funnies Weekly, Movie Comics 3 1940s Comics-to-Film Adaptations
Superman (1941),
Captain Marvel, Batman, Captain America, Terry and the Pirates, Don Winslow, Red Ryder, Superman (1948),
Dick Tracy, Tillie the Toiler, Joe Palooka 4 1940s Cinema and Comics
Superman meets Orson Welles,
Walt Disney Comics and Stories, Four Color, Cinema Comics Herald, Graphic Little Theater, Gene Autry, The Adventures of Alan Ladd, John Wayne Adventure Comics 5 1950s Comics-to-Film and Television Adaptations
Atom Man vs. Superman, Blackhawk, Jungle Jim, Prince Valiant, The Sad Sack, L’il Abner, The Spirit, Dick Tracy, Fearless Fosdick, Flash Gordon, Terry and the Pirates, Blondie, Dennis the Menace, Steve Canyon, Adventures of Superman, Superpup 6 1950s Cinema, Television, and Comics
Howdy Doody, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Milton Berle,
Tee and Vee Crosley in Television Land Comics, Fredric Wertham,
Movie Love, Motion Picture Comics, Dell Four Color, Bob Hope, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Hopalong Cassidy, Dale Evans,
Hollywood Film Stories, Hollywood Diary, Hollywood Confessions, Starlet O’Hara Conclusion: The 1960s and Beyond
The Phantom, Archie, Batman, Marvel Super Heroes, Marvel Super Special Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
