'Nuff Said: American Graphic Media

Marvel continues to infuse the "feel" of comic books into products across platforms.  This tactic avoids alienating long time fans, but opens the door to a new audience excited by film and television adaptations.  While DC Comic struggles with finding the right tone for many of its Golden Age characters, Marvel's Silver Age origins allow better flexibility for adaption.  As creators adapt the stories for new platform, much of the youthful anxiety and societal uncertainty inherent to Marvel's 1960s stories can be transferred to contemporary debates. Something to consider as DC and Marvel bring major movie releases to theaters this summer. 

The media narrative around Iron Man 3 is growing. The details around the plot can be pieced together from multiple source on the web. What is the takeaway? By in large, the reaction to the film seems universally good. The feeling that this will be a character driven movie is coming through. At the end of the day, this is perhaps the most important element I have garnered from the coverage. One of the looming questions for Marvel Studios is can they continue to produce films that will engage the audience. To accomplish that, they need to continue to evolve the narrative linking the Marvel Cinematic Universe together and do that while adding depth and texture to the stories that allows everyone to find something they can enjoy. From all account they accomplishing that goal. Can the comic books that inspired the films accomplish the same thing?

The international trailer features glimpses of Chinese actors and setting for the Iron Man 3. The financing from DMG Entertainment opens the door for Iron Man 3 to get access to the Chinese film market. At the same time, the transformation of the Mandarin from his jingoist origins to 9/11 analog to Osama Bin Laden allows the film to avoid offending the Chinese moviegoer. It also highlights the complex politics linked to anti-terrorism campaigns in the United States and China. While both may try, neither country can avoid the charge that "terrorist" groups can be traced to resentments linked to policy decisions that affect common citizens.

The new trailer for Iron Man 3 features a not so subtle engagement with post 9/11 geopolitical uncertainty. Will Iron Man win? Of course, the trick is how the narrative handles the complexity of applying U.S. values to global landscape where issues of race, class, and power are not defined by American views alone.

New collection exploring comics!  Oxford University Press: Classics and Comics: George Kovacs

Rethinking the Narrative: An Exclusive Conversation with Dr. Walter Greason