Overview

Great Power and Great Responsibility is a book about what makes comics tick and about how the philosophies of the world are reflected back at us through comics. By investigating certain iconic series with academic rigor, Mann shows how much of the world is captured in the comic series, particularly our ideas of power, justice, and responsibility. In clear and accessible prose, Mann first takes the reader through the beginning mechanics of the comic, so they can follow his arguments better, then shows how philosophies play out in different series. From Bomb Queen and Sheena to the Watchmen and Planetary he delves into what drove the authors of the different series, how their political views shaped the comics and in turn influenced the comics' readers. He ends with a fascinating look at the culture that creates and consumes the comic series.

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9781894987790

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Reviews

All in all, Great Power and Great Responsibility is really a book that has something for everyone, no matter the reader's familiarity with comics. If someone has never read a comic book before, it goes into how to read comics. For those who are comic book fans, it explores themes that you?ll find in various comic book series. - Once Upon A Bookshelf Make no mistake, Mann takes these comics seriously, and it's why I find this read so compelling. A cynical mind could reduce Civil War to Mark Millar and Steve McNiven destructively toying with action figures, but Mann gives the social debate a heft I didn't know it could take on. In his essay, ?Civil War and the Right to Revolt, ? Mann aligns Captain America and Iron Man with historic philosophies, and examines how those insights inform the decisions of the story. - Comic Book Herald

Author Information

Douglas Mann is an adjunct professor at King's University College and the University of Western Ontario. He is the author of Structural Idealism and Understanding Society: A Survey of Modern Social Theory. He lives in London, Ontario.

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