Promotional Information

Analyses how class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation are used to construct difference for both the heroes and the villains in ways that are both conservative and progressive

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments1 Holy Criminology, Batman! Comics and Constructions of Crime and Justice 2 "Crime Doesn't Pay"A Brief History of Crime and Justice Themes in Comic Books 3 The World Is ShiftingTerrorism, Xenophobia, and Comic Books after 9/11 4 A Better TomorrowApocalypse, Utopia, and the Crime Problem 5 "That's the Trouble with a Bad Seed"Villains and the Embodiment of Evil 6 "Aren't We Supposed to Be the Good Guys?"Heroes, Deathworthiness, and Paths to Justice 7 "Take Down the Bad Guys, Save the Girl"Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Comic Book Justice 8 "Aren't There Any Brown People in This World?"Race, Ethinicity, and Crime Fighting 9 Apocalyptic IncapacitationThe "Maximum-Maximum" Response to Crime 10 ConclusionUltimate Justice Appendix: Sample and methodology Notes Bibliography Index About the Authors

About the Author

Nickie D. Phillips is Associate Professor in the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at St.Francis College in Brooklyn, NY. Staci Strobl is Associate Professor in the Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Reviews

"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 "Comic Book Crime is an important book devoted to a medium that has long been dismissed, despite its crossover appeal...For smart readers like us, Comic Book Crime is long overdue. It's a thrilling look at comics from a new perspective - and it's better than most superhero films."--Popmatters.com