The Comic Book Film Adaptation: Exploring Modern Hollywood's Leading Genre - Softcover

By far the most insightful look ever at superheroes in film. It's not about what's been translated from comics to the movies―it's about why it has, how it has, and why it works well enough to produce some of the most popular movies in all of cinema history. There is no better, smarter examination of the relationship between comics and film. (Mark Waid, Eisner Award-winning writer of Kingdom Come and Daredevil)

Liam Burke takes the reader on a compelling journey through this new 'Golden Age' of adaptation, his argument combining the rigorous, exhaustive research of a committed scholar with the energy and encyclopedic knowledge of a passionate fan. This is a serious book about comic books and their relationship with cinema; it is seriously enjoyable, and also seriously important. (Will Brooker, author of Hunting the Dark Knight and editor of Cinema Journal)

Burke presents a masterly and engaging argument regarding cultural, technological, and industry transformations, which have facilitated a shift in the comic book form―on page and on screen―from the margins to the mainstream. This excellent book is sure to become a key text in the burgeoning field of comics studies, while also having a great deal to offer film and media studies. (Angela Ndalianis, editor of The Contemporary Comic Book Superhero and Super/Heroes: From Hercules to Superman)

What is all too often an overlooked form is finally given the seriousness it deserves in The Comic Book Film Adaptation. A most welcome intervention in the field of adaptation studies. (Deborah Cartmell, coauthor of Screen Adaptation: Impure Cinema and coeditor of the journal Adaptation)

Liam Burke is media studies lecturer at Swinburne University of Technology. His publications include the Pocket Essential Superhero Movies and the edited collection Fan Phenomena: Batman.