Liam Burke | Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn (original) (raw)

Videos by Liam Burke

A portrait of Melbourne’s older Irish community as they embrace social media to narrow the distan... more A portrait of Melbourne’s older Irish community as they embrace social media to narrow the distance between Australia and Ireland.

Broadcast on TG4.
Screened at the St Kilda Film Festival, Boston Irish Film Festival, Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, Sydney Irish Film Festival, Fingal Film Festival, Waterford Film Festival, and more.

Synopsis: Modern Irish history has been marked by emigration, with the Global Financial Crisis prompting another mass departure. Yet, the Irish media was quick to suggest that modern expatriates will not be ‘lost’, when they can so easily be tagged, tweeted, and skyped. This documentary short film focuses on those Irish people who moved to Australia before the availability of new media. Stretching back to the 1940s @HOME provides a loving portrait of those brave emigrants who moved to the other side of the world when contact with Ireland was limited to occasional letters and a phone call once a year.

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Papers by Liam Burke

Parents’ Perspectives on Australian Children’s Television in the Streaming Era - 2, 2024

This report presents findings from surveys carried out with parents and guardians of children age... more This report presents findings from surveys carried out with parents and guardians of children aged 14 years and younger. Survey topics included screen viewing practices, the role of local children's television, and valued SVOD features and functionality. 333 parents and guardians participated in the survey over a 6-week period in late August to early October 2022.

Adaptation, 2024

When introducing the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award at the 2024 ceremony host Jimmy Kimmel... more When introducing the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award at the 2024 ceremony host Jimmy Kimmel joked this 'is actually a controversial category this year because a lot of people want to know: At what age do you tell a screenplay it was adapted?' The controversy Kimmel alluded to was the status of Barbie in the 'Adapted' rather than 'Original' screenplay category, which provoked criticism from some industry figures. Based on Mattel's iconic fashion doll, the live-action feature film Barbie confounded expectations on its release. Not only did Barbie become the highest-grossing film of 2023, but it also received critical acclaim for its music, production design, performances, and social satire. This enthusiastic reception saw Barbie contending for many honours at end-of-year award ceremonies, acclaim that was unprecedented for a film based on a toy. Yet, despite efforts by some commentators to diminish the film's status as an 'adaptation', it was by playing with 60 years of pink plastic that Barbie derived much of its impact. Live-action adaptations of Barbie had been proposed for years with stars like Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway attached at various stages. However, it was only when Academy Award-nominated actor Margot Robbie agreed to star that the film progressed into production. In addition to playing Stereotypical Barbie-'when someone says, "Think of a Barbie". That's me'-Robbie also produced the film through her company LuckyChap Entertainment. Even before Barbie LuckyChap had a reputation for original, women-led stories with films like I, Tonya (Gillespie 2017) and Promising Young Woman (Fennell 2020), so when indie-darling Greta Gerwig was hired to direct and co-write the adaptation it primed audiences and critics to expect more than a twohour toy commercial. Beginning in 'Barbieland' the film follows Stereotypical Barbie as she undergoes an existential crisis that begins with flat feet and progresses to taking a trip to the 'Real World' to meet the CEO of Barbie's manufacturer Mattel played by Will Ferrell. Along for the journey is the dim-witted 'Beach Ken' (Ryan Gosling) whose desire for the pair to be 'girlfriend and boyfriend' is not reciprocated by Barbie. When Mattel's all-male board attempts to put Barbie back in her box, she is rescued by novice Barbie designer Gloria (America Ferrera) and her disaffected teenage daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt). Barbie brings Gloria and Sasha to the feminist haven of Barbieland only to find that in her absence Ken has reshaped the pink paradise in the image of the 'Real World' with beer-swilling, horse-loving men now in charge. Inspired by a speech from

The conversation, 2014

But consistent publication does not mean consistent quality. To compete with new comic book genre... more But consistent publication does not mean consistent quality. To compete with new comic book genres following the second world war, Batman comics became an increasingly surreal mix of sensational covers, sci-fi cliché and imaginary tales. There were lurid storylines, such as The Rainbow Batman (Detective Comics #241, March 1953), in which the once Dark Knight donned a series of multi-colour costumes.

Media International Australia, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the multifaceted socio-cultural functions of Australian chi... more The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the multifaceted socio-cultural functions of Australian children’s television. As social distancing measures forced school students to study from home, local children’s TV producers and distributors contributed to home-based learning. Yet, in response to the pandemic, the Federal Government has indefinitely suspended Australian children’s television quotas, the regulatory framework that sets minimum hours of local children’s content for commercial television broadcasters. In response to government imposed budgetary restraints, public broadcaster, the ABC, has also made redundances in its children’s content department. Such changes have occurred at a critical juncture in which the sector’s long-standing contributions to the education of Australian children and pedagogy of local teachers, caregivers and parents have been brought to the fore. We argue that this pedagogical function is a core but often overlooked element of the socio-cultural value ...

Transnational Social Review, 2017

Research across a number of disciplines demonstrates that digital technologies have intensified m... more Research across a number of disciplines demonstrates that digital technologies have intensified migrants' connections to both old and new homelands. Yet to be explored, however, is how this interconnectedness intersects with shifting conceptions of "home" over the life course. The research presented here helps fill this gap by drawing on surveys and semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted with Irish immigrants to Australia, now in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, who left Ireland prior to the emergence of new media. The article charts a trajectory across three phases of the migrant life course: "leaving home, " characterized by feelings of dislocation from Ireland and an involvement in the local Irish "ethnic village"; "at home, " characterized by withdrawal from ethnic community involvements under the pressure of family and work responsibilities; and "going home, " characterized by a desire to reconnect with origins, both locally and transnationally. Our findings suggest that age-related social circumstances and existential concerns have played an important role in shaping older migrants' use of new media to stay "connected. "

Estudios Irlandeses Journal of Irish Studies, 2010

As any film student will tell you, in the last years of the 19 th century the technical innovatio... more As any film student will tell you, in the last years of the 19 th century the technical innovations of Étienne-Jules Marey, George Eastman, Thomas Edison and many others produced a scientific curiosity without any definite application, the motion picture. Like all new media, the device was greeted with suspicion by the champions of established forms. Such misgivings were compounded by the innovation's earliest application, projecting novelties and actualités for the lower class audiences of music halls, vaudeville theatres and other venues of ill-repute. Before cinema's narrative potential could be fully realised, the form was already dismissed as disreputable by many.[1] Thus, to achieve greater legitimacy, the newly discovered storytelling medium was aligned with respected forms and canonical texts, with early film-makers adapting heavily from literature. Using cherished texts to trellis the fledgling forms' climb to cultural legitimacy, the literary clout of Shakespeare, Dickens, Zola and others enabled film-makers to attract middle class audiences to its newly constructed nickelodeons. This tactic of gaining cultural capital from adapting agreed "classics" is not confined to cinema, but is replicated throughout the history of the arts; as Marshall McLuhan remarked, "the 'content' of any medium is always another medium" (1964: 8). In 2009, the newest and most commercially driven of Ireland's national broadcasters, TV3 made a

Adaptation, 2010

A name change, a chic venue and eighty papers running the gamut from 'Post-Racial Othello' (Dougl... more A name change, a chic venue and eighty papers running the gamut from 'Post-Racial Othello' (Douglas Lanier) to 'The Literary Rambo' (Jeremy Strong), the 4 th International Association of Adaptation Studies Conference took place in the BFI Southbank on the 24 th and 25 th of September, 2009. With previous conferences held in Leicester (2006), Atlanta (2007) and Amsterdam (2008), this was the first conference organized by the association since changing its name from 'The Association of Literature on Screen Studies' to its new, more inclusive title. This decision was taken at the 2008 conference and is reflective of the field's interests widening beyond novel and theatre adaptations. Fittingly, a diverse range of textual relations was under consideration during the conference proceedings, including sessions on 'Costume and Adaptation', 'Silent Adaptations' and 'Screenwriting: Adaptation in Practice'. The conference is always well-organized and the attendees seasoned enough to ensure that their papers are well-researched and engaging; tailored to solicit meaningful debate. This year's choice of venue saw the conference reach a new level of lavishness, with certain spaces more often used for public interviews with avant-garde filmmakers and world-class directors than conference proceedings. In these venues, with stadium seating and digital projection, sessions such as 'Ben-Hur 50 Years On' were accorded the pomp and ceremony befitting their subject. However, this high standard did not extend to all spaces with some a little too small for their popular papers and the speakers drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the busy venue. Also, with the growing success of the conference-organizers admitted the proceedings could have been filled three times over-there were more papers presented than ever before, necessitating an increased number of parallel sessions. This made the always difficult choice of deciding what to attend even more problematic (would 'Germany and Adaptation' be more interesting than 'Hollywood and Adaptation' and how about the panels on gothic adaptation or Stanley Kubrick?), while a greater number of speakers in each session limited the opportunity for questions and post-panel discussion. Yet these problems befall any popular conference, and serve to demonstrate the increasing interest in adaptation studies and this association. Despite the association's more expansive remit, with the exception of a session on 'British Television and the Classic-Novel Adaptation', film adaptations remained the

The conversation, 2015

Up, up and away? The future of the comic book movie theconversation.com /up-up-and-away-the-futur... more Up, up and away? The future of the comic book movie theconversation.com /up-up-and-away-the-future-of-the-comic-book-movie-40243 This week comic book icons Iron Man, Captain America and Thor will reassemble in movie theatres for Avengers: Age of Ultron. The A$250 million sequel to 2012's record-breaking Marvel's The Avengers will mark a 15-year dominance of mainstream movies by comic book adaptations. Yet, this release is but a momentary pit-stop in the relentless march of the supermen. Next summer Marvel rival DC Comics and its corporate partner Warner Bros. will combine the publisher's most iconic heroes in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

The Conversation, 2022

Peppa Pig's first same-sex couple, a pair of lesbian polar bears, were recently introduced after ... more Peppa Pig's first same-sex couple, a pair of lesbian polar bears, were recently introduced after a petition to include a same-sex family received nearly 24,000 signatures. Children's television has often been a place to push the boundaries of diverse representations onscreen. In particular, Australian children's TV has been a global leader in screen diversity, including gender and queer representation. Emmy-winning Australian series First Day (2020-22) tells the story of a transgender girl starting high school. Another Emmy-winner, Hardball (2019-21) includes gay dads for one of the lead characters. Even recent updates to The Wiggles' line-up has placed a greater emphasis on gender diversity, including adding a non-binary unicorn.

Swinburne University of Technology Research Bank, 2023

This report presents findings from research designed to better understand the ways adult audience... more This report presents findings from research designed to better understand the ways adult audiences in the streaming era experience, express, and channel nostalgia for children’s television from their childhoods, particularly Australian children’s television. Quantitative and qualitative data and findings from a nationwide survey and semi-structured interviews form the basis of this report. The Australian Children’s Television Cultures research group gathered unique, robust data through an online survey that targeted adults who grew up watching children’s television. The survey was titled “Children’s TV Shows from Your Childhood” and ran for six weeks from August 23–October 3, 2021. Semi-structured interviews were also undertaken with 21 participants from a range of age groups and different regions of Australia. These interviews were analysed to gain more nuanced qualitative detail to complement the quantitative and qualitative survey findings. This report locates and investigates intersections between nostalgia, creative industries, and screen technology. It offers unprecedented insight into how and why Australian adults have accessed Australian children’s television from the past, and the deep and lasting impacts of Australian children’s television on multiple generations of adults. The findings and outcomes of this project will help to shape the future of children’s TV in Australia.

Parents’ Perspectives on Australian Children’s Television in the Streaming Era, 2022

This report presents findings from research designed to better understand how Australian audience... more This report presents findings from research designed to better understand how Australian audiences discover, consume, and value local children’s content in the streaming era. The Australian Children’s Television Cultures research group gathered unique, robust data through an online nationwide survey that targeted parents and carers of children aged 14 years and under. The survey was titled, “What are Your Children Watching in 2021” and ran nationally for six weeks (23 August – 3 October, 2021). A dozen extended semi-structured interviews were also carried out with select survey participants. These interviews were analysed to gain more nuanced qualitative detail to complement the quantitative survey findings. This report covers a range of key considerations, from perceptions of what makes “good” Australian children’s television, to the use of media platforms, and the importance parents and carers place on diverse representation. The report’s findings are original and provide unique insights into parents’ perspectives on Australian children’s television in the streaming era.

Comics and Pop Culture: Adaptation from Panel to Frame, 2019

Since the earliest days of the US comic book industry publishers have adapted popular films (and ... more Since the earliest days of the US comic book industry publishers have adapted popular films (and later TV shows), with DC Comics’ precursor National Allied Publications releasing Movie Comics in 1939, which promised “a full movie for 10¢” and featured Imperial adventure film Gunga Din on the cover of the first issue. This long-standing practice has often seen films that were based on comics, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Judge Dredd (1995), and The Avengers (2012) return to their originating form via comic book adaptations. Yet despite the volume and longevity of this practice, these comic book adaptations have received little scholarly attention.
This chapter argues that the comic book adaptation offers a window onto the creative and formal fluidity that marks today’s media industries. To bring this analysis into sharper focus, the key examples will be those texts that close the loop between comics and cinema: comic book adaptations of comic book movies. Drawing on new interviews with comic book adaptation writers and artists such as Dennis O’Neil (Batman), Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition, Dick Tracy), and David Yardin (Injustice: Gods Among Us), this chapter positions comic book tie-ins as antecedents to today’s transmedia practices.
The chapter considers the various commercial and creative reasons for producing these seemingly redundant transmedia extensions. It provides a taxonomy of comic book adaptations as well as highlighting some of the key considerations in studying comic book adaptations, including: authorship, continuity, and medium specificity. Ultimately, this chapter will demonstrate how comic book adaptations provide a better understanding of why comics, their characters, and their creators form the connective tissue of many modern media conglomerates and their transmedia storyworlds.

"Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet". In the brief po... more "Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet". In the brief post-credit scene that followed Jon Favreau's Iron Man (2008), Nick Fury announces to Tony Stark (and the audience) the arrival of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) - an ambitious attempt to bring comic book continuity to the big screen. Soon after, the franchise went transmedia with comic books, television shows, DVD "one-shots", and video games. Thus, the term "Marvel Cinematic Universe" (MCU) is no longer adequate to describe a narrative that has been extended across a number of media. Today the MCU might be more accurately described as one of the first successful examples of transmedia storytelling.
Compelled by the box office triumph of Joss Whedon's crossover movie The Avengers (2012) a number of studios are now attempting to apply the transmedia storytelling template set by Marvel to their intellectual property. This chapter unpacks the process of transmedia storytelling, which is finally moving to the centre of mainstream screen production following years of false starts. By focusing on the industry leader, Marvel, the ideal characteristics of a transmedia-ready property will be identified, including: Flexible Continuity, Platform Neutral Storytelling, Collaborative Authorship, Fan/ Non-Fan Balance, Story World Depth, Brand Recognition, and a Conglomerate Structure. Ultimately, this chapter will demonstrate how Marvel Entertainment applied the practices of its publishing arm to its transmedia endeavours, setting the standard for a host of imitators and the future of transmedia storytelling.

Despite the popularity of today’s comic book film adaptations, superheroes did not make the leap ... more Despite the popularity of today’s comic book film adaptations, superheroes did not make the leap from comics to screen in a single bound; rather it was a series of incremental steps. This chapter examines one of the most important yet overlooked steps in the comic book character’s journey from niche interest to mainstream success: animated series. In particular, it focuses on the early 1990s animated Marvel series X-Men (1992-1997) and Spider-Man (1994-1998).
Drawing on the transtextual relations Gérard Genette puts forward in Palimpsests, film scholar Robert Stam suggests that film adaptations are “hypertexts derived from preexisting hypotexts that have been transformed by operations of selection, amplification, concretization, and actualization.” He expands this point by suggesting, “diverse prior adaptations can form a larger, cumulative hypotext that is available to the filmmaker who comes relatively ‘late’ in the series.” For instance, when asked on the X-Men DVD commentary whether the 1992 animated series X-Men had influenced his live action adaptation, director Bryan Singer replied, “Tremendously. The animated series [… featured] the characters that had risen through the comic franchise and had become part of a more public lexicon, I wanted to take advantage of that.”
Focusing on industrial and formal relationships between comics, cinema, and animation, this chapter argues that animation is not so much the missing link, but rather the forgotten bridge between the comics that are respected as the source text and the excitement that greets each new transmedia franchise installment.

During the Celtic Tiger a strand of films emerged in Ireland that centred on nomadic people, rebe... more During the Celtic Tiger a strand of films emerged in Ireland that centred on nomadic people, rebellious children and renegade policemen. These pastoral narratives borrowed classical Western tropes to articulate the effect of the massive economic and social shifts taking place in Ireland - redefining the country’s ever-diminishing frontier.

A name change, a chic venue and eighty papers running the gamut from 'Post-Racial Othello' (Dougl... more A name change, a chic venue and eighty papers running the gamut from 'Post-Racial Othello' (Douglas Lanier) to 'The Literary Rambo' (Jeremy Strong), the 4 th International Association of Adaptation Studies Conference took place in the BFI Southbank on the 24 th and 25 th of September, 2009. With previous conferences held in Leicester (2006), Atlanta (2007) and Amsterdam (2008), this was the first conference organized by the association since changing its name from 'The Association of Literature on Screen Studies' to its new, more inclusive title. This decision was taken at the 2008 conference and is reflective of the field's interests widening beyond novel and theatre adaptations. Fittingly, a diverse range of textual relations was under consideration during the conference proceedings, including sessions on 'Costume and Adaptation', 'Silent Adapta-tions' and 'Screenwriting: Adaptation in Practice'. The conference is always well-organized and the attendees seasoned enough to ensure that their papers are well-researched and engaging; tailored to solicit meaningful debate. This year's choice of venue saw the conference reach a new level of lavishness, with certain spaces more often used for public interviews with avant-garde filmmakers and world-class directors than conference proceedings. In these venues, with stadium seating and digital projection, sessions such as 'Ben-Hur 50 Years On' were accorded the pomp and ceremony befitting their subject. However, this high standard did not extend to all spaces with some a little too small for their popular papers and the speakers drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the busy venue. Also, with the growing success of the conference—organizers admitted the proceedings could have been filled three times over—there were more papers presented than ever before, necessitating an increased number of parallel sessions. This made the always difficult choice of deciding what to attend even more problematic (would 'Germany and Adaptation' be more interesting than 'Hollywood and Adaptation' and how about the panels on gothic adaptation or Stanley Kubrick?), while a greater number of speakers in each session limited the opportunity for questions and post-panel discussion. Yet these problems befall any popular conference, and serve to demonstrate the increasing interest in adaptation studies and this association. Despite the association's more expansive remit, with the exception of a session on 'British Television and the Classic-Novel Adaptation', film adaptations remained the

Books by Liam Burke

The Superhero Symbol: Media, Culture, and Politics, 2020

When Stan Lee was asked whether he had ever thought about creating an Irish superhero, the one-ti... more When Stan Lee was asked whether he had ever thought about creating an Irish superhero, the one-time Captain America writer responded, “I don’t know how to make a superhero specifically Irish”. Indeed, while there are enough heroes clad in the stars and stripes, Union Jack, and maple leaf for political geographer Jason Dittmer to recognize nationalist superheroes as a “subgenre”, there have been comparatively few Irish-themed heroes.
Nonetheless, superhero comics regularly feature Irish supporting characters, set adventures in Ireland, or expand their hero’s backstory to include Irish immigrant origins.
However, these comics often perpetuate prejudices that stem, in part, from Victorian era efforts to undermine Irish Home Rule. This chapter will trace the Irish stereotypes that still pervade superhero stories in the hope of unmasking their origins and understanding why they circulate so freely. It will also demonstrate how the recent growth in Ireland’s comic book community is serving as a corrective to wider representations of the Irish in superhero comics.

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Parents’ Perspectives on Australian Children’s Television in the Streaming Era - 2, 2024

Adaptation, 2024

The conversation, 2014

Media International Australia, 2020

Transnational Social Review, 2017

Estudios Irlandeses Journal of Irish Studies, 2010

Adaptation, 2010

The conversation, 2015

The Conversation, 2022

Swinburne University of Technology Research Bank, 2023

Parents’ Perspectives on Australian Children’s Television in the Streaming Era, 2022

Comics and Pop Culture: Adaptation from Panel to Frame, 2019

A name change, a chic venue and eighty papers running the gamut from 'Post-Racial Othello' (Dougl... more A name change, a chic venue and eighty papers running the gamut from 'Post-Racial Othello' (Douglas Lanier) to 'The Literary Rambo' (Jeremy Strong), the 4 th International Association of Adaptation Studies Conference took place in the BFI Southbank on the 24 th and 25 th of September, 2009. With previous conferences held in Leicester (2006), Atlanta (2007) and Amsterdam (2008), this was the first conference organized by the association since changing its name from 'The Association of Literature on Screen Studies' to its new, more inclusive title. This decision was taken at the 2008 conference and is reflective of the field's interests widening beyond novel and theatre adaptations. Fittingly, a diverse range of textual relations was under consideration during the conference proceedings, including sessions on 'Costume and Adaptation', 'Silent Adapta-tions' and 'Screenwriting: Adaptation in Practice'. The conference is always well-organized and the attendees seasoned enough to ensure that their papers are well-researched and engaging; tailored to solicit meaningful debate. This year's choice of venue saw the conference reach a new level of lavishness, with certain spaces more often used for public interviews with avant-garde filmmakers and world-class directors than conference proceedings. In these venues, with stadium seating and digital projection, sessions such as 'Ben-Hur 50 Years On' were accorded the pomp and ceremony befitting their subject. However, this high standard did not extend to all spaces with some a little too small for their popular papers and the speakers drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the busy venue. Also, with the growing success of the conference—organizers admitted the proceedings could have been filled three times over—there were more papers presented than ever before, necessitating an increased number of parallel sessions. This made the always difficult choice of deciding what to attend even more problematic (would 'Germany and Adaptation' be more interesting than 'Hollywood and Adaptation' and how about the panels on gothic adaptation or Stanley Kubrick?), while a greater number of speakers in each session limited the opportunity for questions and post-panel discussion. Yet these problems befall any popular conference, and serve to demonstrate the increasing interest in adaptation studies and this association. Despite the association's more expansive remit, with the exception of a session on 'British Television and the Classic-Novel Adaptation', film adaptations remained the

The Superhero Symbol: Media, Culture, and Politics, 2020

“As a man, I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol... as a sym... more “As a man, I'm flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed; but as a symbol... as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting”. In the 2005 reboot of the Batman film franchise, Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne articulates how the figure of the superhero can serve as a transcendent icon.

It is hard to imagine a time when superheroes have been more pervasive in our culture. Today, superheroes are intellectual property jealously guarded by media conglomerates, icons co-opted by grassroots groups as a four-color rebuttal to social inequities, masks people wear to more confidently walk convention floors and city streets, and bulletproof banners that embody regional and national identities. From activism to cosplay, this collection unmasks the symbolic function of superheroes.

The Superhero Symbol: Media, Culture, and Politics, 2019

Bringing together superhero scholars from a range of disciplines, alongside key industry figures such as Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini, The Superhero Symbol provides fresh perspectives on how characters like Captain America, Iron Man, and Wonder Woman have engaged with media, culture, and politics, to become the “everlasting” symbols to which a young Bruce Wayne once aspired.

Mainstream comic book publishers are unashamed by embellishment. In fact, many hold exaggeration ... more Mainstream comic book publishers are unashamed by embellishment. In fact, many hold exaggeration as the high criterion to which artists should aspire. Published in 1978, the instructional art book How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way was described by its co-author, Stan Lee, as the first instructional book on drawing comic book superheroes. In the book, Lee (working with popular Marvel Comics’ artist John Buscema) explained many of the formal aspects of comic book art and how to tailor them to the “mildly magnificent Marvel style” (9).
Commentators and critics frequently characterise films as having comic book qualities. Although such descriptions are often a barely veiled criticism, the use of this term does suggest that comic book nuances can be discerned in cinematic storytelling. As this chapter will attest, such nuances have blossomed in recent years into a fully-fledged style. Although variants on these conventions might also be identified in other traditions (e.g. theatre, painting, and prose), as described in the previous chapter, comics and cinema share a semiotic overlap. While this unique overlap might facilitate a comparatively easy back-and-forth between the forms it also makes it difficult (arguably impossible) to identify influences that are distinctly comic or cinematic. To negotiate the active relay between the forms, Lee and Buscema’s seminal guide will be used in this chapter to chart how filmmakers learned to adapt comics the Marvel Way.

Dudley Andrew contends that “if a novel’s story is judged in some way comparable to its filmic ad... more Dudley Andrew contends that “if a novel’s story is judged in some way comparable to its filmic adaptation, then the strictly separate but equivalent processes of implication which produced the narrative units of that story through words and audio-visual signs, respectively, must be studied” (Film Theory 103). This semiotic approach has been recognized as an important adaptation studies tool by a number of scholars (Stam “Beyond Fidelity” 62; Griffith 28). Cohen applied this method in his analysis of Dick Tracy, summarizing, “The ‘comic aesthetic’ in Dick Tracy does not transcend the ontology of cinema; it is an aesthetic translation of the characteristics and conventions from the comic medium by using the stylistic and functional equivalents in cinema” (36). Building on this observation, this chapter will seek to identify equivalences between the forms, mapping where they have been utilized by filmmakers to achieve a comic aesthetic.

When Time magazine named “You” as the Person of the Year in 2006, it articulated a growing belief... more When Time magazine named “You” as the Person of the Year in 2006, it articulated a growing belief in the power of new media to “simulate an ideal public sphere” (Moyo 141) in which “consumption itself is now regarded as a positive” (Creeber 19). Although, arguably insurmountable, disparities exist between producer and consumer; it seems reckless to ignore the audience in an era marked by such participation. Thus, this study of comic book adaptations allows one to reopen the fidelity debate, not as a return to the reductive research that ignored wider determinants, but rather as a means of productively addressing how fan discourses, and what Colin MacCabe calls “the grammar of value” (9), can be a vibrant part of the many relations that shape an adaptation. Accordingly, this chapter will demonstrate how comic book fans (alongside other devotees of pop culture) helped facilitate Hollywood’s transition to a more participatory industry. It will argue that the increased fidelity of modern comic book adaptations can be partly attributed to comic book fans, who gained wider influence over production in the digital age. This chapter will conclude with an analysis of the unprecedented fidelity of the Golden Age of Comic Book Filmmaking, which fostered the emergence of the first comic book transformations (e.g., Sin City, Watchmen, and Scott Pilgrim), and how, even within the larger category of borrowings, the source has become an increasingly important determinant in films such as Batman Begins (Nolan 2005).

In the summer of 2000 X-Men surpassed all box of ce expectations and ushered in an era of unprece... more In the summer of 2000 X-Men surpassed all box of ce expectations and ushered in an era of unprecedented production of comic book film adaptations. This trend, now in its second decade, has blossomed into Hollywood's leading genre. From superheroes to Spartan warriors, The Comic Book Film Adaptation offers the first dedicated study to examine how comic books moved from the fringes of popular culture to the center of mainstream film production.

Through in-depth analysis, industry interviews, and audience research, this book charts the cause-and-effect of this influential trend. It considers the cultural traumas, business demands, and digital possibilities that Hollywood faced at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The industry managed to meet these challenges by exploiting comics and their existing audiences. However, studios were caught off-guard when these comic book fans, empowered by digital media, began to in uence the success of these adaptations. Nonetheless, filmmakers soon developed strategies to take advantage of this intense fanbase, while codifying the trend into a more lucrative genre, the comic book movie, which appealed to an even wider audience. Central to this vibrant trend is a comic aesthetic in which filmmakers utilize digital filmmaking technologies to engage with the language and conventions of comics like never before.

The Comic Book Film Adaptation explores this unique moment in which cinema is stimulated, challenged, and enriched by the once-dismissed medium of comics.

In the summer of 2000 "X-Men" surpassed all box office expectations and ushered in an era of unpr... more In the summer of 2000 "X-Men" surpassed all box office expectations and ushered in an era of unprecedented production of comic book film adaptations. This trend, now in its second decade, has blossomed into Hollywood's leading genre. From superheroes to Spartan warriors, "The Comic Book Film Adaptation" offers the first dedicated study to examine how comic books moved from the fringes of popular culture to the center of mainstream film production. Through in-depth analysis, industry interviews, and audience research, this book charts the cause-and-effect of this influential trend. It considers the cultural traumas, business demands, and digital possibilities that Hollywood faced at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The industry managed to meet these challenges by exploiting comics and their existing audiences. However, studios were caught off-guard when these comic book fans, empowered by digital media, began to influence the success of these adaptations. Nonetheless, filmmakers soon developed strategies to take advantage of this intense fanbase, while codifying the trend into a more lucrative genre, the comic book movie, which appealed to an even wider audience. Central to this vibrant trend is a comic aesthetic in which filmmakers utilize digital filmmaking technologies to engage with the language and conventions of comics like never before. "The Comic Book Film Adaptation" explores this unique moment in which cinema is stimulated, challenged, and enriched by the once-dismissed medium of comics.

In 1978 Superman made audiences believe a man could fly. Since then, superhero movies have shown ... more In 1978 Superman made audiences believe a man could fly. Since then, superhero movies have shown that man can not only fly, but swing from webs through New York’s concrete canyons, turn monstrous shades of green if suitably angry, and dress as giant rodents to safeguard the city streets. Today, there are more superhero movies than ever before as the cinematic skies are filled with caped crusaders and nocturnal vigilantes that continue to delight and excite filmgoers the world over. Through detailed analysis and fascinating facts, this guide explores how, in a single bound, the superhero has made the leap from the comic book page to the silver screen. So fasten your utility belt as you prepare to take flight with this must-read for fans of superheroes and blockbuster cinema.

From his debut in a six-page comic in 1939 and to his most recent portrayal by Christian Bale in ... more From his debut in a six-page comic in 1939 and to his most recent portrayal by Christian Bale in the blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, Batman is perhaps the world’s most popular superhero. The continued relevance of the caped crusader could be attributed to his complex character, his dual identity, or his commitment to revenge and justice. But, as the contributors to this collection argue, it is the fans who, with the patience of Alfred, the loyalty of Commissioner Gordon, and the unbridled enthusiasm of Robin, have kept Batman at the forefront of popular culture for more than seven decades.
Fan Phenomena: Batman explores the unlikely devotion to the Dark Knight, from his inauspicious beginnings on the comic book page to the cult television series of the 1960s and on to critically-acclaimed films and video games of today. Considering everything from convention cosplay to fan fiction that imagines the Joker as a romantic lead, the essays here acknowledge and celebrate fan responses that go far beyond the scope of the source material. And, the contributors contend, despite occasional dips in popularity, Batman’s sustained presence in popular culture for more than seventy years is thanks in no small part to his fans’ ardor.
Packed with revealing interviews from all corners of the fan spectrum—including Paul Levitz, who rose through the ranks of fan culture to become the president of DC Comics, and Michael Uslan, who has executive produced every Batman adaptation since Tim Burton’s blockbuster in 1989, as well as film reviewers, academics, movie buffs, comic store clerks, and costume-clad convention attendees—this book is sure to be a bestseller in Gotham City, as well as everywhere Bruce Wayne’s alter ego continues to intrigue and inspire.

Research across a number of disciplines demonstrates that digital technologies have intensified m... more Research across a number of disciplines demonstrates that digital
technologies have intensified migrants’ connections to both old
and new homelands. Yet to be explored, however, is how this
interconnectedness intersects with shifting conceptions of “home”
over the life course. The research presented here helps fill this gap
by drawing on surveys and semi-structured qualitative interviews
conducted with Irish immigrants to Australia, now in their 60s, 70s,
and 80s, who left Ireland prior to the emergence of new media. The
article charts a trajectory across three phases of the migrant life
course: “leaving home,” characterized by feelings of dislocation from
Ireland and an involvement in the local Irish “ethnic village”; “at home,”
characterized by withdrawal from ethnic community involvements
under the pressure of family and work responsibilities; and “going
home,” characterized by a desire to reconnect with origins, both locally
and transnationally. Our findings suggest that age-related social
circumstances and existential concerns have played an important
role in shaping older migrants’ use of new media to stay “connected.”

In 'Special Effect: Have film adaptations changed mainstream comics?' Liam Burke explores the rel... more In 'Special Effect: Have film adaptations changed mainstream comics?' Liam Burke explores the relationships between American comics and their cinematic progeny. Burke considers the concessions and compromises made by comic publishers to render their products more amenable to film adaptation questioning who is colonising whom in this relationship.

Over the past two decades comic book fans have become a digitally-empowered minority, with mainst... more Over the past two decades comic book fans have become a digitally-empowered minority, with mainstream filmmakers much more likely to yield to fan pressure when adapting comics than in pre-digital times. Nonetheless, this fidelity-favouring audience is still only a fraction of the eventual attendance of these blockbuster releases. The larger non-fan audience is frequently drawn to 'comic-book movies' by generic markers carefully positioned by filmmakers and publicity to evoke past successes; with the continued popularity of comic-book movies suggesting these strategies have been successful. To better understand these two broad groups that attend comic book adaptations, audiences at screenings of recent high-profile films Thor and Green Lantern were surveyed. Adopting a similar methodology to Watching The Lord of the Rings, this research was carried out as a quali-quantitative paper survey of filmgoers at three different screenings of each film. The results offered a nuanced picture of the audience(s) for one of the most popular trends in modern cinema. Ultimately, it was found that while the two broad audiences that attend theses adaptations are not mutually exclusive, they do have differing interests and expectations, which the filmmaker and scholar must consider. The September 2007 issue of the popular UK film magazine Empire had an arresting image of a little-known red and yellow clad superhero thrusting his fist into the pavement. By the following summer, Iron Man would be one of the most successful comic book film adaptations of all time, but at this early stage of promotion the magazine's feature writer,

Participations, 2018

Films have long been organised according to genre categories grounded by thematic and narrative c... more Films have long been organised according to genre categories grounded by thematic and narrative conventions. Yet while these taxonomies have remained relatively static in industrial and academic discourse over the past two decades, the digital age has given rise to new modes of film distribution and consumption. This article presents preliminary findings from an audience research project carried out in collaboration with Australian media company Village Roadshow investigating genre and spectatorship. The findings suggest that in an era characterised by video-on-demand, screen convergence, and personalised recommendation systems, the existing categorisation strategies favored by the film industry and screen studies scholars may no longer align with the practices and priorities of contemporary audiences. The article presents findings from a pilot study that examined the discursive processes that constitute genre as a cultural practice in the digital age through identifying how respondents classified and described certain films. The research also sought to explore the extent to which these classification practices aligned with or diverged from existing genre paradigms. The findings provide an audience-centered understanding of the shifting landscape of film distribution and consumption, as streaming services such as Netflix motivate significant transformations in the way films are accessed, understood, and consumed. Considering the influence of both traditional genre categories and new forms of categorisation and consumption driven by streaming services, the article demonstrates how contemporary audiences link films as diverse as Moonlight (Jenkins 2016), Deadpool (Miller 2016), and Psycho (Hitchcock 1960) based on style, narrative structure, and affective experience, thereby illuminating how audiences conceive of and relate to genre in this period of industrial flux. This research offers analytical strategies grounded in audience research aimed at re-evaluating genre in an era of personalised content curation, niche content categorisation, and on-demand access to films.

Senses of Cinema, 2018

Born in the depths of the Great Depression as a four-colour response to the challenges of the Mac... more Born in the depths of the Great Depression as a four-colour response to the challenges of the Machine Age, the comic book superhero was an uniquely American creation. However, from Captain Britain to Captain Canuck international creators have reimagined the superhero archetype to reflect local traditions and culture. While US superheroes on the page and screen are popular in Australia, local creators have avoided producing their own superheroes in favour of more grounded icons like Mad Max. In the absence of Australian voices, the few Australian superheroes created have been produced by overseas artists who often perpetuate long-standing stereotypes.
This article will consider the reasons for the seeming incompatibility between Australia and the superhero. Drawing on a hundred interviews with superhero creators and fans at Melbourne comic book conventions the most frequently cited reasons for Australia’s superhero drought will be organised and analysed under three inter-related headings: National Identity, Cultural Cringe, and Market Differentiation. Although many of the perceived obstacles to Australian superheroes are no longer relevant (and perhaps never were), the respondent interviews demonstrate how they still have potent purchase in Australian cultural life.
This article will also consider how the recent emergence of local superhero writers and artists working for international publishers like Marvel and DC Comics can provide a corrective to outdated depictions of Australia. The analysis will conclude with an examination of how the Australian superhero TV show Cleverman surmounts many of the long-standing hurdles to Australian superheroes through a careful integration of superhero conventions and Indigenous mythology, suggesting a future direction for Australian superheroes.

Media International Australia, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the multifaceted socio-cultural functions of Australian chi... more The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the multifaceted socio-cultural functions of Australian children's television. As social distancing measures forced school students to study from home, local children's TV producers and distributors contributed to home-based learning. Yet, in response to the pandemic, the Federal Government has indefinitely suspended Australian children's television quotas, the regulatory framework that sets minimum hours of local children's content for commercial television broadcasters. In response to government imposed budgetary restraints, public broadcaster, the ABC, has also made redundances in its children's content department. Such changes have occurred at a critical juncture in which the sector's long-standing contributions to the education of Australian children and pedagogy of local teachers, caregivers and parents have been brought to the fore. We argue that this pedagogical function is a core but often overlooked element of the socio-cultural value of the sector that has been highlighted during the pandemic.

Quarterly Review of Film and Video , 2023

In the past decade, the superhero genre in Hollywood has featured an increasing number of cape cr... more In the past decade, the superhero genre in Hollywood has featured an increasing number of cape crusaders coded as either fighting against colonial forces or being a product of colonialism. These superheroes are part of groups that mainstream Western filmmaking has historically marginalised in front of and behind the camera. Released to critical and commercial success in 2018, Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther was an exemplar of this trend. The film’s depiction of a utopian African nation, Wakanda, protected by a Black hero, was celebrated for its Afrofuturist rebuttal of traditional Hollywood depictions of the continent. The film’s sequel, 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was positioned to offer similar representation for the Latinx community through introducing a Mesoamerican antihero, Namor.
Using the character of Namor as a case study, this paper charts how the superhero genre is uniquely placed to respond to societal anxieties. The analysis unmasks how the adaptation of Marvel’s perennial foreign invader Namor actively taps into uncertainties in contemporary racial politics in Mexico and Latin America. The paper explores how Namor’s identity as an Indigenous superhero provides an important, but also limited, avenue of representation for millions of Latin Americans and people in the global Latinx diaspora.

Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 2021

From inventive memes to fan films, contemporary popular culture continues long-standing tradition... more From inventive memes to fan films, contemporary popular culture continues long-standing traditions of adapting existing content to new formats. Despite the centrality of adaptation to popular culture, adaptation studies methods are rarely applied by researchers working in this area. Cosplay, in which enthusiasts dress as characters from popular culture at fan gatherings, is an increasingly visible part of contemporary culture. Through its reliance on a recognized source text, cosplay is a form of vernacular adaptation. By drawing on narrative interviews with cosplayers, this article illustrates how applying key adaptation studies approaches to cosplay can provide a fresh perspective on the fan phenomena. Vernacular adaptation like cosplay is not an esoteric practice. From fan fiction to movie-inspired protest signs, adaptation is a fundamental framework of popular culture. Yet, all too often, the tools and approaches of adaptation studies are ignored by media and cultural studies scholars. Focusing on cosplay as a form of vernacular adaptation, this article will demonstrate that adaptation studies is a valuable, yet overlooked, tool in the study of popular culture.

Transformative Works and Cultures, 2021

The antihero Harley Quinn was first introduced as the Joker's "henchwench" in Batman: The Animate... more The antihero Harley Quinn was first introduced as the Joker's "henchwench" in Batman: The Animated Series (1992). The character soon developed a dedicated fan base, including enthusiasts who did not conform to traditional definitions of comic book fans. Recognizing Harley Quinn's popularity, DC Comics subsequently incorporated the character into comic book continuity. Today, Harley Quinn is a transmedia icon extended across multiple media platforms. In this article, audience research and creator interviews were performed to show how Harley Quinn has been used by both fans and industry stakeholders to transform long-standing (and often outdated) definitions of comic book fandom. Much of Harley Quinn's transformative potential comes from invoking a carnivalesque tradition that defies boundaries. Harley Quinn's popularity is not simply symptomatic of a widening comic book fandom but was active in that transformation.

Refractory: A Journal of Entertainment Media, 2019

Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, 2018

Films have long been organised according to genre categories grounded by thematic and narrative c... more Films have long been organised according to genre categories grounded by thematic and
narrative conventions. Yet while these taxonomies have remained relatively static in
industrial and academic discourse over the past two decades, the digital age has given rise
to new modes of film distribution and consumption. This article presents preliminary
findings from an audience research project carried out in collaboration with Australian
media company Village Roadshow investigating genre and spectatorship. The findings
suggest that in an era characterised by video-on-demand, screen convergence, and
personalised recommendation systems, the existing categorisation strategies favored by the
film industry and screen studies scholars may no longer align with the practices and
priorities of contemporary audiences.
The article presents findings from a pilot study that examined the discursive
processes that constitute genre as a cultural practice in the digital age through identifying
how respondents classified and described certain films. The research also sought to explore
the extent to which these classification practices aligned with or diverged from existing
genre paradigms. The findings provide an audience-centered understanding of the shifting
landscape of film distribution and consumption, as streaming services such as Netflix
motivate significant transformations in the way films are accessed, understood, and
consumed. Considering the influence of both traditional genre categories and new forms of
categorisation and consumption driven by streaming services, the article demonstrates how
contemporary audiences link films as diverse as Moonlight (Jenkins 2016), Deadpool (Miller
2016), and Psycho (Hitchcock 1960) based on style, narrative structure, and affective
experience, thereby illuminating how audiences conceive of and relate to genre in this
period of industrial flux. This research offers analytical strategies grounded in audience
research aimed at re-evaluating genre in an era of personalised content curation, niche
content categorisation, and on-demand access to films.

The Superhero Symbol Media, Culture, and Politics, 2020

Paul Dini is the Emmy, Eisner, and Annie Award-winning writer of many fan favorite superheroes st... more Paul Dini is the Emmy, Eisner, and Annie Award-winning writer of many fan favorite superheroes stories across animation, film, comics, and videogames. He is one of the writers of Batman: The Animated Series and related shows and films, including Batman: Mask of The Phantasm, Superman: The Animated Series, and Batman Beyond. Dini co-created with artist Bruce Timm the anti-hero Harley Quinn, and wrote the best-selling Batman videogames Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.
Other credits in Dini’s career include Lost, the Star Wars spin offs Ewoks and Clone Wars, as well as Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Freakazoid!, Ultimate Spider-Man, DC Comics The Batman Adventures: Mad Love and Superman: Peace on Earth.
His 2016 graphic novel Dark Night: A True Batman Story debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and is a harrowing autobiographical tale of Dini’s courageous struggle to recover from a vicious mugging, and how the figure of Batman helped him to deal with the trauma.

Why have more comic book film adaptations been produced since the year 2000 than any other time i... more Why have more comic book film adaptations been produced since the year 2000 than any other time in film history, and what impact are these adaptations having on their respective industries? These questions were the focus of my 2015 book The Comic Book Film Adaptation: Exploring Modern Hollywood's Leading Genre, published by the University Press of Mississippi. To develop this study it was essential that I interview creators and artists from both sides of the adaptation divide. At the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con I brought some of those industry professionals
(Tom Brevoort, Joe Kelly, Michael E. Uslan, and Mark Waid) together to continue discussions from the book. Hosted by the academic forum the Comics Arts Conference, the panel, titled The Comic Book Film Adaptation, was held on Friday, July 10.

Superheroes Beyond, 2024

This is the general introduction to the Superheroes Beyond collection. It introduces the book’s t... more This is the general introduction to the Superheroes Beyond collection. It introduces the book’s three thematic sections, highlighting the superhero archetype as it exists outside of conventional white male identities, the comic book medium, and its traditional home in the United States.

Unpacking Into the Spider-Verse’s sentiment that “anyone can wear the mask,” the introduction asks how critical and cultural imaginings of the superhero have made this a necessary declaration. In contextualizing the assumed defaults of the superhero, the introduction provides a conspectus which foregrounds the contributions of the collection’s chapters in their exploration of how the transcultural, transmedia, and transhistorical operations of the superhero rupture these defaults and recalibrate how superheroes are imagined and understood.