Superheroes in Crisis

An examination of how Superman and Batman dealt with cultural and social changes in the 1960s and 1970s and how this mirrored American societal changes in general. As the founding fathers of the superhero comic books, Superman and Batman have defined a genre of American mythology from the mid-twentieth century to the present. The author describes how the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight dealt with their midlife crises brought on by the cultural and social changes of the 1960s and 1970s. Johnson describes how the superheroes' problems and adaptations mirror much of American societal changes during that time. Superheroes in Crisis is the second book published in the RIT Press Comics Studies Monograph Series. The series editor is Dr. Gary Hoppenstand, Professor of English at Michigan State University. JEFFREY K> JOHNSON is a World War II Historian at the Joint POW/Accounting Command in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the author of several books and articles on the influence of comics in popular culture.