Marvel's Black Widow from Spy to Superhero: Essays on an Avenger with a Very Specific Skill Set

Author:   Sherry Ginn
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
ISBN:  

9780786498192


Pages:   188
Publication Date:   28 March 2017
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Available To Order   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Our Price $27.50 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Marvel's Black Widow from Spy to Superhero: Essays on an Avenger with a Very Specific Skill Set


Add your own review!

Overview

First appearing in Marvel Comics in the 1960s, Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, was introduced to movie audiences in Iron Man 2 (2010). Her character has grown in popularity with subsequent Marvel films, and fans have been vocal about wanting to see Black Widow in a titular role. Romanoff has potent appeal: a strong female character who is not defined by her looks or her romantic relationships, with the skill set of a veteran spy first for the KGB, then for S.H.I.E.L.D. This collection of new essays is the first to examine Black Widow and her development, from Cold War era comics to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Full Product Details

Author:   Sherry Ginn
Publisher:   McFarland & Co Inc
Imprint:   McFarland & Co Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.254kg
ISBN:  

9780786498192


ISBN 10:   0786498196
Pages:   188
Publication Date:   28 March 2017
Recommended Age:   From 18 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order   Availability explained
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: Black Widow’s Place in Marvel’s Universes and Our Own (Sherry Ginn) A “very specific skill set”: Black Widow’s Use of Language in The Avengers (Malgorzata Drewniok) In Search of the Complete Female Character in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (Heather M. Porter) Front and Center: Examining Black Widow Fanvids (Samira Nadkarni) “Eyes front, Ivan!” The Comic Books’ Journey through deleteFashions and Men (Valerie Estelle Frankel) Feminism in American Cinema: The Many Incarnations deleteBlack Widow (Jillian Coleman Benjamin) Red Rooms, Conditioning Chairs and Needles in the Brain: deleteBrainwashing and Mind Control in the Whedon and Marvel Universes (Sherry Ginn) Joss Whedon’s Radical Icon of Third Wave Feminism (Lewis Call) Athena’s Daughter: Black Widow’s Impact Aesthetic (David Kociemba) The Elusive Black Widow Film: Fan-Made Texts as Social Desire Paths (Tanya R. Cochran) Videography About the Contributors Index

Reviews

Ginn s collection of nine excellent essays explores the comic book and cinema portrayal of Black Widow of the Avengers franchise by showcasing a superheroine who uses her language as a weapon, inverts gender roles, and combines both masculine and feminine character traits in order to exemplify a woman who is brave, brazen, and badass. Richard J. Gray II, Associate Professor of French, Ashland University; Until Marvel finally makes a Black Widow movie, Sherry Ginn gives fans the next best thing: compelling, historically grounded essays that examine the character over 50 years of comics, film, merchandise, and fandom. Tara Prescott, editor of <i>Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century</i>.


Ginn's collection of nine excellent essays explores the comic book and cinema portrayal of Black Widow of the Avengers franchise by showcasing a superheroine who uses her language as a weapon, inverts gender roles, and combines both masculine and feminine character traits in order to exemplify a woman who is brave, brazen, and 'badass.' --Richard J. Gray II, Associate Professor of French, Ashland University; Until Marvel finally makes a Black Widow movie, Sherry Ginn gives fans the next best thing: compelling, historically grounded essays that examine the character over 50 years of comics, film, merchandise, and fandom. --Tara Prescott, editor of Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century; Ginn has made Black Widow central to the entire Marvel project and has done so in an insightful and readable fashion. Black Widow has long been among the more important superheroes, and Ginn brings together essays that assess the character's significance that all popular culture scholars will relish. Marvel has been guilty of underplaying the character of Black Widow...one can only hope they read this book as Ginn brings together essays that convince the reader of her importance. --Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, Exploring the Next Frontier: Vietnam, NASA, Star Trek and Utopia in 1960s and 1970s American Myth and History.


Ginn's collection of nine excellent essays explores the comic book and cinema portrayal of Black Widow of the Avengers franchise by showcasing a superheroine who uses her language as a weapon, inverts gender roles, and combines both masculine and feminine character traits in order to exemplify a woman who is brave, brazen, and 'badass.'--Richard J. Gray II, Associate Professor of French, Ashland University; Until Marvel finally makes a Black Widow movie, Sherry Ginn gives fans the next best thing: compelling, historically grounded essays that examine the character over 50 years of comics, film, merchandise, and fandom. --Tara Prescott, editor of <i>Neil Gaiman in the 21st Century</i>; Ginn has made Black Widow central to the entire Marvel project and has done so in an insightful and readable fashion. Black Widow has long been among the more important superheroes, and Ginn brings together essays that assess the character's significance that all popular culture scholars will relish. Marvel has been guilty of underplaying the character of Black Widow--one can only hope they read this book as Ginn brings together essays that convince the reader of her importance. --Matthew Wilhelm Kapell, <i>Exploring the Next Frontier: Vietnam, NASA, Star Trek and Utopia in 1960s and 1970s American Myth and History</i>.


Author Information

Sherry Ginn is a retired educator currently living in North Carolina. She has authored books examining female characters on science fiction television series as well as the multiple television worlds of Joss Whedon. Edited collections have examined sex in science fiction, time travel, the apocalypse, and the award-winning series Farscape, Doctor Who, and Fringe.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

MRG2025CC

 

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List