Movie Comics

As Christopher Nolan’s Batman films and releases from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have regularly topped the box office charts, fans and critics alike might assume that the “comic book movie” is a distinctly twenty-first-century form. Yet adaptations of comics have been an integral part of American cinema from its very inception, with comics characters regularly leaping from the page to the screen and cinematic icons spawning comics of their own. Movie Comics is the first book to study the long history of both comics-to-film and film-to-comics adaptations, covering everything from silent films starring Happy Hooligan to sound films and serials featuring Dick Tracy and Superman to comic books starring John Wayne, Gene Autry, Bob Hope, Abbott & Costello, Alan Ladd, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. With a special focus on the Classical Hollywood era, Blair Davis investigates the factors that spurred this media convergence, as the film and comics industries joined forces to expand the reach of their various brands. While analyzing this production history, he also tracks the artistic coevolution of films and comics, considering the many formal elements that each medium adopted and adapted from the other. As it explores our abiding desire to experience the same characters and stories in multiple forms, Movie Comics gives readers a new appreciation for the unique qualities of the illustrated page and the cinematic moving image.

A graphic novel adaptation of the tale of Moana, "a spirited teenager who loves the ocean, yet ... is forbidden to travel beyond the reef that surrounds her island home of Motunui"--Publisher marketing.

An all-original prequel to the hit Disney-Pixar film! WALL-E finds himself further and further isolated as more and more of his fellow robot companions shut down. To cope with his loneliness, WALL-E begins to collect the last few remnants of human civilization. But all is not lost as WALL-E finds a new friend in the most unlikely of places . . . and no, it's not EVE!

Selected by the Modern Library as two of the 100 best novels of all time 'To me,' D. H. Lawerence once wrote to E. M. forster, 'you are the last Englishman.' Indeed, Forster's novels offer contemporary readers clear, vibrant portraits of life in Edwardian England. Published in 1908 to both critical and popular acclaim, A Room with a View is a whimsical comedy of manners that owes more to Jane Austen that perhaps any other of his works. The central character is a muddled young girl named Lucy Honeychurch, who runs away from the man who stirs her emotions, remaining engaged to a rich snob. Forster considered it his 'nicest' novel, and today it remains probably his most well liked. Its moral is utterly simple. Throw away your etiquette book and listen to your heart. But it was Forster's next book, Howards End, a story about who would inhabit a charming old country house (and who, in a larger sense, would inherit England), that earned him recognition as a major writer. Centered around the conflict between the wealthy, materialistic Wilcox family and the cultured, idealistic Schlegel sisters-and informed by Forester's famous dictum 'Only connect'-it is full of tenderness towards favorite characters. 'Howards End is a classic English novel . . . superb and wholly cherishable . . . one that admirers have no trouble reading over and over again,' said Alfred Kazin.

Welcome to Halloween Town, where vampires, witches, and goblins rule the never-ending night! One Halloween, something befalls the almighty Pumpkin King. Beyond the tricks and scares, an emptiness begins to grow within Jack Skellington. He finds himself far from home, in a land where people smile, laugh, and sing with glee, and he feels that this Christmas Town could be the answer to his melancholy. Everyone is in for a surprise as Jack tries to unlock the secret of Christmas, take over the holiday, and kidnaps Santa Claus! Meanwhile, Sally, a compassionate rag doll, has a vision--a horrible end is near if Jack succeeds in ruling Christmas. Torn between her love for Jack and saving both towns, she must prevent her vision from coming true. As Jack assumes his role as "Sandy Claws," he discovers where he truly belongs . . . But is it too late?

Ronald Taverner awakens on a houseboat in Lake Mead suffering from amnesia only to discover that he is caught up in a conspiracy to kidnap and impersonate his twin brother Roland. His orders come from a neo-Marxist extremest group. Journeying to Los Angeles with escort Zora Charmichaels, he discovers that he has a psychic connection to movei star Boxer Santaros, who is also experiencing amnesia. Boxer, Krysta Now, and Fortunio Balducci have arrived in Palmdale, where they begin to follow clues hidden in a phrophetic screenplay called The power.

Marvel Studios' approach to its Cinematic Universe--beginning with the release of Iron Man (2008)--has become the template for successful management of blockbuster film properties. Yet films featuring Marvel characters can be traced back to the 1940s, when the Captain America serial first appeared on the screen. This collection of new essays is the first to explore the historical, textual and cultural context of the larger cinematic Marvel universe, including serials, animated films, television movies, non-U.S. versions of Marvel characters, films that feature characters licensed by Marvel, and the contemporary Cinematic Universe as conceived by Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios. Films analyzed include Transformers (1986), Howard the Duck (1986), Blade (1998), Planet Hulk (2010), Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013), Elektra (2005), the Conan the Barbarian franchise (1982-1990), Ultimate Avengers (2006) and Ghost Rider (2007).

The stage is set and destiny continues towards its fulfillment at breakneck speed. Southland Tales: The Prequel Saga collects writer/director Richard Kelly's (Donnie Darko) three graphic novels that set the stage to his second film, Southland Tales. Graphitti Designs and View Askew in conjunction with Darko Entertainment are proud to present this special collection prior to the movie release. These first three chapters set the tone and introduces you to the world and characters that comprise the movie events of July 4, 2008. The book and the movie combine to create a rich multimedia experience!