Mutants

Stepping effortlessly from myth to cutting-edge science, "Mutants" gives a brilliant narrative account of man's genetic code and the captivating people whose bodies have revealed it.

How fantasy meets reality as popular culture evolves and ignites postwar gender, sexual, and race revolutions. 2017 The Association for the Studies of the Present Book Prize Finalist Mention, 2017 Lora Romero First Book Award Presented by the American Studies Association Winner of the 2012 CLAGS Fellowship Award for Best First Book Project in LGBT Studies In 1964, noted literary critic Leslie Fiedler described American youth as “new mutants,” social rebels severing their attachments to American culture to remake themselves in their own image. 1960s comic book creators, anticipating Fiedler, began to morph American superheroes from icons of nationalism and white masculinity into actual mutant outcasts, defined by their genetic difference from ordinary humanity. These powerful misfits and “freaks” soon came to embody the social and political aspirations of America’s most marginalized groups, including women, racial and sexual minorities, and the working classes. In The New Mutants, Ramzi Fawaz draws upon queer theory to tell the story of these monstrous fantasy figures and how they grapple with radical politics from Civil Rights and The New Left to Women’s and Gay Liberation Movements. Through a series of comic book case studies – including The Justice League of America, The Fantastic Four, The X-Men, and The New Mutants –alongside late 20th century fan writing, cultural criticism, and political documents, Fawaz reveals how the American superhero modeled new forms of social belonging that counterculture youth would embrace in the 1960s and after. The New Mutants provides the first full-length study to consider the relationship between comic book fantasy and radical politics in the modern United States.

"Account of how comic book heroes have helped their creators and fans alike explore and express a wealth of paranormal experiences ignored by mainstream science. Delving deeply into the work of major figures in the field - from Jack Kirby's cosmic superhero sagas and Philip K. Dick's futuristic head-trips to Alan Moore's sex magic and Whitley Strieber's communion with visitors - Kripal shows how creators turned to science fiction to convey the reality of the inexplicable and the paranormal they experienced in their lives. Expanded consciousness found its language in the metaphors of sci-fi - incredible powers, unprecedented mutations, time-loops and vast intergalactic intelligences - and the deeper influences of mythology and religion that these in turn drew from ; the wildly creative work that followed caught the imaginations of millions. Moving deftly from Cold War science and Fredric Wertham's anticomics crusade to gnostic revelation and alien abduction, Kripal spins out a hidden history of American culture, rich with mythical themes and shot through with an awareness that there are other realities far beyond our everyday understanding."--Jacket.

Full of bizarre cases of genetic mutation and irregularity, "Mutants" is an amazing exploration of the human form in all its beautiful and unique guises.

This comprehensive book covers the underlying scientific principles, state-of-the-art technologies and methodologies of plant mutagenesis. It covers historical development and commonly used terminologies, chemical and physical mutagenesis, mutation induction, mutation breeding and mutations in functional genomics research. Suitable both as a manual for professionals and a resource for students in plant breeding and research, the book includes exemplary cases of practical applications and an appendix of recommended doses of gamma and fast neutron irradiation for almost 200 plant species. It is

After a science experiment goes awry, seven sixth graders are suddenly endowed with special mutant powers. At first it's scary, but then the kids realize that they can use the powers to their advantage. Being a mutant comes in handy, especially when there's a slimeball on the loose!

A collection of short stories by a variety of authors about children with one common characteristic--they are all mutants.