Supervillains

The Significance of Evil in Superhero Comics

By Nao Tomabechi

Rutgers University Press

Alongside superheroes, supervillains, too, have become one of today’s most popular and globally recognizable figures. However, it is not merely their popularity that marks their significance. Supervillains are also central to superhero storytelling to the extent that the superhero genre cannot survive without supervillains.
Bringing together different approaches and critical perspectives across disciplines, author Nao Tomabechi troubles overly hero-centered works in comics studies to reconsider the modern American myths of the superheroes. Considering the likes of Lex Luthor, the Joker, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Loki, Venom and more, Supervillians explores themes such as gender and sexuality, disability, and many forms of Otherness in relation to the notion of evil as it appears in the superhero genre. The book investigates how supervillains uphold and, at times, trouble dominant ideals expressed by the heroism of our superheroes.

Tomabechi focuses their substantial analysis specifically on the comics form, marking the first extended discussion of the supervillain as a storytelling device in sequential art. The book is both ambitious and humble, engaging in a comprehensive, overdue investigation that limits itself to sensible boundaries and, in the process, helps us better understand the field of comics studies.’
Robert Peaslee, coeditor of The Supervillains Reader

If you think that supervillains are merely side characters in the grand scheme of superhero comics, this groundbreaking book will teach you otherwise. Tomabechi’s excellent study shows that supervillains are central agents of genre development: narrative driving forces and deviant figures that complicate hegemonic notions of race, gender, disability, and queerness.'
Daniel Stein, author of Authorizing Superhero Comics

Nao Tomabechi proves how rewarding a deeper dive into the pages of serialized comics can be. Mapping out the interdependent relationships between superheroes and supervillains, Tomabechi astutely contributes to the rich fields of comics studies, North American studies, and cultural studies in this highly original new book.'
Julia Leyda, author of Anthroposcreens: Mediating the Climate Unconscious

Tomabechi provides a revealing examination of the paradoxical nature of supervillains - on the one hand, reflecting what society considers monstrous and Other, yet also being alluring, even generating their own fandom.'
Randy Duncan, co-author of The Power of Comics and Graphic Novels: Culture, Form, and Context

Superheroes are an oft-studied phenomenon; however, with a few exceptions, their foes have gone understudied. Noa Tamabechi's comprehensive study distinguishes itself from its forebears and is an incredibly valuable resource for comic studies scholars and comic book readers alike.'
Phillip Cunningham, Wake Forest University

Nao Tomabechi received their PhD in American Studies from the University of Siegen in Siegen, Germany. They are based in Okayama, Japan. This will be their first book.

Contents
Introduction
1 Superheroes, Supervillains, and Their Multipurpose Violence
2 Looks Matter: The Visual Signs of Supervillainy
3 Supervillains, or: The Devious Monsters of Contemporary America
4 Female Supervillains’ Complicated Gender Battles
To Be Continued…: Towards the Future of Supervillain Studies
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index

Introduction: Please Welcome the Supervillains 1
1 Superheroes, Supervillains, and Their Multipurpose Violence 17
2 Looks Matter: The Visual Signs of Supervillainy 49
3 The Devious Monsters of Contemporary America 87
4 Female Supervillains’ Complicated Gender Battles 119
Conclusion: To Be Continued . . . Toward the Future of Supervillain Studies 155
Acknowledgments 167
Notes 169
Works Cited 181
Index 000