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Exploring the evolution of superhero comics, this study highlights the complex authorization conflicts shaping the genre since the late 1930s. It delves into interactions between comic book creators and fans, the collaborative nature of storyworld-building, and the role of parody in sustaining the genre's relevance. By examining various forms of comic communication, including letter columns and fanzines, the author provides insights into how these elements contribute to the genre's history and its cultural significance through time.

This essay collection examines the theory and history of graphic narrative – realized in various different formats, including comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels – as one of the most interesting and versatile forms of storytelling in contemporary media culture. The contributions assembled in this volume test the applicability of narratological concepts to graphic narrative, examine aspects of graphic narrative beyond the ‘single work,’ consider the development of particular narrative strategies within individual genres, and trace the forms and functions of graphic narrative across cultures. Analyzing a wide range of texts, genres, and narrative strategies from both theoretical and historical perspectives, the international group of scholars gathered here offers state-of-the-art research on graphic narrative in the context of an increasingly postclassical and transmedial narratology.