Abstract
The study focuses on the multimodal discourse of the superhero Batman which is viewed as both a corpus of texts about Batman and a process of their development in various media, such as comics, animation, film, video games. Since the launch of the 1930s’ comics, the discourse has been incessantly developing, getting more and more intertwined with technology and new technology-based arts and industries. The evolution of the discourse can also be accounted for by the changing needs of the audience, as well as the shifts in the audience itself. At present, Batman discourse is comprised of a vast number of media texts, which intersect and influence each other. Each of these presents a new interpretation of the myth, based on the reesthetisization of basic constituent codes. The research aims to cover some aspects that define Batman as a cultural phenomenon of today, such as Batman as part of contemporary mythology and its relatability to the contemporary historical context, authorship in both the multimodal discourse and its media subdiscourses, intertextual and interdiscursive transformations.
Highlights
In spite of his rather long history, Batman still enjoys his popularity among the contemporary audience
The flexibility of the theme, its ability to adjust to the requirements of the day lies at the core of the multimodal discourse of Batman which can be viewed as a general semantic and semiotic framework comprised of several media discourses: comics discourse, film discourse, video game discourse, animation discourse, etc., as well as minor Batman ‘author’ discourses, for example, Nolan discourse, Miller discourse, Burton discourse, etc
The core of the discourse is formed by comics, cinema, animation and video games, while fiction and audio plays stay at the periphery
Summary
In spite of his rather long history, Batman still enjoys his popularity among the contemporary audience. What makes the discourse an even more intriguing field of investigation is its unfailing address to the agenda of the day, including political, social and psychological issues (Ackerman, 2008; Ip, 2011; Langley, 2012; Schopp, 2009; Toh, 2010; Bektemirov, 2019). These days, the general tendency to make multimodal stories about Batman more ‘realistic’, to shift from a superhero framework to the framework of modern drama, and to rely on the existing media templates, adds to its powerful appeal
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
