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  1. Dartmouth Libraries
  2. Research Guides
  3. Dartmouth Libraries Guides
  4. Film Genres
  5. Superhero films

Film Genres

This guide highlights library resources for some of the more popular film genres.
  • Introduction
  • Streaming services
  • Action films
  • Amateur films
  • Animation
    • Stop-motion animation
  • Animé
  • B movies
  • Biographical films
  • Blaxploitation films
  • Children's films
  • Comedies
  • Cult films
  • Crime films
    • Gangster films
  • Detective & mystery films
  • Documentary films
  • Ethnographic films
  • Experimental films
  • Exploitation films
  • Film noir
  • Historical films
  • Horror films
    • Slasher films
  • Independent films
  • Indigenous films
  • James Bond films
  • LGBTQIA+
  • Mockumentary films
  • Musicals
  • Newsreels This link opens in a new window
  • Police films
  • Religious films
    • Bible films
  • Road films
  • Science fiction
    • Star Trek films
    • Star Wars films
  • Science films
  • Shakespeare on film
  • Short films
  • Silent films
  • Sports films
  • Superhero films
  • War films
    • Anti-war films
  • Vampire films
  • Westerns
  • Zombie films

Film Studies Librarian

Profile Photo
Lucinda M. Hall
Email Me
Contact:
Evans Map Room, Baker-Berry Library
Dartmouth College
25 N Main ST
Hanover, NH 03755
(603) 646-0962
Website Skype Contact: d1128r8@kiewit.dartmouth.edu
Social: LinkedIn Page LibraryThing Page
Subjects: Film and Media Studies, Geography, Polar Studies

Other library resource(s)

  • Cover artThe amazing story of Superman by Kevin Burns
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #4893
    ISBN: 9781419828935
    An amazing, thrill-packed story of the legendary hero through the years: from comic books to cartoons to TV to movies.
  • The best... script ever by Rauner Special Collections Library
    • Link
    Call Number: Blog post
    In the summer of 1975, four men met in a room in Las Vegas to hash out the details of how to bring their version of Superman to the big screen. Mario Puzo, the Oscar-winning author of both the novel and screenplay The Godfather, had been hired by movie producer Ilya Salkind and his partner Pierre Spengler, who were in the room. ...
  • Resource logoComics, film, and media from Oxford Bibliographies Online by Aaron Kashtan
    • On Campus or VPN
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    ISBN: 9780199791286
    Comics emerged as a mass medium at the same time as film, and were one of the most popular and influential media in pre–World War II America. In the postwar period, comic books were ghettoized as a medium for children and subliterates, while comic strips entered a decades-long stagnation. Conversely, other countries, particularly France and Japan, developed their own comics traditions, which derived from the American model but diverged from it at an early point; ...

Internet resource(s)

  • The Complete History of Comic Book Movies from ScreenCrush
    • Link
    There was a time, not that long ago, when comic books were a niche subculture. Today, that niche subculture has completely conquered the mainstream. ...
  • The Reason Why Hollywood Makes So Many Boring Superhero Movies from The Atlantic
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Link
    Hollywood has a fever, and the only prescription is more superheroes. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man 2 (sequel to reboot) opened last weekend, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (reboot), X-Men: Days of Future Past (sequel/prequel blend), and Transformers: Age of Extinction (third sequel) are all opening this summer. A second Avengers and a Superman vs. Batman film are both slated to open next year. [05/13/2014] ...
  • Atlantic magazine logo
    Hollywood Should Make More, Not Fewer, Superhero Films from The Atlantic
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Link
    The rickety Amazing Spider-Man 2 has critics debating just how many superhero movies America can handle. This was the subject of Samuel Adams's weekly survey at CriticWire, which led RogerEbert.com's Matt Zoller Seitz to write a forceful essay declaring: “This genre is where imagination goes to drown itself.” [05/13/2014] ...
  • Superhero films from Box Office Mojo
    • Link
    A list of the highest grossing superhero films from 1978 to the present.
  • SuperHeroHype
    • Link
    The cape-wearing team of editors at SuperHeroHype aim to provide up-to-the-minute news and an insider look into the universe of comics, superheroes, fantasy, sci-fi, and geek culture written by superfans for the highest level of authenticity.

A short introduction to Superhero films

A cycle of contemporary Hollywood films adapted from comic books and featuring heroic characters with superhuman powers. Superheroes have been part of the hinterland of US cinema since the 1930s, with characters such as Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, and Superman appearing in comic books, newspaper comic strips, radio serials, and television programmes. However, the dedicated, large-budget, special-effects heavy, superhero film is a relatively recent phenomenon, usually traced back to the New Hollywood blockbuster Superman (Richard Donner, 1978) and its sequels. The subsequent success of Tim Burton’s Batman (1989), which achieved a reimagining, or rebooting, of a pre-existing superhero character by combining adult themes, moral angst, and a dark, noirish mise-en-scene with high octane fight sequences, encouraged Hollywood producers to seek out similar superhero franchises through the 1990s. Films such as The Rocketeer (Joe Johnston, 1991), The Crow (Alex Proyas, 1994), and Blade (Stephen Norrington, 1998), struggled to emulate Burton’s success, but X-Men (Brian Singer, 2000), Spider-Man (Sam Raimi, 2002) and a further Batman reboot, Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005), ensured that the superhero film would become Hollywood’s commercially dominant genre in the 21st century (see also computer games).

Kuhn, A., & Westwell, G. (2020). superhero film. In A Dictionary of Film Studies. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 17 Mar. 2021

Finding library resources for superheros

To find superhero resources in the Library's collections, you can click on one of the subject headings below:

  • superhero films
    The call number range for some Superhero resources is PN 1995.9 .S76 on Baker Level 4. There are other locations. Check the online catalog for more.
  • comic books strips etc AND adaptations
    This is a subject, keyword search in the online catalog.
  • comic strip characters in motion pictures
  • batman films
  • superman films
  • flash gordon films

Introductory reading(s)

  • Cover artA brief guide to superheroes by Brian J. Robb
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 6725 .R57 2014
    ISBN: 9780762452316
    From the beginning superheroes represented the hopes and fears of the time. In this detailed history, Brian Robb takes the reader through the diverse history of superheroes, from the first creations--Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman--to the DC and Marvel feud and the darker versions of the 1980s, ending with their rebirth at the movies.
  • Cover artA brief history of comic book mMovies by Wheeler Winston Dixon; Richard Graham
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1993.5 .A1 D59 2017
    ISBN: 9783319471839
    A Brief History of Comic Book Movies traces the meteoric rise of the hybrid art form of the comic book film. These films trace their origins back to the early 1940s, when the first Batman and Superman serials were made. The serials, and later television shows in the 1950s and 60s, were for the most part designed for children. But today, with the continuing rise of Comic-Con, they seem to be more a part of the mainstream than ever, appealing to adults as well as younger fans. This book examines comic book movies from the past and present, exploring how these films shaped American culture from the post-World War II era to the present day, and how they adapted to the changing tastes and mores of succeeding generations.
  • Cover artThe comic book film adaptation: exploring modern Hollywood's leading genre by Liam Burke
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9781628462036
    In the summer of 2000 X-Men surpassed all box office expectations and ushered in an era of unprecedented production of comic book film adaptations. This trend, now in its second decade, has blossomed into Hollywood’s leading genre. From superheroes to Spartan warriors, The Comic Book Film Adaptation offers the first dedicated study to examine how comic books moved from the fringes of popular culture to the center of mainstream film production. ...
  • Cover artThe encyclopedia of superheroes on film and television by John Kenneth Muir
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995.9 .S76 M85 2004
    ISBN: 9780786417230
    A complete guide to 50 years of superheroes on screen. Each entry includes cast and credits, a format guide, individual episode descriptions, cross references, critical commentaries, as well as notations about arch-villains, gadgets, powers, and headquarters.
  • Cover artThe graphic canon: [the world's great literature as comics and visuals] by Russ Kick, ed.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 6714 .G738 2012
    ISBN: 9781609803834
    The classic canon of Western civilization meets the artists and illustrators who have remade reading in the last years of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty-first century in Russ Kick's magisterial, three-volume, full-colour The Graphic Canon.
  • Cover artSuperheroes on world screens by Rayna Denison and Rachel Mizsei-Ward, eds.
    • On Campus or VPN
    • E-Book
    Call Number: eBook
    ISBN: 9781628462340
    Superheroes such as Superman and Spider-Man have spread all over the world. As this edited volume shows, many national cultures have created or re-imagined the idea of the superhero, while the realm of superheroes now contains many icons whose histories borrow from local folklore and legends. Consequently, the superhero needs reconsideration, to be regarded as part of both local and global culture as well as examined for the rich meanings that such broad origins and re-workings create.

Selected book title(s)

  • Cover artThe 21st century superhero: essays on gender, genre and globalization in film by Richard J. Gray II and Betty Kaklamanidou, eds.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995.9 .S76 A88 2011
    ISBN: 9780786463459
    Superhero films are one of the most enduring genres of cinema, and their popularity is only increasing in the 21st century. These ten critical essays explore the phenomenon through the lenses of numerous academic disciplines, and cover topics such as the role of globalization in the formation of superhero narratives, the shifting nature of masculinity and femininity in the superhero world and the state of the genre today. ...
  • Cover artAmerican theology, superhero comics, and cinema: the Marvel of Stan Lee and the revolution of a genre by Anthony Mills
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 6712 .M55 2014
    ISBN: 9780415843584
    Stan Lee, who was the head writer of Marvel Comics in the early 1960s, co-created such popular heroes as Spider-Man, Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Thor, and Daredevil. This book traces the ways in which American theologians and comic books of the era were not only both saying things about what it means to be human, but, starting with Lee, they were largely saying the same things.
  • Cover artBatman, Superman, and philosophy: badass or boyscout? by Nicolas Michaud, ed.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995.9 .S76 B38 2016
    ISBN: 9780812699180
    Batman or Superman? Which of these heroic figures is morally superior? Which is more dramatically effective? Which is more democratic? Which shows us the better way to fight crime? In Batman, Superman, and Philosophy, 26 philosophers evaluate Superman vs. Batman in order to decide which of them "wins" by various criteria.
  • Cover artMarvel Comics into film: essays on adaptations since the 1940s by Matthew J. McEniry, Robert Moses Peaslee, and Robert G. Weiner, eds.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995.9 .C36 M375 2016
    ISBN: 9780786443048
    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.
  • Cover artSuperhero synergies: comic book characters go digital by James N. Gilmore and Matthias Stork, eds.
    • Book
    Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 6714 .S85 2014
    ISBN: 9781442232112
    In the age of digital media, superheroes are no longer confined to comic books and graphic novels. Their stories are now featured in films, video games, digital comics, television programs, and more. In a single year alone, films featuring Batman, Spider-Man, and the Avengers have appeared on the big screen. Popular media no longer exists in isolation, but converges into complex multidimensional entities.

Finding scholarly articles & journals

Articles and other writings about superhero films can be found in many publications. You can use Film & Television Literature Index to find relevant articles. You can also use the search box at the top of the page.

  • Resource logoFilm & television literature index by EBSCO Publishing
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    Use this index to find articles about this genre.
  • Resource logoWeb of science citation databases by Clarivate
    • On Campus or VPN
    • Database
    Call Number: Electronic resource
    The online version of 3 separate ISI indexes: Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index and, Social Sciences Citation Index.

A selected list of superhero films

Find more superhero movies in the library's collections.

  • Movie poster artCaptain America: civil war by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #20041
    After another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps, one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark's surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
  • Movie poster artChernai︠a︡ molnii︠a︡ = Black lightning by Aleksandr Voĭtinskiĭ
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #16839
    A college student's life turns upside down when he discovers the battered old car his father gave him can fly. He makes a choice and shoots from zero to hero as a crime fighter known as 'Black Lightning'. Little does he know that evil forces are watching, they want the incredible car, and will stop at nothing to get it, even if it means killing him and destroying the city.
  • Cover artThe dark knight rises by Christopher Nolan
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #16127
    ISBN: 9780780684904
    It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act.
  • Movie poster artDeadpool by Tim Miller
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #19939
    Based upon Marvel Comics' most unconventional anti-hero, the film tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.
  • Movie poster artEl noctámbulo by Gabriel Díaz.
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #11746
    A comic story about a national hero, having suffered the tragedy of the murder of his partner, by her own boss, a businessman gangster, decides to become an avenger annihilating all that is related to that criminal. The first superhero of Uruguay cinema.
  • Movie poster artGuardians of the galaxy by James Gunn
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #18317
    Brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand-with the galaxy's fate in the balance.
  • Movie poster artMax Fleischer's Superman by Paramount Studios
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #15405
    Superman's adventures in comic books were scarcely three years old when Max Fleischer began producing these animated films for Paramount. Contains 17 theatrical shorts filmed in Technicolor, with stories steeped in heroics and wartime topicality.
  • Movie poster artShang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings by Destin Daniel Cretton
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #23311
    Shang-Chi must confront the past he thought he left behind when he's drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization controlled by his father, a man who gained immortality and the desire for unlimited power when he acquired an ancient artifact centuries ago.
  • Cover artWatchmen by Zack Snyder
    • DVD
    Call Number: Jones Media DVD #9779
    ISBN: 9781419878923
    In the United States, costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society. But when one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up, but no less determined, masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover the plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion, a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers, Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future.

Keeping up with the journal literature

Want an easy way to keep up with the journal literature for all facets of Film Studies? And you use a mobile device? You can install the BrowZine app and create a custom Bookshelf of your favorite journal titles. Then you will get the Table of Contents (ToCs) of your favorite journals automatically delivered to you when they become available. Once you have the ToC's you can download and read the articles you want.

You can get the app from the App Store or Google Play.

Don't own or use a mobile device? You can still use BrowZine! It's now available in a web version. You can get to it here. The web version works the same way as the app version. Find the journals you like, create a custom Bookshelf, get ToCs and read the articles you want.

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