Up, Up and Across: Superman, the Second World War and the Historical Development of Transmedia Storytelling

Abstract

Re-contextualising the industrial evolution of transmedia storytelling—itself typically branded a product of contemporary media convergence—this article examines the industrial role of transmedia storytelling during a period of Classical Hollywood. Exploring the roles of licensing, corporate authorship and cross-industrial relations amidst the cultural context of the Second World War, the article draws on Superman and the expansions of the character’s storyworld across multiple media during the 1940s and 1950s to assess how the media of comics, radio, cinema and television can be recognised during this period as convergent industry platforms where transmedia narratives unfolded.

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