Comic Books vs. Greek Mythology: the Ultimate Crossover for the Classical Scholar

Abstract

The modern, serialized comic book is one of the most underutilized genres of literature in literary criticism today. While it is true that some graphic novels such as Alan Moore's Watchmen and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns receive scholarly criticism, many monthly titles such as Action Comics or Batman are neglected by most of the scholarly community. The reason for this neglect cannot be traced to one single source, but it is unfortunate considering how valuable serialized comic books can be to modern scholars, particularly classical scholars studying Greek mythology. The similarities between the superheroes of serialized comic books and the heroes of Greek mythology result in an interesting genre of literature that can allow classical scholars to observe how modern writers reinterpret the classical texts of Greek mythology. It is the purpose of this thesis to examine various intersecting similarities between mythological heroes and modern superheroes in the hopes of encouraging further discussion of modern serialized comic books in the scholarly world.

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