Up, up and away? The future of the comic book movie
Superheros are now ubiquitous across multiple media platforms; but how long before they come crashing down to Earth?
21 Apr 2015 12:00
Liam Burke
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Television
Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Image via www.scifiheaven.net
This week comic book icons Iron Man, Captain America and Thor will re-assemble in movie theatres for Avengers: Age of Ultron. The A$250 million sequel to 2012’s record-breaking Marvel’s The Avengers will mark a 15-year dominance of mainstream movies by comic book adaptations.
Dr. Liam Burke is a media studies lecturer at Swinburne University of
Technology, where he also serves as the Media discipline leader. His
research interests include Comic Books, Cinema, Adaptation Studies, and
Irish Culture. His latest book, The Comic Book Film Adaptation:
Exploring Modern Hollywood's Leading Genre, was published in April.
Past
publications include articles in the journals Participations,
Adaptation, and Estudios Irlandeses, as well as the book Superhero
Movies and the edited collection Fan Phenomena Batman. His current
research project, “New Media, Aging, and Migration”, considers how older
Irish people in Melbourne make use of social media.
Prior to earning a
PhD in film studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway,
Liam worked for a number of arts organisations and festivals, including
the Irish Film & Television Academy. He was the lead researcher and
programmer of the inaugural John Ford Ireland Film Symposium. Liam is a
regular media commentator in Ireland and Australia.
