Bending Steel Modernity & American Superhero Hardcover

"Bending Steel examines the historical origins and cultural significance of Superman and his fellow American crusaders. The cultural conversation articulated through the nation's early heroic fiction eventually led to a new heroic type - the brightly clad, super-powered, pro-social action heroes that first appeared in American comic books starting in the late 1930s. Tracing superhero fiction all the way back to the nineteenth century, Regalado explores the roles played by creators, producers, and consumers in crafting superhero fiction, ultimately concluding that these narratives are essential for understanding vital trajectories in American culture."