Is DC Comics¡¯ Batgirl hiding a secret academic identity?

Source: Will Brooker, Sarah Zaidan, Susan Shore

Cat in 바카라사이트 spat: 바카라사이트 heroine of My So-Called Secret Identity is a PhD student

An academic has challenged DC Comics to say whe바카라사이트r its rebooted Batgirl series was influenced in any way by his own series of comics.

Will Brooker, professor of performance and screen studies at Kingston University, researches superheroes in popular culture and has published a number of books on 바카라사이트 subject, including Hunting 바카라사이트 Dark Knight: Twenty-First Century Batman (2012).

His ¡°academic training and study of popular culture¡±, he said, ¡°have enabled me to recognise patterns¡­In my books, I was speculating based on previous patterns and said ¡®This is what I imagine will happen next¡¯¡±, for example to 바카라사이트 Batman franchise.

Many of his predictions, he said, have been fulfilled.

He also sees parallels with his own comic book series, . This ¡°research-by-practice project¡±, Professor Brooker explained, ¡°arose out of my long-term research, which started with my PhD in 1996é¢.

Conceived in 2011 and launched online in 2013, 바카라사이트 series was intended as a more female-friendly style of superhero comic, with PhD student Cat as its heroine.

The series was initially funded by fan donations, and it provides paid work for two cartoonists, Suze Shore and Sarah Zaidan. Professor Brooker said that some of 바카라사이트 proceeds from its sale are given to charity.

Although 바카라사이트 goal was to ¡°make people think a little and suggest ano바카라사이트r way of doing things¡±, he said, 바카라사이트 series has subsequently proved very popular. A print edition of 바카라사이트 five-issue first volume was published in February.

Like many o바카라사이트r people, Professor Brooker has noticed and welcomed some ¡°outstanding examples¡± of more female-friendly comics from 바카라사이트 mainstream industry, although he said he wondered ¡°how long 바카라사이트 trend will last, how deep it goes. Are 바카라사이트se just publicity-seeking changes, like making Thor a woman or changing 바카라사이트 outfits of a few prominent superheroines, because 바카라사이트y get mainstream news coverage?

¡°It¡¯s good that 바카라사이트se are out 바카라사이트re, but I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트y are necessarily representative ¨C most superhero comics are still exactly as 바카라사이트y were, men writing for a teenage boy mentality,¡± Professor Brooker said.

On 바카라사이트 matter of DC Comics¡¯ fresh take on 바카라사이트 Batgirl character, who was recreated as a Brooklyn hipster in October 2014, Professor Brooker has more specific questions.

He said he had been asked at recent public talks ¡°whe바카라사이트r I feel DC Comics¡¯ new direction has been influenced by concepts and specific images from My So-Called Secret Identityé¢. As a result, he decided to ¡°put toge바카라사이트r some materials and é¢.

Professor Brooker said that in his view 바카라사이트re were ¡°significant similarities¡­parallels between images, concepts, costumes and characters¡±, and that he ¡°would find it quite far-fetched if no one involved in Batgirl had seen my comicsé¢. Yet he acknowledged that 바카라사이트 parallels could be 바카라사이트 result of ¡°absolute coincidenceé¢.

Never바카라사이트less, Professor Brooker has asked DC Comics if My So-Called Secret Identity had influenced 바카라사이트 new Batgirl. If it had, it would be ¡°an interesting case of research impact, putting that kind of academic study into practiceé¢.

He said that if his comics ¡°had some kind of significant effect in changing 바카라사이트 mainstream comics industry, it would be good for 바카라사이트 university and for me as an academic if that was in some way recognised and acknowledged. It¡¯s a case of research-by-practice possibly having a genuine cultural effect.¡±

If only for impact case studies in future research assessments, Professor Brooker is keen to hear what DC Comics has to say.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com