Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence

A fine piece of scholarship on a popular culture creation that requires no apology. It is also, and could and should be read as an analysis of American history and social development over the past seventy years with Captain America reflecting and resisting the country that made him.– “Anthropology Review Database”Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence reveals a shapeshifting mythic character responsive to national perils, creator sensibilities, ownership changes, and passionate fan letters. The deaths, rebirths, and transfigurations of old Cap are presented with outstanding clarity.– “John Shelton Lawrence, co-author of The Myth of the American Superhero and Captain America and the Crusade against Evil”Captain America, Masculinity and Violence is the latest addition to a literature using Captain America as a way into the tightly entangled threads of American identity, righteous violence, and political legitimacy. Stevens is at his strongest when he weaves together character developments with changes at Marvel HQ; his archival work on industry newsletters and fan magazines uncovers fresh insights into the corporate underpinnings of the Marvel Universe.– “Jason Dittmer, author of ‘Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero”

Stevens provides a chronological character study of one of the most important comics superheroes to have emerged out of the ‘Golden Age’ of comics. This book employs a compelling political/cultural analysis of the character, as well as an ‘industry history’ of the series… . Stevens accomplishes (his) goal in a thoroughly effective way, creating a study that is both profound in its exploration of its topic and engagingly readable. I can think of very few similar studies that match it, and none that are better.

There hasn’t been such a thorough treatment of Captain America done previously and that makes (this work) original… . The survey of previous scholarship in each chapter takes into account major theoretical voices such as Eco and cultural historians like Wright… . A great resource for students in courses dealing with comic books, popular culture, and/or American history.

J. Richard Stevens is assistant professor in media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.