The Force of The Umbrella Academy

Even as the major superhero film franchises appear to be exhausting their runs The Umbrella Academy demonstrates that the superhero genre is still extremely effective at creating role models with lasting psychological resonance and allegories with extraordinary emotional impact. These essays give a voice to the misunderstood family members of The Umbrella Academy in the comic book series and its highly popular Netflix adaptation. They explore different forces like individualism, identity, family, and feminism. One of the most striking features that unites these concepts is the linkage between violence with voice, as well as violence’s aestheticized depiction.

Lisann Anders’ research interests include literary adaptations in film and popular culture from Shakespeare to Disney. She lives in Zurich, Switzerland.

Edited by Lisann Anders

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 178
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8200-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4423-3
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction
Lisann Anders 1

Part 1: Forces of Identity
Gothic Academy: Horror and Crookedness in a Haunted Household
Kathleen Shaughnessy 10
Liminal Spaces: Being Alone in a House That Isn’t Home
Miranda Johnsen 32
Superheroes, Transnational Adoption, and Hegelian Estrangement
Fernando Gabriel Pagnoni Berns 49

Part 2: Forces of Otherness
Artifice and the Superheroes of the 21st Century: Post-Cinematic Reflections on Constructedness
Morgane A. Ghilardi 70
Extraordinary Bodies and the Language of Pain: Disability in Apocalypse Suite and Dallas
Dana Fore 88

Part 3: Forces of Violence
Domestic Abuse: Normative Violence and ­Child-Superheroes
Alokparna Sen 108
Crystal Moments: Sites of Music and Violence
Lisann Anders 127
Dissonance: Striking a Chord Through the Silencing of Women’s Voices
J.E. Hornsby 147

About the Contributors 167
Index 169