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The approach of examining law through comics and other forms of popular culture has gained significant traction recently. The portrayal of phenomena in comics, TV series and movies reflects and shapes public perception, embedding these views in collective imagination. Popular culture, which mirrors and influences mainstream trends, plays a crucial role in how legal phenomena and figures – such as professors, students, lawyers, judges and police – are perceived by the public.
Comics are particularly effective in this context due to their popularity and imaginative nature. Legal reasoning itself often involves imaginative thinking, as illustrated by Justice Felix Frankfurter's advice to a young aspiring lawyer in 1954. He emphasised the importance of cultivating imagination through various forms of art, suggesting that engaging with pop culture can enrich legal understanding.
This collection seeks to utilise pop culture, specifically comics, to explain and teach complex legal concepts. This approach has been explored in fields such as law and film, and law and literature, but this book aims to be innovative by adopting a comparative and international approach.
By including scholars from diverse backgrounds and extending beyond Anglo-American perspectives, this book aims to provide a richer, more varied analysis of how law is depicted in graphic novels, manga and animated series, thereby filling an important gap in the literature.
‘This book provides compelling evidence of the deep connections between graphic law and justice. The contributors reveal how different societies have expressed, envisioned, critiqued and debated legal, political and sociological themes through comics, cartoons and other graphic media. Martinico and Ruotolo, by taking comics seriously, demonstrate in this book why these materials are significant from both legal and educational perspectives’. — Antoni Abat i Ninet, Distinguished Researcher (Talent San-tander), Institut d’Estudis Europeus - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
List of Contributors; 1. Introduction - Giuseppe Martinico and Gianpaolo Maria Ruotolo; 2. Daredevil: Superheroes and Disability. Justice, Stigma and Law - Paolo Addis and Maria Giulia Bernardini; 3. Law and Justice in Comics: An Itinerary - Giuseppe Martinico; 4. From Pop Culture to Woke Culture? Law and Politics in the X-Men Saga - Luca Pietro Vanoni; 5. References to International Law in Harry Potter’s Wizarding World - Angela Maria Gallo; 6. Doing International Law with Earbuds: Some Issues in Heavy Metal Music - Gianpaolo Maria Ruotolo; 7. The Multiple Characters of Francisco Ibez Talavera and the Law - Antoni Abat i Ninet; 8. ‘Best Closer Beyond Rules’ Between Legal Drama and Contemporary Public Ethics in Suits: Pop Culture Theory vs. Legal Culture? - Giovanna Tieghi 9. Charlie Hebdo’s Graphic Trial Reports (Cabu, Riss, Boucq) - Yasco Horsman; 10. Epilogue - Giuseppe Martinico and Gianpaolo Maria Ruotolo; Index