Abstract
The study focuses on the multimodal discourse of the superhero Batman which is viewed as both a corpus of texts about Batman and a process of their development in various media, such as comics, animation, film, video games. Since the launch of the 1930s’ comics, the discourse has been incessantly developing, getting more and more intertwined with technology and new technology-based arts and industries. The evolution of the discourse can also be accounted for by the changing needs of the audience, as well as the shifts in the audience itself. At present, Batman discourse is comprised of a vast number of media texts, which intersect and influence each other. Each of these presents a new interpretation of the myth, based on the reesthetisization of basic constituent codes. The research aims to cover some aspects that define Batman as a cultural phenomenon of today, such as Batman as part of contemporary mythology and its relatability to the contemporary historical context, authorship in both the multimodal discourse and its media subdiscourses, intertextual and interdiscursive transformations.
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