Sequential Scholars
@sequentialscholars.bsky.social
Academics reading and celebrating the style, substance, and sublimity of all kinds of comics. By scholars, for everyone. Led by @annapeppard.bsky.social & Dr. J. Andrew Deman.
Reposted by Sequential Scholars
Our latest @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks Gotham Central and the age of multiplicity! #Batman #GothamCentral #ComicsStudies
Brubaker, Rucka, and Lark’s “Gotham Central” is set in a superhero universe but doesn’t star superheroes. Raising the question: is it a superhero comic? We can address this question by historically situating Gotham Central within the “ages of comics.” 1/13 #ComicsStudies #Batman #GothamCentral
January 15, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Our latest @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks Gotham Central and the age of multiplicity! #Batman #GothamCentral #ComicsStudies
This complexity is key to the endurance of any good supervillain. It’s also key to understanding the relationship between superheroes & supervillains. These characters might not invert so much as reflect each other, indulging similar fantasies of power in different veins. 12/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
This complexity is key to the endurance of any good supervillain. It’s also key to understanding the relationship between superheroes & supervillains. These characters might not invert so much as reflect each other, indulging similar fantasies of power in different veins. 12/12
But, similar to both Fu Manchu & Prohibition era gangsters like Al Capone, the Joker is both frightening and captivating, in part because of the specific ways he breaks the rules–flagrantly and shamelessly, delighting in his own chaotic assault on institutions of power. 11/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
But, similar to both Fu Manchu & Prohibition era gangsters like Al Capone, the Joker is both frightening and captivating, in part because of the specific ways he breaks the rules–flagrantly and shamelessly, delighting in his own chaotic assault on institutions of power. 11/12
Mugshots share with phrenology the promise of revealing a supposed deviant’s inner character. With the Joker, there’s no guessing–he’s an expressionistic gangster caricature whose lithe body, horrific grin and ghastly makeup are overtly uncanny & potentially gender deviant. 10/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Mugshots share with phrenology the promise of revealing a supposed deviant’s inner character. With the Joker, there’s no guessing–he’s an expressionistic gangster caricature whose lithe body, horrific grin and ghastly makeup are overtly uncanny & potentially gender deviant. 10/12
By the early 20th century, phrenology was largely discredited as a legitimate science. But the plates of criminal “types” from 19th century phrenology textbooks influenced the police mugshot, a form of representation with considerable currency amid the 1930s gangster panic. 9/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
By the early 20th century, phrenology was largely discredited as a legitimate science. But the plates of criminal “types” from 19th century phrenology textbooks influenced the police mugshot, a form of representation with considerable currency amid the 1930s gangster panic. 9/12
The Joker is not a racial caricature. And yet, his visualization and characterization can be described as broadly influenced by racist villains like Fu Manchu and, more generally, the phrenological conceit that one’s capacity for criminality is written on the body. 8/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
The Joker is not a racial caricature. And yet, his visualization and characterization can be described as broadly influenced by racist villains like Fu Manchu and, more generally, the phrenological conceit that one’s capacity for criminality is written on the body. 8/12
Notably, a Fu Manchu-esque character adorns the first cover of Detective Comics—the same anthology that would introduce Batman two years later. This emphasizes the recognizability & marketability of this archetype just as superheroes were getting set to enter the fray. 7/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Notably, a Fu Manchu-esque character adorns the first cover of Detective Comics—the same anthology that would introduce Batman two years later. This emphasizes the recognizability & marketability of this archetype just as superheroes were getting set to enter the fray. 7/12
In addition to the obvious racial caricature that attends visualizations of Fu Manchu, the character embodies xenophobic “Yellow Peril” stereotypes wherein the supposed barbarism of East Asians represents an existential—an insidious—threat to the Western world. 6/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
In addition to the obvious racial caricature that attends visualizations of Fu Manchu, the character embodies xenophobic “Yellow Peril” stereotypes wherein the supposed barbarism of East Asians represents an existential—an insidious—threat to the Western world. 6/12
Ming is a takeoff on another important precursor: Dr. Fu Manchu, introduced in novels by Sax Rohmer beginning in 1913 before making the jump to radio, comics, and film. Fu Manchu combines the criminal mastermind and mad scientist archetypes—with a heavy helping of racism. 5/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Ming is a takeoff on another important precursor: Dr. Fu Manchu, introduced in novels by Sax Rohmer beginning in 1913 before making the jump to radio, comics, and film. Fu Manchu combines the criminal mastermind and mad scientist archetypes—with a heavy helping of racism. 5/12
Of course, supervillains, like superheroes, have their antecedents. For supervillains this includes the criminal mastermind archetype of pulp & detective fiction, as well as flamboyant, megalomaniacal tyrants like Flash Gordon’s nemesis Ming the Merciless. 4/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Of course, supervillains, like superheroes, have their antecedents. For supervillains this includes the criminal mastermind archetype of pulp & detective fiction, as well as flamboyant, megalomaniacal tyrants like Flash Gordon’s nemesis Ming the Merciless. 4/12
The Joker’s excessive, flamboyant villainy matches but inverts the excessive, flamboyant heroism of Batman. Both characters are larger than life. Both wear costumes advertising their mission, powers, and identity. But where Batman preserves order, the Joker sows chaos. 3/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:45 PM
The Joker’s excessive, flamboyant villainy matches but inverts the excessive, flamboyant heroism of Batman. Both characters are larger than life. Both wear costumes advertising their mission, powers, and identity. But where Batman preserves order, the Joker sows chaos. 3/12
Supervillains are distinguished based on scale and style and the motivations informing both. In his first appearances, the Joker pursues jewels less to get rich than to demonstrate his cunning superiority. He taunts his victims & leaves them scarred with horrific smiles. 2/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Supervillains are distinguished based on scale and style and the motivations informing both. In his first appearances, the Joker pursues jewels less to get rich than to demonstrate his cunning superiority. He taunts his victims & leaves them scarred with horrific smiles. 2/12
TBT: In the beginning, Golden Age superheroes fought corrupt capitalists & gangsters. But it soon became clear this new type of hero needed a new type of foe—the supervillain. The Joker, introduced in Batman #1 (1940), is emblematic of this new character type. 1/12
January 15, 2026 at 12:45 PM
TBT: In the beginning, Golden Age superheroes fought corrupt capitalists & gangsters. But it soon became clear this new type of hero needed a new type of foe—the supervillain. The Joker, introduced in Batman #1 (1940), is emblematic of this new character type. 1/12
The Age of Multiplicity answers this question by declaring a superhero can be just about anything. And so can a superhero story. In Gotham Central, this means telling a superhero story that decentres superheroes but is, ultimately, about superheroes–and their increasingly diverse meanings. 13/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:55 PM
The Age of Multiplicity answers this question by declaring a superhero can be just about anything. And so can a superhero story. In Gotham Central, this means telling a superhero story that decentres superheroes but is, ultimately, about superheroes–and their increasingly diverse meanings. 13/13
In the Golden Age, superheroes are sure of their purpose. In the Silver Age, superheroes struggle with personal problems, reflecting growing self-consciousness. In the Bronze Age, heroes struggle with personal *and* social problems. In the Modern Age, comics asked, what is a superhero, anyway?12/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:55 PM
In the Golden Age, superheroes are sure of their purpose. In the Silver Age, superheroes struggle with personal problems, reflecting growing self-consciousness. In the Bronze Age, heroes struggle with personal *and* social problems. In the Modern Age, comics asked, what is a superhero, anyway?12/13
In the Age of Multiplicity, Golden Age Batmans can coexist alongside Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age Batmans, all of which can be equally valid, depending on your POV. As much as Gotham Central owes a debt to the deconstructions of the Modern Age, it also reflects this Age of Multiplicity. 11/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:55 PM
In the Age of Multiplicity, Golden Age Batmans can coexist alongside Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age Batmans, all of which can be equally valid, depending on your POV. As much as Gotham Central owes a debt to the deconstructions of the Modern Age, it also reflects this Age of Multiplicity. 11/13
Henry Jenkins argues that the 21st century is an Age of Multiplicity, “where principles of multiplicity are felt at least as powerfully as those of continuity. Under this new system, readers may consume multiple versions of the same franchise, each with different conceptions of the character.”10/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Henry Jenkins argues that the 21st century is an Age of Multiplicity, “where principles of multiplicity are felt at least as powerfully as those of continuity. Under this new system, readers may consume multiple versions of the same franchise, each with different conceptions of the character.”10/13
But Gotham Central doesn’t necessarily typify its era. Since at least the mid-1990s, many different versions of the Batman universe have proliferated at any given time, with official publications ranging from kid friendly fare to adult-only content to retro nostalgia and contemporary “realism.”9/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:55 PM
But Gotham Central doesn’t necessarily typify its era. Since at least the mid-1990s, many different versions of the Batman universe have proliferated at any given time, with official publications ranging from kid friendly fare to adult-only content to retro nostalgia and contemporary “realism.”9/13
Gotham Central has a lot in common with the self-critical and occasionally nihilistic elements of the Modern or Dark Age of comics. Like “Watchmen” and “The Dark Knight Returns” before it, Gotham Central reframes a superheroic world to question whether superheroes are even heroes. 8/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Gotham Central has a lot in common with the self-critical and occasionally nihilistic elements of the Modern or Dark Age of comics. Like “Watchmen” and “The Dark Knight Returns” before it, Gotham Central reframes a superheroic world to question whether superheroes are even heroes. 8/13
The Ages of Comics evoke Christian Metz’s “classic-parody-contestation-critique” model, where genres move from “formation & discovery, through a phase of self-conscious awareness… to a time when generic patterns have become so well-known that people become tired of their predictability.” 7/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:54 PM
The Ages of Comics evoke Christian Metz’s “classic-parody-contestation-critique” model, where genres move from “formation & discovery, through a phase of self-conscious awareness… to a time when generic patterns have become so well-known that people become tired of their predictability.” 7/13
The Iron or Modern Age of comics dominates the 1980s and is generally thought to continue into the 90s. Also sometimes called the Dark Age, it’s characterized as a period of critique and increased artistic freedom, wherein many characters were remade in grimmer, grittier forms. 6/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:54 PM
The Iron or Modern Age of comics dominates the 1980s and is generally thought to continue into the 90s. Also sometimes called the Dark Age, it’s characterized as a period of critique and increased artistic freedom, wherein many characters were remade in grimmer, grittier forms. 6/13
The Bronze Age of comics begins in the early 1970s, marked by either the 1971 revision of the Comics Code or the 1973 Spider-Man story “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” Both touchstones are thought to signal the “maturation” of mainstream comics, which became more diverse and self-conscious. 5/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:54 PM
The Bronze Age of comics begins in the early 1970s, marked by either the 1971 revision of the Comics Code or the 1973 Spider-Man story “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” Both touchstones are thought to signal the “maturation” of mainstream comics, which became more diverse and self-conscious. 5/13
The Silver Age of comics begins with the re-birth of the Flash in 1956 and continues to the early 70s. This era, which includes the birth of Marvel Comics, is characterized by renewal & revision. New & rejuvenated superheroes became increasingly dominant after a postwar decline in popularity. 4/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:54 PM
The Silver Age of comics begins with the re-birth of the Flash in 1956 and continues to the early 70s. This era, which includes the birth of Marvel Comics, is characterized by renewal & revision. New & rejuvenated superheroes became increasingly dominant after a postwar decline in popularity. 4/13
The Golden Age of comics begins with the debut of Superman in 1938 and continues to the launch of the Comics Code Authority in the mid-50s. It's commonly characterized as a period of experimentation & concretization, as memorable tropes debuted and became established features of comics genres. 3/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:54 PM
The Golden Age of comics begins with the debut of Superman in 1938 and continues to the launch of the Comics Code Authority in the mid-50s. It's commonly characterized as a period of experimentation & concretization, as memorable tropes debuted and became established features of comics genres. 3/13
The “ages of comics” model originated in 1960s fan culture. After a fanzine article by Richard A. Lupoff designated the WWII era the Golden Age of comics, other ages followed, including the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and what’s sometimes called the Iron Age or Modern Age. 2/13
January 14, 2026 at 8:54 PM
The “ages of comics” model originated in 1960s fan culture. After a fanzine article by Richard A. Lupoff designated the WWII era the Golden Age of comics, other ages followed, including the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and what’s sometimes called the Iron Age or Modern Age. 2/13