Transforming Authenticity of Cultural Products: A Case Study of Comic Characters

Abstract

Corporate media ownership facilitates the licensing of cultural products for multiple uses. The authenticity of a cultural form, including those included in comic books, has changed through the transformation of the original comic book characters. Moreover, those transformations may engage us more through this evolution from authenticity to transforming character. In the context of Disney’s merger with Marvel Comics in 2009, was the authenticity of popular comic characters’ original visual images transformed by reproduction in other media forms? This study explored potential transformations of the original image of the Marvel Comics character Wolverine in diverse media formats, as well as the possibility of shifting its authenticity through recreations or infantilization to appeal to different audiences.