Download - Spiderman Cover Analysis
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
1/9
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
2/9
Action/Adventure/Superhero
Features the protagonist - Spiderman, so we know what the comic
is about
Text is limited to a small masthead so we focus on the image,which dominates the page.
No USP, puff, pug or internet address because Marvel doesnt need
it since they are so well established
Doesnt give away storyline. Only shows basic picture which couldmean anything
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
3/9
Uses two villains standing over the hero. Can tell they have
injured Spiderman. This is highly subvertive
Most superhero characters are shown to be all powerful andnever lose a fight. Goes against normal media codes and
conventions
Makes Spider-man seem powerless. Very unusual especially
since the 2 villains are women
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
4/9
Target Audience probably male around 15-30
Probably that age because of the connotations of the cover
image
Open to be bought by most classes, races or religions
Not expensive but unlikely to be bought by pester power dueto the target audience ages
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
5/9
Spiderman- so we know as soon as we see him that its a
Spiderman comic
Spiderman is lying on the ground with Black cat and Elektra
(with exaggerated features) in a dominant position above him-this attracts the target male adolescent market
It looks like the 2 are fighting him (but consistent readers know
that Black Cat is allied with him), makes us curious why she is in
this position
Because of Spidermans mask we cant see his expression, this
keeps the image cryptic and prevents totally revealing the story
to the reader
The connotations of Elektras calm expression is that she is not
angry at Spiderman, so there's no actual conflict
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
6/9
On the other hand it could connote her dominance over him being
so much that she doesnt see him as a threat, so Spiderman is in
great danger
Black cat is in a more menacing stance with claws bared, so she
looks more angry. Consistent readers know Felicia fancies Pete so
she may be jealous of Petes attention to Elektra
There is also orange/brown. Both of these colours have warm andenergetic connotations, which could be symbolic of fighting
between them
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
7/9
Both Spiderman and the Black Cat are the main characters, Elektra is
on the cover because she is the main villain
It wouldnt normally see the main villain on the cover but the
narrative carries over many issues, so we already know about her
We see them all in their costumes because they are highly
recognisable, most of all Spidermans bright red and blue. This is so
the reader immediately knows what comic it is as they are browsing
the shelf (if they arent a long term reader)
In most comics we would see the main protagonist (spiderman) in adominant position or pose, and its even less likely to see females
dominant over males because normally female characters are docile.
However, Peter is a troubled teenager created to relate to real life
teenagers who know women arent as simple as that
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
8/9
The main colour is yellow, the semiotics of yellow are cheerfuland energetic, like the sun
Yellow is very bright, this means it stands out and can be seen
from a distance. As someone is looking along the shelf they are
drawn to it
The font is sharp, connoting danger. This is the case both with
fighting super villains and the danger of New York
The words other than Spiderman are smaller. This ensures the
title doesnt appear too long and bores the reader. It also places
more emphasis on Spiderman
-
8/14/2019 Spiderman Cover Analysis
9/9
The only font other than the tile is in the bottom right,
advertising Panini comics. It is out of the way next to thebarcode. Its very small and vertical to minimise the space it
takes. Its small because they dont want the reader to realise
how much of an institutional impact there is