Batman as a Symptom: A Review of Rafael Carrión‑Arias’ “Batman and the Shadows of Modernity”

Abstract

This review examines Rafael Carrión-Arias' book “Batman and the Shadows of Modernity A Critical Genealogy on Contemporary Hero in the Age of Nihilism”. The monograph presents a systematic critical-genealogical analysis of the Batman narrative as a representative phenomenon of the superhero genre. The study reveals how the figure of the “Dark Knight” crystallizes key ideological and social contradictions of modernity. The work is recommended for specialists in cultural studies, comics studies, and political philosophy.