This is sold as a premium product for the retail price of $60. The big gimmick for the book is an included Kimoyo bead with a UV light inside that’s used to decode notes and messages left by Shuri. The bead itself is made of plastic and can be somewhat difficult to use because of its small size. The light is activated with a small button that has to be held down instead of working on a toggle. It makes reading notes and other messages more of a pain than it should be, but the notes do add a layer of context to what’s on the page. 

“My hope is that the documentary inspires its viewers to reflect on the places and rituals (comic shops and otherwise) that have given them a sense of belonging, as my comic shop did for me,” Desiato said in a statement. And to the extent that the movie prompted me to reflect on my own experiences at a comic shop, it’s successful. The problem is that reflection isn’t necessarily the most engaging response to elicit from a viewer.

Todd Phillips, the co-writer and director of Road Trip, Old School, and the Hangover trilogy, is the mastermind behind Joker, which is by far the greatest comic book movie ever made. And it’s a comic book movie in the purest possible sense because it perfectly replicates the experience of reading comics as a kid — specifically Batman comics involving the Joker. Joker is an anti-hero horror comedy. It’s genuinely funny and completely unsettling. Think Re-Animator, Get Out, or Very Bad Things — but better. Much better.

This exhibition is curated by Kathleen Goncharov, senior surator at the museum. She recruited as her “muse” for this exhibition Calvin Reid, the senior news editor at Publishers Weekly and a leading expert in the field of comics. Reid was one of the first critics to recognize comics as a literary form for adults, and selected the comic books and graphic novels in the reading room where the public can comfortably lounge and enjoy reading (many from Reid’s own private library). 

Comic companies are trying to diversify their superhero ranks. There have been non-white characters, and even a few Muslim heros. Marvel Comics announced a new superhero comic book series featuring Kamala Khan: a Muslim, Pakistani 16-year-old who lives in New Jersey. She'll be taking on the name of Ms. Marvel, after the former Ms. Marvel, who is now going by Captain Marvel. "We've had many diverse characters at Marvel," said Sana Amanat. "But nobody at the forefront, on this scale."

Batman has been stuck in the same cycle for 70 years. As soon as the “Dark Knight’s” mythology becomes too dark, he is reinterpreted through the faddish lens of pop cultural parody. Consequently, Batman’s legend lacks substance. So he’s reinterpreted once again with darker shadings. But “The Dark Knight Rises,” the final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s epic addition to the Batman myth, looks past both interpretations. As Nolan promised us from the beginning, his trilogy offers a realistic superhero. But can there really be such a thing? Should there be?