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