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====Analyzing Superman and the Watchmen====
[[File:Superman_Gordon.jpg|thumbnail|left|250px|<i>Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon</i>by Ian Gordon]]The second and third monograph in the series follow follows more established analytical discourses, though they also look to new archives and seek to complicate the power of branding. In the series’ second book, Ian Gordon tracks the history of the Superman brand. Gordon, a professor of history at the National University of Singapore, writes in <i>Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon</i>, “At any given time, or place, in his history, Superman is, and has long been, an amalgam of factors including myth, memory, nostalgia, intellectual property regimes like copyright and trademark, authors, readers, fans, collectors, comic books, comic strips, radio series, movie serials, television shows, animation, toys and collectibles, and feature films.”<ref>Ian Gordon, Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2017), 3.</ref>
Gordon draws upon mythological studies, auteur theory, an examination of the power of branding, and more in order to present a multi-layered analysis for a better understanding of Superman the character.<ref> Gordon, Superman, 10. </ref> Though Gordon’s work retreads some of Superman’s history, his greatest insight is in the public history of the character. Rather than tell the usual story of two boys from Cleveland or the making of various films, he explores and explicates how these events developed as the result of interactions between forces such as copyright law, merchandising, and fan interpretation. This focus offers a valuable shift in the historiography for the field of comics studies.
