Profile

Monographs:Do The Gods Wear Capes: Spirituality, Fantasy, and Superheroes, Continuum, 2011.Desiring Donne: Poetry, Sexuality, Interpretation, Harvard University  Press, 2006 (Selected Finalist for the 2007 Oregon Book Award in the category of General Non-Fiction; also Short Listed by Choice Magazine for Outstanding Academic Title of 2006).Edited Collections and Exhibition Catalogs:The Art of the News: Comics Journalism, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, 2022 (co-edited with Katherine Kelp-Stebbins).Marvel: Universe of Superheroes, Verlag fur Moderne Kunst, 2019.Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby, IDW, 2016 (co-edited with Charles Hatfield).Rock Over The Edge: Transformations in Popular Music Culture, Duke University Press, 2002 (co-edited with Denise Fulbrook and Roger Beebe).Critical Editions:The Avengers: Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, Penguin Books, 2023.The Fantastic Four: Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, Penguin Books, 2023.The X-Men: Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, Penguin Books, 2023.The Amazing Spider-Man: Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, Penguin Books, 2022.Captain America: Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, Penguin Books, 2022.The Black Panther: Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, Penguin Books, 2022.Articles:Professor Saunders has published numerous academic essays, reviews, and shorter writings on subjects ranging from the plays of Shakespeare to the popular music of Little Richard.  See Vita for complete details.  He has also written about music and comics for the pop-culture website, The Hooded Utilitarian.  (The site is no longer active, but you can visit http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/tag/ben-saunders/ for articles on the Miles Morales Spider-Man comics of Brian Bendis and Sara Pichelli, the music of Tim Smith's Cardiacs, and other topics.)