CFP The DC Universe Collection (7/31/2018)

The DC Universe
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2018/04/30/the-dc-universe

deadline for submissions: July 31, 2018

full name / name of organization: Alicia Goodman / Texas Tech University

contact email: alicia.goodman@ttu.edu



The DC Universe

Edited by Douglas Brode, Alicia M. Goodman, and Robert G. Weiner

The editors of a forthcoming volume are seeking concise essays of around 5,000 words related to any aspect of the DC Universe. We are seeking pieces that are academically sound, but accessible to the general reader. We want a unique collection of original and interpretive essays about the DC Universe that give original insights about all sorts of aspects related to the Universe DC has built since the 1930s. We are also doing a companion volume looking at the Marvel Universe.

The editors are operating under the premise that the term 'universe' has come to be associated with the vast output of DC in terms of their diverse products: films, TV series, comic books, graphic novels, video games, action figures, and numerous other commercial products featuring their characters. In truth, the term is more significant than simply a catch-all as the DC Universe does indeed offer a unique, organized, and interlocking element that obeys the rules of a true Solar System. We are looking for individual articles focusing on everything from the distinct quality of action figures and/or video games to how specific characters have gradually evolved in film, television, books, comics, graphic novels etc.,

Subjects may include, but are not limited to:

• DC Elseworlds Universe
• Race in the DC Universe from the Golden Age to today
• Sexuality in the DC Universe
• The Golden Age Universe of DC (early attempts at codifying the DC as one universe JSA etc.)
• The Multiple Earths and Multiverse
• DC’s Television Universe (Arrow, The Flash, Constantine, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl) (The 1950s Superman and Superpup) (1960s Batman and Batgirl pilot) (2000s Wonder Woman pilot, Aquaman, Smallville).
• DC’s attempt at a cinematic Universe.
• DC and animation universes Superfriends, Batman (1970s), Batman (1990s) and Superman (1990s), JLA, and other animated programs that tie together.
• Gender and DC
• DC Universe and Religion
• Anti-Heroes in DC (e.g. Lobo)
• Time Travel in DC
• What is canon in DC?
• The DC Westernverse
• 1950s DC Universe
• The Cosmic DC Verse
• Toys related to DC
• Videogame worlds of DC
• Villainy in DC
• The perfect Superhero in the DC Universe
• The Dark DC Universe
• The key figures in the creation of DC (Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel, Denny O’ Neil, Neal Adams, Scott Synder, Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Jerry Robinson, etc.,)

Please send a 200-500 word abstract to Douglas Brode dougbrode@msn.com and Alicia Goodman alicia.goodman@ttu.edu by July 31st , 2018. Please note that submission of an abstract and/or paper does not guarantee publication.

CFP Mixed Race/Superheroes Collection (7/1/2018)

Great idea for a collection; my apologies for having come across it so late:

Mixed Race/Superheroes
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2018/04/05/mixed-racesuperheroes

deadline for submissions: July 1, 2018

full name / name of organization: Sika Dagbovie-Mullins and Eric Berlatsky

contact email: sdagbovi@fau.edu



Call for Papers

Mixed-Race/Superheroes (co-edited by Eric Berlatsky and Sika Dagbovie-Mullins)

One of Marvel’s earliest superheroes, Prince Namor (aka the Sub-Mariner), could be considered one of the first symbolically mixed-race superheroes due to his both human and Atlantean lineage. According to this logic, one could identify other half-humans in this category, including recent iterations of Wonder Woman (half-Amazon, half goddess), Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (half-human, half-Kree) and the Marvel version of Hercules (half-human, half-god). The Marvel universe has also more recently introduced more conventionally mixed-race characters such as Miles Morales (the ultimate Spider-Man) and Danielle Cage (daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones). The editors are currently seeking essays that focus on (literal, metaphorical, or symbolic) representations of racial mixedness and related issues (hybridity, belonging/nonbelonging, racial authenticity and “purity,” passing, racial alienation, post-racialism) in superhero texts (comics, films, television shows, etc.).
These may include but are not limited to:

• mixed race actors who play superheroes on film/TV (Halle Berry in Catwoman and the original X-Men film franchise, Zendaya in Spiderman: Homecoming, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four, Keiynan Lonsdale as Kid Flash in the Flash television show, Dwayne Johnson in the upcoming Shazam franchise, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Eartha Kitt as Catwoman in the 1960s Batman TV show)
• literal or symbolic mixed-race characters in superhero comics, films, or TV shows (Miles Morales/Ultimate Spider-Man, New 52 Wally West/Kid Flash, Liz Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Superman or Supergirl [Kryptonians raised by humans], Daken -- son of Wolverine and Itsu, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, Barry Allen in the Flash TV show [a white child raised by an African-American father figure], The Mongrels – children of Wolverine, Tobias Whale [both black and albino] in the Black Lightning TV series)
• metaphors of racial mixedness in franchises such as X-Men and/or the Inhumans
• representations of superherodom and racial mixedness in popular culture such as Obama/Calvin Ellis as Superman in Final Crisis and other Grant Morrison stories and/or images of Obama as Superman in popular media

Please send 500-word abstract submissions (with tentative paper titles and abbreviated CVs) to sdagbovi@fau.edu and eberlats@fau.edu by July 1st.

CFP Supersex: Essays on Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero (expired)

An expired call, but a collection worth looking out for:

Supersex: Essays on Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2017/10/20/supersex-essays-on-sexuality-fantasy-and-the-superhero

deadline for submissions:
December 20, 2017

full name / name of organization:
Anna Peppard/York University

contact email:
annapeppard@yahoo.ca



CFP for Academic Anthology


Supersex: Essays on Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero


Within the superhero genre, sexuality has often been simultaneously gratuitous and invisible. Though many superheroes wear their underwear on the outside and proudly display their hard and sensuous curves inside revealing, skin-tight costumes, historical censorship and related, prevailing assumptions about the superhero genre being primarily intended for children have meant that when superheroes get banged up and laid out, it tends to be in a fight rather than in the bedroom. Some things have, of course, changed over time. Within the past decade, in particular, superhero comics and the superhero movies, television shows, cartoons, and video games they have inspired have become increasingly diverse and adult-oriented: in comics, we have seen Batman have sex with Catwoman on a rooftop and seen Iceman, a founding member of the X-Men, come out as gay; in movies, we have seen Deadpool bend over to celebrate International Women’s Day; in television, we have seen Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s superpowered passion break a bed frame; and in the popular subgenre of superhero porn parodies, we have seen a great deal more. Yet even now, a simultaneous presence and absence remains. Circa 2017, most mainstream superhero comics, films, and television shows continue to prioritize sexiness while pushing the actual business of sexuality off-panel/off-screen. In addition, fans remain divided about whether and how sexuality should be presented in the superhero genre. Even as some fans vocally advocate for more sexual diversity, other, equally vocal fans complain that there is already too much diversity; still other fans continue to insist that sexuality has no place in superhero stories. Meanwhile, in academia: while gender is a relatively common topic within existing scholarship on the superhero genre, sexuality has only been sporadically considered, with no existing books or journals dedicated to the topic.

Supersex: Essays on Sexuality, Fantasy, and the Superhero will make visible the modes and meanings of this simultaneous presence and absence by examining the superhero genre’s complicated relationship with sexuality in as many ways and places as possible. Chapters may focus on past or present representations of sexuality in either mainstream productions or in those Underground, “indie,” or fan-based productions which have commented on, critiqued, or revised the mainstream. Ideally, this collection will bring into conversation diverse scholarly approaches exploring an equally diverse collection of texts, from Marvel and DC’s all-ages content to various revisionist narratives and parodies, as well as fanfiction, sanctioned and unsanctioned erotic art and pornography, and cosplay culture. Chapters on international (i.e. non-American) subject matter will be considered, with the caveat that such chapters must take cultural context into account, and relate themselves in some way to the American culture that originated the superhero genre and continues to dominate its production. Similarly, chapters that consider subject matter whose relationship to the superhero genre is not immediately obvious must make a case as to why such subject matter is worth considering under the superhero banner. Analyses that consider content in relation to form are especially encouraged, as are intersectional approaches, i.e., chapters that consider superhero sexuality in conjunction with gender, disability, race, etc. All chapters must address the relationship between some aspect of sexuality and the conventions of the superhero genre, including, but not limited to, costumes, superpowers, secret identities, bodily transformations, the physical enactment of Manichean conflicts, etc.

Those interested in participating in this collection are asked to send a max. 500-word abstract and a max. 1-page prospective bibliography as well as a 50-word bio to Anna Peppard at annapeppard@yahoo.ca no later than December 20th, 2017. All proposals will be adjudicated by December 31st, 2017 with first drafts of accepted chapters due March 31th, 2018.

CFP ComiqueCon: Celebrating Women in Comics (7/31/2018; Dearborn 10/13/2018)

ComiqueCon: Celebrating Women in Comics
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2018/06/23/comiquecon-celebrating-women-in-comics

deadline for submissions: July 31, 2018

full name / name of organization: ComiqueCon

contact email: kinoclub313wsu@gmail.com



Call for Papers:

ComiqueCon (Dearborn, MI)


Deadline for submissions:

July 31, 2018


Conference location/date:

October 13, 2018; Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, Michigan



The goal of this conference:

ComiqueCon is a one-day celebration of the amazing work of female and non-binary comic creators. Join us in Metro Detroit for this one-of-a-kind event, and check out our featured guests, awesome sponsors, and talented exhibitors!

This year's ComiqueCon will include an academic track with paper presentations and workshops related to the general theme of women in comics. Papers should be accessible to a general audience; please be sure to define your terms and give context for any theoretical or discipline-specific arguments you reference.



Topics might include the following:

• Comics, graphic novels, sequential art, manga and feminist theory
• Women in the comics industry – writers, artists, editors, shop owners, etc.
• Intersectional identities in comics and graphic novels
• The comics industry and #MeToo, #Comicsgate, and sexual harassment culture
• Representation of women in comics and related texts – superhero films, action figures, merchandise, promotional materials, etc.
• Queer representations of women in comics
• Representation of motherhood and maternity in comics
• Genre-specific representations of women (in romance comics as compared to action comics, for example)

Paper Proposals: Paper proposals must include an abstract of 300-500 words and an author biography of 100 words or less. Pre-constituted panels of three to four presenters are also welcome, and should include, in addition to individual paper abstracts and biographies, a 150-200 word panel proposal that details the way the papers connect together and how the panel will engage with the conference theme.

Workshops: Workshops may have up to three facilitators. Workshop proposals must include a brief explanation of topic (250-500 words), a list of facilitators, and a biography of 100 words or less for each facilitator. Workshop proposals should be skill-focused and can be: creative (making comics, zines, fan art, etc.) or pedagogy-oriented (how to teach with comics, etc.).



Due Date:

July 31, 2018


Presenters will be notified of acceptance into the conference via email by August 17, 2018.


All inquiries and proposals should be sent to kinoclub313wsu@gmail.com.

CFP Batman in Popular Culture Conference (12/30/2018; Bowling Green 4/12-13/2019)

Sounds like a great idea for a conference:

CFP: Batman in Popular Culture
https://www.comicgesellschaft.de/en/2018/04/13/cfp-batman-in-popular-culture/

Conference
The Department of Popular Culture and the Browne Popular Culture Library
Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green
April 12 - 13, 2019
Stichtag: 2018 12 30

The Department of Popular Culture and the Browne Popular Culture Library at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio are proud to announce the Batman in Popular Culture Conference on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13, 2019. The Batman in Popular Culture conference aims to examine Batman in Popular Culture in all mediums and media. It is intended to serve as a space for academics, graduate students, comic industry professionals, retailers and fans to engage in dialogue about topics related to Batman in its many media forms, mediums and cultural influence in popular culture and beyond. The scope of this conference is deliberately broad, with the intention of highlighting the interdisciplinary nature and many different avenues of research possible related to Batman in Popular Culture.

Possible topics might include but are not limited to:

• Textual analysis of graphic novels, storylines, other texts related to Batman
• In-depth analysis of particular authors & artists work related to Batman
• The development of supporting characters, villains, and themes within the Batman mythos
• Batman in Popular Music
• Batman in Film, Television, and Animation
• The rise of Batman-centric podcasts
• Batman as a mass merchandising phenomenon
• Batman VS. Superman
• Batman and video games
• The role of diversity issues (race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality) within Batman’s world
• Batman within the Comics Industry (writing, drawing, retailing, etc.)
• Batman art and covers across the decades
• How authors build an audience in an era of subgenre specialization
• Reception and fan communities for Batman and the superhero genre
• Digital Humanities approaches to Comics and Mass Media Studies with emphasis on Batman

We welcome individual proposals or pre-formed panels that address any or all of these themes. As the conference seeks to provide a multitude of perspectives, academic presentations and those from outside the academy are welcome.

Please send a 300-word abstract describing your individual presentation to bgsubatman@gmail.com with “Batman in Popular Culture” in the subject line. (Panel, roundtable, performance, and artistic display proposals should include a 300 proposal for each individual and a 500-word proposal explaining the group presentation.) Submissions should be sent in a document attachment with the following information:

Author’s name/Title
Institutional Affiliation (if applicable)
Email address
Presentation Title and Abstract

Deadline for Submissions is Monday, December 30, 2018.

CFP Superheroes and Disability: Unmasking Ableism in the Media Collection (7/27/2018)

Seeking Book Chapters: Superheroes and Disability: Unmasking Ableism in the Media
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2018/06/08/seeking-book-chapters-superheroes-and-disability-unmasking-ableism-in-the-media

deadline for submissions:
July 27, 2018

full name / name of organization:
Amber E. George & JL Schatz

contact email:
mediaanddisability@gmail.com



Superheroes and Disability: Unmasking Ableism in the Media

Both disability studies and comic studies are a continually growing field for academic departments across the globe. Scholars have noticed the increasing presence of their intellectual approaches in political and philosophical theorizing both inside and outside of the academy. In fact, the growing popularity of superheroes confronting disability has led to a litany of scattered publications and essays about supercrips and other discriminatory representations that associate disability with villainy. However, there has yet to be a collection that focuses exclusively on unmasking ableism and ability privilege inherent in popular superhero representations. This collection targets mainstream consumers who are interested in disability studies and enjoy watching superhero movies and reading comics. By helping readers understand the intersection of media representation and real-world connections to disability, this collection proves that media is never neutral and that not all superheroes fight on the side of good, even if that is their goal.

This collection explores representations of disability in the media using critical disability studies, media studies, cultural studies, and other interdisciplinary fields. Activists, academics, artists, and allies are invited to submit a 250-300 word abstract for the collection along with a 100-word bio by July 27th, 2018 to mediaanddisability@gmail.com. We are particularly interested in chapters that are interdisciplinary in scope and have an interest in liberation and anti-oppressive politics, as well as ones that are focused on alternatives instead of open-ended critiques.

We are interested in essays that explore disability from the ever-shifting and changing definitions of biological impairment, espoused by the medical model, to that of disability as a cultural phenomenon. This anthology will attempt to highlight the social and political factors that give rise to medicalization and the subsequent demonization of disability. We are interested in narratives that disrupt and challenge predominant negative assumptions about disability from an intersectional perspective. New frameworks, interpretations, and analysis that empower people with disabilities are particularly important. As such, we are open to a wide interpretation of what counts as a superhero within the media. We’d like contributors to explore new perspectives on disability that may include an analysis of both people with disabilities as producers, consumers, and product of media related to superheroes. We invite the exploration of disability identity, culture, and intersections with other disciplines such as critical race theory, gender studies, and the other viewpoints.

Our goal for this text is to increase awareness of disability in the media, and highlight disability perspectives that are sometimes misappropriated, misused, or missing altogether. The goal is to offer solutions to how these representations, and our relationship to them, can be changed. Topics of interest may include, but are not limited to the following categories, all of which are contextualized within media:

• Disability in relation to comic studies in general
• Superheroes in activism and community organizing around disability
• Casting choices for superheroes with disabilities
• Disability and animality in relation to superheroes
• Disability and bioethics in relation to cyborg superheroes
• Disability in children specific superhero programming
• The use of superheroes and disability in advertising
• Analysis of overcoming narratives as heroic
• Disability and classism in relation to superheroes
• Disability, culture, and identity in relation to superheroes
• Disability as metaphor in relation to superheroes
• Disability and music in relation to superheroes
• Disability and race in relation to superheroes
• Disability and sexuality in relation to superheroes
• Disability and science-fiction or fantasy in relation to superheroes
• Supercrip in relation to superheroes
• Disability as villainy in superhero representations
• Ecology and disability in relation to superheroes
• Specific interpretations of individual superheroes in film, television, or comics
• Invisible disabilities in relation to superheroes
• Medical and social models of disability in relation to superheroes
• Queering disability in relation to superheroes
• Instructional pieces geared to how to guide conversations on disability and superheroes

All abstracts must be written in English (250-300 words) and contain title, name(s) of the author(s) and contact information (institutional affiliation, mailing address, and email address), as well as a short 100-word biography. The deadline for submissions is July 27st, 2018. We will inform people no later than August 11th, 2018 of their acceptance. Please submit your proposal to mediaanddisability@gmail.com. Feel free to contact us if you should have any questions or ideas for a chapter.


Sincerely,

Dr. Amber E. George & Dr. JL Schatz