Superheroes of the Squared Circle - Chapter Contributors
deadline for submissions:
July 15, 2026
full name / name of organization:
Forrest C. Helvie / CT State Community College
contact email:
forrest.helvie@ctstate.edu
source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2026/06/12/superheroes-of-the-squared-circle-chapter-contributors
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Superheroes of the Squared Circle:
The Intersection of Comics and Professional Wrestling
An Edited Academic Collection for McFarland & Co. Publishing
Editor: Forrest C. Helvie, Ph.D.
Connecticut State Community College
About the Project
Professional wrestling and superhero comics have more in common than audiences might expect. Both rely on serialized storytelling, larger-than-life characters, clearly defined heroes and villains, and a shared grammar of spectacle and myth. Yet despite their obvious kinship, few sustained academic studies have examined the two forms side by side.
Superheroes of the Squared Circle aims to fill that gap. This edited collection will bring together essays that explore the rich connections between professional wrestling and superhero media — including comics, film, and television — from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Contributors might examine narrative structure, character archetypes, cultural significance, performance, identity, or any number of other angles. The goal is a volume that is rigorous without being inaccessible, and that will appeal to both scholars and serious fans of either (or both) forms.
Topics of Interest
Essays may address, but are not limited to, the following:
CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Superheroes of the Squared Circle:
The Intersection of Comics and Professional Wrestling
An Edited Academic Collection for McFarland & Co. Publishing
Editor: Forrest C. Helvie, Ph.D.
Connecticut State Community College
About the Project
Professional wrestling and superhero comics have more in common than audiences might expect. Both rely on serialized storytelling, larger-than-life characters, clearly defined heroes and villains, and a shared grammar of spectacle and myth. Yet despite their obvious kinship, few sustained academic studies have examined the two forms side by side.
Superheroes of the Squared Circle aims to fill that gap. This edited collection will bring together essays that explore the rich connections between professional wrestling and superhero media — including comics, film, and television — from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Contributors might examine narrative structure, character archetypes, cultural significance, performance, identity, or any number of other angles. The goal is a volume that is rigorous without being inaccessible, and that will appeal to both scholars and serious fans of either (or both) forms.
Topics of Interest
Essays may address, but are not limited to, the following:
- The history of professional wrestling and its parallels with superhero narrative traditions
- Kayfabe and comic book continuity: shared logics of suspension of disbelief
- Heels, babyfaces, and the villain-hero binary across wrestling and comics
- Wrestlers and their superhero analogs (e.g., Hulk Hogan and Superman; the nWo and the Punisher)
- Lucha libre and its intersections with Latin American superhero and comics traditions
- Japanese puroresu, manga, and anime: shared themes of perseverance, honor, and the heroic struggle
- Gender and representation in wrestling and superhero media
- Race, ethnicity, and identity in the ring and on the page
- The evolution of both forms in the streaming era (WWE on Netflix; the MCU, DCU, and The Boys)
- The crowd as character: audience, kayfabe, and participatory culture
- Wrestling's influence on superhero comics, film, and television — and vice versa
- Disability, body politics, and the superhero/wrestling ideal
- Comics adaptations of wrestling figures and promotions
Submission Guidelines
Interested contributors are invited to submit a proposal consisting of:A 250–300 word abstract describing the essay's argument, methodology, and significance
A brief contributor biography (100 words or fewer), including name and institutional affiliation (if applicable)
Accepted essays should be approximately 6,000–7,000 words (excluding references) and formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style (author-date system).
Co-authored essays are welcome. AI co-created or fully AI-generated work will not be accepted.
Contributors will be responsible for securing reproduction permissions for any images used in their chapters. The editor will provide guidance on fair-use standards and publisher image specifications.
Proposed Timeline
- Abstract Deadline: July 15th, 2026
- Contributor Notifications: August 1st, 2026
- First Drafts Due: October 15, 2026
- Final Drafts Due: December 15, 2026
- Manuscript Delivered to Publisher: Jan/Feb 2027
About the Editor
Forrest C. Helvie, Ph.D. is a Full Professor of English at Connecticut State Community College and an experienced editor of academic collections in comics and popular culture studies. He has written about comics for Marvel.com, Newsarama, Sequart, and Popverse, and is the editor of How to Review and Analyze Comics (Sequart, 2021) and Superheroes and American Exceptionalism (McFarland, forthcoming 2026). He holds a Ph.D. in English Literature and teaches composition at the college level.
How to Submit
Please send abstracts and contributor bios to:
Forrest C. Helvie, Ph.D.
forrest.helvie@ctstate.edu
Please use the subject line: Squared Circle Submission — [Your Last Name]
Questions about the project are welcome. The editor is committed to building a diverse contributor pool that reflects the global reach of both professional wrestling and superhero media, and actively encourages submissions from scholars working in international, cross-cultural, and underrepresented perspectives.
Last updated June 12, 2026
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