Showing posts with label DC Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DC Comics. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Batman Brings His Mission to the World
Batman Day was officially earlier this month, but, if you're looking for an innovative approach to the character, check out the recent graphic novel Batman: The World (2021). It's created by an international group of writers and artists each presenting the Caped Crusader on their home turf. Most stories feature Batman/Bruce Wayne as a familiar figure; however, a few of the tales adapt him more distinctly as a more "local" hero.
Monday, November 29, 2021
The Ages of Batman: Essays on the Dark Knight (1/10/2022)
The Ages of Batman: Essays on the Dark Knight
deadline for submissions: January 10, 2022
full name / name of organization: Joseph J. Darowski
contact email: agesofsuperheroes@gmail.com
source: https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2021/11/02/the-ages-of-batman-essays-on-the-dark-knight
The editor of The Ages of Batman: Essays on the Dark Knight is seeking abstracts for essays that could be included in the upcoming collection. The essays should examine the relationships between the DC comic book adventures of Batman and the social era when those comic books were published. Analysis may demonstrate how Batman’s comic books stories and the creators who produced the comics embrace, reflect, or critique aspects of their contemporary culture. This will be a companion volume to existing essay collections in the series that have already focused on Superman, Wonder Woman, the X-Men, the Avengers, Iron Man, Hulk, the Justice League, Flash, and Black Panther.
Potential chapters include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Contextualizing the Bat: Influences and References in Batman’s First Year of Comics
- The Early Villains: Social Fears as Rogues Gallery
- Not-So-Grim-n-Gritty: The Silly Adventures of Batman
- The Cold War Hits Gotham: Social Influences on Popular Culture
- What Masculine Heroism Means in the Vietnam Era
- A Billionaire Hero in the 1980s
- It’s...Problematic: The Cultural Moment Surrounding The Killing Joke
- Sale and Loeb’s WhoDunnIt: Batman: The Long Halloween and Literary Mysteries
- A Death in the Family: Comic Books, Death, and Fan Interaction
- Barbara Gordon’s Changing Roles
- Batman as Corporation: The Expansion of the Batfamily
- Snyder’s Court of Owls and Changing the Face of Villainy in Gotham
- Batman/Catwoman and Romance in a (N)Everchanging Continuity
Essays should focus on stories featuring Batman from his own comic book series or team series. Issues of the Justice League or other teams that have included Batman as a member would be welcome for analysis, so long as the analysis focuses primarily on Batman, as would an analysis of any DC mini-series or event storyline that included Batman as a principal character. Similarly, essays focusing on characters that are closely associated with Batman would be acceptable. Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, the Joker, and so one could serve as topics for essays in this collection.
Essays should solely focus on comic book adventures, not media adaptations of the characters. Furthermore, essays should look at a single period of comic book history, rather than drawing comparisons between different publication eras. For example, an essay that analyzed Batman comics from the early 1980s and contextualized them with what was happening in American society would be more likely to be accepted than an essay that contrasted 2020s comic books with 1940s comic books. The completed essays should be approximately 15-20 double-spaced pages in MLA format.
Abstracts (100-500 words) and CVs should be submitted by January 10, 2022.
This will be a peer-reviewed project.
Please submit via email to Joseph Darowski, agesofsuperheroes@gmail.com.
Publisher: McFarland & Company
Last updated November 2, 2021
Monday, June 8, 2020
Worth Reading: DC's Batman: Last Knight on Earth
Batman: Last Knight on Earth
https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batman-last-knight-on-earth-2019/batman-last-knight-on-earth
Billed as "The Last BATMAN Story Ever Told...," Snyder and Capullo's series Batman: Last Knight on Earth (now collected in a hardcover edition) builds on their last arc of the New 52's Batman series.
Batman: Last Knight on Earth positions a new Batman/Bruce Wayne to rise to become a hero in a potential future of the DCU. It is a bleak world (rather like DCeased and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War), but there is a lot of hope in the end (and some intriguing use of the Joker character).
See below for DC's teaser trailer for the series:
Monday, July 2, 2018
CFP 1993-2018: Twenty-Five Years of Vertigo Comics Symposium (expired) (11/8-9/2018)France)
Sorry to have discovered this so late; it sounds like a great project. Do also note the selected bibliography at the end.
1993-2018: Twenty-Five Years of Vertigo Comics
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2017/11/23/1993-2018-twenty-five-years-of-vertigo-comics
deadline for submissions:
April 8, 2018
full name / name of organization:
Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, FRANCE
contact email:
isabel.guillaume@gmail.com
The Vertigo imprint was born in 1993 under the guidance of DC editor Karen Berger; it initially brought together six ongoing series published by DC Comics, notably Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol and Sandman. Those widely successful series were praised for their original, ambitious storylines that sought to break free from narrative and generic conventions. Most of these comics were scripted by British authors whom DC had recruited following Alan Moore’s success on Swamp Thing and Watchmen, forming the bulk of what was known as the “British Invasion”. From just six ongoing series, Vertigo soon extended its line, establishing itself as a halfway house between the mainstream comics industry and the alternative/independent scene. Vertigo defined its identity as that of a game-changer, championing the progressive ideas put forward by DC’s president Jenette Kahn, who had been instrumental in the reconsideration of creators and in the legitimisation of the comics medium. Vertigo’s most visible commitment was its decision to develop many creator-owned series, whose rights belonged to creators rather than publishers. Beyond its initial success, Vertigo in the 2000s was a home for widely recognised original creations such as Y, the Last Man, Fables or 100 Bullets. The imprint left a lasting mark on the US comics industry; it ushered in the era of star writers, contrasting with the focus on artists that had characterised earlier periods; it pioneered the trade paperback format (TPB, sometimes called “graphic novel”) which played a central role in the medium’s struggle for legitimacy; finally, it destabilized the hegemony of the superhero genre and paved the way for major changes in reader demographics.
However, in recent years, Vertigo’s specific identity has begun to wane as some of its major creators turned to other publishers – for instance, Brian K. Vaughan’s best-selling series Saga is being published by Image Comics, while Garth Ennis took The Boys to Dynamite Entertainment after DC (outside Vertigo) cancelled it. Crucially, in 2013, Karen Berger left the imprint after the 2010 changes that modified creators’ contracts and stripped Vertigo of all its corporate-owned series. The last member of the original Vertigo team, Shelly Bond, was let go in 2016 after she helped Gerard Way set up his new imprint at DC, Young Animal, whose initial four ongoing series included two Vertigo spin-offs, while Vertigo struggled to renew itself.
Twenty-five years after its creation, the label is still standing and has already left a substantial mark. Many of the industry’s top professionals who debuted under Berger and Bond’s stewardship now occupy important positions at other publishers, continuing Vertigo’s legacy. Berger and Bond themselves went on to create their own imprints outside of DC : Berger Books is set to debut in early 2018 with Dark Horse, while Shelly Bond’s Black Crown began publishing under IDW.
During this first French symposium entirely dedicated to Vertigo on the occasion of its twenty-fifth birthday, presenters are invited to tackle these issues from all methodological angles. Suggested areas of investigation include:
Proponents wishing to focus on an individual title are invited to elaborate on the significance the title has in Vertigo’s history, how it compares to other comics with the same theme or period, and how it sheds light on the editorial development of the imprint.
The symposium will be held on November 8th and 9th at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme at Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté in Dijon, France. Presentations can be given in French or in English and should not last longer than 30 minutes in order to allow time for questions.
Proposals should be approximately 300 words long, and can be sent in French or in English before April 8th 2018 along with a short biography of the author.
Please send proposals to both members of the organising committee.
Organising committee:
Isabelle Licari-Guillaume (Université Bordeaux Montaigne) isabel.guillaume@gmail.com
Siegfried Würtz (Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté) siegfried.wurtz@gmail.com
Scientific Committee:
Jean-Paul Gabilliet, Université Bordeaux Montaigne
Henri Garric, Université de Franche-Comté
Nicolas Labarre, Université Bordeaux Montaigne
Irène Langlet, Université de Limoges
Suggested bibliography:
Carpenter, Greg. The British Invasion: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and the Invention of the Modern Comics Book Writer. Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, 2016. Print.
Dony, Christophe. “Reassessing the Mainstream vs. Alternative/Independent Dichotomy or, the Double Awareness of the Vertigo Imprint.” Comics in Dissent: Alternative, Independence. Ed. Tanguy Habrand, Gert Meesters, and Christophe Dony. Liège: Presses universitaires de Liège, 2014. Print.
---. “The Rewriting Ethos of the Vertigo Imprint: Critical Perspectives on Memory-Making and Canon Formation in the American Comics Field.” Comicalités (2014): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://comicalites.revues.org/1918>.
Gabilliet, Jean-Paul. Des comics et des hommes: histoire culturelle des comic books aux États-Unis. Nantes: Éd. du Temps, 2004. Print.
Licari-Guillaume, Isabelle. ‘Vertigo’s British Invasion’: La revitalisation par les scénaristes britanniques des comic books grand public aux États-Unis (1983-2013). PhD dissertation. Université Bordeaux Montaigne, 2017. Print.
Round, Julia. “‘Is This a Book?’ DC Vertigo and the Redefinition of Comics in the 1990s.” The Rise of the American Comics Artist: Creators and Contexts. Ed. Paul Williams and James Lyons. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2010. 14–30. Print.
1993-2018: Twenty-Five Years of Vertigo Comics
https://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/cfp/2017/11/23/1993-2018-twenty-five-years-of-vertigo-comics
deadline for submissions:
April 8, 2018
full name / name of organization:
Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, FRANCE
contact email:
isabel.guillaume@gmail.com
The Vertigo imprint was born in 1993 under the guidance of DC editor Karen Berger; it initially brought together six ongoing series published by DC Comics, notably Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol and Sandman. Those widely successful series were praised for their original, ambitious storylines that sought to break free from narrative and generic conventions. Most of these comics were scripted by British authors whom DC had recruited following Alan Moore’s success on Swamp Thing and Watchmen, forming the bulk of what was known as the “British Invasion”. From just six ongoing series, Vertigo soon extended its line, establishing itself as a halfway house between the mainstream comics industry and the alternative/independent scene. Vertigo defined its identity as that of a game-changer, championing the progressive ideas put forward by DC’s president Jenette Kahn, who had been instrumental in the reconsideration of creators and in the legitimisation of the comics medium. Vertigo’s most visible commitment was its decision to develop many creator-owned series, whose rights belonged to creators rather than publishers. Beyond its initial success, Vertigo in the 2000s was a home for widely recognised original creations such as Y, the Last Man, Fables or 100 Bullets. The imprint left a lasting mark on the US comics industry; it ushered in the era of star writers, contrasting with the focus on artists that had characterised earlier periods; it pioneered the trade paperback format (TPB, sometimes called “graphic novel”) which played a central role in the medium’s struggle for legitimacy; finally, it destabilized the hegemony of the superhero genre and paved the way for major changes in reader demographics.
However, in recent years, Vertigo’s specific identity has begun to wane as some of its major creators turned to other publishers – for instance, Brian K. Vaughan’s best-selling series Saga is being published by Image Comics, while Garth Ennis took The Boys to Dynamite Entertainment after DC (outside Vertigo) cancelled it. Crucially, in 2013, Karen Berger left the imprint after the 2010 changes that modified creators’ contracts and stripped Vertigo of all its corporate-owned series. The last member of the original Vertigo team, Shelly Bond, was let go in 2016 after she helped Gerard Way set up his new imprint at DC, Young Animal, whose initial four ongoing series included two Vertigo spin-offs, while Vertigo struggled to renew itself.
Twenty-five years after its creation, the label is still standing and has already left a substantial mark. Many of the industry’s top professionals who debuted under Berger and Bond’s stewardship now occupy important positions at other publishers, continuing Vertigo’s legacy. Berger and Bond themselves went on to create their own imprints outside of DC : Berger Books is set to debut in early 2018 with Dark Horse, while Shelly Bond’s Black Crown began publishing under IDW.
During this first French symposium entirely dedicated to Vertigo on the occasion of its twenty-fifth birthday, presenters are invited to tackle these issues from all methodological angles. Suggested areas of investigation include:
- V for Vertigo: The consistency and specificity (or lack thereof) of the Vertigo line as opposed to other publishers and imprints (DC’s own DC universe, its imprints Helix and Wildstorm, and rivals such as Image comics, Avatar Press, Marvel Max…);
- Vertigo Remediated: Vertigo and the contemporary developments of the comics industry towards more transmedial integration (through TV adaptations, video games, etc.);
- Vertigo Vindicates: Vertigo’s legitimizing role and the evolution of the highbrow / lowbrow divide;
- The British Invasion: the importance of British scriptwriters in the comics industry and the depiction of Britishness in the comics and their paratext;
- Vertigo Visions: the importance of Vertigo in the renewal of American production in terms of genre, narrative etc.;
- Editors extraordinaire: the role played by Jenette Kahn, Karen Berger and Shelly Bond;
- L, G, B, T, V: queer and feminist discourses within the imprint.
Proponents wishing to focus on an individual title are invited to elaborate on the significance the title has in Vertigo’s history, how it compares to other comics with the same theme or period, and how it sheds light on the editorial development of the imprint.
The symposium will be held on November 8th and 9th at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme at Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté in Dijon, France. Presentations can be given in French or in English and should not last longer than 30 minutes in order to allow time for questions.
Proposals should be approximately 300 words long, and can be sent in French or in English before April 8th 2018 along with a short biography of the author.
Please send proposals to both members of the organising committee.
Organising committee:
Isabelle Licari-Guillaume (Université Bordeaux Montaigne) isabel.guillaume@gmail.com
Siegfried Würtz (Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté) siegfried.wurtz@gmail.com
Scientific Committee:
Jean-Paul Gabilliet, Université Bordeaux Montaigne
Henri Garric, Université de Franche-Comté
Nicolas Labarre, Université Bordeaux Montaigne
Irène Langlet, Université de Limoges
Suggested bibliography:
Carpenter, Greg. The British Invasion: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and the Invention of the Modern Comics Book Writer. Sequart Research & Literacy Organization, 2016. Print.
Dony, Christophe. “Reassessing the Mainstream vs. Alternative/Independent Dichotomy or, the Double Awareness of the Vertigo Imprint.” Comics in Dissent: Alternative, Independence. Ed. Tanguy Habrand, Gert Meesters, and Christophe Dony. Liège: Presses universitaires de Liège, 2014. Print.
---. “The Rewriting Ethos of the Vertigo Imprint: Critical Perspectives on Memory-Making and Canon Formation in the American Comics Field.” Comicalités (2014): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://comicalites.revues.org/1918>.
Gabilliet, Jean-Paul. Des comics et des hommes: histoire culturelle des comic books aux États-Unis. Nantes: Éd. du Temps, 2004. Print.
Licari-Guillaume, Isabelle. ‘Vertigo’s British Invasion’: La revitalisation par les scénaristes britanniques des comic books grand public aux États-Unis (1983-2013). PhD dissertation. Université Bordeaux Montaigne, 2017. Print.
Round, Julia. “‘Is This a Book?’ DC Vertigo and the Redefinition of Comics in the 1990s.” The Rise of the American Comics Artist: Creators and Contexts. Ed. Paul Williams and James Lyons. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2010. 14–30. Print.
Saturday, June 30, 2018
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:
Please send 500-word abstract submissions (with tentative paper titles and abbreviated CVs) to sdagbovi@fau.edu and eberlats@fau.edu by July 1st.
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.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
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:
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: 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.
Monday, July 31, 2017
Thoughts on Wonder Woman: Earth One
Wonder Woman: Earth One is a new origin for Wonder Woman best received by mature readers. It pays much homage to past representations of the character of Princess Diana if Themyscria and her legend while also largely updating the figure for today by focusing on the need for the Amazons to concern themselves with Man's World once more. However, there are some issues to be aware of.
First up, purists might take offense that Steve Trevor is now an African American soldier sent specifically in search of Paradise Island by the U. S. military. In Morrison's defense, he is still a good character, and the changes are not much of big deal in an era of race-free casting. Plus, Morrison makes his background a central part of his willingness to help Diana.
Second, and most disturbing, the book relishes in images of violence and (especially) bondage. Morrison seems to include these aspects to link back to Marston's original concepts for the character, but they are very unsettling and push the book into more adult territory.
Finally, the book also rewrites the myth of Diana's creation, a now frequent occurrence, and (spoiler warning) makes her a mythological test tube baby formed from combining one of Hippolyta's egg with sperm taken from Hercules, the Amazon's oppressor millennia ago.
Further information on the book at http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/wonder-woman-earth-one-2016/wonder-woman-earth-one-vol-1.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
NBC's Constantine
One more post for the night:
Also premiering this season is Constantine on NBC. I've only caught one episode so far, but the series looks interesting. As expected, it has a lot of similarities to the CW's Supernatural in terms of its monsters and magic, and I hope it is given the chance to develop on its own and shed some light on the darker recesses of the DCU.
Also premiering this season is Constantine on NBC. I've only caught one episode so far, but the series looks interesting. As expected, it has a lot of similarities to the CW's Supernatural in terms of its monsters and magic, and I hope it is given the chance to develop on its own and shed some light on the darker recesses of the DCU.
CW's The Flash
The new series The Flash premiered earlier this season on CW as a spin-off to Arrow, now in its third year. The freshman series recounts the origin and early adventures of the Scarlet Speedster. There is some influence of the New 52 in terms of the setting and aspects of Barry Allen's back story, but it is an engaging story nevertheless. Allen is a really likable character (and a smart dresser), and it is interesting to see how the rogues are being introduced into the DC Live-Action Television Universe (what a mouthful). Some are freaks of the week (as in Smallville, which borrowed the idea from The X-Files) created by the accident/experiment that turned Barry into the Flash, but others seem to develop because of his presence in Central City. Still other characters are named after established DC metahumans (Vibe, Killer Frost, and Firestorm, according to Wikipedia), and one wonders when they too will emerge. There are also the ongoing mysteries of the yellow blur (presumably the Reverse Flash) and his identity (Eddie Thawne--the last name is right--or Harrison Wells--he is from the future and seems willing to do anything to keep Barry on track--or someone we've yet to see) and what exactly the future holds for our hero. Finally while the casting of an African American actor as Johnny Storm in the new Fantastic Four film seems to make little narrative sense (and to have attracted a lot of fan ire), the race-blind casting of Joe and Iris West appears to have received little comment. Both characters blend right into the mythos rather than just being a nod to diversifying the cast (as also seems to have been the case with the new Aqualad introduced for the Young Justice series and then the comics), and their presence offers the added possibility of a black Kid Flash (he is Iris's nephew) in the future and, perhaps, an interracial marriage for Barry.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Golden Age Superboy!
As part of my ongoing quest for Superboys, I was pleased to discover the original Superboy in DC's recent collection The Adventures of Superboy (2010). With story by Jerry Siegel and art by Joe Shuster, the character first appears in More Fun Comics No. 101 (Jan./Feb. 1945) in the opening splash to the story:
We are then presented with 2 1/2 pages of action set on Krypton, where Jor-El (as usual) fails to convince his fellow scientists of the danger threatening their world. Finally, as expected, Jor-El and wife Lara have no other choice but to send their infant son, Kal-El, to Earth. The boy's superhuman abilities are noticeable at an very early age, as Siegel and Shuster introduce the prototype for the Silver Age Superbaby:
Young Kal-El is eventually adopted by the Kents, and he continues to develop his powers in scenes reminiscent of his Silver Age youth. Showing first his increased super strength:
Later adventures suggest that Clark is about 10 years old at this point (whereas the Silver Age Superboy is a teen), and most of these early stories show him aiding other children both at home and (sometimes) abroad. He is an interesting character, and, fully embracing both tights and flights, clearly delights in the novelty of his dual identity as first illustrated in the following issue, More Fun Comics 102 (Mar./Apr. 1945):
Check out The Adventures of Superboy for more:
We are then presented with 2 1/2 pages of action set on Krypton, where Jor-El (as usual) fails to convince his fellow scientists of the danger threatening their world. Finally, as expected, Jor-El and wife Lara have no other choice but to send their infant son, Kal-El, to Earth. The boy's superhuman abilities are noticeable at an very early age, as Siegel and Shuster introduce the prototype for the Silver Age Superbaby:
Young Kal-El is eventually adopted by the Kents, and he continues to develop his powers in scenes reminiscent of his Silver Age youth. Showing first his increased super strength:
Then his developing ability to fly (seen more fully next issue):
And, finally, his super speed:
Also of interest, the story offers Kal-El's first musings on his place in the world and need for a secret identity:
Check out The Adventures of Superboy for more:
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Batman: Assault on Arkham on Home Video (and Justice League: Throne of Atlantis preview)
Warner Home Video recently released Batman: Assault on Arkham to home video. The film draws upon the Batman: Arkham electronic game franchise (taking place after Batman: Arkham Origins) and highlights an adventure of the Suicide Squad. The trailer from DC Entertainment follows:
Details of the extras for the Blu-Ray edition have been conveniently listed on the Blu-ray.com site (http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Batman-Assault-on-Arkham-Blu-ray/102001/#Review) and include:
Audio Commentary: DC Comics Animation creative director Mike Carlin, Assault on Arkham writer Heath Corson and executive producer James Tucker cover every major aspect of the film's development, adaptation, voice casting, animation and music. Director Jay Oliva is nowhere to be found, though.
The Joker's Queen: Harley Quinn (HD, 14 minutes): A look at the animated origin of Harley Quinn, her move to the printed page and the evolution of her character through various media, with Carlin, Quinn co-creator Paul Dini, "Suicide Squad" and Supernatural writer Adam Glass, and Entertainment Weekly writer Geoff Boucher.
Arkham Analyzed: The Secrets Behind the Asylum (HD, 27 minutes): "All things are possible here and I am what madness made me." The not so hallowed institution of Arkham Asylum, its inspiration, and its place in Batman comic books, television shows, videogames and films, with another lineup of interviews with key industry professionals.
From the DC Comics Vault (SD, 91 minutes): "Task Force X" from Justice League Unlimited, "Infiltrator" from Young Justice, "Emperor Joker" from The Brave and the Bold and "Two of a Kind" from The Batman.[The extra cartoons are common to all releases of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, though one wonders (again) of their value, since real fans will already have these in their collections.]
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Sneak Peek (HD, 9 minutes): An extended behind-the-scenes promo detailing the production of the next DCU Animated Original Movie, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, the sequel to Justice League: War.
The clip has also surfaced online separate from the Batman film:
Details of the extras for the Blu-Ray edition have been conveniently listed on the Blu-ray.com site (http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Batman-Assault-on-Arkham-Blu-ray/102001/#Review) and include:
Audio Commentary: DC Comics Animation creative director Mike Carlin, Assault on Arkham writer Heath Corson and executive producer James Tucker cover every major aspect of the film's development, adaptation, voice casting, animation and music. Director Jay Oliva is nowhere to be found, though.
The Joker's Queen: Harley Quinn (HD, 14 minutes): A look at the animated origin of Harley Quinn, her move to the printed page and the evolution of her character through various media, with Carlin, Quinn co-creator Paul Dini, "Suicide Squad" and Supernatural writer Adam Glass, and Entertainment Weekly writer Geoff Boucher.
Arkham Analyzed: The Secrets Behind the Asylum (HD, 27 minutes): "All things are possible here and I am what madness made me." The not so hallowed institution of Arkham Asylum, its inspiration, and its place in Batman comic books, television shows, videogames and films, with another lineup of interviews with key industry professionals.
From the DC Comics Vault (SD, 91 minutes): "Task Force X" from Justice League Unlimited, "Infiltrator" from Young Justice, "Emperor Joker" from The Brave and the Bold and "Two of a Kind" from The Batman.[The extra cartoons are common to all releases of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies, though one wonders (again) of their value, since real fans will already have these in their collections.]
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Sneak Peek (HD, 9 minutes): An extended behind-the-scenes promo detailing the production of the next DCU Animated Original Movie, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, the sequel to Justice League: War.
The clip has also surfaced online separate from the Batman film:
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
CFP Arrow TV Series Collection (8/31/14)
Call for Submissions: Edited collection on the CW television series Arrow
Editors: Jim Iaccino, Cory Barker, and Myc Wiatrowski
In just two years on the air, the CW’s Arrow has garnered both fan and critical acclaim for its ambitious storytelling, well-produced action sequences, and solid performances. Arrow’s stories and characters offer opportunities for discussions of justice and vigilantism, masculinity, dual identities, and aesthetics. Furthermore, the series has thrived in adapting DC Comics stories and characters to television, but also in translating the spirit and stylistic flourishes of comics to the televisual medium. Arrow therefore also raises important questions about media franchising, adaptation, medium specificity, and industry trends. As a young series, very little has been written about Arrow in academic circles. This collection of essays seeks to provide the opening large-scale investigation into the CW series and examine Arrow from multiple perspectives and disciplines.
Potential topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:
This collection is under contract with McFarland, so all that remains is securing the contributions in a timely fashion for a planned text publication in late 2015-early 2016.
The deadline for proposals of 500 words is August 31, 2014. Please email your abstract and a brief bio to jiaccino@thechicagoschool.edu. Please put “Arrow Abstract” in the subject line. If an abstract is selected for the collection, full essays of 5,000-7,000 words will be due by December 1, 2014.
Editors: Jim Iaccino, Cory Barker, and Myc Wiatrowski
In just two years on the air, the CW’s Arrow has garnered both fan and critical acclaim for its ambitious storytelling, well-produced action sequences, and solid performances. Arrow’s stories and characters offer opportunities for discussions of justice and vigilantism, masculinity, dual identities, and aesthetics. Furthermore, the series has thrived in adapting DC Comics stories and characters to television, but also in translating the spirit and stylistic flourishes of comics to the televisual medium. Arrow therefore also raises important questions about media franchising, adaptation, medium specificity, and industry trends. As a young series, very little has been written about Arrow in academic circles. This collection of essays seeks to provide the opening large-scale investigation into the CW series and examine Arrow from multiple perspectives and disciplines.
Potential topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:
- Representations of masculinity, femininity, race, sexuality, class, and family within Arrow
- Explorations of justice, violence, the greater good, and morality within Arrow
- Examinations of secret (and dual) identities, teamwork, and secret keeping within Arrow
- Deceptions of a “realistic” superhero story and the slow introduction of more fantastical elements within Arrow
- Arrow’s narrative techniques, including the preponderance of flashbacks and serialization
- Arrow’s fight choreography and action set pieces
- Chapters discussing individual episodes or story arcs within Arrow
- Chapters discussing particular character arcs or relationships (Oliver-Felicity, Oliver-Slade, Thea-Roy, etc.) within Arrow
- Arrow as an adaptation of the pre-existing Green Arrow stories and its employment of characters and arcs from the larger DC Comics universe
- Evolution of the Arrow figure from the Smallville series to the current show
- Arrow as part of the recent push for superhero series on television (including comparisons between Arrow and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow and The Flash)
- Critical reception to Arrow
- Arrow themes in popular culture
- Fan readings, productions, and activities related to and about Arrow
This collection is under contract with McFarland, so all that remains is securing the contributions in a timely fashion for a planned text publication in late 2015-early 2016.
The deadline for proposals of 500 words is August 31, 2014. Please email your abstract and a brief bio to jiaccino@thechicagoschool.edu. Please put “Arrow Abstract” in the subject line. If an abstract is selected for the collection, full essays of 5,000-7,000 words will be due by December 1, 2014.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Riddle Me This, Batman!
On my wish list: Riddle Me This, Batman! : Essays on the Universe of the Dark Knight
Edited by Kevin K. Durand and Mary K. Leigh
Published by McFarland
Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4629-2
Ebook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8731-8
notes, bibliographies, index
228pp. softcover (6 x 9) 2011
Price $40.00
About the Book
From his first comic-book appearance in 1939 through his many incarnations on the big screen, the archetypal superhero known as The Batman has never been far from the American consciousness. The character shaped the way we read comics and graphic novels, view motion pictures, and analyze the motifs of the Hero, the Anti-Hero and the Villain. He has also captured the scholarly imagination, telling us much about our society and ourselves. These essays examine how Batman is both the canvas on which our cultural identity is painted, and the Eternal Other that informs our own journeys of understanding. Questions relating to a wide range of disciplines—philosophy, literature, psychology, pop culture, and more—are thoroughly and entertainingly explored, in a manner that will appeal both to scholars and to fans of the Caped Crusader alike.
About the Editors
Kevin K. Durand is the dean of academics at the LISA Academy College Preparatory School in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has published broadly in philosophy, religion, and ethics. Mary K. Leigh is a doctoral academy fellow at the University of Arkansas.
Table of Contents
Preface
MARY K. LEIGH 1
Introduction: What Has Adorno to Do with Gotham?
KEVIN K. DURAND 3
Part One: The Ethics and Anarchy of Batman
1. Virtue in Gotham: Aristotle’s Batman
MARY K. LEIGH 17
2. The Dark Knight Errant: Power and Authority in Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
CHRISTOPHER BUNDRICK 24
3. Why Adam West Matters: Camp and Classical Virtue
KEVIN K. DURAND 41
4. Dark Knight, White Knight, and the King of Anarchy
STEPHANIE CARMICHAEL 54
5. Introducing a Little Anarchy: The Dark Knight and Power Structures on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
SUDIPTO SANYAL 70
Part Two: Batman and Literary Theory
6. Batman’s Canon: Hybridity and the Interpretation of the Superhero
KEVIN K. DURAND 81
7. Seminar on the Purloined Batarang: Batman and Lacan
MITCH FRYE 93
8. Queer Matters in The Dark Knight Returns: Why We Insist on a Sexual Identity for Batman
JENEE WILDE 104
9. The Hero We Read: The Dark Knight, Popular Allegoresis, and Blockbuster Ideology
ANDREA COMISKEY 124
10. Rolling the Boulder in Gotham
RANDY DUNCAN 147
11. Figuration of the Superheroic Revolutionary: The Dark Knight of Negation
D. T. KOFOED 156
Part Three: Batman and Beyond
12. "One May Smile, and Smile, and Be a Villain": Grim Humor and the Warrior Ethos
MELANIE WILSON 169
13. "And Doesn’t All the World Love a Clown?": Finding the Joker and the Representation of His Evil
MICHAEL SMITH 187
14. Call It (Friendo): Flipism and Folklore in No Country for Old Men and The Dark Knight
MATTHEW FOTIS 201
About the Contributors 219
Index 221
CFP Dick Grayson Collection (8/31/14)
This sounds like a really cool idea:
75 Years of Dick Grayson (Robin, Nightwing, Batman) - 31 August 2014
full name / name of organization:
Kristen Geaman - University of Toledo
contact email:
kgeaman@gmail.com
Book Project
To date, there has not been a single scholarly book published on Dick Grayson, the original Robin who grew up to become the hero Nightwing and serve as Batman. In conjunction with Grayson’s 75th anniversary in 2015, this book seeks to examine any and all aspects of Grayson as an influential comic book character and cultural icon.
We welcome contributions from all scholarly fields, including history, literature, psychology, philosophy, art, art history, cultural studies, media studies, and more.
Given that this project is the first of its kind, the range of topics is extremely broad. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
-Dick's influence on the development of comic book conventions (especially as the original kid sidekick)
-Dick in comic-book art
-Dick's role as leader
-Dick's relationships with other heroes (Bats, Titans, JLA, etc)
*We are especially looking for an article about Dick and his relationship with Barbara Gordon
-Dick in the New 52
-Dick and his fans (who they are, why he might have more female fans than Batman, etc)
-Dick and representation (especially the ret-con that gave him Romani heritage)
-Dick in fanart, fanfiction, and/or cosplay
-Dick in non-print media
-Dick and his villains
-cosplay
-looking at Dick through any number of theoretical lens: gender theory, queer theory, etc.
-Dick and philosophy, psychology, etc
Please contact Kristen Geaman (kgeaman@gmail.com) for more information. Currently, we hope to have first drafts written by the end of August 2014. That will give us time to circulate them among the participants before we write final drafts.
By web submission at 04/18/2014 - 16:20
75 Years of Dick Grayson (Robin, Nightwing, Batman) - 31 August 2014
full name / name of organization:
Kristen Geaman - University of Toledo
contact email:
kgeaman@gmail.com
Book Project
To date, there has not been a single scholarly book published on Dick Grayson, the original Robin who grew up to become the hero Nightwing and serve as Batman. In conjunction with Grayson’s 75th anniversary in 2015, this book seeks to examine any and all aspects of Grayson as an influential comic book character and cultural icon.
We welcome contributions from all scholarly fields, including history, literature, psychology, philosophy, art, art history, cultural studies, media studies, and more.
Given that this project is the first of its kind, the range of topics is extremely broad. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
-Dick's influence on the development of comic book conventions (especially as the original kid sidekick)
-Dick in comic-book art
-Dick's role as leader
-Dick's relationships with other heroes (Bats, Titans, JLA, etc)
*We are especially looking for an article about Dick and his relationship with Barbara Gordon
-Dick in the New 52
-Dick and his fans (who they are, why he might have more female fans than Batman, etc)
-Dick and representation (especially the ret-con that gave him Romani heritage)
-Dick in fanart, fanfiction, and/or cosplay
-Dick in non-print media
-Dick and his villains
-cosplay
-looking at Dick through any number of theoretical lens: gender theory, queer theory, etc.
-Dick and philosophy, psychology, etc
Please contact Kristen Geaman (kgeaman@gmail.com) for more information. Currently, we hope to have first drafts written by the end of August 2014. That will give us time to circulate them among the participants before we write final drafts.
By web submission at 04/18/2014 - 16:20
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Thoughts on Man of Steel
I'll start off by saying that I like Superman, but DC's constant re-imaginings of the character have become tiresome. In particular I take offense with the recent film Man of Steel (see trailer below) directed by Zack Snyder and written by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan, who also served as one the film's producers.
The production serves as (another) reboot of the franchise and is both an origin story (told, confusedly at times, in a non linear narrative) and a remake of Superman and Superman II. However, unlike its predecessors, the new film--in my opinion--has no heart (a frequent comment according to the film's entry on Wikipedia). All of the characters and their back stories are preexisting, and we don't really connect to any of them, not even our hero. Instead, we get a film that relies too much on technological wonder to impress (and I really wish there were some clips available online). The opening scenes on Krypton recall the sf worlds of George Lucas and James Cameron with their focus on weird alien creatures and fluid technology. Fight scenes on Earth are unreal (even for Superman) and resemble too much the latest video games, and it is a wonder that anyone in Metropolis survives in the end with so much of the city demolished. In addition, the message of the film seems to be subverted in the way Superman deals with his nemesis. We learn that the S-shield is a Kryptonian glyph for hope and that Jor-El intended his son to serve as a bridge between the two cultures, but [SPOILER ALERT], in the end, everything uniquely Kryptonian is destroyed and its future wiped out (again). (Though there remains [SPOILER ALERT] the odd fact that Jor-El has implanted the DNA of his entire race into his son's genetic code.) Finally and, perhaps, most troubling, the end(ing) of Zod seems to go against everything the hero has stood for these past 75 years, though I'll say no further in the interests of not spoiling things further. With all the big name people involved how could everything have turned out so bad? (There are also inconsistencies with the science of the film; if it took Clark Kent almost a decade to come into his powers how do [SPOILER ALERT] Zod and his force gain their powers so quickly [though this is also a problem with Superman II]. Likewise, [SPOILER ALERT] how could Superman's powers fade so quickly aboard Zod's vessel? Shouldn't he have 30+ years of solar radiation in reserve?) With all that said, the ending shows promise for the future of the franchise. [SPOILER ALERT] We open any new film with Lois already knowing all of Superman's secrets paving the way for a more equal partnership like that once portrayed in the pre-New-52 DCU. If only the villain could be someone more down to Earth, then, I think we might see a good film.
My reaction to the casting is less of an issue; however, only a few of the actors stood out in my mind. Amy Adams is an intriguing choice for Lois Lane, though the overweight Pete Ross and underweight Steve Lombard were disconcerting. Michael Shannon seemed to lack the gravitas of Terence Stamp's earlier Zod (though his reason for rebelling against the Science Council is truly a masterstroke of storytelling, if it is original to the film) and Antje Traue certainly lacked the sinister qualities of Ursa, Zod's associate in Superman II; likewise, Russell Crowe is no Marlon Brando, but [SPOILER ALERT] the character's haunting of the film made for an interesting touch. Moving to other father figures, Kevin Costener seemed a lackluster Jonathan Kent, but Laurence Fishbourne's portrayal of Perry White was interesting (though the earring seems a fashion faux pas). Also, I really liked Cooper Timberline, the actor playing the younger Clark Kent (see image), and felt his character's story the most appealing here. 
Why not focus on his adventures as he comes to discover his place in the world? Why not show our youth a story of overcoming trials and adversity while struggling to find one's place in the world, instead of a slug fest? Of course, Smallville has already attempted some of this but not from the perspective of a prepubescent hero. This should not be an impediment to the producers, after all they're rehashing old material anyway.
The production serves as (another) reboot of the franchise and is both an origin story (told, confusedly at times, in a non linear narrative) and a remake of Superman and Superman II. However, unlike its predecessors, the new film--in my opinion--has no heart (a frequent comment according to the film's entry on Wikipedia). All of the characters and their back stories are preexisting, and we don't really connect to any of them, not even our hero. Instead, we get a film that relies too much on technological wonder to impress (and I really wish there were some clips available online). The opening scenes on Krypton recall the sf worlds of George Lucas and James Cameron with their focus on weird alien creatures and fluid technology. Fight scenes on Earth are unreal (even for Superman) and resemble too much the latest video games, and it is a wonder that anyone in Metropolis survives in the end with so much of the city demolished. In addition, the message of the film seems to be subverted in the way Superman deals with his nemesis. We learn that the S-shield is a Kryptonian glyph for hope and that Jor-El intended his son to serve as a bridge between the two cultures, but [SPOILER ALERT], in the end, everything uniquely Kryptonian is destroyed and its future wiped out (again). (Though there remains [SPOILER ALERT] the odd fact that Jor-El has implanted the DNA of his entire race into his son's genetic code.) Finally and, perhaps, most troubling, the end(ing) of Zod seems to go against everything the hero has stood for these past 75 years, though I'll say no further in the interests of not spoiling things further. With all the big name people involved how could everything have turned out so bad? (There are also inconsistencies with the science of the film; if it took Clark Kent almost a decade to come into his powers how do [SPOILER ALERT] Zod and his force gain their powers so quickly [though this is also a problem with Superman II]. Likewise, [SPOILER ALERT] how could Superman's powers fade so quickly aboard Zod's vessel? Shouldn't he have 30+ years of solar radiation in reserve?) With all that said, the ending shows promise for the future of the franchise. [SPOILER ALERT] We open any new film with Lois already knowing all of Superman's secrets paving the way for a more equal partnership like that once portrayed in the pre-New-52 DCU. If only the villain could be someone more down to Earth, then, I think we might see a good film.
Why not focus on his adventures as he comes to discover his place in the world? Why not show our youth a story of overcoming trials and adversity while struggling to find one's place in the world, instead of a slug fest? Of course, Smallville has already attempted some of this but not from the perspective of a prepubescent hero. This should not be an impediment to the producers, after all they're rehashing old material anyway.Bill the Boy Wonder
Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-creator of Batman. Illus. Ty Templeton. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2012. N.pag. Print. 978-1-58089-289-6
Binding Information:
Hardback
Ages: 8 - and up
Price: $17.95
From the Publisher:
This is the true story of how Batman began. Every Batman story is marked with the words "Batman created by Bob Kane." But that isn't the whole truth. A struggling writer named Bill Finger was involved from the beginning. Bill helped invent Batman, from concept to costume to character. He dreamed up Batman's haunting origins and his colorful nemeses. Despite his brilliance, Bill worked in obscurity. It was only after his death that fans went to bat for Bill, calling for acknowledgment that he was co-creator of Batman. Based on original research, Bill the Boy Wonder is the first-ever book about the unsung man behind the Dark Knight.
This book is good for your brain because it provides: Biography, character and plot development, point of view
Comics Medium Links and More annotation:
Follow-up to Nobleman’s Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-creator of Batman is a picture book biography of comic book writer Bill Finger that presents him as the originator of the essentials of the Batman character (though the name was conceived first by Bob Kane, the man usually given credit for having created Batman) and his most prolific early chronicler. Concludes with an “Author’s Note,” in which Nobelman describes some of his sources (listed more fully in the “Selected Bibliography” at the end) and writing of the book (including his discovery of Finger’s only living heir) and a brief discussion of the growth of the Batman franchise. An online companion to the book, with activities and resources for educators, can be accessed at http://www.charlesbridge.com/BilltheBoyWonder, and the publisher's page for the book (at http://www.charlesbridge.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=5655) includes links to interviews with Nobleman about the project.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
CFP Smallville: Sex, Gender, and Power (6/1/13)
Here is an update to an CFP posted back in March:
Smallville Collection of Essays: Sex, Gender, and Power
Publication Date: 2013-08-13
Date Submitted: 2013-05-11
Announcement ID: 203708
CFP: Smallville
Articles are invited for an essay collection on Smallville. This collection will specifically focus on issues of gender, sex, and power in this retelling and expansion of the Superman universe(s).
Superman has held audiences’ attention since his first appearance in 1938. Since then the Man of Steel and his fellow characters have never left the audiences’ sight. Multiple reinventions and installments found a highpoint between the years 2001-2011 with the CW´s hit series which not only told the story of Superman´s teenage years for the first time, but also added new characters such as Chloe Sullivan. Moreover, including members of the Justice League and the Justice Society of America opened up the series’ universe even more and created an alternate universe in the DC realm like few Superman installments before. After its successful ten-year run, Smallville´s story is far from over and although the actors are ready to move on, their audience is not. The series’ continuation as a graphic novel leaves more room to experiment with different formatting and even more interesting storylines. Moreover, Smallville’s active fan base continues to produce fan fiction and videos online, illustrating the continuing interest in the series.
The following categories suggest possibilities but are by no means exhaustive:
• Sex and Gender in Fandom and/or Reception
• The Power of Transformation and/or Adaptation
• Romance and Desire
• Monstrosity, Sex, and Gender
• Heroism and Gender
• Villainy and Gender
• Identity, Sex, and Gender
• Representations of masculinity, femininity, and power within Smallville
What to Send:
300 - 500 word abstracts (or complete articles, if available) and CVs should be submitted by June 1, 2013. If an abstract is accepted for the collection, a full draft of the essay (5000 – 8000 words) will be required by December 1, 2013.
Abstracts and final articles should be submitted to: supernaturaltelevision@gmail.com and Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net
Margo Collins and Nadine Farghaly
supernaturaltelevision@gmail.com and Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net
Email: supernaturaltelevision@gmail.com, nadine.farghaly@gmx.net
Smallville Collection of Essays: Sex, Gender, and Power
Publication Date: 2013-08-13
Date Submitted: 2013-05-11
Announcement ID: 203708
CFP: Smallville
Articles are invited for an essay collection on Smallville. This collection will specifically focus on issues of gender, sex, and power in this retelling and expansion of the Superman universe(s).
Superman has held audiences’ attention since his first appearance in 1938. Since then the Man of Steel and his fellow characters have never left the audiences’ sight. Multiple reinventions and installments found a highpoint between the years 2001-2011 with the CW´s hit series which not only told the story of Superman´s teenage years for the first time, but also added new characters such as Chloe Sullivan. Moreover, including members of the Justice League and the Justice Society of America opened up the series’ universe even more and created an alternate universe in the DC realm like few Superman installments before. After its successful ten-year run, Smallville´s story is far from over and although the actors are ready to move on, their audience is not. The series’ continuation as a graphic novel leaves more room to experiment with different formatting and even more interesting storylines. Moreover, Smallville’s active fan base continues to produce fan fiction and videos online, illustrating the continuing interest in the series.
The following categories suggest possibilities but are by no means exhaustive:
• Sex and Gender in Fandom and/or Reception
• The Power of Transformation and/or Adaptation
• Romance and Desire
• Monstrosity, Sex, and Gender
• Heroism and Gender
• Villainy and Gender
• Identity, Sex, and Gender
• Representations of masculinity, femininity, and power within Smallville
What to Send:
300 - 500 word abstracts (or complete articles, if available) and CVs should be submitted by June 1, 2013. If an abstract is accepted for the collection, a full draft of the essay (5000 – 8000 words) will be required by December 1, 2013.
Abstracts and final articles should be submitted to: supernaturaltelevision@gmail.com and Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net
Margo Collins and Nadine Farghaly
supernaturaltelevision@gmail.com and Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net
Email: supernaturaltelevision@gmail.com, nadine.farghaly@gmx.net
CFP Female Superheroes Collection (6/1/13)
Seems I'm forever catching up. I first saw this CFP in early March.
Female Superheroes Collection of Essays
Publication Date: 2013-06-01 (in 16 days)
Date Submitted: 2013-02-07
Announcement ID: 201167
From “A” like Aquagirl to “Z” like Zatana. More than 200 female superheroes have been around for the last 70 years. It all started with Fletcher Hanks's minor character Fantomah in the 1940s Fiction House’s Jungle Comics #2 and from that moment on the seal was broken. Female superhero after superhero made their appearances on paper as well as on screen. These female superheroes were simultaneously shaping and mirroring society; with the rise of second wave feminism some of these female characters changed as well. Suddenly, they could be more self-assured and more forceful; Marvel Girl transformed from an average superhero to the very powerful Phoenix. Later on, the years 2010/2011 witnessed a huge transformation in the graphic novels realms. Marvel, DC, and other publishers reinvented their superhero franchises; new alliances and relationships were formed, former friends became enemies and lovers who had been an item for decades were suddenly reassigned to other love interests. This new development in the graphic novel universes desperately calls for a close investigation.
Times have changed since the first comics became a mass medium in the 1920s. And while fans' opinions differ greatly about the advantages and disadvantages of these reboots, it must be acknowledged that this will not only be a very exciting, but also eye-opening time for laymen and scholars alike. What kind of changes will their beloved characters have to endure? How will these new superheroes be presented? Are they still going to mimic society or are they trying to push society to the next level? How should these reinterpretations be assessed? What is gained and what is lost, not only for these superheroes, but also for popular culture?
While DC started its revamp in September 2011, Marvel started his in spring 2012. This volume would focus on the reinvention of the female superheroes, and therefore, it will be the first of its kind.
This publication aims to examine these heroines in literature, art, and other media to question issues concerning sexuality, gender, identity, social change and feminism. It will provide an interdisciplinary stage for the development of innovative and creative research and examine this vital and complex female protagonist in all her various manifestations and cultural meanings.
What to Send:
300 - 500 word abstracts (or complete articles, if available) and CVs should be submitted by June 1, 2013. If an abstract is accepted for the collection, a full draft of the essay (5000 – 8000 words) will be required by December 1, 2013.
Abstracts and final articles should be submitted to: Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net receipt of the abstracts will be send within one week. In case you do not receive an email, please resend your proposal.
Nadine Farghaly
Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net
Email: nadine.farghaly@gmx.net
Female Superheroes Collection of Essays
Publication Date: 2013-06-01 (in 16 days)
Date Submitted: 2013-02-07
Announcement ID: 201167
From “A” like Aquagirl to “Z” like Zatana. More than 200 female superheroes have been around for the last 70 years. It all started with Fletcher Hanks's minor character Fantomah in the 1940s Fiction House’s Jungle Comics #2 and from that moment on the seal was broken. Female superhero after superhero made their appearances on paper as well as on screen. These female superheroes were simultaneously shaping and mirroring society; with the rise of second wave feminism some of these female characters changed as well. Suddenly, they could be more self-assured and more forceful; Marvel Girl transformed from an average superhero to the very powerful Phoenix. Later on, the years 2010/2011 witnessed a huge transformation in the graphic novels realms. Marvel, DC, and other publishers reinvented their superhero franchises; new alliances and relationships were formed, former friends became enemies and lovers who had been an item for decades were suddenly reassigned to other love interests. This new development in the graphic novel universes desperately calls for a close investigation.
Times have changed since the first comics became a mass medium in the 1920s. And while fans' opinions differ greatly about the advantages and disadvantages of these reboots, it must be acknowledged that this will not only be a very exciting, but also eye-opening time for laymen and scholars alike. What kind of changes will their beloved characters have to endure? How will these new superheroes be presented? Are they still going to mimic society or are they trying to push society to the next level? How should these reinterpretations be assessed? What is gained and what is lost, not only for these superheroes, but also for popular culture?
While DC started its revamp in September 2011, Marvel started his in spring 2012. This volume would focus on the reinvention of the female superheroes, and therefore, it will be the first of its kind.
This publication aims to examine these heroines in literature, art, and other media to question issues concerning sexuality, gender, identity, social change and feminism. It will provide an interdisciplinary stage for the development of innovative and creative research and examine this vital and complex female protagonist in all her various manifestations and cultural meanings.
What to Send:
300 - 500 word abstracts (or complete articles, if available) and CVs should be submitted by June 1, 2013. If an abstract is accepted for the collection, a full draft of the essay (5000 – 8000 words) will be required by December 1, 2013.
Abstracts and final articles should be submitted to: Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net receipt of the abstracts will be send within one week. In case you do not receive an email, please resend your proposal.
Nadine Farghaly
Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net
Email: nadine.farghaly@gmx.net
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Batman Family Origins
Sazaklis, John. Batman: Dawn of the Dynamic Duo. Pictures by Steven E. Gordon. Colors by Eric A. Gordon. I Can Read! 2. New York: Harper-HarperCollins Children’s Books-HarperCollins, 2011. Print. 978-0-06-188520-4
A laudable combination of text and comic-book-like illustration, Batman: Dawn of the Dynamic Duo offers beginning readers an adventure featuring Batman, Robin III, and Nightwing in battle against Two-Face and his men. Serving (in part) as an introduction to Batman and his world, the book is noteworthy for its presentation of origin stories for Tim Drake (12-15) and Dick Grayson (16-17), as Robin and Nightwing, respectively, and its silent omission of Batman’s second partner Jason Todd. The story is therefore most in line with the continuity of the DC Animated Universe in making Drake and Grayson the only partners of the Dark Knight.
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