CFP Futures of Cartoons Past: The Cultural Politics of X-Men: The Animated Series (Edited Collection) (6/30/2020)

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — Futures of Cartoons Past: The Cultural Politics of X-Men: The Animated Series (Edited Collection)


deadline for submissions:
June 30, 2020

full name / name of organization:
Nicholas E. Miller

contact email:
nemiller@valdosta.edu


FUTURES OF CARTOONS PAST: THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF X-MEN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Edited by Jeremy M. Carnes, Margaret Galvan, and Nicholas E. Miller.

Collection under Advance Contract with the University Press of Mississippi.

This volume will collect new scholarship on X-Men: The Animated Series (1992-1997), providing scholars and fans with an overdue assessment of the series from perspectives in comics studies, fan studies, and media studies. While the 90s have often been viewed as a “regressive” era for comics by creators and scholars alike (e.g. Trina Robbins), this collection carefully examines the complicated cultural politics of X-Men: The Animated Series across disciplines such as animation studies, childhood studies, comics studies, culture studies, fashion studies, gender and sexuality studies, media studies, and visual art. This collection will not only serve as a foundation for future scholarship on the animated series, but also on the transmedial landscapes of X-Men narratives specifically and “Saturday cartoons” more broadly. In addition to scholarly essays, we invite the contribution of original comics, zines, or transcripts of relevant interviews and podcasts.

Contributors may choose to consider (but are certainly not limited to) the following topics and issues in relation to X-Men: The Animated Series:

• Historical considerations of the series—including nostalgia and the legacy of 1990s comics culture
• Transmedia and adaptation—including considerations of technologies such as coloring and animation
• Artistic considerations related to costuming, design, fashion, merchandising and the music in/of the series
• Representation and mutant metaphors—including issues of race, ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, sexuality, disability, class, etc.
• Youth culture, girlhood studies and other considerations related to audience engagement
• Reception studies, fan studies, and the importance of fan fiction, fan art, and other types of paratexts
• Post- futures and the potential failures of the series—including the postcolonial, the posthuman, etc.

Please submit CVs and 300-word abstracts to Nicholas E. Miller at nemiller@valdosta.edu. Final essays will be limited to 6000 words. Questions and inquiries before the deadline are welcome.

ABSTRACTS DUE:
JUNE 30, 2020

NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE:
JULY 30, 2020

COMPLETED ESSAYS DUE:
DECEMBER 15, 2020


Last updated October 8, 2019

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.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Home Video News

The recent film X-Men: Days of Future Past comes to home video this October (10/14/14) with Blu-Ray/Digital HD combo packs (with optional 3D disc), a DVD only version, and Digital Video only versions.




Full details on the Blu-Ray extras has been posted on the Blu-Ray.com site (http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=14558) and includes the following:

Special Features:
Disc 1: Theatrical Feature (Blu-ray 3D)
Disc 2:Theatrical Feature (Blu-ray 2D)
Deleted Scenes [with Optional Audio Commentary by Bryan Singer]
Kitchen Sequence
Gag Reel
Double Take: Xavier & Magneto
X-Men: Reunited
Classification: M
Sentinels: For a Secure Future
Gallery: Trask Industries
Theatrical Trailers
Second Screen App
Digital HD

There are also rumors of an extended edition to be release in 2015.

CFP X-Men Films: A Cultural Analysis (9/27/14)

Call For Chapters: The X-Men Films: A Cultural Analysis
Call for Chapter Proposals on the X-Men Films

We would like to invite submissions of chapter proposals for an edited book on the X-Men film franchise. The volume, to be published by Rowman & Littlefield, is titled “The X-Men Films: A Cultural Analysis” and seeks to present scholarly research on the movies, their audiences, and their place within the entertainment industry. The overarching framework is cultural studies and media studies, yet the approach is interdisciplinary, so we welcome submissions that involve related disciplines.

The book focuses specifically on the X-Men movies (not the comics) as popular culture products of international relevance. While the films are rooted in the original Marvel series, they depart from it in various ways, constituting their own conceptual universe. Therefore, chapter proposals may consider the X-Men’s transformation from comics to movies, but should not deal primarily with the comic books.

Proposals may focus on any of the X-Men’s movie characters, on themes that run across several films, or on particular installments of the series—including the original trilogy that started in the year 2000, the recent prequels, and the ‘Wolverine’ offshoots. Since the franchise continues to expand (two more movies are already slated for release in upcoming years) we are looking for research that is relevant and timely. In particular, proposals may address textual aspects of the X-Men films, consider them in relationship to social
and political issues, compare them to other superhero movie series, or provide an understanding of their audiences. Proposals that deal with topics of importance for international/intercultural communication are
encouraged.

The following is a preliminary list of topics of interest:

• Social issues reflected in the X-Men films
• Political subtexts found in the X-Men films
• Individual characters’ analysis (Wolverine, Prof X, Magneto, Mystique…)
• Representations of gender, race, class, age, and sexual orientation
• Issues of diversity, disability, inclusiveness, and marginalization
• Issues of otherness, identity, trauma, and belonging
• Portrayals of violence and war in the X-Men films
• Historical references (e.g. the Holocaust, the Vietnam War)
• Representations of power, politics, and the government
• Moral dilemmas, personal choices, and issues of social responsibility
• Portrayals of science, technology and change
• The X-Men’s transformation from comics to movies
• Industry aspects of the film franchise
• The X-Men in relationship to other Marvel superhero films (e.g. Avengers)
• Marvel’s X-Men versus DC-based series (e.g. Batman, Justice League)
• Original research on audiences and fans
• International/intercultural perspectives on the X-Men
• Beyond the X-Men: related themes in popular culture

Please send a 600-word abstract of your proposed chapter to bucciferro@gonzaga.edu, along with a short bio and contact information. The deadline for proposals is September 27, 2014.

The chapter selection will seek to represent a variety of analytical perspectives, disciplinary frameworks, and thematic clusters. The full chapters will be 5,500 – 6,000 words long and the manuscripts will be due in January 2015, with further revisions due in May 2015.

If you have questions, please contact Claudia Bucciferro, assistant professor of communication studies at Gonzaga University, at bucciferro@gonzaga.edu or (509) 313-3635.

CFP Josh Whedon's Comics Collection (8/31/14)

CfP: Joss Whedon’s Comics
Posted on July 6, 2014

With dozens of nonfiction books on Joss Whedon’s works from Buffy toAvengers, one critical area has been ignored: Whedon’s comics. In fact, he’s written several series for Marvel and DC, along with independents and the many issues of Angel, Buffy, and Serenity comics for IDW and Dark Horse. While a few isolated essays have tackled Buffy season eight or Whedon’s X-Men run, there is no anthology devoted to only Whedon comics. Now that’s about to change.

Essays on any aspect of Whedon’s comics (as described below) are welcome. The completed essays should be 4000-5000 words. Essays must adhere to MLA format and be friendly and approachable, yet academic in scope and content. New papers or presented conference papers rather than reprints are appreciated. This collection is not yet under contract, but I have several interested publishers who are awaiting a list of essays to be included. McFarland, who publishes most of the Buffy criticism collections, will likely be on board.

Proposal Guidelines: Please send a 350-500 word summary of your proposed essay pasted into your email, along with a short professional bio or cover letter.

Direct inquiries and proposals can be sent to Valerie Estelle Frankel, pop culture author and professor, at valerie at calithwain.com with a subject of WHEDON SUBMISSION.

Abstracts are due Aug 31, Complete papers Nov 30, 2014.

Essays on both canon and “less official” Whedon comics are welcome, as are comparisons between Whedon comics and other comics or other Whedon works. Discussion of comic conventions from canon to art to gender issues are also appreciated.  Other areas, like comparing Whedon’s Avengers movie, Agents of SHIELD, Doctor Horrible, or other shows to comics are also possible. On the shows, Buffy is compared to Spider-Man, Superman and Power Girl, Angel is compared to Batman so much Boreanaz was offered the role, Dark Willow parallels Dark Phoenix, Cordy and Fred are called Wonder Woman, and Xander and Giles are compared to Jimmy Olsen and Alfred…there’s paper material there, too. This anthology welcomes established Whedon scholars as well as enthusiastic new writers.

Which comics are Whedon’s? Canon comics include the following Whedon products (as Whedon wrote or supervised them).

BUFFYVERSE

• Fray
• Tales of the Slayers
• Tales of the Vampires
• Buffy: The Origin (reprinted in Buffy Omnibus 1)
• Angel: Long Night’s Journey (#1-4) (reprinted in Angel: Omnibus 1)
• “Always Darkest” (reprinted in Myspace Dark Horse Presents #4 or available online)
• Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight (Whedon wrote #1-5, 10, 11, 16-19)
• Angel: After the Fall, Angel: The End, and spin-offs
• Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Nine (Whedon wrote #1-2)
• Angel & Faith
• Buffy Season Ten and Angel & Faith Vol. 2  2014-

See http://valeriefrankel.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/a-guide-to-the-buffy-and-angel-comics/ for a more elaborate Buffyverse comics guide and reading order.

X-MEN

• Astonishing X-Men vol. 3: (#1-24) & Giant Size Astonishing X-Men #1 (reprinted as the collections Astonishing X-Men: Gifted, Dangerous, Torn, Unstoppable)
• “Teamwork” (in Giant Size X-Men #3, available online)

SERENITY

• Serenity: Those Left Behind
• Serenity: Better Days
• Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale
• “Serenity: Firefly Class 03-K64 – It’s Never Easy” (available online) by Zack Whedon
• Serenity: Leaves on the Wind by Zack Whedon

DOCTOR HORRIBLE

• Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories by Zack Whedon

OTHER

• “Some Steves” (in Stan Lee Meets The Amazing Spider-Man #1)
• Runaways vol. 2 (#25-30) (reprinted as Dead End Kids)
• Superman/Batman #26 (p. 20-21)
• Sugarshock 1-3 (reprinted in Myspace Dark Horse Presents #1)

Please contact Valerie Estelle Frankel at valerie @ calithwain.com with any questions.

Comics Scholarship in JPC for December 2012

Catching up:

The Journal of Popular Culture

Vol. 45.6, December 2012

“Failure to Launch: Not-So-Superheroes in Gravity’s Rainbow and Superfolks” by Megan Condis

“The Accidental Supermom: Superheroines and Maternal Performativity, 1963-1980” by Laura Mattoon D’Amore

“The Female Link: Citation and Continuity in Watchmen” by Erin M. Keating

BOOK REVIEWS
Hatfield, Charles. Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 2012. Reviewed by Matthew Costello.

Alphas RIP

TV.com has brief report noting that Syfy has cancelled the sophomore series Alphas. Details at http://www.tv.com/news/syfy-cancels-alphas-30424/.

Alphas Season 2

The X-Men-like Alphas returns July 23rd to Syfy:

Ages of The X-Men Collection CFP (6/1/12)

The Ages of The X-Men
Call for Papers Date: 2012-06-01
Date Submitted: 2012-04-04
Announcement ID: 193758

Please circulate and post widely

The editor of The Ages of The X-Men is seeking abstracts for essays which could be included in the upcoming collection to be published by McFarland & Co. This collection will be a companion volume to The Ages of Superman, which was recently published, and the upcoming collection The Ages of Wonder Woman. The essays should examine the relationships between X-Men comic books, or any of the spin-off titles in the X-Men family of comic books, and the period of American history when those comics were published. Analysis may demonstrate how the stories found in X-Men comic books (and the creators who produced the comics) embrace, reflect, or critique aspects of their contemporary culture.

Essays should focus on stories from the X-Men’s comic book adventures, not media adaptations of the character. 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 X-Men comics from the Claremont/Byrne relaunch and contextualized them with what was happening in American society would be more likely to be accepted than an essay that contrasted Lee/Kirby X-Men comic books with the Whedon/Cassaday Astonishing X-Men comic books . The completed essays should be approximately 15 double-spaced pages.

Some possible topics for essays include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Cuban Missile Crisis, Nuclear Power, and The X-Men #1; The X-Men, The Feminist Movement, and Team Gender Dynamics; The Civil Rights Movement and the Mutant Metaphor; The Sentinel Trilogy and Government Oppression; The All-New, All-Different X-Men: (Partially) Diversifying the Franchise; The Proteus Saga and the Threat of Power in the Cold War; From Marvel Girl to Phoenix to Intergalactic Threat: The Progression and Regression of a Female Superhero; The Dark Phoenix Saga: The Corrupting Influence of Power After the Nixon Era; Days of the Future Past: Fearing the Future in the Vietnam Era; Dazzler and the Disco Era; The X-Tinction Agenda: Genosha as an Allegory for Apartheid; Marvel’s Legacy Virus and the AIDS Epidemic; Generation X and the Rising Generation of Mutants; All the Latino/a Mutants Have Criminal Backgrounds: 1990’s Cultural Stereotypes in Mainstream Comic Books; Grant Morrison’s New X-Men: The Mainstream Embracing Subcultures; 9/11 and Muslim Mutants; The Astonishing X-Men: Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s Progressive Gender Portrayal; The House of M: Committing Genocide to Strengthen a Minority Metaphor?; X-Men: Schism and the Education Debate in America.

Any other topics will be considered for publication.

Abstracts (100-500 words) and CVs should be submitted by June 1, 2012
Please submit via email to Joseph Darowski, darowskij@byui.edu




Joseph J. Darowski
Brigham Young University Idaho
525 S. Center
Rigby Hall 122
Rexburg, ID 83460
Email: darowskij@byui.edu