Jennifer Robertson
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520211506
- eISBN:
- 9780520920125
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520211506.003.0006
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Asian Cultural Anthropology
This chapter explores the text-making activities of fans in the form of fan magazines and fan letters, and the imaginary but contingent worlds they conjure up, looking at the supposedly unorthodox ...
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This chapter explores the text-making activities of fans in the form of fan magazines and fan letters, and the imaginary but contingent worlds they conjure up, looking at the supposedly unorthodox script in which fan letters are written, a script labeled “abnormal shōjo script” by detractors. It also discusses the homoerotic aesthetic linking the Takarazuka actors and the New Half phenomenon in Japan, speculating about androgyny as a body politics that serves to interrogate the naturalized dualities of male and female, masculine and feminine, and Japanese and others.Less
This chapter explores the text-making activities of fans in the form of fan magazines and fan letters, and the imaginary but contingent worlds they conjure up, looking at the supposedly unorthodox script in which fan letters are written, a script labeled “abnormal shōjo script” by detractors. It also discusses the homoerotic aesthetic linking the Takarazuka actors and the New Half phenomenon in Japan, speculating about androgyny as a body politics that serves to interrogate the naturalized dualities of male and female, masculine and feminine, and Japanese and others.
André M. Carrington
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780816678952
- eISBN:
- 9781452954370
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816678952.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Argues that the black-owned comics publisher Milestone Media strategically incorporated consumer engagement into its efforts to attain crossover success as well as its framing of black sexuality in ...
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Argues that the black-owned comics publisher Milestone Media strategically incorporated consumer engagement into its efforts to attain crossover success as well as its framing of black sexuality in its flagship title, Icon. Invokes postmodern black literary and cultural criticism regarding literacy, social marginality, public policy, and sexual politics, and devotes considerable attention to fan letters as well as visual elements of comic books.Less
Argues that the black-owned comics publisher Milestone Media strategically incorporated consumer engagement into its efforts to attain crossover success as well as its framing of black sexuality in its flagship title, Icon. Invokes postmodern black literary and cultural criticism regarding literacy, social marginality, public policy, and sexual politics, and devotes considerable attention to fan letters as well as visual elements of comic books.
Will Brooker
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781617038068
- eISBN:
- 9781621039549
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781617038068.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, Comics Studies
This chapter presents a case study of the origins and development of superhero fan discourse in the letter pages of comics. It shows that the letter columns that DC Comics introduced in the early ...
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This chapter presents a case study of the origins and development of superhero fan discourse in the letter pages of comics. It shows that the letter columns that DC Comics introduced in the early 1960s were designed to be sites of fan-building activity. While early columns focused on relatively narrow questions of authorial identity and the development of connoisseurial expertise in recognizing the hidden hand of uncredited writers and artists, later fan letters were devoted to complex critical explications. Perhaps fittingly, the secret origins of superhero scholarship are to be found in these letter pages.Less
This chapter presents a case study of the origins and development of superhero fan discourse in the letter pages of comics. It shows that the letter columns that DC Comics introduced in the early 1960s were designed to be sites of fan-building activity. While early columns focused on relatively narrow questions of authorial identity and the development of connoisseurial expertise in recognizing the hidden hand of uncredited writers and artists, later fan letters were devoted to complex critical explications. Perhaps fittingly, the secret origins of superhero scholarship are to be found in these letter pages.
Blake Scott Ball
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780190090463
- eISBN:
- 9780190090494
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190090463.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century, Cultural History
Many critics have assumed that Peanuts was popular in Cold War America because it was apolitical and inoffensive, yet the opposite is actually true. This introduction reviews how Charles Schulz’s ...
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Many critics have assumed that Peanuts was popular in Cold War America because it was apolitical and inoffensive, yet the opposite is actually true. This introduction reviews how Charles Schulz’s comic strip regularly engaged in political and social commentary. Even more, thousands of fans wrote regular letters to discuss, critique, and debate the messages they read in Peanuts each day. For nearly fifty years, Peanuts was an important part of popular discourse around political and social events. Schulz’s unique wishy-washy style allowed fans from across the American political spectrum to see their values, concerns, and hopes reflected in this enduring comic strip.Less
Many critics have assumed that Peanuts was popular in Cold War America because it was apolitical and inoffensive, yet the opposite is actually true. This introduction reviews how Charles Schulz’s comic strip regularly engaged in political and social commentary. Even more, thousands of fans wrote regular letters to discuss, critique, and debate the messages they read in Peanuts each day. For nearly fifty years, Peanuts was an important part of popular discourse around political and social events. Schulz’s unique wishy-washy style allowed fans from across the American political spectrum to see their values, concerns, and hopes reflected in this enduring comic strip.
