It Happens at Comic-Con

Ben Bolling is a Jacob K. Javits Fellow in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Matthew J. Smith is professor and director of the School of Communication at Radford University, where he teaches courses in media studies, including graphic storytelling. He lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.

• Table of ContentsForeword: Visiting Comic-Con, Revisiting Comic Book Culture (Matthew Pustz) 1Introduction: The Pilgrimage to Comic-Con (Matthew J. Smith) 9Part I: Identity and Play at Comic-Con Actualized Fantasy at Comic-Con and the Confessions of a “Sad Cosplayer” (Kane Anderson) 15“Love to Mess with Minds”: En(gendering) Identities Through Crossplay (Catherine Thomas) 29Part II: Gendered FandomQueer Conversations: LGBTIQ Consumer/Producer Interface at Comic-Con and the Intransitive Writing of Comics (Ben Bolling) 40Soaring to New (?) Heights: Cute, Tough, Geek Girls and Post-Feminist Discourse (Lisa H. Kaplan) 52You Don’t Own Me: The Representation of Twilight Fandom (Melissa Miller) 63Part III: Negotiating Fandom Through Communicative Practice“What Can You Tell Me About [Blank]?” Exploring the Social Rules of Fan Talk (Brian Swafford) 76Facing Front True Believers: Panels as Exercises in Image Management (Jon Judy and Brad Palmer) 88“You are not a true geek, I am”: The Role of Communicative Aggression in Geek Culture (Chad Wertley) 102Part IV: Technology and Participation “Ask me about my zombie plan”: Fan Dissection and Female Participation in RedvsBlue (Cameron Catalfu) 116Where Are the Web Shows? (Tanya D. Zuk) 128Part V: AttendingWhat Are We Waiting For? A Look at Line Culture (Regina C. Gasser) 142Tense Proximities Between CCI’s Comic Book Consumers, Fans and Creators (Christian Sager) 153The Volunteer Experience: Meaning, Motivation and Role Conflict in a Temporary Organization (Michael J. Tornes) 169Afterword (Randy Duncan and Peter M. Coogan) 183References 187About the Contributors 195Index 199

“engrossing.... Comics fans will find this a fine, if not scholarly, assessment of the culture involved”—Midwest Book Review.