Transformative Works and Cultures - TWC (Organization for Transformative Works)
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852 research outputs found
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The butcher, the baker, the lightsaber maker
No full textLightsaber artisanship is an entrepreneurial fandom that has thus far avoided encountering legal trouble because of their deferential attitude toward the IP holder
Veronica Mars Kickstarter and crowd funding
No full textThis conversation among Bertha Chin, Bethan Jones, Myles McNutt, and Luke Pebler about the Veronica Mars (2004–7) Kickstarter campaign to fund a film assesses the implications of crowd sourcing and fan labor
Rotten use patterns: What entertainment theories can do for the study of boys' love
No full textFocusing on the often neglected individual modes of consumption and ascriptions of meaning, I propose a theoretical and conceptual framework for the analysis of the diversity of the use and appropriation of the boys' love (BL) genre. Within the framework of theories of media gratification, I bring together key elements of BL fandom, such as playing with masculinities, and central concepts of entertainment research. To assess these concepts' appropriateness and to do justice to the transnational phenomenon that BL has become, I also consider qualitative interviews conducted in Japan and Germany. The gratifications sought and gained by BL fans (fujoshi and fudanshi, rotten girls and boys) vary, including the physiological (arousal), the social (exchange, belonging), the cognitive (parasocial interaction), and the aesthetic (immersion). My empirical findings highlight the diversity of BL use, while my conceptual framework additionally works as a reference for a comparison of these use patterns and other media preferences as well as global trends of media consumption. (ORCID: 0000-0002-8585-9177
Earth 616, Earth 1610, Earth—Wait, what universe is this again? The creation and evolution of the Avengers and Captain America/Iron Man fandom
No full textThis essay surveys the creation and evolution of the Captain America/Iron Man or Steve/Tony ship in Avengers fandom, from its origin in comics to its reinterpretation by fandom through the recent movies, and discusses how the alternate universe trope in both canon and fanon is used to make a case for the pairing
/Co/operation and /co/mmunity in /co/mics: 4chan's Hypercrisis
No full textThe Hypercrisis—an online attempt by fans of DC Comics to create an overarching story across the entirety of the history of the comic company's line—provides insight into online comic book fandom. Comic fans on 4chan (http://4chan.org) began noticing connections between this overarching story and the canon of comics writer Grant Morrison's work. However, the Hypercrisis is entirely fan made; it is not a part of DC Comics's continuity and not necessarily a part of the possible published futures of the comics; nor is it officially part of Morrison's work. However, the fans continue to create and discuss the developing Hypercrisis, providing deep analysis and intricate images. Part of what makes this process interesting is that it is developed and maintained entirely by an anonymous Internet group. Further, it focuses on the work of one particular creator, Grant Morrison. Because of the brief display time, no one on 4chan knows or is able to maintain any consistent relationship to any other user. Yet the Hypercrisis has remained a prominent and powerful part of this particular Web culture. The group has maintained this theoretical event, exhibiting remarkable consistency and a nuanced understanding of the texts. The group's analyses explore important aspects relating to Morrison's work and to DC Comics
Who is afraid of a black Spider(-Man)?
No full textAn Internet post asking about Spider-Man's race in a film turned into an Internet campaign about an actor that led fans to interact with each other as well as with the actor, which in turn led to the attention of media producers, which resulted in a change in Spider-Man's race in a print comic book
A Japanese media pilgrimage to a Tasmanian bakery
No full textA small bakery in regional Tasmania, Australia, has been reimagined as a pop culture destination by Japanese tourists who claim it is the inspiration for a key location in the anime Kiki's Delivery Service. To understand how and why Japanese tourists have located this bakery in the imaginary world of Kiki, two processes are explored: the media pilgrimage, where fans bridge their ordinary reality and enter the special media world, and the media scaffold, where Kiki becomes a way to interpret the world around them
Toward a feminist superhero: An interview with Will Brooker, Sarah Zaidan, and Suze Shore
No full textIn this interview with the writer and artists of the noncommercial collaborative project, "My So-Called Secret Identity," interviewees answer questions on the origins of the project and their own creative processes as they attempt to "build a better Batgirl.
"Comic books and American cultural history," edited by Matthew Pustz
No full textReview of Matthew Pustz, ed. Comic books and American cultural history: An anthology. London: Continuum, 2012. Hardcover, 29.95, ISBN 978-1441172624
"Spreadable media: Creating value and meaning in a networked culture," by Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green
No full textReview of Henry Jenkins, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green. Spreadable media: Creating value and meaning in a networked culture. New York: NYU Press, 2013, $29.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0814743508