[ecrea] CFP: International Screen Superheroes Collection

Not Just The American Way:

Screen Superheroes in National, International and Transnational Contexts


The figure of the superhero is primarily seen as an American one, 
dominated by Marvel and DC comics and their adaptations across multiple 
media. These superhero franchises operate across media networks within 
many of the world’s global markets, influencing local representations of 
heroism and being altered to meet local expectations of the superhero in 
turn. American culture and, indeed, American superheroes play 
significant roles in these phenomena and historically have often led the 
way in debates around the representations around superheroes in culture. 
However, super-powered and costumed heroes are not just American in 
origin; they appear in screen media across many cultures, whether as the 
anti-social teenagers of Britain’s Misfits, India’s alien-empowered 
Krrish or Japan’s Ultraman. This collection examines super-heroes and 
heroines as they travel around the world, exploring the figure of the 
superhero beyond the North American context. As such, we are interested 
in the local, international and transnational manifestations of 
superheroes, as well as in their reach beyond their originating 
contexts. Furthermore, we are seeking papers on the importance of the 
 superhero to global media markets.

Potential subjects include, but are not limited to:

Local and national superheroes outside the United States
US superheroes in global markets
Co-produced superheroes
Transmedia franchising and the superhero
Superheroes on TV
Iconography and aesthetics
The reception of the superhero
Gender, sexuality and ideology and the superhero
Marketing the superhero internationally
Geographically dislocated superheroes
Cultural specificity of the superhero
Special effects and the superhero in film and/or television
Superhero adaptations
Industrial and narrative origins
The geography of superheroes
International cultural flows and exchanges in superhero phenomena

Abstracts of no more than 250 words should be sent no later than 31st 
July 2011 to: (superheroesonscreen /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(superheroesonscreen /at/ gmail.com)>

Please see the blog for this project at 
http://superheroesonscreen.blogspot.com/

The collection will be edited by Rayna Denison, Derek Johnston and 
Rachel Mizsei-Ward.