[Commlist] CFP: The Superhero Project VIII - "The Technological Superhero"

*CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS*

*The Superhero Project: 8^th Global Meeting***

**

*“THE TECHNOLOGICAL SUPERHERO” *

**

Friday 13^th to Sunday 15^th September, 2024.

The View Hotel, Eastbourne, East Sussex, United Kingdom

________________________________________

//

/“Where does he get those wonderful toys…?” – Batman (1989)/

//

Technology has been a constant presence in the Superhero genre, starting 
from the very first panel of Superman’s debut in Action Comics #1 (1938) 
which depicted the space rocket transporting the infant Kal-El from the 
dying planet Krypton to Earth. The following year, Marvel Comics #1 
introduced The Human Torch - an android who could surround themselves by 
flames - initially a monstrosity of technological otherness, but quickly 
becoming a hero with a society-benefitting mission.

In the decades since, technology has suffused the genre, from the many 
science fictional oddities of the Silver Age (1956-70), to informing the 
origins of disparate characters such as The Flash, Iron Man, Ant-Man, 
Cyborg, Blue Beetle, Vision and Black Panther. More recently, technology 
has been utilised as a means of infusing the genre with a degree of 
realism and aligning the superhero with our contemporary world of rapid 
technological progress.

Technology in the superhero genre is largely presented as a form of 
augmentation and the non-superpowered Batman – marking his 85^th 
anniversary this year – is a character very much defined by this, not 
least by his signature and iconic utilisation of the Batmobile. Batman’s 
iconic costume was mainly defined as a means of promulgating fear in his 
criminal prey – with the utility belt containing gadgetry - it is now an 
intensely technological construct of multi-faceted purpose (/Batman 
Begins, Arkham Asylum/) that provides his power as a superhero.

Within superhero cinema, the representation of technology is a way of 
aligning the characters with contemporary screen action heroes (the 
gadget-infused James Bond) and our modern culture. The flagstone of 
Marvel Cinematic Universe is an explicitly technological superhero – 
Iron Man – and characters like Spider-Man are less defined by their 
physical powers, than the technological capabilities of their costume, 
from the familiar and plausible (drones, augmented reality) to the 
comparative “magic” of nanotechnology.

Outside the narrative worlds, Technology has a fundamental role to play 
in the production of superhero spectacle. The tagline of Richard 
Donner’s seminal 1978 film /Superman: The Movie /– “You’ll Believe A Man 
Can Fly” – was a bold proclamation of then bleeding-edge practical 
special effects technology that finally enabled cinema to be equal to 
Superman’s grand spectacle. Since the renaissance of superhero cinema 
with 2000’s /X-Men/, the growth of digital-based visual effects has been 
a driving factor in the achievement of most, if not all, screen 
superhero spectacle, realising what was mostly impossible previously.

For its eighth edition, /The Superhero Project/ invites exploration and 
discussion of the potent intersection between the superhero and 
technology. Indicative themes for discussion in the context of superhero 
discourse may include but are not limited to:

  * Technology as Spectacle
  * Technology as Power
  * Technology and Costume
  * Technology and Origin Stories
  * Technology and Supervillainy
  * Transhumanism
  * Technology as Otherness
  * Reflection of Contemporary Technologies
  * Technology as Magic
  * Technological Utopianism
  * Representations of AI
  * Technology and World-Building
  * Superhero Gadgetry
  * Superhero vehicles

*WHAT TO SEND*:

300 word abstracts should be submitted by *Monday 11^th March, 2024* to 
the following e-mail addresses: 
(d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk)<mailto:(d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk)>and 
(torsten.caeners /at/ uni-due.de)<mailto:(torsten.caeners /at/ uni-due.de)>.

E-mails should be entitled: *_SUPER VIII Abstract Submission_*.

Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs; 
abstracts should be in MS Word formats with the following information 
and in this order: a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to 
appear in programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of 
proposal, f) up to 10 keywords.

Accepted proposals will be notified by *Monday March 25th, 2024*.

We acknowledge receipt and answer to all proposals submitted. If you do 
not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not 
receive your proposal, If this is the case, please do resend to both 
e-mail addresses. If you have any questions, the Organising Chairs will 
be only too happy to assist.

*Organising Chairs*:

Danny Graydon (University of Hertfordshire): 
(d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk)<mailto:(d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk)>

Dr Torsten Caeners (University of Duisburg-Essen): 
(torsten.caeners /at/ uni-due.de)<mailto:(torsten.caeners /at/ uni-due.de)>

*Danny Graydon*, FHEA

Senior Lecturer, Screen (Digital Animation) | CCS / Context Lead, BA 
(Hons) Animation

Programme Leader, MA Character & Creature Animation (UH Online / Skilled 
Education)

Collaborative Partnership Leader, Escola Britanica des Artes Criativas 
(EBAC), Sao Paulo, Brazil

School of Creative Arts | University of Hertfordshire | College Lane | 
Hatfield | AL10 9AB

Office: AB170 | Tel: +44 (0)1707 284 000 | Email: (d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(d.graydon /at/ herts.ac.uk)>__| Internal Ext: 5336

*THE SUPERHERO PROJECT VIII*: September 13-15 2024, Eastbourne, United 
Kingdom

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