Published: June 14, 2018

Students, faculty and alumni from the College of Media, Communication and Information are headed to the Colorado Convention Center this weekend to take part in and its associated literary conference, . Members of the CU Boulder CMCI community have participated in the three-day pop culture fan convention since 2012. This year, CMCI participants will hold a roundtable discussion on action figures, a presentation on race and gender in the film Black Panther, a 鈥渄ueling club鈥� debate on the Harry Potter franchise and more.

Denver Comic Con 2018Denver Comic Con CMCI participant schedule

Friday, June 15

"The Room Where it Happens: History and Politics in American Pop Culture鈥�

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

  • Chair: Rick Stevens

  • Featuring:

    • 鈥淭he Secret History of Horror Comics鈥� by Dan Yezbick

    • 鈥淚鈥檝e Seen Injustice in the World and I鈥檝e Corrected It! How Hamilton and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are Creating a New American Monomyth鈥� by Dustin Dunaway

    • 鈥淎lexander Hamilton: America鈥檚 First Superhero鈥� by Christopher Bell

    • 鈥淭rumping Presidential Frames: President Trump鈥檚 Early Comic Book Appearances鈥� by Rick Stevens

鈥淚 Am The Vengeance! I Am The Night! I Am [A Comic Book, A Movie, A TV Series and Seven Different Action Figures]! Adaptation and Pop Culture Texts鈥�

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.

  • Chair: Shannon Sindorf

  • Featuring:

    • 鈥淜ids on Bikes: The Nostalgic Staying Power of the 1980s with Stranger Things and IT鈥� by Patricia Krmpotich

    • 鈥淏ringing the War Home: The Punisher鈥檚 Shades of Grey鈥� by Shannon Sindorf

    • 鈥淎ll the World鈥檚 a Page: Trans-Medial Adaptation in Comics and Graphic Novels鈥� by Natalie Sheppard

    • 鈥淎n Elegy for Superman Part III: The Spectacle, Legitimation and Messianicity in Superman Returns鈥� by Andrew Hallam

听

Saturday, June 16

鈥淒ueling Club: Harry Potter Scholars Debate Canon, Controversies and Creators鈥�

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

  • Participants:

    • Tracey Bealer

    • Marley Williford

    • Christopher Bell

鈥淏ridging the Expanse-Abaddon鈥檚 Gate鈥�

  • Room 605 (Sci-Fi / Fantasy)

  • 10:30 to 11:20 a.m.

  • Participants:

    • Andrea Bruder

    • Christiaan Martin

    • Michael Pea

    • Darius Rydahl

    • Rachel Lara van der Merwe

鈥淲e Can鈥檛 Have Nice Things: How Fandoms React When the Creator Turns Toxic鈥�

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.

  • Participants

    • Dustin Dunaway

    • Shannon Sindorf

    • Patricia Krmpotich

    • Marley Williford

    • Christopher Bell

鈥淎rticulating the Action Figure: Toys and Action Figures Roundtable Discussion鈥�

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 3 to 4:15 p.m.

  • Participants:

    • J. Richard Stevens

    • Christopher Bell

听

Sunday, June 17

鈥淩everberating Vibranium: The Impact of Race and Gender via Characters from Black Panther鈥�

  • Room 501 (Comics)

  • 11 to 11:50 a.m.

  • Participants:

    • Daniel Paiz

鈥淚 Can Always Escape: Mental Illness, Trauma and the Seemingly Inescapable鈥�

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • Noon to 1:15 p.m.

  • Chair: Art Bamford

  • Featuring:

    • 鈥淭he Gods Must Be Crazy: Mental Health and Religion in Moon Knight and Mister Miracle鈥� by Art Bamford

    • 鈥淭he Toxicity Meta[phor]: Harassment and Hostility Norms in the Overwatch Community鈥� by Elyse Janish

    • 鈥淢ental Illness and its Representation in the Horror Genre鈥� by Kate Lauer

"Playing with Gender: Kids and Scholars Talk Back to Today's Action Figures"

  • Room 304 (Education)

  • 1 to 1:50 p.m.

  • Participants:

    • Arya Gangadharbatla

    • Harsha Gangadharbatla

    • Shannon Sindorf

    • Peter Stevens

    • Rick Stevens

    • Piper Thurston

鈥淟earning To Splash: Getting Comics to Crossover into the Classroom鈥�

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 3 to 4:15 p.m.

  • Chair: Hailey Barr

    • 鈥淚n the Third Person: Adolescent Face, Media Imitation and a Practical Pedagogy of Performance Studies鈥� by Emily Nagle

    • 鈥淏alancing the Force: Reading the Humanities鈥� Future Through Star Wars鈥� by Randall Fullington

    • 鈥淒on鈥檛 Tease Hawkeye Because He Doesn鈥檛 Have Powers: Comics as Public Pedagogy and Their Efficacy to Address Bullying鈥� by Colin Ackerman

鈥淭ransforming Toys: 1980s Toy Franchises and Modern Fan Cultures鈥�

  • Room 607 (Sci-Fi / Fantasy)

  • 3 to 3:50 p.m.

  • Participants:

    • Christopher E. Bell

    • Rick Stevens

    • Peter Stevens

鈥淭eaching through a Pop Culture Assemblage: The Necessary Complexity of Popular Culture in the Classroom鈥�

  • Room 303 (Education)

  • 3:30 to 4:20 p.m.

  • Participants:

    • Colin Ackerman

鈥淟ooking Backward, Moving Forward: Finding Cultural Value in Rock Stars, Video Games, TV Series and Comics鈥�

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 4:30 to 5:45 p.m.

  • Chair: Lindsey M. Hanlon

  • Featuring:

    • 鈥淏eyond Positive Representation: The Imperial Logics of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Horizon Zero Dawn鈥� by Rachel Lara van der Merwe 听

    • 鈥淭he Afterlife of a Legend: Michael Jackson鈥檚 Legacy鈥� by Angelica Kalika

    • 鈥淭halaikoothal vs. Member Berries: Story-Telling Senicide in Contemporary Western Media鈥� by Joseph Acosta

    • 鈥溾�楾he Noise and the TV鈥�: Media Saturation in Transmetropolitan鈥� by Lindsey M. Hanlon

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