Published: June 14, 2018

Students, faculty and alumni from the College of Media, Communication and Information are headed to the ֱ Convention Center this weekend to take part in and its associated literary conference, . Members of the ֱ 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 “dueling club” 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”

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

  • Chair: Rick Stevens

  • Featuring:

    • “The Secret History of Horror Comics” by Dan Yezbick

    • “I’ve Seen Injustice in the World and I’ve Corrected It! How Hamilton and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are Creating a New American Monomyth” by Dustin Dunaway

    • “Alexander Hamilton: America’s First Superhero” by Christopher Bell

    • “Trumping Presidential Frames: President Trump’s Early Comic Book Appearances” by Rick Stevens

“I 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”

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.

  • Chair: Shannon Sindorf

  • Featuring:

    • “Kids on Bikes: The Nostalgic Staying Power of the 1980s with Stranger Things and IT” by Patricia Krmpotich

    • “Bringing the War Home: The Punisher’s Shades of Grey” by Shannon Sindorf

    • “All the World’s a Page: Trans-Medial Adaptation in Comics and Graphic Novels” by Natalie Sheppard

    • “An Elegy for Superman Part III: The Spectacle, Legitimation and Messianicity in Superman Returns” by Andrew Hallam

Saturday, June 16

“Dueling Club: Harry Potter Scholars Debate Canon, Controversies and Creators”

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.

  • Participants:

    • Tracey Bealer

    • Marley Williford

    • Christopher Bell

“Bridging the Expanse-Abaddon’s Gate”

  • 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

“We Can’t Have Nice Things: How Fandoms React When the Creator Turns Toxic”

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.

  • Participants

    • Dustin Dunaway

    • Shannon Sindorf

    • Patricia Krmpotich

    • Marley Williford

    • Christopher Bell

“Articulating the Action Figure: Toys and Action Figures Roundtable Discussion”

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 3 to 4:15 p.m.

  • Participants:

    • J. Richard Stevens

    • Christopher Bell

Sunday, June 17

“Reverberating Vibranium: The Impact of Race and Gender via Characters from Black Panther

  • Room 501 (Comics)

  • 11 to 11:50 a.m.

  • Participants:

    • Daniel Paiz

“I Can Always Escape: Mental Illness, Trauma and the Seemingly Inescapable”

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • Noon to 1:15 p.m.

  • Chair: Art Bamford

  • Featuring:

    • “The Gods Must Be Crazy: Mental Health and Religion in Moon Knight and Mister Miracle” by Art Bamford

    • “The Toxicity Meta[phor]: Harassment and Hostility Norms in the Overwatch Community” by Elyse Janish

    • “Mental Illness and its Representation in the Horror Genre” 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

“Learning To Splash: Getting Comics to Crossover into the Classroom”

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 3 to 4:15 p.m.

  • Chair: Hailey Barr

    • “In the Third Person: Adolescent Face, Media Imitation and a Practical Pedagogy of Performance Studies” by Emily Nagle

    • “Balancing the Force: Reading the Humanities’ Future Through Star Wars” by Randall Fullington

    • “Don’t Tease Hawkeye Because He Doesn’t Have Powers: Comics as Public Pedagogy and Their Efficacy to Address Bullying” by Colin Ackerman

“Transforming Toys: 1980s Toy Franchises and Modern Fan Cultures”

  • Room 607 (Sci-Fi / Fantasy)

  • 3 to 3:50 p.m.

  • Participants:

    • Christopher E. Bell

    • Rick Stevens

    • Peter Stevens

“Teaching through a Pop Culture Assemblage: The Necessary Complexity of Popular Culture in the Classroom”

  • Room 303 (Education)

  • 3:30 to 4:20 p.m.

  • Participants:

    • Colin Ackerman

“Looking Backward, Moving Forward: Finding Cultural Value in Rock Stars, Video Games, TV Series and Comics”

  • Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)

  • 4:30 to 5:45 p.m.

  • Chair: Lindsey M. Hanlon

  • Featuring:

    • “Beyond Positive Representation: The Imperial Logics of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Horizon Zero Dawn” by Rachel Lara van der Merwe

    • “The Afterlife of a Legend: Michael Jackson’s Legacy” by Angelica Kalika

    • “Thalaikoothal vs. Member Berries: Story-Telling Senicide in Contemporary Western Media” by Joseph Acosta

    • “‘The Noise and the TV’: Media Saturation in Transmetropolitan” by Lindsey M. Hanlon