Fan Phenomena

When “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was released in 1975, it initially received an indifferent reception in movie theatres, but it began to gain notoriety after it was embraced by audiences at midnight screenings in New York City and elsewhere. The movie tells of the misadventures of Brad and Janet, newly engaged, whose car breaks down in a rainstorm, forcing them to seek refuge in the castle of the bizarre and flamboyant Dr. Frank-N-Furter. An homage to campy B-movies, sci-fi, and horror films, the movie was-and still is-more than the sum of its parts. Participatory and party-like, midnight showings attract moviegoers who dress as film characters, sing along with the catchy show tunes and interact with the action on screen. In the four decades since its release, it has become a cultural phenomenon, not to mention one of the most commercially successful films of all time. In “Fan Phenomena: The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, Marisa C. Hayes brings together a diverse group of writers who explore the film's influence on the development of the pastiche tribute film, emerging queer activism of the 1970s, glam rock style and the creative use of audience dialogue in recreating and interacting with the spoken and sung language of the film. Spotlighting a cult phenomenon and its fans, many of whom count the number of times they've seen the movie in the hundreds, this contribution to the Fan Phenomena series covers never-before-explored topics related to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. For anyone who has ever done the 'Time Warp', this will be essential reading.

Few could have predicted the enduring fascination with the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes. From the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to the recent BBC series that has made a heartthrob out of Benedict Cumberbatch, the sleuth has been much a part of the British and global cultural legacy from the moment of his first appearance in 1887. The contributors to this book discuss the ways in which various fan cultures have sprung up around the stories and how they have proved to be a strong cultural paradigm for the ways in which these phenomena function in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Essays explore the numerous adaptations, rewritings, rip-offs, role-playing, wiki and crowd sourced texts, virtual realities and faux scholarship Sherlock Holmes has inspired. Though fervid fan behaviour is often mis-characterized as a modern phenomenon, the historical roots of fan manifestation that have been largely forgotten are revived in this thrilling book. Complete with interviews with writers who have famously brought the character of Holmes back to life, the collection benefits from the vast knowledge of its contributors, including academics who teach in the field, archivists and a number of writers who have been involved in the enactment of Holmes stories on stage, screen and radio. The release of “Fan Phenomena: Sherlock Holmes” coincides with Holmes's 160th birthday, so it is no mystery that it will make a welcome addition to the burgeoning scholarship on this timeless detective.

An exciting dystopian fantasy thriller series, The Hunger Games began its life as a trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins, the first released in 2008. An immediate success, the first instalment had a first printing of 50,000 hardcover copies, which quickly ballooned to 200,000. Spending one hundred consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, the book was put into development for release on the big screen. The first film, starring Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, broke box office records, and all of its sequels are expected to follow suit. Fan Phenomena: The Hunger Games charts the series' success through the increasingly vocal online communities that drive the young adult book market. Essays here consider the fashion that the series has created and how the costumes, memorabilia, merchandising and branding have become an ever bigger part of the fandom experience. Issues explored include debates over the movie stars' race and size, which tap into greater issues within the fan community and popular culture in general and the current argument that has divided fans and critics: whether or not the third book, Mockingjay, should be split into two films.

“Fan Phenomena: Disney” collects essays on Disney fans, spanning a variety of media (such as film, television, novels, stage productions and theme parks) and different fannish approaches (cosplay, fan art), as well as the company's reactions to them. It is a timely intervention that deals with crucial issues such as race and racism within the Disney fandom and in Disney texts, the role of queerness, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the advent of the streaming service Disney+. The authors come from variety of disciplines, such as cultural and media studies, marketing and communications, cultural history or theatre and performance studies, and include both leading experts in fan and Disney studies, as well as emerging voices in these fields, plus interviews with fan practitioners. It will be popular with scholars of cultural studies, cultural history, media studies, fan studies; Disney fans, and students at any level

Few could have predicted the enduring affection inspired by Joss Whedon's television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With its origins in a script Whedon wrote for a 1992 feature film of the same name, the series far outpaced its source material, gathering a devoted audience that remains loyal to the show more than a decade after it left the airwaves. Heralded for its use of smart, funny and emotionally resonant narrative; subversive and feminist characterizations; and unique approaches to television as an art form, the show quickly developed its own unique fan community, who built on existing narratives through fan fiction, media manipulation and performance. Fan Phenomena: Buffy the Vampire Slayer explores how this continued devotion is internalized, celebrated and critiqued. Featuring interviews with culture makers, academics and creators of participatory fandom, the essays here are a window into the more personal and communal aspects of the fan experience. Essays from critical thinkers and scholars address how Buffy inspires the creation of, among other enduring artifacts of fandom, fan fiction, crafting, performance, cosplay and sing-alongs. As an accessible yet vigorous examination of a beloved character and her world, Fan Phenomena: Buffy the Vampire Slayer provokes a larger conversation about the relationship between cult properties and fandom, and how their interplay permeates the cultural consciousness, in effect contributing to culture through new narrative, academia, language and political activism.

In October 2012, the Walt Disney Company paid more than $4 billion to acquire Lucasfilms, the film and production company responsible for Howard the Duck. But Disney, despite its history and success with duck characters, wasn't after Howard; in buying Lucasfilms, it also bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise. Soon after the purchase, Disney announced a new Star Wars film was in the works and would be released in 2015, nearly four decades after the first film hit big screens around the world and changed popular culture forever. The continued relevance of Star Wars owes much to the passion of its fans. For millions of people around the world, the films are more than diversions - they are a way of life. Through costumed role-playing, incessant quoting, Yoda-like grammatical inversions and scholarly debates about the Force, fans keep the films alive in a variety of ways, and in so doing add to the saga's cultural relevance. The first book to address the films holistically and from a variety of cultural perspectives, Fan Phenomena: Star Wars explores numerous aspects of Star Wars fandom, from its characters to its philosophy. As one contributor notes, 'The saga that George Lucas created affects our lives almost daily, whether we ourselves are fans of the saga or not'. Anyone who is struggling to forget Jar Jar Binks can certainly agree to that. Academically informed but written for a general audience, this book will appeal to every fan and critic of the films. That is, all of us.

The satirical American newspaper the Onion recently ran a story with the headline 'College-Aged Female Finds Unlikely Kindred Spirit in Audrey Hepburn,' lampooning modern American girls' continued fascination with the star (along with their habits of hanging posters of “Breakfast At Tiffany's” in their dorm rooms). What gives this slight starlet such staying power? A talented actress, an icon of fashion, a loving mother and an active humanitarian, Hepburn remains one of the world's most beloved women even two decades after her death. Ranked as the third greatest screen star of all time by the American Film Institute, she possessed grace and beauty that still enchant us today. The winner of the 1953 Academy Award for her role as Princess Ann in “Roman Holiday”, she received further Academy Award nominations for Sabrina, “Breakfast at Tiffany's”, and “Wait Until Dark”. Her timeless, iconic style, both on and off screen, has long been admired, and she is seen by many as the epitome of grace, class and elegance. Fan Phenomena: Audrey Hepburn focuses on the transformative nature of Hepburn's star persona, exploring her journey from ingénue to UNICEF ambassador. The book looks at her iconographic relationship with female culture and fashion and situates “Breakfast at Tiffany's” alongside the works of Edith Wharton and “Sex and the City”.

The mere hint recently that British actor Idris Elba might take up the mantle of James Bond in future instalments of the film franchise was a major international news story—a testament to the enduring interest and appeal of Bond, a figure who has become a true global icon. “Fan Phenomena: James Bond” explores the devoted fanbase that has helped make Bond what he is, offering a serious but wholly accessible take on the many different ways that fans have approached, appreciated, and appropriated Bond over the sixty years of his existence from the pages of Ian Fleming's novels to the screen. Including analyses of Bond as a lifestyle icon, the Bond brand, Bond-inspired fan works, and the many versions of 007, the book reveals a fan culture that is vibrant, powerfully engaged and richly aware of the history and complexity of the character of Bond and what he represents. Whether your favourite Bond is Daniel Craig or Sean Connery (or even George Lazenby!), “Fan Phenomena: James Bond” is sure to go down as smooth as a shaken—not stirred—martini.

From his debut in a six-page comic in 1939 to his most recent portrayal by Christian Bale in the blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises, Batman is perhaps the world's most popular superhero. The continued relevance of the caped crusader could be attributed to his complex character, his dual identity or his commitment to justice. But, as the contributors to this collection argue, it is the fans who, with the patience of Alfred, the loyalty of Commissioner Gordon and the unbridled enthusiasm of Robin, have kept Batman at the forefront of popular culture for more than seven decades. Fan Phenomena: Batman explores the worldwide devotion to the Dark Knight, from his inauspicious beginnings on the comic book page to the cult television series of the 1960s and the critically acclaimed films and video games of today. Considering everything from convention cosplay to fan fiction that imagines the Joker as a romantic lead, the essays here acknowledge and celebrate fan responses that go far beyond the scope of the source material. As the gatekeepers of Gotham, fans have stood vigil over a seventy year mythos, ensuring their icon has become more than a comic book character, cartoon hero or big-screen star. As this collection will demonstrate, through the enthusiasm of fans Batman has become what Ra's al Ghul predicted in Batman Begins: a legend. Packed with revealing interviews from all corners of the fan spectrum including Paul Levitz, who rose through the ranks of fan culture to become the president of DC Comics, and Michael E. Uslan, who has executive produced every Batman adaptation since Tim Burton's blockbuster in 1989, as well as film reviewers, academics, movie buffs, comic store clerks and costume-clad convention attendees, this book is sure to be a bestseller in Gotham City, as well as everywhere Bruce Wayne's alter-ego continues to intrigue and inspire.

The mere hint recently that British actor Idris Elba might take up the mantle of James Bond in future instalments of the film franchise was a major international news story – a testament to the enduring interest and appeal of Bond, a figure who has become a true global icon. Fan Phenomena: James Bond explores the devoted fanbase that has helped make Bond what he is, offering a serious but wholly accessible take on the many different ways that fans have approached, appreciated, and appropriated Bond over the sixty years of his existence from the pages of Ian Fleming's novels to the screen. Including analyses of Bond as a lifestyle icon, the Bond brand, Bond-inspired fan works, and the many versions of 007, the book reveals a fan culture that is vibrant, powerfully engaged and richly aware of the history and complexity of the character of Bond and what he represents. Whether your favourite Bond is Daniel Craig or Sean Connery (or even George Lazenby!), Fan Phenomena: James Bond is sure to go down as smooth as a shaken – not stirred – martini.

Nineteen years later... Even as a new generation embraces the Harry Potter novels for the first time, J.K. Rowling's world is expanding with “Fantastic Beasts”, “Cursed Child”, and “Pottermore”. There are new mobile games, new toys and, of course, the theme parks. Meanwhile, “Quidditch and the Harry Potter Alliance” stretch from college to college, inspiring each generation. Fans have adapted the series into roleplaying games, parodies, musicals, films, dances, art and published fiction like Tommy Taylor or Carry On. They are also scrambling Potter with new franchises: “Game of Thrones”, “Hunger Games”, “Percy Jackson”, “Hamilton”. What else is this new generation discovering about loving Potter? Which are the best conventions, the best fanfiction and wizard rock? And, how has Potter aged and what does it still have to teach us? Fan Phenomena: “Harry Potter” offers Potter fans a taste of the best the fandom has to offer.

“Fan Phenomena: The Big Lebowski” examines how this quirky movie evolved from its underwhelming debut to attract a mass following on par with that of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Contributors take a close look at the film's phenomenal impact on popular culture and language and examine the script's rich philosophical implications, whether it is the nihilism within the film itself or the Dudeism that Jeff Bridges' God-like character has bred (the 'Church of the Latter-Day Dude' has attracted more than 70,000 official adherents through its online ordination process). Covering issues concerning gender and sexuality within the film, such as Maude's feminist art and Jackie Treehorn's Malibu Garden party, the essays here also explore the gender divides the film has created in today's society, such as male versus female fandom rivalry at festivals. These gatherings—part costume contest, part bowling tournament, part trivia contest, part fan meet-up—have, since their debut in Louisville, K Y, in 2002, sprung up all around America and have even expanded globally, and the book takes an inside look at these events and includes interviews with Lebowski festival organizers and authors of other fan books and academic treatises.

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Marilyn Monroe was an actress, singer and sex symbol whose influence far outlasted her short life. Contributors to Fan Phenomena: Marilyn Monroe situate the platinum blonde starlet's omnipresent cultural relevance within the zeitgeist of current popular culture and explore the influence she has had on numerous elements of it. Her aesthetics and images have been re-appropriated, recreated, imitated and emulated by such celebrities as Lindsay Lohan, Jayne Mansfield, Drew Barrymore, Anna Nicole Smith and Madonna. The quintessential American sex symbol, Monroe was an influential style icon for a spectrum of designers, including Dolce and Gabbana, Betsey Johnson and Nike, all of whom have named lines of clothing, shoes or accessories after the star. The essays here explore representations of Monroe in visual culture by looking at the ways she is reimagined in visual art while also considering how her posthumous appearance and image are appropriated in current advertisements. With an inside look at the universe of Marilyn Monroe impersonators and look-alike contests for both males and females, the book also explores numerous homages to Monroe in music, from the 1979 opera Marilyn by Lorenzo Ferrero to Nicki Minaj's song 'Marilyn Monroe.' The definitive guide to one of the most famous women who ever lived, the book will be essential reading for any scholar of twentieth-century American popular culture.

David Lynch and Mark Frost's television series Twin Peaks debuted in April 1990 and by June of 1991 had been cancelled. Yet the impact of this surreal, unsettling show – ostensibly about the search for homecoming queen Laura Palmer's killer – is far larger than its short run might indicate. A forerunner of the moody, disjointed, cinematic television shows that are commonplace today, Twin Peaks left a lasting impression, and nowhere is that more clear than in the devotion of its legions of loyal fans. Fan Phenomena: Twin Peaks is the first book of its kind to revisit Lynch and Frost's ground-breaking series and explore how the show's cult status continues to thrive in the digital era. In ten essays, the contributors take a deeper look at Twin Peaks' rich cast of characters, iconic locations and its profound impact on television programming, as well as the impact of new media and fan culture on the show's continued relevance. Written by fans for fans, Fan Phenomena: Twin Peaks is an intelligent yet accessible guide to the various aspects of the show and its subsequent film. Featuring commentary from both first-generation and more recent followers, these essays capture the endlessly fascinating universe of Twin Peaks, from Audrey Horne's keen sense of style to Agent Cooper's dream psychology. The first non-academic collection that speaks to the show's fan base rather than a scholarly audience, this book is more approachable than previous Twin Peaks critical studies volumes and features colour images of the series, film and fan media. It will be welcomed by anyone seduced by the strangeness and camp of Lynch's seminal series.

Supernatural premiered on September 14, 2005, on what was then called the WB Network. Creator Eric Kripke was inspired by Jack Kerouac's On The Road, putting his heroes, brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, in a big black '67 Impala and sending them in search of the urban legends that fascinated him. The series attracted a passionate fan base from the start and was described as a 'cultural attractor' that tapped into the zeitgeist of the moment, reflecting global fears of terrorism with its themes of fighting unseen evil. The chemistry between the lead actors, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, contributed to the show's initial success, and Supernatural found its niche when it combined demon-hunting adventures with a powerful relationship drama that explored the intense, complicated bond between the brothers. Supernatural is as much a story of familial ties, love and loyalty as it is of 'saving people, hunting things.' Fan Phenomena: Supernatural explores the ongoing fascination and passion for a show that developed a relationship with fans through eight seasons and continues to have an impact on fan culture to the present day. Essays here explore the rich dynamic that has developed between fans and producers, actors, writers, directors, the show creator and show-runners through online interactions on Twitter and Facebook, face-to-face exchanges at conventions and representations of fandom within the show's meta-episodes. Contributors also explore gender and sexuality in the show and in fan art; the visual dynamics, cinematography and symbolism in the episodes as well as the fan videos they inspire; and the culture of influence, learning and teaching in the series.

Nearly two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is one of the most widely read and beloved English novelists of any era. Writing and publishing anonymously during her lifetime, the woman responsible for some of the most enduring characters (and couples) of modern romantic literature, including Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy, Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley, was credited only as 'A Lady' on the title pages of her novels. It was not until her nephew, more than five decades after her death at the age of 41, published a memoir of his 'dear Aunt Jane' that she became widely known. From then on, her fame only grew, and fans and devotees, so-called 'Janeites,' soon idolized and obsessed over her. Like any great art that endures and excites long after it is made, Austen's novels are inextricable from the culture they have created. Essential reading for Austen's legions of admirers, Fan Phenomena: Jane Austen collects essays from writers and critics that consider the culture surrounding Austen's novels.