Synopses & Reviews
Few could have predicted the enduring affection inspired by Joss Whedonandrsquo;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.
Review
“Blogging as
Ink-Stained Amazon in the Bitch blogs, Jennifer Stuller took on Barbarella, Lois Lane, and Tura Satana with her blog Girl on Film. With her new book, Ink-Stained Amazons and Cinematic Warriors, you can find even more on kick-ass women in popular culture.”
--Kjerstin Johnson, Bitch Magazine (online)
“Female heroes abound in literature, film and all walks of life, although most people dont know that they do. Not surprising given how much they challenge the gender roles in which women and girls have historically been confined. This wonderful book shows female heroes breaking out of gender boxes left and right and illuminates new possibilities for the indomitable hero in all of us.”
--Kathleen Noble, Ph.D., author of The Sound of the Silver Horn: Reclaiming the heroism in contemporary womens lives. “Once upon a time -- only a few years ago, actually -- women could turn on their TV sets and glory in the adventures of Buffy, Xena, Sydney Bristow, Dana Scully, and many more strong, ass-kicking women. Today there is not one show on the small screen that stars a female action hero. What happened? Comics are not much better. Aside from the occasional exception (for which we are grateful) like Birds of Prey, and women writers like Ivory Madison (The Huntress) and Gail Simones newly feminist interpretation of Wonder Woman, most comic book action heroines continue to be male-written and drawn creations whose breasts are bigger then their personalities. Now along comes Jennifer Stuller, with her very entertaining book, Ink-Stained Amazons, to explore the whys and wherefores of pop culture super women, and perhaps jolt us all into demanding more and stronger women characters. Thank you, Jennifer. We need those role models!”--Trina Robbins author of From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines
Review
"This is a brilliant and compulsively readable exploration of the fandom dynamic in the context of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fan and scholar Stuller has amassed a fascinating array of essays and interviews by the best and brightest (and wittiest!) who love and study the Slayer."
Review
andquot;Jennifer Stullerandrsquo;s new compilation has once more revised and expanded our sense of what a Buffy volume can be, this time offering us not only fresh insights into the world of the slayer and her life in the minds of fans, but a new graphically enthralling book design as well andndash; a perfect inducement for what Joss Whedon once called andldquo;the revolutionary page-turning process.andquot;andquot;
Review
and#160;andquot;This book is for all the Buffy fans new and old who are asking themselves andquot;where do we go from hereandquot;? Fan Phenomena: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a celebration, a geek freak out, a fun pontification on what it means to continue to be inspired by this cheeky, kick-ass pop culture icon.andquot;
Review
"Cover to cover, itand#8217;s a solid collection, well rounded, well researched, and written in an accessible tone."
Synopsis
From Wonder Woman to Buffy Summers, Emma Peel to Sydney Bristow, Charlie's Angels to The Powerpuff Girls, Superwomen are more than just love interests or sidekicks who stand by their Supermen. In her new book, Stuller shows how the female hero in modern mythology has broken through the boy's club barrier of tradition and reveals the pivotal role of high-heeled crime fighters in popular culture.Featuring spies and sexuality, daddy's girls and super-mothers, this is a comprehensive, engaging and thought-provoking guide to female detectives, meta-humans and action heroines, as well as their creators, directors, performers, and consumers. The book also includes a glossary of modern mythic women, from Aeon to Zoe, as well as a foreword by acclaimed cultural commentator Roz Kaveney, author of Superheroes Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films (published by I.B. Tauris, April 2008).
Synopsis
In this comprehensive history, inquiry, critique, and reference guide, Stuller argues that Superwomen, from Wonder Woman to Charlies Angels, are more than just love interests or sidekicks who stand by their supermen. She shows how the female hero in modern mythology has broken through the traditional boy's club barrier to reveal the pivotal role of high-heeled crimefighters in popular culture. Chapter topics include love and compassion, spies and sexuality, daddys girls, and the complicated roles of superwomen who are also mothers. The book also includes a glossary of modern mythic women, as well as a foreword by acclaimed cultural commentator Roz Kaveney, author of Superheroes! Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films.http://www.ink-stainedamazon.com/
About the Author
Jennifer K. Stuller is a writer and journalist, specializing in gender and sexuality in popular culture. She has been researching and speaking internationally on superwomen for over a decade, and has contributed to such publications as Geek Monthly, Washington CEO and the Encyclopedia of Gender and Society. Stuller also teaches at the University of Washington, her alma mater, and maintains two blogs: Ink-Stained Traveler and Ink-Stained Amazon. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Table of Contents
Introduction
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; and#160;Jennifer K. Stuller
The Best, Worst, Known, and Not-So-Known, Pop Culture Influences on the Buffyverse
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Jennifer K. Stuller
andldquo;Letandrsquo;s Watch a Girlandrdquo;: Whedon, Buffy, and Fans in Action
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Tanya R. Cochran
Ficcers and andlsquo;Shippers: A Love Story
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Mary Kirby-Diaz
Interview andndash; Nikki Stafford: Organizing the Great Buffy Rewatch of 2011
Buffyspeak: The Internal and External Impact of Slayer Slang
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Liz Medendorp
andldquo;Welcome to the Hellmouthandrdquo;: Harnessing the Power of Fandom in the Classroom
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Amy Peloff and David Border Giles
Interview andndash; Rhonda Wilcox: The andldquo;Motherandrdquo; of Buffy Studies
Buffy, Dark Romance and Female Horror Fans
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Lorna Jowett
Seeing Green: Willow and Tara Forever
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Kristen Julia Anderson
The Art of Buffy Crafts
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Nikki Faith Fuller
Interview andndash; Clinton McClung: Founder of the touring andldquo;Once More With Feelingandrdquo; interactive event
Buffyverse Fandom as Religion
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Anthony R. Mills
Interview andndash; Scott Allie: Writer, and Senior Managing Editor at Dark Horse Comics
Unlimited Potentials
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; David Bushman and Arthur Smith
Contributing Biographies
Image Credits