Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers (Studies in Popular Culture)

494 Pages·2000·1.2 MB·English

by  Matthew J. Pustz

Comic Book Culture : Fanboys and True
title: Believers Studies in Popular Culture
(Jackson, Miss.)
author: Pustz, Matthew.
publisher: University Press of Mississippi
isbn10 | asin: 1578062012
print isbn13: 9781578062010
ebook isbn13: 9780585180120
language: English
Comic books, strips, etc.--United States--
History and criticism, Books and reading--
United States--History--20th century, Comic
subject
book fans--United States--History--20th
century, Popular culture--United States--
History--20th century.
publication date: 1999
lcc: PN6725.P87 1999eb
ddc: 741.5/973/0904
Comic books, strips, etc.--United States--
History and criticism, Books and reading--
United States--History--20th century, Comic
subject:
book fans--United States--History--20th
century, Popular culture--United States--
History--20th century.
Page i
Comic Book Culture
Fanboys and True Believers
Page ii
Studies in Popular Culture
M. Thomas Inge, General Editor
Page iii
Comic Book Culture
Fanboys and True Believers
Matthew Pustz
Page iv
www.upress.state.ms.us
Copyright © 1999 by the University Press of Mississippi
All rights reserved
Printed in Canada
07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pustz, Matthew J., 1968-
Comic book culture : fanboys and true believers / Matthew J.
Pustz.
p. cm. (Studies in popular culture)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57806-200-4 (cloth : alk. paper). ISBN 1-57806-201-2
(pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Comic books, strips, etc. United States History and
criticism. 2. Books and readingUnited StatesHistory20th
century. 3. Comic book fansUnited StatesHistory20th
century. 4. Popular cultureUnited StatesHistory20th century.
I. Title. II. Series: Studies in popular culture (Jackson, Miss.)
PN6725.P87 1999
741.5'973'0904 dc21 99-31140
CIP
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
Page v
To Mom and Dad, for giving me the inspiration to start this project.
And to Jen, for giving me the inspiration to finish.
Page vii
Contents
Introduction ix
1. Discovering Comic Book Culture 3
2. EC Fan-Addicts and Marvel Zombies: Historical Comic 26
Book-Reading Communities
3. From Speculators to Snobs: The Spectrum of 66
Contemporary Comic Book Readers
4. Comics Literacy: Creating Culture through Content 110
5. From Comicons to Web Pages: The Origins of Comic 157
Book Culture
6. Conclusion: Creating Comic Book Culture 199
Notes 215
Bibliography 221
Index 235
Page ix
Introduction
American cultural diversity comes from more than just race and
ethnicity. It is also born out of groups of people whose expressive
lives center on particular interests or activities. Being involved in a
culture based on popular media is central to the lives of many
Americans, allowing them to identify themselves as fans. Like the
media fans described by Henry Jenkins in Textual Poachers:
Television Fans and Participatory Culture, American comic book
readers and fans have also created a distinctive culture with its own
language, knowledge, and practicesall based on their favorite texts.
Most Americans may not be familiar with this comic book culture, but
it is well known to those participating in it and to those creating the
texts for it. As a result, depictions of fans and other comic book
readers are common in the comics themselves.
One recent example accurately captures the idea that this group of
people constitutes a unique culture. In Simpsons Comics #39, Homer
and the Comic Book Guy, owner of Springfield's comic book shop,
are put on trial for possessing and selling obscene comic books.
Acting on behalf of himself and Homer, the Comic Book Guy's
opening statement, filled with references to comics and science fiction
films, so confuses the jury that the court needs a group of fans to
translate. This situation gives Bart an idea for a defense. The next day,
he takes over as the pair's lawyer and begins by telling the jury that
he's a comic book reader. The translators are comic book readers, he
explains, and so are Homer and the shop owner. But the members of
the jury are not. "Did any of you even know comic books were still
published when you became jurors? Have any of you been into a
comic book store? Members of the jury, do you even know who ol'
Bolthead is? How about Abin-Sur? Brother Voodoo?" he asks.
The point, Bart explains, turning to the judge, is that none of the jury
are peers of the defendants. "They are not comic geeks. They aren't
even sci-fi fans. They, your honor, are bland civilians!" His argument
convinces the judge to fill the jury with members of the local fan
community, pimple-faced young men and women with comic book
slogans on their colorful T-shirts. The jury eventually finds the two
men innocent of obscenity charges but guilty of other crimes,
including "cover crinkling, price gouging, using