'Nuff Said: American Graphic Media

The Superman Fan Podcast: Episode #296 Part IV: MegaCon 2014: The Capes, Cow... : (L to R) Julian Chambliss, William Svitavsky and Thomas Donaldson.   Download Episode 296 Part IV! This panel was the first one I...

Post by Julian Chambliss .

  With roots that run deep in U.S. popular culture, Marvel's 75th anniversary offers an opportunity to assess the cultural legacy from the "House of Ideas."  Long lauded for its emotive storytelling and engaged fandom, Marvel contemporary experience cannot be divorced from broader media concerns. The success of Marvel Studios adapting Silver Age characters to the big screen has made Disney, Marvel's parent company the home of two fantasy franchises with major cultural appeal (the other being Star Wars ).  The question become is the new Marvel merely a tool to deliver media ready content or is it still a house with ideas that challenge the audience and intrigue newcomers?

A great moment to understand how much MegaCon speaks to the community is to observe the crowd waiting for the gate to open.  MegaCon isn't just about comics (of course). Game characters, Disney, Anime, Doctor Who and more are in attendance. This intersection leads to a critical remix culture. This explains, in a small way, why modern geek culture is so engaging. In this atmosphere multiple generations can share and learn from one another. The resulting remix culture gives rise to a modern pop culture synergy that links people in unexpected ways.  

One of the great things about having a major convention in town is to see how the events draws every permutation of geek culture to one place. Case in point, the Star Wars booths were big this year and packed with stuff to see.

The action at MegaCon is on the convention floor. Great cosplay from every corner of geek culture on display.

   The link between New York and Marvel Comics is historic and practical.  While it is possible to film the series elsewhere, the publicity (as the press conference suggest) makes this decision a good one. The superhero comic relies on the urban environment to provide the grist for the adventure mill.   Marvel more so than DC Comic has always relied on New York as the central staging point of its adventures.  So much so, I believe we can argue the state of the comic book city has more than a slight indicator of the real urban experience. 

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The line between cinematics and cinema shrinks every year.  Perhaps the success of Arkham series points to a fruitful avenue to develop other comic properties?