Students, faculty and alumni from the College of Media, Communication and Information are headed to the Colorado Convention Center this weekend to take part in and its associated literary conference, . Members of the CU 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 CMCI participant schedule
Friday, June 15
"The Room Where it Happens: History and Politics in American Pop Culture”
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Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)
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10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
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Chair: Rick Stevens
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Featuring:
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“The Secret History of Horror Comics” by Dan Yezbick
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“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
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“Alexander Hamilton: America’s First Superhero” by Christopher Bell
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“Trumping Presidential Frames: President Trump’s Early Comic Book Appearances” by Rick Stevens
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“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”
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Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)
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1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
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Chair: Shannon Sindorf
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Featuring:
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“Kids on Bikes: The Nostalgic Staying Power of the 1980s with Stranger Things and IT” by Patricia Krmpotich
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“Bringing the War Home: The Punisher’s Shades of Grey” by Shannon Sindorf
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“All the World’s a Page: Trans-Medial Adaptation in Comics and Graphic Novels” by Natalie Sheppard
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“An Elegy for Superman Part III: The Spectacle, Legitimation and Messianicity in Superman Returns” by Andrew Hallam
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Saturday, June 16
“Dueling Club: Harry Potter Scholars Debate Canon, Controversies and Creators”
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Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)
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10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
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Participants:
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Tracey Bealer
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Marley Williford
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Christopher Bell
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“Bridging the Expanse-Abaddon’s Gate”
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Room 605 (Sci-Fi / Fantasy)
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10:30 to 11:20 a.m.
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Participants:
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Andrea Bruder
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Christiaan Martin
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Michael Pea
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Darius Rydahl
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Rachel Lara van der Merwe
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“We Can’t Have Nice Things: How Fandoms React When the Creator Turns Toxic”
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Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)
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1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
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Participants
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Dustin Dunaway
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Shannon Sindorf
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Patricia Krmpotich
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Marley Williford
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Christopher Bell
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“Articulating the Action Figure: Toys and Action Figures Roundtable Discussion”
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Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)
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3 to 4:15 p.m.
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Participants:
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J. Richard Stevens
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Christopher Bell
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Sunday, June 17
“Reverberating Vibranium: The Impact of Race and Gender via Characters from Black Panther”
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Room 501 (Comics)
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11 to 11:50 a.m.
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Participants:
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Daniel Paiz
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“I Can Always Escape: Mental Illness, Trauma and the Seemingly Inescapable”
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Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)
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Noon to 1:15 p.m.
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Chair: Art Bamford
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Featuring:
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“The Gods Must Be Crazy: Mental Health and Religion in Moon Knight and Mister Miracle” by Art Bamford
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“The Toxicity Meta[phor]: Harassment and Hostility Norms in the Overwatch Community” by Elyse Janish
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“Mental Illness and its Representation in the Horror Genre” by Kate Lauer
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"Playing with Gender: Kids and Scholars Talk Back to Today's Action Figures"
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Room 304 (Education)
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1 to 1:50 p.m.
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Participants:
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Arya Gangadharbatla
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Harsha Gangadharbatla
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Shannon Sindorf
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Peter Stevens
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Rick Stevens
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Piper Thurston
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“Learning To Splash: Getting Comics to Crossover into the Classroom”
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Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)
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3 to 4:15 p.m.
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Chair: Hailey Barr
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“In the Third Person: Adolescent Face, Media Imitation and a Practical Pedagogy of Performance Studies” by Emily Nagle
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“Balancing the Force: Reading the Humanities’ Future Through Star Wars” by Randall Fullington
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“Don’t Tease Hawkeye Because He Doesn’t Have Powers: Comics as Public Pedagogy and Their Efficacy to Address Bullying” by Colin Ackerman
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“Transforming Toys: 1980s Toy Franchises and Modern Fan Cultures”
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Room 607 (Sci-Fi / Fantasy)
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3 to 3:50 p.m.
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Participants:
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Christopher E. Bell
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Rick Stevens
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Peter Stevens
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“Teaching through a Pop Culture Assemblage: The Necessary Complexity of Popular Culture in the Classroom”
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Room 303 (Education)
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3:30 to 4:20 p.m.
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Participants:
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Colin Ackerman
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“Looking Backward, Moving Forward: Finding Cultural Value in Rock Stars, Video Games, TV Series and Comics”
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Room 401 (Page 23 Lit Con)
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4:30 to 5:45 p.m.
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Chair: Lindsey M. Hanlon
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Featuring:
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“Beyond Positive Representation: The Imperial Logics of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Horizon Zero Dawn” by Rachel Lara van der Merwe
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“The Afterlife of a Legend: Michael Jackson’s Legacy” by Angelica Kalika
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“Thalaikoothal vs. Member Berries: Story-Telling Senicide in Contemporary Western Media” by Joseph Acosta
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“‘The Noise and the TV’: Media Saturation in Transmetropolitan” by Lindsey M. Hanlon
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