Cosplay and the Dressing of Identity


Book Description

Featuring several images of cosplay, a fun and fascinating look at the power and meaning of this cultural phenomenon. Cosplay, born from the fusion of “costume” and “play,” transcends mere dress-up by transforming enthusiasts of TV shows, movies, books, or video games into living embodiments of their cherished characters. This book is a close exploration of the vibrant world of cosplay, showing what makes it so captivating for so many. Vivian Asimos frames cosplay as an enactment and embodiment of mythology, revealing its inherent complexity, and in so doing, provides valuable insight into cosplayers’ experiences. Exploring cosplay performances, the skills involved, and its community, she shows how cosplayers build a strong connection to the characters and stories they treasure, and ultimately how they are constructing their own identities.




The Superhero Costume


Book Description

Costume defines the superhero, disguising and distinguishing him or her from the civilian alter ego. The often garish garb expresses a hero's otherness and empowers its wearers to seek a primal form of justice. This book provides the first interdisciplinary analysis of the superhero costume and investigates wide-ranging issues such as identity, otherness, ritual dress and disguise. Analysis focuses on the implications of wearing superhero costume, exploring interpretations of the costumed hero and the extent to which the costume defines his or her role. Using examples across various media (comic books, film, and television) with case studies including The X-Men, Watchmen, real-life superheroes such as Phoenix Jones and Pussy Riot, and audience activities such as cosplay, The Superhero Costume presents new perspectives on the increasingly popular genre. A lively and thorough account of superhero fashions throughout history, The Superhero Costume will be essential reading for students of visual culture, popular culture, fashion and cultural studies.




Planet Cosplay


Book Description

Planet Cosplay is authored by widely published scholars in this field, examining the central aspects of cosplay ranging from sources and sites to performance and play, from sex and gender to production and consumption.




Chaotic Good


Book Description

Cosplay, comic shops, and college applications collide in this illustrated novel from the author of "You're Welcome, Universe" that tackles online bullying and the pressure women have to conform in male-dominated spaces.




Culture, Identities and Technology in the Star Wars Films


Book Description

Released in May 1977, the original Star Wars movie inaugurated the age of the movie blockbuster. It also redefined the use of cinematic special effects, creating a new textual universe that now stretches through three decades, two trilogies and generations of fascinated viewers. The body of critical analysis that has developed from this epic focuses primarily on the Star Wars universe as a contemporary myth. However, like any fiction, it must also be viewed--and consequently analyzed--as a product of the culture which created it. The essays in this book analyze the Star Wars trilogies as a culturally and historically specific phenomenon. Moving away from the traditional myth-based criticism of the films, the essayists employ a cultural studies model to examine how this phenomenon intersects with social formations such as economics, technology, race and gender. Critical approaches are varied and include political and economic analysis informed by feminism, contemporary race theory, Marxism, new media studies and post-humanism. Among the topics covered are the connections between the trilogies and our own cultural landscape; the problematic issues of race and gender; and the thematic implications of Lucas' presentation of technology. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.




Half Share


Book Description

Six months in the Deep Dark. Four different women. One man discovers what it means to be a spacer. It's a time of change on the Lois McKendrick. Sarah Krugg joins the crew and Ishmael Wang moves to Environmental. After getting accustomed to life aboard a solar clipper, Ishmael must learn a whole new set of skills, face his own fears and doubts, and try to balance love and loss in the depths of space. Both Ishmael and Sarah must learn to live by the mantra, "Trust Lois." For Sarah, there is the hope of escaping a horrifying past. For Ishmael, he must discover what type of man he wants to become and learn that his choices have consequences. Return with the crew of the SC Lois McKendrick, and set sail in the next installment of the Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper. All your favorites return: Ish, Pip, Cookie, Brill, Diane, and Big Bad Bev. You might even discover some new friends as you travel among the stars.




Riley Reynolds Crushes Costume Day


Book Description

Nonbinary fourth grader Riley and their friends are all in for Dress Like Your Favorite Character Day, but when everyone at school asks Riley for costume advice, they discover that the key to being a costume visionary is active listening and a big imagination.




Cosplay Girls


Book Description

All over Japan, hardcore fans of animation, video,games and manga comics are dressing up in their,latest cosplay (short for costume play) outfits -,especially young women. Devotees spend countless,hours and hard-earned yen transforming themselves,into their favourite characters. Now you can catch,them strutting their stuff at conventions,amusement parks, and clubs! A first-time peek at,this whacky subculture, this title is filled with,colour photos of girls re-inventing themselves as,street-fighting chicks, emerald-haired princesses,and a few things you have to see to believe.




High Style


Book Description

Published in conjunction with an exhibition on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, May 5-Aug. 15, 2010, and at the Brooklyn Museum, May 7-Aug. 1, 2010.




Comics and Narration


Book Description

This book is the follow-up to Thierry Groensteen's groundbreaking The System of Comics, in which the leading French-language comics theorist set out to investigate how the medium functions, introducing the principle of iconic solidarity, and showing the systems that underlie the articulation between panels at three levels: page layout, linear sequence, and nonsequential links woven through the comic book as a whole. He now develops that analysis further, using examples from a very wide range of comics, including the work of American artists such as Chris Ware and Robert Crumb. He tests out his theoretical framework by bringing it up against cases that challenge it, such as abstract comics, digital comics and shojo manga, and offers insightful reflections on these innovations. In addition, he includes lengthy chapters on three areas not covered in the first book. First, he explores the role of the narrator, both verbal and visual, and the particular issues that arise out of narration in autobiographical comics. Second, Groensteen tackles the question of rhythm in comics, and the skill demonstrated by virtuoso artists in intertwining different rhythms over and above the basic beat provided by the discontinuity of the panels. And third he resets the relationship of comics to contemporary art, conditioned by cultural history and aesthetic traditions but evolving recently as comics artists move onto avant-garde terrain.