Call for Essays: Spider-Man, Spider-Women, and Webspinners (Critical Perspectives)

21 July 2010
Call for Essays: Spider-Man, Spider-Women, and Webspinners (Critical Perspectives)
Edited by Robert G. Weiner and Robert Moses Peaslee

When Stan Lee and Steve Ditko first penned a short story about a young man named Peter Parker who gets bit by a radioactive spider and becomes the hero known as Spider-Man, little did they know they would be creating the most popular super-hero in history (next to Batman). Like most “happy accidents,” the creation of Spider-Man almost did not happen. It was initially a throw away a story in a magazine that was getting cancelled anyway.

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko had hit upon a character that was different from all the others and one that everyone could relate to. Peter Parker (Spider-Man’s alter ego) was a teenager who had money/girl/family problems that he continued to struggle with even though he had “amazing” powers. He was in high school and had to learn some hard lessons of life. When Parker first got his powers, he used them to make money and get fame. But when he failed to stop a burglar who would eventually kill his Uncle Ben in a robbery attempt, he learned that “with great power, comes great responsibility.” Since Stan Lee wrote those words in 1962, they have become the most quoted comic book words in history and have served as a cautionary note pertinent far beyond the boundaries of the comic or film frame.

Since 1962, there have been no less than 10 different titles featuring Spider-Man, 5 different animated series, a live action series, animated movies, a live action series in Japan, and 3 very successful movies grossing a total of $2.4 billion and breaking box office records

The editors are seeking articles of around 4-6,000 words discussing the phenomena of Spider-Man or its off-shoots related to the comics, films, animated series, games, television series, history etc.

Please send 200 word abstracts by November 1st 2010 to:

Rob Weiner
Rob[dot]weiner[at]ttu[dot]edu

Final papers will be due December 1st 2010. Please note the submission of an essay does NOT necessarily mean publication in the volume. The editors are striving to put together as tight a collection as possible with many diverse viewpoints covering all aspects of Spider-Man’s career.

Authors are also expected to follow the editor’s style guide and be willing to have their work edited.

More information here.
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