Category: Fandom

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‘Superhero Diaries’ Cast and Creator Talk New YouTube Series

Jamal Michel

Superhero Diaries had its soft launch in early 2021, with advance episodes produced during the height of the pandemic. It quickly became clear that talent would need to record alone and only work together via green screen and editing and yet they were still able to put together webseries gold. With its official debut, the fantastic satire series is now able to bring actors together on-set, to parody the multiverse galaxies, in ways that could never actually happen but do.

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Fandom, Television6 Comments

Let’s Talk About Toni Topaz on The CW’s ‘Riverdale’

Sophia Soto

Fans found themselves instantly falling in love with and wanting more from Vanessa Morgan’s portrayal of Toni Topaz as soon as she came onto our screens on Riverdale. Toni was first introduced in season 2, episode 3 “Chapter Sixteen: The Watcher in the Woods,” and became a series regular in season 3. Her portrayal provides representation as one of the only Black series regulars currently on Riverdale as well as her character being openly bisexual. So let’s take a look back at her journey and what we hope to see for the character going forward.

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Fandom, Podcasts, Toys

‘By the Power of Fandom’ with Tiffany Smith

Shelf Conscious

Shelf Conscious returns with a special episode! With Masters of the Universe: Revelation just around the corner, Keith is joined by an Eternian Royal Guard — and literal fandom princess — Tiffany Smith!

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Fandom, Fashion, Music

BTS x McDonald’s Dropping ANOTHER New Collab TODAY

Laura Sirikul

Just when you thought BTS and McDonald’s was done with their merchandise collaboration, they decided to drop a whole new collection for fans to fight over on WeVerse!

The two new collections, which one is appropriately called the “Saucy Collection” features characters hand-drawn by BTS themselves. It’s not like their BT21 characters. No. These characters are based on McDonald’s menu and are so adorable. I want them all.

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Fandom, Television1 Comment

Let’s Talk About Some of Japril’s Most Meaningful and Important Moments

Sophia Soto

In honor of April Kepner’s return and Japril’s reunion, we’re gonna take a look back at their beautiful love story and some of the moments that made them one of the most beloved ships on Grey’s Anatomy still years after Sarah Drew’s departure from the show. The pair joined the series together back in season 6 before Drew made her exit in season 14. What Drew and Jesse Williams (Jackson Avery) created on-screen with their characters was beautiful and will forever be a part of the show’s legacy.

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Fandom, Fashion

BoxLunch is Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month

The Nerds of Color

All month long, BoxLunch is highlighting stories of the Asian American and Pacific Islander diaspora. They have also set up a special landing page that links out to merchandise that celebrates AAPI culture and fandoms. Net proceeds from purchase will also benefit AAJC.

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Comics, Fantasy, Nerd Nostalgia6 Comments

In Praise of ‘ElfQuest’

Shawn Taylor

Every single time there is a “best of” list of comics and graphic novels, it’s almost inevitable that most of these lists are going to look a little similar. You’re going to see Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns on there, Moore and Gibbons Watchmen; (very deserving of a spot in the top 20) Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. In writing this, I reviewed fifteen lists and this plays out, with some new additions like Robert Kirkman’s Invincible and Brian K. Vaughan’s Ex Machina; and the more seemingly odder choices like, say, Brian Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. And at some point, we’re going to have to talk about why there are so many damn men dominating these lists.

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Fandom, Television

NBC’s ‘This Is Us’ Cast Is Filled With Fandom Legends

Sophia Soto

Every family has a story. This Is Us chronicles the Pearson family across the decades: from Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) starting their life together in the 1980s to their kids, Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz), and Randall (Sterling K. Brown), building their own lives in the present day along with Toby (Chris Sullivan) and Beth (Susan Kelechi Watson). The show is still going strong, currently airing its fifth season.

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Fandom, Television4 Comments

Veronica Lodge on The CW’s ‘Riverdale’ Deserves Better

Sophia Soto

Everyone has that one character they relate to or see themselves in; everyone searches to find someone who looks like them on screen. For me, that character is Veronica Lodge on The CW’s Riverdale, which is based on the Archie Comics characters. Despite the fact that she has had one of the most important evolutions on the show and has been there since the pilot, she is often overlooked and over hated, for no real reason besides Archie continuing to choose her.

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Fandom, Literature, Streaming1 Comment

The Case for a Sherlock Holmes Multiverse

Shawn Taylor

Here is where I make canonists angry. Boom. So, Sherlock Holmes is kind of like Michael Moorcock’s ‘Eternal Champion.’ Holmes is different than a Paladin of Balance as he isn’t there to restore/maintain balance between Law and Chaos, he’s there to ensure justice in any way it needs to manifest. His mind and prowess are wonders, but his demons stop him from reaching his full potential. As great as he is, as helpful as he is, he cannot ascend past being an excellent consulting detective. He can never ascend to shining hero status. His demons can range from addiction, to misogyny, to broken and unhealthy relationships, or a combination of them all. The constant is that he wages an intense personal/internal battle in every universe. This impedes him from being nothing more than a celestial tool for those seeking redress.

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Fandom, Interview, Theatre1 Comment

Patrick Clanton on the Evolution of Behind the Magic YouTube Channel

Lauren Lola

Last June, three months into sheltering-in-place and unable to perform for a live audience, actor Patrick Clanton decided to tackle an idea he has had for a while about starting a YouTube channel about the hidden gems of Disney. Originally called Behind the Ears, the channel’s early videos explored the making of Zoog era Disney Channel shows like The Famous Jett Jackson and short-lived Disney Broadway productions such as The Little Mermaid. Continue reading “Patrick Clanton on the Evolution of Behind the Magic YouTube Channel”

Fandom, Interview, Television2 Comments

NOC Interview: Greg Daniels, Andy Buckley and Oscar Martinez of ‘The Office’

Jamal Michel

To borrow a line from Michael Scott, “My heart soars with the eagle’s nest.” The TV and film world of 2021 has started off phenomenally, with too much streaming content to choose from and loads of time to dive into favorites both new and old.

This past weekend we saw The Office make its official transition to NBCUniversal’s new streaming service Peacock but accompanied by a treasure trove of new clips and never-before-seen footage spanning several seasons of the beloved franchise.

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Fandom, Interview

A Conversation with Elite Geek Marc Bernardin on ‘The Plague Nerdalogues’ and More

Jamal Michel

This past week, I sat down with the co-host of Fatman Beyond to talk comics, quarantine, and Snyder cuts. Marc Bernardin has been one of pop culture and comic book’s most necessary voices in the industry, with writing credits from Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Treadstone, and Castle Rock. Marc’s work has also spanned outlets like GQ, Wired, and Vulture.

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Fandom, Interview

A Conversation with Stephanie Williams, One of Comic Book’s Wittiest Commentators

Jamal Michel

This week I sat down with X-Men aficionado, comic book culture guru, and Twitter queen Stephanie Williams and talked all things not destroyed by 2020. Williams can be seen on Syfy Fangrrls writing some of pop culture’s most necessary takes: from trope-busting the “tired mom” archetype, to how differently X-Men hits after 20 years, every bit of her commentary brims with exactness.

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Interview, Nerd Nostalgia

Patrick Clanton on Exploring Disney’s Hidden Gems on Behind the Ears YouTube Channel

Lauren Lola

Behind the Ears is a YouTube channel that explores the histories of Disney’s hidden gems. Since its debut in early June, the series of video essays have taken a deeper dive into some of Disney’s past projects; ranging from Zoog era Disney Channel shows like The Famous Jett Jackson, to short-lived Broadway musicals like Aida, and even made-for-TV events like the Whitney Houston-produced version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

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Animation, Fandom, Literature

From Wands to Bending

Shawn Taylor

Anyone who knows me knows I love The Wizarding World. My entire family does. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was the first ‘big girl book’ my daughter read. Her first serious Halloween costume was that of a Hogwarts’s student — she is a true Gryffindor. My wife loves the films — they are our Christmas tradition. We’ve been to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter more than a few times. The books, the world, have been a part of my life since 1998. But like so many others, I am nursing a huge fan-wound because The Wizarding World’s creator, the TERF Who Must Not Be Named, showed their true colors. Those colors have betrayed the very values and ideals The Wizarding World extols. 

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Anime, Movies, Nerd Nostalgia

25 Years of Encouraging Dream Pursuits in ‘Whisper of the Heart’

Lauren Lola

Over the course of Studio Ghibli’s 35 years of movie-making, only seven of its theatrical releases have been directed by people other than the company’s co-founders, Hayao Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata. While the eighth film of its kind, Earwig and the Witch directed by Miyazaki’s son Gorō, will be released later this year, this summer holds significance in the fact that its been 25 years since the first time such a project was released from the studio. That film is Whisper of the Heart. Continue reading “25 Years of Encouraging Dream Pursuits in ‘Whisper of the Heart’”

Fandom, Television

SYFY Wire’s ‘The Great Debate’ Debuts Tonight

Keith Chow

Tune in tonight at 11pm ET on SYFY as The Great Debate makes the transition from Comic-Con staple to full-fledged television show! Hosted by actor/comedian Baron Vaughn, The Great Debate invites a roundtable of celebrity guests to face off over some of the nerdiest topics imaginable.

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Fandom, Scholarship

We The Fans: How Our Powers Can Change The World

Shawn Taylor

As some of you know, I spent some time with the Pop Culture Collaborative as their Senior Fellow on Fandoms and how Fandom power can be used to add to the social good.  What follows is a distillation of my research and findings. There are hundreds of pages that I’ll do something with at a later date. Also, for those who want it, there will be an audio version coming soon. Here’s the intro:

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