Spandex, Capes, and Masks:

The need for a Superhero track at

Dragon*Con

Alexander Williams

Dragon*Con needs a Supers Track. Why?

1) The high level of interest in Superheroesshown by

• Interest displayed at Dragon*Con this year

• Current Superhero media events2) Gaps in current Superhero coverage3) The large amount of material available

regarding Superheroes4) The many ideas for panels involving

Superheroes

Interest in Superheroes

In order to justify a track for a subject, there needs to be a certain level of interest shown in

such by the target audience. To demonstrate this interest in the subject of Superheroes, let’s concentrate on two areas:

•Interest displayed at Dragon*Con this year and,•Current Superhero media events in the general

culture

If you search Flickr, a premier photo-sharing engine on the Net, for pictures with the tag “dragon con” and various Superhero sources, you will find 220 photos listed on the subject from this year’s Con. Again, that’s 220 photos on superheroes alone from one photo source.

They break down roughly as follows:

81

6227

21

18

11

Other Superheroes Batman

X- men Superman

Spiderman Hellboy

Wider shots taken at Dragon*Con show the variety and depth of interest in superheroes,

with diversity and verve.

Of course, it isn’t only current Dragon*Con

attendees that are interested in Superheroes. They also

figure prominently in general culture.

This year alone has seen the movie,

the continuation of the series, a new reality

series entitled “Who Wants To Be A Superhero?” with

Stan Lee, and the series “Heroes”.

Upcoming events include 2007’s

movie with Nicholas Cage, , the second Fantastic

Four movie “Rise of the Silver Surfer,” and

2008’s “Batman Begins” sequel “The Dark Knight.”

There’s even a website, SuperheroHype.com, to track all

upcoming Superhero events!

It’s clear that Dragon*Con attendees are interested in Superheroes, but isn’t

there already enough information about them in the tracks to satisfy this

interest?

Actually, there are only 9 panels involving Superheroes

in the 2006 track listing.

In American Sci-Fi and Fantasy on TV: Smallville Season ReviewHow Do You Build Heroes?

In Comics:A Panel on the AvengersA Panel on SupermanA Panel on How To Make a Superhero

In Science Fiction Classics:BatmanAdventures of SupermanSuperman: The MovieSuperman and the Scripture

81

6227

21

18

11

Other Superheroes Batman

X- men Superman

Spiderman Hellboy

3

105

0

0

Other Superheroes Batman

X-men Superman

Spiderman Hellboy

Plus, the panels listed do not correspond to this year’s interest level. Superman has the vast majority of the panels while the Batman

series, which has the most cosplay photography, has only one panel.

Cosplay Interest Number of Tracks

Additionally, there is overlap in the current track list, with two tracks doing a panel discussing building or making

a Superhero.

Having an actual Superhero track will allow for more organization and cross-

promotion as well.

After all, Superheroes aren’t just comics. (There’s already a track for

that!) Superheroes are in many other media

as well:• Movies• TV Series (both animated and live-

action)• Games (Role-playing and otherwise)• Novels• Music• And the list goes on!

Thus, there is certainly a place for a Superhero track. But you may be wondering, are there really enough Superheroes to have a track based solely on

them?

Let’s take a look…

So there might be just a few…

And there are international Superheroes as well…

• Argentina – Cybersix• Canada – Captain Canuck, Alpha Flight• Egypt – All of AK Comics• Britain - Marvelman• France - Wampus• India - Nagraj, Doga, and Super

Commando Dhruva

Not to mention Japanese Superheroes:

• Ultraman• Kamen Rider• Super Sentai• Metal Heroes• Power

Rangers

Live Action Anime

• Science Ninja Team Gatchaman

• Casshan• The Guyver• Sailor Moon

There’s also Godzilla and other kaiju eija films, which can be considered Superheroes as well!

With this much to work with, panel ideas are easy!

• Superhero Costume Contest• How to Ruin a Superhero: A Study of Cat Woman,

Batman, and Others• So, You Want to be a Supervillain?• Evolution of a Superhero: How to Screw Peter Parker• The Dark Night Returns• Justice League Unlimited: Many Hands Make Light

Work• Superheroes Around the World• Graphic Erotica: The Role of Women in Superheroics• Spectral Attack: The Power Rangers and Other

Superheroes on TV• Many more!

Dragon*Con needs and deserves a track devoted to

superheroes.

I believe I am the best suited to bring it to them.

My resumé includes:

• Long-time attendee of Dragon*Con (12+ years)

• Four years of D*C Staff service

• Professional employment involves meticulous organization

• Published two books and with several cites

• Deeply acquainted with the superheroic genre from multiple directions

• Familiar with orchestrating a tight-knit team

The Vision:

Dragon*Con's attendees demonstrate through their costuming and their posting an ongoing and abiding fascination with superheroes. We owe it to them to fill that need with panels which promote deeper thinking about unexpected facets of the superhero in all its forms. There should be an exploration of various literary, cinematic, and trans-media expressions of the superhero, and a forum for the fans to share and combine their thoughts with the creators and presenters which make the genre live in the truest sense of the word.

In closing, I would like to thank you for your time and consideration. It is my hope that together we can add a new, bright track to the already impressive constellation that serves Dragon*Con.

Alexander Williamsthantos@gmail.com