TY - BOOK AU - Phillips,Maya TI - Nerd: adventures in fandom from this universe to the multiverse SN - 9781982165772 PY - 2022/// CY - New York PB - Atria Books KW - Fans (Persons) KW - Television broadcasting KW - Social aspects KW - United States KW - Popular culture KW - Essays KW - lcgft N1 - Includes bibliographical references; Gotham City, Star City, and Metropolis, USA : on building up and breaking down superhero mythologies -- The animation domination, Toonami, and Hellmouth High : TV toons, tropes, and trends of the '90s and beyond -- Moon prism power, make up! : power, gender, sexuality, and identity in anime and manga -- The birth of a black hero : on black tropes and heroism -- The Slytherin fire-bender of Sunagakure : self-identification with fandom, racial and national identities in space westerns, and the persistent fantasy of manifest destiny -- Espers and anxiety, mutants, magic, and mind games : on mental illness, weirdness, and shows that revel in anxiety -- Do you know Shinigami love apples? : gods, faith, and belief systems in fandom -- Con crazy : how fandom and cons have changed : authorship and the evolution of the canon -- Interdimensional cable and the infinite earths : rethinking the multiverse and the real threats to our world N2 - "In the vein of You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) and Black Nerd Problems, this witty, incisive essay collection from New York Times critic at large Maya Phillips explores race, religion, sexuality, and more through the lens of her favorite pop culture fandoms. From the moment Maya Phillips saw the opening scroll of Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, her childhood changed forever. Her formative years were spent loving not just the Star Wars saga, but superhero cartoons, anime, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Tolkien, and Doctor Who--to name just a few. As a critic at large at The New York Times, Phillips has written extensively on theater, poetry, and the latest blockbusters--with her love of some of the most popular and nerdy fandoms informing her career. Now, she analyzes the mark these beloved intellectual properties leave on young and adult minds, and what they teach us about race, gender expression, religion, and more--especially as fandom becomes more and more mainstream. Spanning from the 90s through to today, Nerd is a collection of cultural criticism essays through the lens of fandom for everyone from the casual Marvel movie watcher to the hardcore Star Wars expanded universe connoisseur. It's for anyone who's ever wondered where they fit into the narrative or if they can be seen as a hero--even of their own story"-- ER -