Books in the Fan Phenomena series

From his debut in a six-page story in 1939 to his portrayal in the Dark Knight Rises, Batman is perhaps the world's most popular superhero. This book explores the unlikely devotion to the Dark Knight, from his inauspicious beginnings on the comic book page to the cult television series of the 1960s and on to films and video games of today.

The continued relevance of Star Wars owes much to the passion of its fans. For millions of people around the world, the films are more than diversions - they are a way of life. Addressing the films from a variety of cultural perspectives, this book explores various aspects of Star Wars fandom, from its characters to its philosophy.

In this anthology, a panel of rising and established popular culture scholars examines the phenomenon of Star Trek fan culture and its most compelling dimensions. The resulting collection is both critical and respectful, capturing the practices and attitudes of a fan culture that is arguably the world's best-known and most misunderstood.

Written by fans for fans, Fan Phenomena: Twin Peaks is an intelligent yet accessible guide to the various aspects of the show and its subsequent film. With commentary from both first-generation and more recent followers, essays capture the fascinating universe of Twin Peaks, from Audrey Horne's sense of style to Agent Cooper's dream psychology.

Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Marilyn Monroe was an actress, singer, and sex symbol whose influence far outlasted her short life. These essays explore representations of Monroe in visual culture by looking at the ways she is reimagined in visual art and considering how her posthumous appearance and image are appropriated in current advertisements.

An exciting dystopian fantasy thriller series, The Hunger Games began its life as a trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins, the first released in 2008. This book charts the series' success through the increasingly vocal online communities that drive the young adult book market.

Few could have predicted the enduring fascination with the detective Sherlock Holmes. In this book, the contributors discuss the ways in which various fan cultures have sprung up around the stories and how they have proved to be a strong cultural paradigm for the ways in which these phenomena function in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Austen's novels are inextricable from the culture, media and fans they have created. Essential reading for Austen's legions of admirers, Fan Phenomena: Jane Austen collects essays from writers and critics that consider the culture surrounding Austen's novels.

Released in 1975, it initially received an indifferent reception in movie theaters, but it began to gain notoriety after it was embraced by audiences at midnight screenings in New York City. This movie tells about Brad and Janet, engaged, whose car breaks down in a rainstorm, forcing them to seek refuge in the castle of the bizarre and more.

The mere hint recently that British actor Idris Elba might take up the mantle of James Bond in future installments of the film franchise was a major international news story-a testament to the enduring interest and appeal of Bond, a figure who has become a true global icon. Fan Phenomena: James Bond explores the devoted fanbase that has hel...

Fan Phenomena: Mermaids explores the centuries-old interest in mermaids. Mermaids, and merfolk more generally, are everywhere you look: parades, virtual reality, fiction, art, trends and swimming with a mermaid tail. Transgenerational merfolk fan communities stretch around the world - from sea to shining sea. And their popularity is only growing.

Fan Phenomena: Harry Potter is a journey - yes, a magical one - through one of the largest fanbases of all time and its efforts to ensure that The Boy Who Lived would live forever.