Avengers dissemble! Transmedia superhero franchises and cultic management
Date
2014
Authors
Taylor, Aaron
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Intellect
Abstract
Through a case study of The Avengers (2012) and other recently adapted Marvel
Entertainment properties, it will be demonstrated that the reimagined, rebooted and
serialized intermedial text is fundamentally fan oriented: a deliberately structured and
marketed invitation to certain niche audiences to engage in comparative activities. That
is, its preferred spectators are often those opinionated and outspoken fan cultures whose
familiarity with the texts is addressed and whose influence within a more dispersed film
going community is acknowledged, courted and potentially colonized. These superhero
franchises – neither remakes nor adaptations in the familiar sense – are also paradigmatic
byproducts of an adaptive management system that is possible through the appropriation
of the economics of continuity and the co-option of online cultic networking. In short,
blockbuster intermediality is not only indicative of the economics of post-literary
adaptation, but it also exemplifies a corporate strategy that aims for the strategic co
option of potentially unruly niche audiences.
Description
Sherpa Romeo yellow journal. This is a pre-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in the Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance following peer review.
Keywords
Marvel Comics , Superheroes , Post-cinematic adaptations , Fandom , Transmedia , Cult cinema
Citation
Taylor. A. (2014). Avengers dissemble! Transmedia superhero franchises and cultic management. Journal of Adaptation in Film and Performance, 7(2), 181-194