WonderCon Anaheim 2013

From a performance studies perspective, Maria Patrice Amon (University of California, Irvine) argues that cosplaying is the ultimate embodiment of Scott McCloud's assertion of universal identification with characters through the simplification of the cartoon image. Rooted in contemporary comic and Foucauldian theory, Cameron McKee (University of California, Berkeley) argues that Tom of Finland's comics were seminal to the emergence of a radical gay identity pre-Stonewall through the AIDS crisis. Christine Ferguson argues that Batman illustrates the superpower of S&M and, in the process of exploring the submissive side of Batman, demonstrates the importance of aftercare, bonding, and how not to call the Commissioner down.