Cinema Studies Assoc. Professor Erin Hanna recently participated in a panel discussion at Fantagraphics Bookstore and Gallery in Seattle about "See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture.”

The book examines the rise of comix fandom from the seminal period of San Diego Comic Con and the artists that started it. Hanna was joined by author Mathew Klickstein, cartoonist Roberta Gregory, sci-fi fan Astrid Anderson Bear, comic book author and artist Donna Barr, and Fantagraphics founder Gary Groth in the discussion about this compelling pop culture phenomenon.

Hanna’s research explores the intersection of media industries and fans, with a particular emphasis on in-person media events, film and television promotion, and historical fan communities.  

My work sits at the intersection of media industry studies and fan studies. I am especially interested in the ways media industry publicity and promotion circulate popular ideas about audiences and shape consumer experiences beyond the screen. My book, Only at Comic-Con: Hollywood, Fans, and the Limits of Exclusivity, examines the connection between exclusivity and the proliferation of Hollywood promotion at the San Diego Comic-Con. In addition to exploring the increased media industry presence at Comic-Con in the twenty-first century, my book places a special emphasis on Comic-Con’s history, dating back to its founding in 1970 and the convention’s roots in comics fandom of the 1960s. My current research continues this exploration of historical fan communities and their relationship with media producers, with a particular emphasis on gendered labor, visibility, and exclusion.