As a special feature of The Fanbase Weekly podcast, the Fanbase Feature focuses on and celebrates a specific element of geek culture.

In this Fanbase Feature (and installment in Fanbase Press’ #BatmanDay 2016 celebration), Fanbase Press Editorials Manager Michele Brittany spoke with Robert Weiner about the conception and longevity of the Caped Crusader as a leading popular culture icon in comics, film, video games, television, and many other media outlets. Weiner, the Humanities Librarian at Texas Tech University, is the author and editor of several books exploring the cultural impact of many of our favorite fandoms.

Earlier this year, the University Press of Mississippi published Weiner and Robert Moses Peaslee’s anthology collecting the first scholar study of a supervillain, Joker, in The Joker: A Serious Study of the Clown Prince of Crime. Weiner has also written about Adam West’s Batman in Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s Batman TV Series Matters (2012, Sequart Research & Literary Organization).

Many topics are explored during the interview, including the first years of Batman at Action Comics, defining moments in the franchise, major themes, the Joker and other supervillains, and where to enter the franchise if Batman is new for you.

Joining forces for a follow up to The Joker, Weiner and Peaslee have a call for proposals for The Dark Side: A Supervillain Reader that will be published by University Press of Mississippi. If you have a supervillain topic that you think would fit the market, read through the details. Proposal deadline is October 15, 2016. 

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