r/books • u/glenweldon AMA Author • Mar 22 '16
ama 12pm I am Glen Weldon, author of THE CAPED CRUSADE: BATMAN AND THE RISE OF NERD CULTURE. AMA!
Hey Reddit; Glen Weldon here.
I wrote "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture." It's a deep dive into the character's history, and an attempt to examine The Way We Nerd Now.
I'm also a panelist on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast.
I'll be here from noon ET, so ask me any damn thing.
Proof: https://twitter.com/ghweldon/status/712263751748026368
EDIT: Ok gotta jump on a call. Thanks Reddit for having me, and for asking such good thoughtful and sexually attractive questions, all of which (well: MOST of which) are answered more cogently in my book.
I'll keep checking back and thinking about answers to some of those list-y questions.
This was awesome; thanks again.
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u/swissco Mar 22 '16
What's your opinion on the way female superheroes are sexualised in comics? Are we fussing over nothing, or is it a genuine problem?
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u/glenweldon Mar 22 '16
It's a real issue, and it's disingenuous to pretend it isn't -- to say "yeah but the men get objectified too." Yeah, nice try.
It's an unfortunate function of how monolithic superhero comics have been for decades. More diverse characters, storylines, creators, and a more diverse readership can only improve the medium and improve the fanbase. Superheroes work on a symbolic/emotional level, and to do that they have to represent ALL of our hopes and values, not just those of the fanboys they've historically been written for.
Things like cosplay and fan fiction improve fandom by engaging with these characters and stories in new, more nuanced and more interactive ways. More women, more people of color, more queer folk = richer storytelling. BETTER storytelling.
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY Mar 22 '16
Now that you've shot your author photo for the dust jacket, are you going to stop working out all the time? Or—god forbid—have you actually developed a taste for consistent exercise and healthy living?
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Mar 22 '16 edited Nov 24 '17
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u/glenweldon Mar 22 '16
Gotta go with Freeze, here. The tragedy at the core of his character gives him depth. I think The Riddler has enormous potential that I haven't seen fully realized. The Joker's overused, and the Penguin's just a gangster with a gimmick, to me. Scarecrow, Two-Face -- the more gothic, the better.
And Roddy McDowell as The Bookworm in the old 66 series -- that dude had style.
2. Historically, a boy's club. But as I mention above, things are getting better/deeper/more a reflection of the world as it is, not the world as it was.
3. Grant Morrison's Animal Man run was brilliantly upsetting, and it did something genuinely new that enriched the genre, and showed people what it could do. (His Doom Patrol run is my favorite run of superhero comics, and Crazy Jane my favorite character.)
EDIT: changed "that dud had style" to "that dude had style" because I am not talking about the movie candy.
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY Mar 22 '16
In terms of consistent cultural resonance, the order of importance always seems to run 1) Batman, 2) Superman and 3) Wonder Woman (and she's usually a distant third.)
Why do you think this is? What is it about Batman that continues to resonate long after similar costumed vigilantes have long been forgotten, while most people couldn't tell you anything about Wonder Woman?
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY Mar 22 '16
Who is one comics character that you would love to see get more attention, and why?
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u/pearloz Mar 22 '16
Hey! I love you on PCHH! What a great show! I can't remember who, but one of you had a twitter series about the senate after the apocalypse? Was that you?
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Mar 22 '16
As a casual superhero fan, I am excited to read your book. How much gets cut when you guys are recording Pop Culture Happy Hour?
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Mar 22 '16
Batman is imagined differently depending on the creator. The animated series did a superb job depicting him as a detective. Frank Miller did an excellent job portraying him as a lunatic. Christoffer Nolan: essentially a special operations commando. Neal Adams: a James Bond. Where else do you see this character going, thematically?
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Mar 22 '16
Who do you believe deserves the majority of credit for creating Batman: Bill Finger, Bob Kane, both, more complicated? Thank you!
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u/DeadGuySaysWhat Mar 22 '16
When did you first start reading comic books? What got you in to comic books and especially Batman?
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u/ABMikeTomlin Mar 22 '16
What's you favorite Batman story? Do you think BvS will be good?
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u/ArtofATL Mar 22 '16
Hey Glen. Can't wait to dive into the audiobook you narrate yourself. What is it like recording a 9 hour audiobook? How long did the sessions last? When you stumble on a word, do you restart that sentence? Whole paragraph? Curious about process. Thx, & congrats.
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u/Asking_you_something Mar 22 '16
Hi Glen! I'm a big fan of PCHH. I seem to recall that you have a degree in Marine Biology. Is that right? If so, how did you make the transition from that career path to pop culture writing?
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u/JeffRyan1 Mar 22 '16
In the upcoming superhero movie, who do you think will win, Iron Man or Captain America?
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u/Dunlocke Mar 22 '16
As a non-comic book reader, I feel like constant TV/movie reboots can diminish my appreciation of some of these stories. Is this how comic book readers have felt for the last several decades?
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u/Hanford Mar 22 '16
Hey Glen! Any 2016 comic releases you've read that you'd recommend?
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u/nehahahaha Mar 22 '16
Hey Glen, if you had to define the word 'Weldonian', how would you do it?
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Mar 22 '16
Glen,
Why was it comics that seemed to truly make nerd culture become more mainstream? What is different about comics vs various other nerdy tributaries?
Love you on PCHH and am looking forward to reading the book.
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u/yoailish Mar 22 '16
Hi! Really enjoying the audiobook so far, but I apologize if this is answered in a part I haven't got to yet.
What's your opinion on the rest of the batfamily (any fave Robins/Batgirls?) and why do you think they continue to be excluded in favor of Joseph Gordon Levitt in movies?
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u/j-laird Mar 22 '16
Hi Glen, huge PCHH fan here.
I'm decidedly a non-comic / non-superhero guy, but find your explanations of the topic completely entertaining and captivating. The superhero quiz you hosted on PCHH had to be one of the shows finest moments.
Can you recommend any other authors/books who cover the topic in a similarly engaging way for readers who don't approach comics from a comic nerd background?
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u/pablonerudamnit Mar 22 '16
Glen! You gave me a wonderful doodle with a compliment about my thighs and I'll treasure it always. My question is: do you think you're a bigger supporter of the Maximum Fun consortium of podcasts than Lin-Manuel Miranda, and can you two have a sing-off to settle it once and for all?
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u/briligerent Mar 22 '16
Could there be (or maybe there was and I don't know about it) a gay Batman?
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u/answers_to_kv Mar 22 '16
Hey Glen, given the current boom that nerd culture is experiencing, do you think it will eventually go the way of the western? Also, who are your favorite superheroes? (Guessing batman from the title) Thanks!