Week 11: Fanzines and maker culture

Summary

This week we will learn about the history of comics fanzines and prozines and, in small groups, create small fanzines in class.

Weekly Learning Objectives

• define the terms fanzine and prozine and list examples of each from comics and other fandoms.
• explain the origins and history of comic book fanzines and identify some of the major figures and publications.
• create a small, simple fanzine.
• design fanzine-related programming and workshops.

Before class: Readings, resources, and tasks

• O’Brien, E. (2012). Zines: A personal history. New England Review, 33(2), 89–99. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/article/484798
• Radway, J. (2020). Zines, half-lives, and afterlives: On the temporalities of social and political change. PMLA, 126, 140–150. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1632/pmla.2011.126.1.140
• Schelly, W. (2003). Fanzine maniaActions . The golden age of comic fandom (Rev. ed.). Seattle, WA: Hamster P

In class