Queering Wolverine in Comics and Fanfiction: A Fastball Special

Queering Wolverine in Comics and Fanfiction: A Fastball Special explores how the Marvel Comics character Wolverine is a queer hero, highlighting his resistance to normalization and his porous and vulnerable body. It traces a queer genealogy of Wolverine through important storylines, queer kinships, and eroticized same-sex relationships.

Format: Hardback
Length: 102 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Queering Wolverine in Comics and Fanfiction: A Fastball Special delves into the compelling portrayal of the Marvel Comics character Wolverine as a queer hero, exploring his representation as an open, vulnerable, and kinship-oriented queer hero across both comics and fanfiction. Contrary to assertions that Wolverine embodies Reagan-era conservatism or hegemonic hypermasculinity, Wolverine defies gender and sex norms not only due to his mutant status but also because his character consistently resists normalization throughout his publication history, making him a fertile ground for a queer-heroic future. Instead of solely focusing on overt queer representations that have occasionally appeared in certain comic forms, this book delves into the queer representations that preceded Wolverine's bisexual and gay characterizations, with a particular emphasis on his porous and vulnerable body. Through significant yet nuanced storylines, this book traces a queer genealogy of Wolverine by examining representations of his open body that is perpetually in flux (both visually and narratively), his establishment of queer kinships with his fellow mutants, and his eroticized same-sex relationships as depicted in fanfiction.

This book serves as an invaluable resource for students and scholars engaged in the study of comics, cultural studies, gender studies, sexuality studies, and literature. It offers a comprehensive exploration of Wolverine's queer identity and provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of representation, identity, and kinship within the superhero genre.

Weight: 236g
Dimension: 144 x 224 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032120140