Episode 9 - A Roundtable Discussion on Comics Studies and Fandom

On this episode of The Comics Alternative, the Two Guys with PhDs who talk about comics are talking with two other PhDs who like to talk about comics in their first-ever roundtable discussion for the podcast.  Tof Elkund and Matthew Pustz join Andy and Derek to discuss the curious intersection of comics scholarship and comics fandom.  The four guys begin by referencing Matthew's 1999 book on this very topic, Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers, and from there venture out onto other fruitful avenues of discussion.  What follows is a lively back-and-forth on such issues as the relationship between fans and scholars, the tensions that (at times) result from the intersection of these two groups, the traditionally marginal status of comics in academia, the place of fan-based activities (such as conventions, podcasts, and blogs) in scholarly studies, the differences in purpose and audience assumptions within both communities, and how academics could greatly benefit from fan-generated endeavors.