Sean Kleefeld is an independent researcher whose work has been used by the likes of Marvel Entertainment, Titan Books and 20th Century Fox. He writes the ongoing “Incidental Iconography” column for The Jack Kirby Collector and had weekly “Kleefeld on Webcomics” and "Kleefeld's Fanthropology" columns for MTV Geek. He’s also contributed to Alter Ego, Back Issue and Comic Book Resources. Kleefeld’s 2009 book, Comic Book Fanthropology, addresses the questions of who and what comic fans are. He blogs daily at KleefeldOnComics.com.
I recently caught a 2008 documentary about MMORPGs called Second Skin. They focused on seven individuals (most of whom played World of Warcraft) and what kind of lives they led. Two of the people had met...
The tail end of the year is packed with holidays! Many people know about Christmas and Hanukkah, but many other groups, both religious and secular, have celebrations in December. Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day,...
There are, of course, a number of things that I have been a fan of over the years. In some cases, I discovered something right at the start and in other cases, I came along years later. But regardless of when...
When I was a kid and still in Cub Scouts, I picked up the occasional copy of Boys' Life, the official magazine of the Boy Scouts. I eventually aged out of Cub Scouts but never joined the Boy Scouts; it just...
One of the great oft-touted benefits of webcomics is that a creator can reach a worldwide audience with ease. The flip side of that coin, though, is that while it exposes the work to a huge potential audience...
We typically think of fandom as a means to express and enjoy ourselves. But every so often, I come across a story that's much more powerful than that. About how being a fan can literally save someone's life....
One of the dilemmas facing webcomic creators, particularly those that don't already have a large fanbase, is how to get word out of new updates. There's obviously a lot of noise on the internet, and a creator...
One of the benefits of comics in general is the specific nature of their communication. That is, the combination of words and pictures can present powerful messages clearly and concisely. Will Eisner famously...
I heard someone quip recently that they were glad the Dr. Strange movie was getting a lot of attention because it meant that, when Steve Ditko eventually passes away, his obituaries will say more than...
Earlier this week, Comics Alternative released a podcast I co-host in which we reviewed Sean Wang's Runners, which ran until 2012. Wang ran a Kickstarter the following year to publish a printed version of the...