FANDOM fandommagazine.wordpress.com
INSIDE
ANDER
OUDTOLM MAGAZINe FAN
Issue #1
February 2017
£2
Author of Finding Fraser
KC DYER INTERVIEW
CAN JUST ANYONE BE A COSPLAYER?
FAN ART GALLERY
CONTENTS Page 4: FANDOM NEWS Page 5: WESTWORLD FAN THEORIES AND PREDICTIONS Page 6: CONVENTIONAL FANS AND COSPLAY CULTURE Page 8: UK FAN CONVENTIONS LISTINGS Page 9: REBECCA CHAPMAN INTERVIEW Page 11: Outlander Fandom cover Page 12: KC Dyer author interview Page 14: Outlander news Page 15: Outlander conventions Page 16: hardest working production team Page 18: KATH POWELL digital fan art Page 21: MORE FAN THEORIES Page 23: ASPIRING YOUTUBER INTERVIEW Page 24: SHAUN SMITH INTERVIEW Page 25: 5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SUPERMAN Page 26: COMIC SHOP OWNER AND CON ORGANISER Page 29: HOW HAS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGED FANDOM? Page 30: BEST COMIC BOOK-TV ADAPTATIONS Page 31: FAN ART GALLERY
Letter from the editor... E
veryone has heard of entertainment magazines but what about a magazine that talks to and about fans? This is that magazine. There are fansites but there’s never been a magazine in print before. Fans do so much for the entertainment industry but they’re unheard about or often mocked for their enthusiasm. I say ‘they’ but literally everyone is a fan of SOMETHING. We all have our obsessions. Some more than others. There is an invisible
subculture of fans. This magazine highlights what we do for entertainment: Fandoms, fanfiction, fanart, fan theories, cosplay, conventions, collectors and more. Without fans the entertainment industry would be nothing as there would be no one to entertain. In this issue we speak to KC Dyer the author of Finding Fraser about the Outlander fandom in our Outlander magazine. Enjoy and click below for more:
fandommagazine.tumblr fandommagazine94@gmail.com fandommagazinesite.wordpress
ON THE COVER
SHAUN SMITH WORE OBE WAN KENOBI COSPLAY TO NORTHAMPTON COMIC CON
Christy Houghton Editor
fandommag94 @fandommag94 Fandom Magazine 3
NEWS
DISNEY PIXAR CONFIRMS FAN THEORY: IT’S ALL ONE UNIVERSE
D
isney Pixar have released a video highlighting what fans have been pointing out for years. This was released recently, much to the enjoyment of fans, on the official Toy Story Facebook page. It shows how several characters have appeared in some form or another in all the other films. The video implies there is one universe for all of the films ever made by Disney Pixar. Since the Brave movie was released in 2012, the theory gained weight. The witch has a broom that sweeps by itself. Every movie in the Disney Pixar universe includes talking toys (Toy Story), cars (Cars), fish (Finding Nemo), robots (Wall-E), bugs (A Bug’s Life), monsters (Monsters
Inc.) and more. All these things were theoretically given life by magic. This part may still be just a theory but it’s a logical explanation with lots of physical proof as shown in the video. It must have been the plan for decades as there have been 17 Disney Pixar movies since Toy Story in 1995. What started out as a nice collection of easter eggs for fans over 50 have been estimated - has now become the biggest fan theory to ever be confirmed. There are many fan theories dismissed for being ridiculous, but every Pixar film crew has been purposefully including homages to other films to fuel this theory. Characters from Toy Story can
be seen in Up and an image of Monsters Inc. character Sully is carved into the witch’s house in Brave. Click the image to watch the video on our Fandom magazine Facebook page or go to: facebook.com/fandommag94
FANDOM NEWS STAR WARS FANS PAY TRIBUTE TO LATE STAR CARRIE FISHER
E
ver since the 1970s Carrie Fisher has been a rebellious female figure. Her image has now been used as Princess Leia for another reason. After her recent passing ,which coincided with that of her mother the next day, fans paid tribute to her by wearing storm trooper cosplay and holding up lightsabers to salute their fallen princess. Soon after that the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States sparked worldwide protests for women. Fisher had spoken openly about her dislike for Trump and fans used images of Leia in picket signs in the worldwide #WomensMarch. As she was in the 1977 Star Wars Episode 4. One sign at the march read “women belong in the revolution” which alludes to her character’s part in the revolution
in Star Wars and her vocality against Trump. Fans brought her voice to those marches. She once said on Twitter that Trump was definitely a “coke head” because he was sniffing a lot, but she later took that back saying he could’ve just been nervous. However, a later tweet again implied he was. She was always outspoken about herself and others, it seemed like she never hesitated to tell the truth - or at least give her “expert” opinion. The so-called Twitter war with Trump also included these gems: “So you have to be attractive to be groped uninvited by Trump. Finally! A reason to want to be ugly!” and “Trump speaking his mind isn’t refreshing, it’s appalling. Coca Cola is refreshing!” Most fans are quick to agree with her on social media, even after she passed with many expressing their loss for such her own brand of humorous candor. Luckily she was still alive to make the new Star Wars film coming soon.
FEATURE
\W/ ESTWORLD FAN THEORIES AND PREDICTIONS
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estworld is an unpredictable show unless you’re an avid TV fan. The robots in this show, about the western theme park of the future, allow humans to do what they want and be whoever they want to be. The entire show highlights the question: where is the line between human and machine, both physically and morally? As the hosts are becoming more real with every upgrade, it shows that humanity doesn’t necessarily mean goodness. The plot line, to general audiences, had so many twists and turns it was easy to miss a lot of hints – but fandom viewers spotted them all. We, the regular viewers who go beyond what we see on screen, following social media and watching videos and interviews behind the scenes, knew some of the main plot points were going to happen. Fan theories were cooked up early in the first season. Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen season 1 of Westworld. The first main theory was that the man in the black hat is the man in the white hat in two different timelines. From the very beginning, the characters talked about 35 years in the past. The-man-in-black’s (played by Ed Harris) name is never revealed, so fans were suspicious about who he really was from the beginning. He seemed to have met all the same characters as William (Jimmy Simpson) – the man in the white hat. He even seemed to know Delores (Evan Rachel Wood). When William mentions his fiancé it seems like he doesn’t want to marry her. The-man-in-black’s story of his wife, who he never got on with after his first trip to Westworld, made it seem like William did marry her and this was the time he started
becoming darker. Several people resisted this theory as they didn’t want to see William become a bad guy who would rape Delores in the first episode. The fact that some people were ‘shipping William and Delores together, and expected a happy ending, made people think up other theories for his identity. For example, Logan (Ben Barnes) was another candidate for the man in black, however, this wasn’t as widely spread as the former fan theory because it seemed too obvious as there would be no character development. The evidence people used that he could be the man in black, only proved that William came around to his former friend’s thinking that the robots are just things to be toyed with. Another major theory that was proven correct midway through the season was known as “Bernarnold.” Bernard was a major character from the start and Arnold was an elusive figure from Ford’s past. They were partners who created Westworld and fans saw a connection between Ford’s past and present right-hand-men. It brought up the question of who really is a human and who else is planted by Ford pretending to be human – without even knowing it. Ford even gave Bernard Arnold’s memories for his “back-story.” So Ford knows more than he’s letting on. The identity of the new villain, Wyatt is another fan theory that was proven correct in the finale was. This mysterious figure was added to the back-stories of every host in the theme park. Fans seemed to know it was Delores all along. Teddy (James Marsden) has new memories of Wyatt who he remembers killing a whole village – but he can’t remember who it is. It was revealed that Delores was controlled to do this. The end of season 1 saw Delores kill Ford the same way she killed Arnold. Arnold’s death was permanent but is Ford’s? Fans predict that in season 2, we’ll see Ford transfer his consciousness into that of a host. Some still believe that William (Ed Harris) is dying and wants to find the secret to the maze to stay alive in the same way. Maive’s storyline was one that no one predicted. Her apparent awareness of being a host and finding a way out was all part of her programming and Ford’s plans. This is another thing that leads people to believe we haven’t seen the last of Ford. He’s had a plan in place since episode one. All we know for definite about season 2 is the inclusion of a new world similarly to the 1973 movie Westworld. The two main mysteries left open in the first season were: where are Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth) and Elsie (Shannon Woodward)? With no conclusion it’s likely we’ll see them again, alive and well in the park somewhere.
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FEATURE
CONVENTIONS AND Batman, Hit Girl and a Ghostbuster - something you’ll never see anywhere, other than a comic convention.
Pictures courtesy of Rebecca Chapman
Any fan event you go to, you will meet some Game of Thrones fans. Fact.
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COSPLAY CULTURE Conventions are the best place to find fans at their best. Fans save up to go to conventions and for some it’s their favourite time of year or the event they look forward to most. It’s a chance to meet other fans and/or celebrities and also to dress up as their favourite character - if they wish.
C
osplay is a time-honoured tradition at conventions. It’s a word blend of costume and play and it was coined in the 1930s. People have been cosplaying since the 1970s when San Diego Comic Con became kind of a big deal. Cosplay for many is about becoming part of the narrative in your favourite story. People don’t just copy the character, they adapt it to suit who they are and who they would be in the story. A bit like writing yourself as the main character in a fanfiction. You would become the person you are emulating. It’s a form of escapism that you don’t get from just watching a show or reading a comic book. It’s is a form of art and expression: you get to express your love of a character or, in some cases, a real person who is your hero. For example, the George RR Martin cosplayer might be an aspiring writer or, more psychologically, he might want to control and manipulate (or in Martin’s case kill) the characters in some way and be part of the narrative in that way. The picture shows the cosplayer holding an A Song of Ice and Fire book entitled: A Game of Everyone Dying. Everyone at that convention will understand the joke. People feel emotionally connected to their favourite stories and it’s a chance to be your true self in a way. Others will likely recognise what character you dress up as and understand who you are because of it, especially if you adapt it to suit you. People might identify themselves with those characters and you just know that that person is a friend or someone similar to you. For shy people it’s a way to show who you are without having to tell people. It also must be far easier to talk to people if you’re dressed up as a confident character.
It’s most common to dress up as anime and manga characters. Maybe because they are one of the most visually interesting and artistically different to what we typically see. Manga is the Japanese word for any comic books but here it means Japanese comic books only. Anime is similar in that it means cartoons “but calling it that is a good way to anger an otaku” according to Aaron Lack, who dressed in anime cosplay at Northampton Comic Con. An otaku is a word which he uses to describe himself and other anime and manga fans. He says anime addresses issues that the west regards as too mature for children but it’s aimed at a younger audience. The east tends to have a bit more respect for what kids can understand. An investigation by the Daily Dot found that “more men than women choose to be superheroes and more women than men choose characters from computer/video games.” It’s clear that more women than men cosplay at all. They say more women took part in their survey by far which could be because of where the links were posted but is more likely to be because more women cosplay than men. There could be more of a stigma in men than women due to the fashion and design element. A big part of the fun of cosplay is creating your own spin on another design. Very often it takes a lot of work and a lot of money to do this. There are often competitions for the best costume. Only the most imaginative and original would win, it’s usually not based on who does the best impression of the character. Conventions are the only place this would happen. The common misconception that causes the stigma is that most people think it’s weird for a grown-up to dress up when it’s not Halloween. Aaron says this is because “when you’re a child you’re expected to dress up and pretend to be your favourite characters but as you get older, society expects you to mature and leave that behind.” There are more cosplayers out there than you think.
Superman and Spiderman cosplayers at NICE convention in Bedford Courtesy of Jeff Chahal
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LISTINGS
FAN CONVENTIONS UK Supernatural Con Norbreck Castle Hotel, Blackpool Confirmed guests:
Misha Collins, Kathryn Newton, Kim Rhodes, Adam Rose, Alaina Huffman.
The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Con Norbreck Castle Hotel, Blackpool Confirmed guests:
Joseph Morgan, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Michael Malarkey, Andrew Lees, Chase Coleman.
DC and Marvel Con International Centre located at St Quentin Gate, Telford TF3 4JH, UK Confirmed guests: Wentworth Miller, John Wesley Shipp, Rick Cosnett, David Harewood, Jeremy Jordan, Mehcad Brooks, Ray Fisher, Brianna Hildebrand.
DC, Marvel, Heroes, and more
27 May to 28 May 2017
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Olympia, London Confirmed guests: Stephen Amell, Katie Cassidy, John Barrowman, Melissa Benoist, Carlos Valdes, Colin Donnell, Charlotte Ross, Michael Rowe, Milo Ventimiglia, Sean Pertwee, Sean Gunn, Cory Michael Smith, Michael Rooker, Robin Lord Taylor, Stantel VanSanten, David Mazouz, and Drew Powell.
INTERVIEW
Rebecca Chapman talks fanfiction, gaming and more
TOP 3 FANDOMS: - The Walking Dead - Supernatural - Game of Thrones
As a Film and English student, Rebecca meets a lot of like-minded people who share her love of TV shows. She reads fanfiction and goes to conventions. She enjoys political elements in shows.
T
here are certain taboos that come with fandom. Fanfiction is one of them. Rebecca reads a lot of fanfiction and has even tried writing some herself but she acknowledges she’s “not creative enough for that” as many aren’t. In her spare time she mainly reads fanfiction if something she likes has just aired. When there’s a big uprising of a certain fandom she will read what they have written as an add-on to the story that’s already out there. She dislikes the stigma attached to fanfiction that comes from a certain type: slash fiction which is hardcore but she likes the “tamer” stuff. She has been to many conventions including London Film and Comic Con. She has met Stan Lee for a paid for photo op (as shown in the picture, right). Stan Lee created the Marvel Universe. “I’ve met quite a few celebrities getting their autographs or a picture with them but it costs a lot, sometimes I think I could’ve just gone on a holiday.” He is not an actor but he has a cameo in every single Marvel film that exists. “It’s easter eggs in film and TV I find most interesting.” Most people don’t catch these moments but Marvel/comic book fans know and will spot a mile away. However, she criticises the Marvel movies because of the consumerism it brings. “They bring out another Marvel movie because they know if it’s Marvel people will watch it.” Some conventions are only good because of the people you meet. She has been to every single Asylum convention for Supernatural fans and has made friends she never would’ve made otherwise. “There was a group on Facebook for the convention and I met up with them there, and now we go to Asylum together every year.”
Courtesy of Rebecca Chapman
Rebecca with Marvel creator Stan Lee at a convention photo opportunity
“ The closest friends I’ve met are through
conventions.”
She only watches The Walking Dead and Supernatural now because of the fandom. She says these are her favourite fandoms, although that doesn’t necessarily mean they are her favourite shows. Game of Thrones is also one of Rebecca’s favourite fandoms. She cosplayed Daenerys Targaryen once. It has helped her gain confidence “I’m quite extroverted now, whereas I used to be very introverted.” A lot of fans find that conventions allow you to meet people who share your interests and you can connect with them in a way you can’t anywhere else. You can also be more yourself there than anywhere else. It’s known to be a big confidence booster. She loves connecting with people who also wear fandom T-shirts. There are always downsides to fandom. She’s also a gamer; her favourites are Assasins Creed and role playing games. Gamergate is a huge issue in the gaming world. Many men don’t believe women should play games and seem to use the anonymity that games give them to threaten or verbally abuse women (or flirting which is equally repelling). According to Rebecca, 55% of females play games compared to only 45% of men. She has had to change her screen name to one that was less feminine because of harrassment from men who “think women just play games for attention which is not why at all, usually, as with cosplay, most people do it for themselves,” she says, “I ended up changing my gamer tag because I just got sick of it.”
We took a photo of Rebecca during the interview in our radio studio.
Rebecca at London Film and Comic Con
Follow Rebecca on social media: Linked In Twitter 9
OUTLANDER FANDOM
picture: amazon prime video
ISSUE #1 FEB 2017
11
Visit her website:
kcdyer.com 12
INTERVIEW
KC Dyer: “never say never” to finding fraser sequel Finding Fraser is written in the point of view of Emma, an Outlander fan who wants to find her own Jamie Fraser. She drops everything in her life in America and heads to Scotland looking for love.
K
C Dyer discovered Outlander when Voyager was out, long before she was friends with fellow author Diana Gabaldon. The pair have been friends for over 15 years and Dyer has observed the fandom through this friendship and her own interest as a fan of “any book she can get her hands on.”
“I didn’t admit to Diana
I had written it until I finished the first draft.”
The idea for Finding Fraser came to her in the shower, she laughed out loud and wrote the book as something to make herself and her writing partner laugh. “I didn’t admit to Diana I had written it until I finished the first draft.” One of Outlander’s first ever fan groups was started in Canada, growing worldwide, known as ‘Ladies of Lallybroch’. Their site has almost 80,000 visits (since 2012) and has been going since 1997. Diana first had a chatroom conversation with them in 1999 under the username BigBooks with a Q&A. “The size of the fandom goes to prove how powerful word of mouth is when it comes to reading a marvellous book.” Fraser fans quickly found another marvellous book in Finding Fraser and added it to their pile of novels surrounding the story. This was
likely with a lot of empathy with Emma Sheridan. It’s a “stand-alone adventure” but fans may get to see Emma in her “new and exciting reality one day.” We at FANDOM are hoping to read more about Emma if a sequel is released. She had a tough time getting to her happy ending and we’re hoping to see what her Happily Ever After looks like.
“It takes nerve to do what Emma does.” During a recent interview between KC Dyer and Diana Gabaldon, the subject of “strong women” came up, as it often does when women write anything. Whether or not women can write for men etc. is always a big issue that comes up, especially as Outlander changed formed and gained a fresh audience and different type of reviewers chip in. Dyer agreed wholeheartedly by saying: “Finding Fraser is not just a story about a girl who is looking for a man to complete her. It takes nerve to do what Emma does—to go off and shape her own destiny. And while things don’t always go as planned, in the end, she learns how to stand up for herself and trust her instincts to find her own way. As for male readers—I’ve met a bunch of guys (many of them in kilts, I might add) at my readings. I wrote Finding
Fraser for anyone who’s ever fallen for a character in a book, and it’s awesome to meet and talk to readers, regardless of gender, who know and love that feeling, too!” Emma has her own fanbase as Finding Fraser readers send their stories to KC Dyer about how they’ve found their own ‘Fraser’ which she says is humbling and deeply thrilling. “I have a spot to feature them on Emma’s blog at FindingFraser.com” which is the main tool of Emma’s adventure. She posts everything that happens to her and gets responses from other fans to lead her to the next part of her Outlander journey. “I have the best job in
the world, but would I recommend it? Not to anyone sane really.”
To any fans who want to become writers of their own stories, Dyer has the advice that you should read as much as you can. Make sure to write at least a few minutes a day at least. “I’ll get to it tomorrow is code for this book is never going to get written.” Look out for a new romantic comedy by KC Dyer which is in the works and coming soon, as well as her own time-travel series for little ones called The Copper Codex.
KC Dyer and Diana Gabaldon at the Poisoned Pen bookshop in the US
Pictures courtesy of KC Dyer
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NEWS
NEW PICS, SOUTH AFRICA AND DROUGHTLANDER END DATE
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chosen few of the Outlander cast and crew have packed up from their Scotland set in Cumbernauld and started filming Voyager (Season 3) scenes, set in Jamaica, in South Africa. A video Sam and Cait posted showed them saying goodbye to Scotland, having already arrived near to Cape Town. It was tweeted with the announcement that this 13 episode season will air on Starz and Amazon Prime in September! That’s a long droughtlander. Fans have always been able to visit sets in Scotland because of the country’s lax rules on film sets. Many tours have been organised by local businesses to show fans around these locations. Let’s hope they have a similar set-up in SA. Jamie and Claire meet a familiar face in Jamaica and learn more about the mythology of the mysterious standing stones. It will be exciting to see Jamie and Claire 20 years older and the new tone this will bring to the show. New promo pictures have also been revealed. One shows Claire and Frank in the 1950s and ‘60s seemingly
arguing - probably Frank’s fault, just saying. Another shows Claire on a stroll with her baby Brianna in a stylish oldtimey pram. These Boston scenes must have been filmed in America, indicating that when season 4 comes around (Drums of Autumn) we know they don’t necessarily need an American back-drop for 100% accuracy. If they can make Prague look like 18th Century Paris and South Africa look like Jamaica, it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for them to continue to film in Scotland.
Click thumbnail to watch on Twitter
Cait and Sam saying goodbye to Scotland
OUTLANDER NEWS WINNER OF PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD: ALL NOMINATIONS Outlander has only been on our screens for a few years and has already won several awards, mainly voted for by the fans. The recent People’s Choice Awards saw the cast and show receive four wins out of four nominations: - Favourite TV show (Outlander) - Favourite premium sci-fi/fantasy series (Outlander) - Favourite sci-fi/fantasy TV actor (Sam Heughan) - Favourite sci-fi/fantasy TV actress (Caitriona Balfe) This is the type of award that fans work hard to win for their favourite TV cast and crews and this isn’t the first time (and also likely not the last) that they’ve won People’s Choice. Fans often vote for awards the cast didn’t even know existed and maybe the voters didn’t either. #TVTopCouple is coming up and - not to be biased - a lot of fans are nominating Jamie and Claire Fraser as their favourite. It’s down to the final eight and Jamie and Claire are up against Root and Shaw from Person of Interest. Outlander has won several fan polls and it’s important to fans when they get mentioned in the media for their contributions to the show. This media buzz gives the show its viewers, or more viewers, and can hopefully get the show a 14
fifth season and more. Caitriona Balfe tweeted that it was good to hear Outlander won the 18th WIN award for Best drama. Diana Gabaldon also tweet a picture of writer Toni Graphia and Maryl Davis accepting their award. Other winners of this award include VIkings for their oustanding directing and another Starz creation Flesh and Bone.
LISTINGS
Starfury events Norbeck castle hotel Blackpool
25th - 27th August CONFIRMED GUESTS:
Sam Heughan
Lotte Verbeek
Graham McTavish
Gary Lewis
Steven Cree
Grant O’Rourke
Stephen Walters
Finn Den Hertog
OUTLANDISH UK GATHERING Aviemore Highland Resort
18th - 22nd May 300 fans expected to attend this year
Ron D Moore, Executive Producer of Outlander and former Battlestar Galactica EP (presumably a frequent convention-goer) tweets his praise of a previous event.
OUTLANDISH GATHERINGs 2017 Aviemore Highland Resort
26th - 28th May 15
FEATURE
MATT B ROBERTS: “THE MOST HARDWORKING PRODUCTION TEAM IN THE BUSINESS” Outlander is one of the most visually appealing and historically accurate shows on TV and has the least amount of CGI than is usual in TV and films these days. The budget for every episode is supposedly the same as Game of Thrones and is spent on making authentic and quality props, locations, set designs and the all important costumes.
Scotland’s economy has only benefitted from Outlander. They use real castles and real landscapes to make a beautiful and eyecatching background for Jamie and Claire. Bear McCreary is a name you likely haven’t heard before but you’ve probably heard his music. His Scottish background allowed him to incorporate bagpipes into the score and has sold CDs of the tracks. The main soundtrack was based on the Skye Boat Song but they changed it to she for Claire.
Even the extras get special treatment with couture costumes for everyone (including the extras pictured). Their team work tirelessly to produce thousands of detailed hand-painted or handembroidered 18th century dresses and suits for the men. A lot of research goes into fashion and interior design in the show and no expense is spared to make things accurate. They get help from local schools of art and bring in Scottish extras and the opportunities to take part are seemingly endless.
The attention to detail is second to none. Jamie’s bandage was made with the help of real doctors who consult for the show. Outlander Anatomy has a blog dedicated to pointing out the accuracies of the medical proceedures Claire carries out or the injuries the Highlanders get in their misadventures. We also know that Sam Heughan (Jamie) spends several hours getting ‘100 lashes upon 100 lashes’ and several other prosthetic scars on his back, all for accuracy’s sake.
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all pictures: amazon prime video
The cast were given two weeks boot camp before season 1 filming. They got to learn to ride horses, fight with swords and other weapons from the armoury and even speak Gaelic. Scottish culture and history are celebrated in this show and the producers don’t shy away from it.
They say Scotland is its own character. Tourism has risen immensely since the story took off in America in about 1990. Several Outlander tours have started throughout the country. The main character of Finding Fraser even showed up to one before there were any filming locations to visit.
The dinner party in season 2 episode 4 La Dame Blanche seemed like a logistical nightmare. It was carefully arranged so that the ladies’ dresses would fit at the table. Apparently 18th century dresses were made without large dining tables in mind. They had to take out some seats to make it work. 17
FAN ART GALLERY
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KATH POWELL digital artist
F
an art was Powell’s way into the Outlander fandom. She became aware of the books after she saw fan art of Jamie Fraser 10 years ago and has since read all eight books as well as author Diana Gabaldon’s spinoff short stories and Lord John novels, all set in the Outlander universe. She was previously interested in Scotland and historical romance fiction and decided to read the story out of curiosity. Her digital paintings
Kath Powell paints pet portraits for her career as an artist and digitally paints Outlander fan art in her spare time. She’s been drawing The Frasers since the show started and read all the books. can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a week or more and she works in several different styles. There are more examples than are on this page. There are mosaic versions of Murtagh and Jamie Fraser, as well as edited photos. They all tell a story or have some meaning that Outlander fans will understand. All her artwork is beautifully detailed and is enough to give us ‘feels’. There’s an example of Jamie and Claire in the infamous
Top 3 fandoms: print shop in Edinburgh, - Outlander seemingly based on images released by set designer Jon - Black Sails Gary Steele and producer - The Last Kingdom Matthew B Roberts. She says her fan “I love painting art gives her “pleasure to digitally and I produce” and based on the love Outlander.” comments “they give others pleasure to look at.” She’s made special friendships in “A few pages this fandom using social media was enough for and an added bonus is selling me and since her art on Redbubble. More then I have been online: fandommagazinesite. hooked.” wordpress.com
ALL ART CREDIT: KATH POWELL 19
FEATURE
MORE FAN THEORIES These are some of the top fan theories of all time - here’s my list:
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Willy Wonka is one of the creepiest kids’ films in history and it’s one of the classics generations keep watching. Based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, viewers of the film have held onto a popular fan theory for years – possibly decades – and it’s got a lot of evidence to back it up. When the children first arrive they go into the chocolate river and one kid falls in. Then they go on a boat, where there is clearly not enough room for the child and his mother. This pattern continues and when one child is left, Wonka acts like he knew there would only be one. He knew these kids would get seriously injured and left behind in horrible ways and did nothing. It was all a test to see who should be his successor at the end. Can it be considered a theory if it’s clearly a fact that knew all along?
Titanic This theory is based on Leonardo DiCaprio’s other film The Great Gatsby (2013) and an alternate reality in which Jack Dawson survived the Titanic, changed his name to Jay Gatsby and met Daisy Buchanan. The film includes flashbacks to around 1912 (10 years before Gatsby was set and the year the Titanic sank) and his teenage self is played by younger actor Callan McAuliffe – they almost could’ve used Titanic clips for those scenes if it were the right type of boat. Spoilers if you haven’t seen Great Gatsby: the end where Gatsby drowns is like fate coming back to get Jack, is it not? Not to mention the iconic comparison of the images of Leo as Jack and Jay both holding up their glass the same way. This theory was bound to happen following that. There are actually two fan theories for this film which are both very different but both involve Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio). The first one involves time travel. Jack mentions several things that hadn’t been invented yet in 1912, like the icy lake in Wisconsin he falls into was man-made a few years after the Titanic sank, along with that floppy hair cut, it makes sense Jack Dawson didn’t exist until closer to the 1990s. That explains why Rose didn’t find out anything else about him.
Ferris Beuller’s Day Off In Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, Ferris is the title character, but fans believe the entire film is all in his best friend Cameron’s imagination, in a fever dream he’s having. Ferris pretends to be sick and he’s talking to people who aren’t there (audience) giving tips about faking being sick for a day off which makes him seem unreal. Cameron is actually sick and goes along with whatever his fearless friend does. He does everything Cameron has always wanted to do including driving his dad’s car and starting a citywide campaign for Ferris to get well and singing in front of a parade in the middle of the city. It can’t possibly be real. Ferris is everything that Cameron wants to be and is confident enough to do whatever he wants which Cameron can’t. It might be a common trope that “it was all a dream”/ “the whole thing never happened” when it comes to fan theories but this one is actually pretty convincing.
Grease Remember the line “I saved her life, she nearly drowned” in Summer Loving, what if she actually did? One of the most ridiculous movie endings and a ‘jumping the shark’ moment was the flying car at the end. It’s a theory that her whole year at Rydell was a dream she has as she’s dying in Danny’s arms and the ending is her going to heaven with her last love Danny as a cool and confident woman in the end. Not as convincing as the rest, but how else does anyone explain that flying car moment? 21 19 17 21
INTERVIEW
SHAUN SMITH Conventional fan TOP 3 FANDOMS: - Harry Potter - X Men - Star Wars
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Shaun Smith is a cosplays and he’s conventions as he can
s a cosplayer, Shaun has several costumes including Magneto, Obe Wan Kenobi, Dragon Ball Z characters and others. In his spare time he also draws his favourite comic book characters as a distraction from every day life. He works full-time so he has to fit conventions and other fandom related things in his free time. “I try and do it as much as I can,” Shaun says. He has been to several places related to his fandoms more than once. Harry Potter has been one of his main fandoms since the first film came out. He’s been to Harry Potter studios at least once: collecting wands and Hogwarts uniforms and visiting the set recreations. He’s been to Harry Potter studios and Harry Potter world in Orlando. “It’s as if you’re walking through the books.” He knows an encyclopaedia’s worth of knowledge about his fandoms. X-Men and Star Wars are his other favourites. “The new star wars is bringing everyone together.” He admires the X-Men stories because the characters are all odd and out of place in society. “Something about Marvel comics; they can tackle big subjects like the X-Men deals with discrimination but it deals with that concept of being different and taking what’s different to make yourself better and challenges you to think about why we’re like this as a society.” It’s difficult being a ‘nerd’ even today. There is still an element of having to hide this part of yourself, but Shaun’s passion for these stories is known by everyone who knows him. It’s only since the recent surge in popularity for Marvel and DC Comics that most people are fine with being called a ‘nerd’ and often people try to look ‘nerdy’ as a fashion trend. Lord of the Rings and Dragon Age are his newest fandoms and he spends “quite a lot” of time on them. His friends introduce him to new fandoms all the time. When he was 10, he had a picture taken with a Mary Poppins actor and, 10 years later, he recreated the picture with another Mary Poppins. It’s easy for him to make friends and some friends of his invited him to come with them to Orlando Florida with a spare ticket they had - for free. He spent a day going to Universal studios where he visited the real-life set of
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jack of all trades when it comes to being a fan. He a part of several fandoms. He goes to as many get to and he also does the odd bit of fan art. The Simpsons, to name one of many places. He meets a lot of people who share the same interests as him by going to conventions as much as possible. Northampton Comic Con allowed him to meet people, not just from Northampton, and those develop friendships online. He got several prints from there and, of course, had a chance to wear the cosplay in the picture (right). There were cosplayers at the event and several people taking photos together. One other cosplayer from Northampton Comic Con said: “It’s good that Northampton finally has its own convention because we’re a community of fans and it’s good to know you’re not the only one in Northampton with the same interests.” Shaun is also a big Doctor Who fan and he got to meet other fans and there were opportunities to meet actors he never would’ve met otherwise.
INTERVIEW
Aspiring YouTuber and gamer
Harry Hutchinson Harry Hutchinson is a big fan of anime and manga and has his own Youtube channel, XenoHarry, for unboxing videos, reviews and all things fandom. He studies Games Computing at University.
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eing a YouTuber who is just starting out, Harry would like people to recognise him from YouTube at a convention, he says: “that would be the ultimate goal.” He’s met several Youtubers he admires and even an actor from Game of Thrones. Conventions allow him to try out new games and also fellow YouTubers he knows from screen. He once met a youtuber pictured below in Harlequinn cosplay called Noodlerella on the site. He’s met her several times and was excited about being recognised by her. His main influence is Beckii Cruel, an internet sensation in the anime and manga world. They both enjoy Japanese culture and she has helped him make his videos using her experience as a YouTuber herself. “I’ve met her quite a few times and I’ve asked her for a lot of advice. She’s shown me a lot of things you can do to help improve your fanbase.” He goes to almost every convention in London including Hyper Japan which is an event aimed at people who enjoy Japanese culture. In his videos, he chooses a subject such as an unboxing, or a review of a new game or episode of a TV
show. The videos itself takes a few hours to shoot and editing it is important. “The best I can and getting it down to the shortest amount of time” Harry says. If he’s gone to an event, he’ll get “as much footage as possible” from different parts of the day. “You have to make sure all of the cuts are right, then make sure you have music on top but you don’t want your voice to be drowned out.” Most people gain confidence from interacting at conventions or with fans on social media, but Harry also finds that “filming my YouTube helps my confidence,” he gets to talk to people in the camera when ordinarily he’s a shy person. “I started doing it to try and help my confidence; it’s really helping.” “I’ve never cosplayed but I really want to” he says as it’s too CONTACT expensive. He’s trying to get game Find his YouTube codes for reviewing games. He’s had a gameboy and been into games and channel here: fandoms as long as he can remember. XenoHarry
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FEATURE
things only true fans know about SUPERMAN ‘78
When a true fan gets invested in a character, they search for behind the scenes news and production secrets. If you haven’t looked hard enough, these are some movie facts you might have missed.
Darth Vadar actor trained a skinny Christopher Reeve In 1977, Christopher Reeve was told that he’d have to wear padding instead of muscle. Reeve decided to bulk up with exercise instead. The actor David Prowse was the body of Darth Vadar in the original Star Wars trilogy and had also auditioned to play Superman. He was turned down because he wasn’t American. He also went for the role of Non, General Zod’s right-hand-man, despite this part having no lines, he still didn’t get this role either. He was still a good sport and trained Reeve.
Reeve voiced-over the actor playing his younger self Jeff East is the actor who plays teenage Clark Kent in Superman the movie. He was not happy to learn that in all his scenes, the voice of Christopher Reeve was placed over the top. Not a lot of producers would do this as it’s a tricky and risky move - especially with fans as passionate as those who read comics. We all know passionate fans have eagle eyes and always share their opinions, even before social media.
The Superman curse: Reeve, East and Toddler Clark Historically, random bad things have happened to all actors who play Superman. It’s most prevalent in this film as three out of the four actors who play Superman have fallen victim to the curse. Although many recent actors are sceptical, they acknowledge the theory exists. There is no evidence to back it up but misfortune surrounding cast members and miscellaneous people involved in the franchise.
Superman has a lot of powers he never has otherwise The power to turn back time by flying quickly around the Earth and making it rotate backwards was definitely a ‘jump-the-shark’ ridiculous moment. It was never in any other incarnations of Superman before or since - for good reason. The first sequel was even worse. He could take Lois’ memories away somehow, he could throw his S and trap Zod - somehow, and make more than one of himself - somehow.
Young Lois’ parents were former Lois and Clark actors Actors in the DC universe always get recast in other significant roles in the next generation of their story. The very first example of this is when Lois is on a train with her parents (Ellen and Sam Lane) in this version. Most people don’t realise that her parents are played by former Superman actors Alyn Kirk (Superman 1948) and Noel Neill (Superman 1948 and Adventures of Superman 1950s). This has been a recurring tradition of easter eggs in the Superman universe. For example, Phyllis Coates (Lois 1950s) played Lois Lane’s mother in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The Lois from Lois and Clark (Teri Hatcher) then went on to play Ellen Lane in Smallville. 25
INTERVIEW
COMIC SHOP OWNER AND CONVENTION ORGANISER Jeff Chahal has been working at the Close Encounters shop in Northampton for 14 years and he uses his knowledge and love of comic books and its artwork to organise a real comic book convention.
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eff Chahal is a life-long comic book fan and he says he most enjoys it for the art work. He is the main organiser of the NICE convention in Bedford and as a fan of several comic book artists, he gets to invite and meet people whose work he admires. “I get to see art work I would never get to see otherwise.” Unless you read comics you may not have heard of a lot of his guests, but they are high profile in the industry.
“We get guests from all over the world, so these guys are coming in our industry at the top level.” Any artist who wants to join his conventions with a table need a license to draw these characters otherwise it’s stealing. “Most people think Marvel artists are millionaires” because Marvel is so huge and everyone knows these characters but they are in fact “just working people like you and me.” If you sell your drawing or a print of that character without a license it’s stealing. He thinks fan art is fine as long as there’s no money being made. In the picture below is Martin Griffiths. He has been invited to NICE convention as an artist who works in the comic book industry. He draws Marvel characters such as Spiderman and also Thundercats and Transformers comics. He’s been in the business for several decades. He also criticises other
conventions for giving artists stalls who sell prints they don’t have a license for and the consumerism that comes with using the name comic con when it’s not actually about comic books at all. “Coming to a show like mine which is a lot smaller, they can actually get to see every guest they want to see. We don’t charge for autographs, it’ll cost you a small fortune to get autographs and you can’t physically get round everybody at big shows.” He dislikes it when bigger conventions charge “working people” for autographs from rich celebrities who are “multi-millionaires.” It’s important for Jeff to make the comic conventions about comic books only. He says Northampton Comic Con should be called TV Con because “they’re nothing to do with comics at all” but thousands of people enjoy that experience and are happy so he doesn’t want to take anything away from them.
“If Michelangelo were still alive and said to you ‘I’ll give you 22 pages of art work for £3 a month’, you’d say alright then.” There are three types of shows in the industry: Comic Cons, manga/anime shows and “actual” comic conventions. He says they get cosplayers like anywhere else but it’s mainly the manga/anime ones that are “cosplay driven.” “Comics aren’t as popular as people think they are” only a percentage actually come in and buy the comic books of Captain America or other films they watch. “People still think they’re too ‘nerdy.’” Close encounters is located in Northampton, Bedford and Peterborough.
Martin Griffiths
Artist at NICE convention Courtesy of Jeff Chahal
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FEATURE
HOW HAS SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGED FAN CULTURE?
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he use of social media has increased what is considered socially acceptable. More and more people are visible who previously may not have been. Shy people who consider themselves nerds or feel left out and turn to TV shows, games and films as escapism are able to be themselves on social media and find like-minded people to interact with. The world is incredibly smaller than it was before the internet took off. Fans used to write letters to their favourite stars, now they can find things out on Twitter or Facebook. And interact with their favourite actors between takes of their new movie for a quick Q&A for example. The whole industry is more transparent to viewers. Twitter and facebook hashtags, and other forms of data from there, can be used to determine which shows should be renewed and which shouldn’t. In the age where no one watches TV live, ratings don’t mean as much. Kickstarters even brought us the Veronica Mars movie People can now watch movies or TV shows on the go, whenever they want, without a set air-date. It’s still possible to watch things live when they come on telly, but why would you? It’s much more flexible to watch it in your own time. Once it’s online, t’ll always be there. If you’re in a different country to the show you want to watch, you become vulnerable to social media spoilers. Social media used by entertainment journalists means the information they consume is free and constantly accessible in the palm of their hands on smartphones. Some people find their favourite shows or films just by reading an article about it. Reviews are everywhere and everyone is now a reviewer. When people develop relationships with cast and crew members they tend to stick around just for those things and the producers of shows become aware of it and keep them on air. It’s similar with movies, if the social media response is good or gets a lot of buzz (sometimes even negative) they will make a sequel even if there’s nothing more to say. 22 Jump Street is an example of satire about this trend: they know there’s no more stories left to tell with these characters, but they do the same things over again on purpose to highlight it. They only came back because Twitter exploded with new memes and praise for the film. Arguably, Firefly never would’ve been cancelled if social media had been around and if it
had been posted on Netflix or Amazon Prime to be streamed in one go. In my opinion: it would probably still be around now. Social media allows the fandom to stay still alive and kicking and gaining followers today. You can find new material like gifsets of your favourite ‘80s movie, that maybe no one else has heard of, just by going online. This is a gift for nostalgic people. Nothing on the internet is ever gone forever. You can post something and then years later have it pop up again. There are, of course, downsides to social media, like anything. Everyone in the world being able to post their opinions or comment on yours, for example. It’s fine if they have differing ones, but there are usually internet trolls lurking around other people’s tags. For every troll, though, there’s someone you could be best friends with if you just start a conversation by tweeting in the same hashtag or through mutual followers etc. There are even events you can organise on Twitter like special trends during a show you’re all live-tweeting about. Everyone has different experiences. Everything you could ever need to know is on social media now. You can look up spoilers (we do not recommend it but we do it anyway) and follow actors to find out where they’re filming next, and with who, and something about the scene might come up. You can interact with writers and producers of shows when there was a time you would only see them as names on the credits. Carina Mackenzie who writes for The Originals says she got her start by writing a review and posting it on Twitter. She was brave and mentioned The Vampire Diaries Executive Producer Kevin Williamson and the team invited her in to write for their new spin-off show. Watch the rest of this interesting video on youtube or click the image:
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INTERVIEW
BEST COMIC BOOK-TV SHOW ADAPTATIONS Some of the best TV shows in the world, that are still going strong today, originated from comic books but we can only name a few on this list. Many people don’t realise most of these were originally comic books. The Walking Dead (2010) has gained another huge following when it aired on TV. It has slightly separated story-wise from its comic book counterpart by Skybound, but it’s still written with the same tone. The shots in this show are some of the best on TV, using scenery to frame every shot. people just move around in the shot and it changes when they walk out. It’s not just as zombie story. The people turning on each other and how they survive is the post-apocolyptic element. Originally Lucifer was a character in The Sandman comics by DC and got his own series and later this TV series. It often makes references to the comic books including the star Tom Ellis having dark hair when comicLucifer was blonde. “Why do they blame me for their little failings: ‘the deviil made me do it’?” This memorable speech in the show was quoted directly from the comic. Ever wondered why the iZombie theme was in a comic book style? It was a comic book of the same name with some changes. Liv Moore is a pun-name for the main character created by the show’s creator Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars). She lives in Seattle as a morgue assistant, rather than a grave digger, but she still gets visions and uses them to solve the murders of the brains she eats. It also adds ‘VMars’ humour. Arrow has had so many spin-offs it’s making us dizzy. It’s no secret the CW loves its DC superhero shows. The trend starting with Smallville getting 10 seasons. Then Arrow appeared and soon spin-offs became popular and now we have four shows a week to catch up with. All with different tones and story-lines but they still manage to give us crossovers. They never stray too far from the comics but just enough to make it “Legends of the Super Flarrow” Picture by justjaredjr their own. The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends are all by the same teams.
Marvel TV shows Picture by Movie Pilot
Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist are all in the Marvel Universe which is known for crossing over. There’s also Agents of SHIELD. The first three shows are interconnected. Iron Fist might be too when it comes out. A punisher spin-off was also announced. They are not as connected as the “superfriends” above. They all acknowledge their comics.
FAN ART GALLERY
FAN ART GALLERY
Shaun Smith traces comic book drawings in his spare time just for fun. His favourite character is Storm from X-Men because she stands up for what she believes in. Courtesy of Shaun Smith
Courtesy of Dom Legaspi
Dom Legaspi from San Francisco has Ahsoka from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels tattooed on his arm. He also has Yoda. Ellie Harvey hand-draws fan art and posts it to her social media accounts. This is Groot and Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy.
Courtesy of Ellie Harvey