The Post-human Potential of a Polish Comic Book Fandom

Comic books are an undeniable part of the modern culture, gaining more popularity every year. Reading comics influences the perception of communing with other products of culture, which results in the transformation of reading into new cultural practices. They may be the result of individual participation, however, the effectiveness of undertakings may often depend on the results of teamwork and collective participation practices. Initially, the grassroots movements of comic book enthusiasts are transformed with time into forms of structured activity. Such an organized community has the potential to implement the assumptions of critical post-humanism, according to which man is not hyper-causative and should participate with actors other than human. This work outlines the historical background of the comic book fandom, considers the idea of participation in culture, analyzes the initiatives taken with particular emphasis on socially engaged activities and content, characterizes the problems faced by the community and relates individual aspects of its functioning to critical post-humanism. The research methodology was based on the analysis of the literature on the subject, virtual ethnology and interviews. The obtained results showed the comic book community as a heterogeneous community that grew out of the need for change. This fandom is involved in initiatives related to diversity, ecology, emancipation and equality, at the same time trying to popularize the comic culture medium.

Comic books are an undeniable part of the modern culture, gaining more popularity every year. Reading comics influences the perception of communing with other products of culture, which results in the transformation of reading into new cultural practices. They may be the result of individual participation, however, the effectiveness of undertakings may often depend on the results of teamwork and collective participation practices. Initially, the grassroots movements of comic book enthusiasts are transformed with time into forms of structured activity. Such an organized community has the potential to implement the assumptions of critical post-humanism, according to which man is not hyper-causative and should participate with actors other than human. This work outlines the historical background of the comic book fandom, considers the idea of participation in culture, analyzes the initiatives taken with particular emphasis on socially engaged activities and content, characterizes the problems faced by the community and relates individual aspects of its functioning to critical post-humanism. The research methodology was based on the analysis of the literature on the subject, virtual ethnology and interviews. The obtained results showed the comic book community as a heterogeneous community that grew out of the need for change. This fandom is involved in initiatives related to diversity, ecology, emancipation and equality, at the same time trying to popularize the comic culture medium.