Welcome to This Week in Fandom, the OTW’s roundup of things which are happening! We’re back after a little hiatus for things like budgets and fundraising–and thanks again to everybody who donated during our October Membership Drive! Before we start, did you know that it’s now possible to pre-order fandom-themed Chia Pets and Clappers? I may have just completed most of my holiday gift shopping.
Over the past couple weeks, everything has been Venom. Venom, Eddie, and Symbrock. If you’ve even glanced at Tumblr recently, you’ve probably seen fan art. A lot of fan art. So, is this just standard Marvel Cinematic Universe hype, or is there more?
SyFy Wire published an article based on an interview with Amanda Brennan, Senior Content Insights Manager for Fandommetrics, a team that tracks fannish activity and trends on Tumblr. Symbrock and Venom have been the most popular ship and movie on Tumblr for the past two weeks now. As for why:
“Exploring the softness of the monster is kind of a big trope that I’ve seen,” [Brennan] says. […]
The fan art Symbrock shippers are producing, Brennan says, says a lot about the “psyche of what people see in this monster. People are looking past ‘It’s a parasite’ into ‘This symbiote chose Eddie Brock and has a connection to Eddie Brock.’ And that connection feels romantic.”
So basically
Have you seen Venom? What did you think? Are you now a Symbrock shipper? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to write about the Venom fandom on Fanlore!
Elsewhere, The Mary Sue published an article about the importance of non-canon queer couples in media, with a focus on Harry Potter and Captain America. The article argues that “We’ve come a long way in terms of queer representation in media, but sometimes the representation that feels the best is still non-canonical and unintentional,” due to the equality and depth characters are given when not in romantic relationships.
Remus, Sirius, Steve, and Bucky are all deeply developed characters as individuals, and that is precisely what makes the intimacy written between them so compelling. None of them is simply a vehicle for another’s development… At the same time, it’s clear how important their histories together are for each character’s development. Their emotional bonds feel real and deep in a way that is missing from any of their interactions with female characters.
Lastly, both Iron Fist and Luke Cage have been cancelled by Netflix, according to an article from CNN. Fans are disappointed, but some are also hoping this is just a step towards a new series in the Netflix Marvel universe.
So wait… First they cancel Iron Fist after a massive improvement. Now they’ve cancelled arguably their best Marvel series?!
I swear to God, we’d better hear something about a Heroes for Hire series like, YESTERDAY. #LukeCage— Petros L. Ioannou (@PetrosofSparta) October 20, 2018
What do you think? Is Heroes for Hire the next step, or is this the end for these two shows?