Monthly Archives: July 2011

Alien Impregnation in Science Fiction: The Mystical Pregnancy Trope

July 30th, 2011 | Posted in horror, science fiction, social commentary

I recently shared this interesting video snippet at the TheoFantastique Facebook group page and thought it was worth including here. This piece was brought to my attention through Sociological Images in a piece titled “Pregnancy Porn: Alien Impregnation in Science Fiction.” The piece originally comes from Feminist Frequency: Conversations with Pop Culture. This feminist critique […]

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TheoFantastique Podcast 2.4 – Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels

July 25th, 2011 | Posted in comics, religion

From the back cover of Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels, edited by A. David Lewis and Christine Hoff Kraemer (Continuum International Publishing, 2010): Although they were once considered a medium suitable only for children’s literature, comic books have increasingly become a vehicle for serious social commentary and, specifically, for innovative religious […]

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Book Review: The Vampire Defanged

July 24th, 2011 | Posted in Dracula, True Blood, Twilight, vampire

When I first heard that Brazos Press, an evangelical publisher, had produced a volume looking at vampires in literature and film, I was very skeptical. Evangelicals have been less than receptive to this phenomenon, tending to lump vampires in with “occultism” and evil, rather than as pop culture figures for social and theological reflection. Thankfully, […]

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CFP: The SLAYAGE Conference on the Whedonverses

July 22nd, 2011 | Posted in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, call for papers, Joss Whedon

CFP: The SLAYAGE Conference on the Whedonverses (SCW5) University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada, July 12-15, 2012 Slayage: The Journal of the Whedon Studies Association (slayageonline.com) and the Whedon Studies Association solicit your proposal for the fifth Slayage Conference: The Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses, sponsored by the University of British Columbia. This conference dedicated […]

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Science Fiction Film and Television CFP: The Battlestar Galactica Phenomenon

July 21st, 2011 | Posted in Battlestar Galactica, call for papers, science fiction

Science Fiction Film and Television is seeking submissions for a special issue on the Battlestar Galactica phenomenon. Although the rebooted series has received much critical attention, significantly less has been written on other BSG texts. This issue seeks to redress that imbalance. We are interested in articles that consider topics such as * The original […]

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TheoFantastique Podcast: Erik Davis on Modern Esoterica in Popular Culture

July 18th, 2011 | Posted in Avatar, H. P. Lovecraft, paranormal, podcast, psychedelics, Star Trek, UFOs, Western esotericism

TheoFantastique Podcast 2.3 is available, an interview with Erik Davis, author of Nomad Codes: Adventures in Modern Esoterica (YETI/Verse Chorus Press, 2010). Davis defines “modern esoterica” in his preface as “a no-man’s land located somewhere between anthropology and mystical pulp, between the zendo and the metal club, between cultural criticism and extraordinary experience, whether psychedelic, […]

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Screened: Spock as Space Wizard, and Magus

July 14th, 2011 | Posted in Magus, science fiction, Space Wizard, Star Trek, Western esotericism

Screened recently featured an interesting and insightful article by Andrew Gray titled “Mr. Spock, Space Wizard.” The piece begins with an often ignored or overlooked function of technology in science fiction that is akin to magic. Gray then takes this a step further: Science-fiction films and television have an odd relationship with magic. They dance […]

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DIABOLIQUE: Quality Magazine from Horror Unlimited

July 6th, 2011 | Posted in horror

Growing up as a fan of horror in the 1970s there was little by way of exploration of this genre in magazines. Of course there was FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, but that was largely written for the kid monster fan. I was surely that, but even as a child, and later as a teen fan, […]

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The Undead and Theology Essay Collection Selected

July 3rd, 2011 | Posted in The Undead and Theology, theology, undead, vampire, zombie

An idea that brewed in the fertile brains of Kim Paffenroth, Matt Cardin, and myself, has taken a major step toward becoming reality. Working with Kim Paffenroth as co-editor, and having sifted through a number of submissions after a call for papers, we have chosen the lineup for an upcoming essay collection on THE UNDEAD […]

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French Fear of Apocalypse, and 2012 Mayan “Prophecy”

July 3rd, 2011 | Posted in 2012 Mayan prophecy, apocalypticism, millenarianism

A recent news item discussed serious pessimism in France leading to fears of mass suicide in the country, perhaps in connection with fears over the Mayan “prophecy of doomsday” in 2012. CNN reported: Paris (CNN) — The specter of a mass suicide tied to the widely predicted end of the world in December 2012 has […]

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