Cosplay, Crowds, and Culture: The Comic-Con with Felan Parker

In this episode, Professor Felan Parker joins us in discussing his research project, “Swarming San Diego Comic-Con,” in which he and his research team conducted swarm ethnography at the 2023 Comic-Con. Through this discussion, we better understand the role the event plays in contemporary media pop culture, along with insights into the background to this research, the methodology employed and takeaways from the experience.

Felan Parker is an Associate Professor at St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, and a scholar of media industries and cultures specializing in games, digital media, and film. A scholar in creative media and its associated industries, his current research interests focus on the role of intermediaries like curators, critics, and community organizers in the cultural ecosystem of the game industry.

  Resources:

• Comic-Con Comics #1: a comic book based on the Swarming Comic-Con research project. Read about how conventions shape media industries and fan cultures! 
• Attend Professor Parker's and his collaborators' presentation on this research at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival Libraries and Education Day on Friday, June 6, 2025.