%T Transmedia storytelling and media play in Spider-Man: across the Spider-Verse
%O Bibliogr.: 57. p. ; ĂśsszefoglalĂĄs angol nyelven
%A  SzĂĄntĂł BĂĄlint
%I SZTE IEAS
%C Szeged
%L acta86785
%K TranszmĂŠdia, Multiverzum, JĂĄtĂŠk, IntertextualitĂĄs, Ikonikus ĂĄbrĂĄzolĂĄs, TĂśrtĂŠnetmesĂŠlĂŠs
%X In this paper, I discuss transmedia storytelling and the playful nature of Multiverse narratives in the context of the 2023 animated movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The movie, just like its 2018 predecessor, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, tells a story in which different, unrelated adaptations of the titular character from across many forms of media are brought together in one self-contained narrative. Multiverse narratives offer a strong degree of variability and play, even more so than traditional transmedia storytelling. Using portals, originally classical fantasy storytelling elements, as narrative devices, they create an intertextual web of references between different adaptations of one character. The example that I use for analysis in this paper is the LEGO scene from Across the Spider-Verse. I argue that this mixture of different forms of media and representation, including a highly stylized one in the form of LEGO, presents a novel form of storytelling, which is intertwined with the development of digital culture and online fandom. This kind of storytelling creates a space for transgression between such boundaries as fan/author, official/unofficial, and diegetic/paratextual. It also displays the affinity of contemporary popular culture towards play and playfulness in storytelling.
%P 48-57
%V 28
%J Papers in English and American studies : Tomus XXVIII. - New Horizons in English and American Studies: Papers from the Doctoral Program
%S Acta Universitatis Szegediensis de Attila JĂłzsef nominatae : papers in english and american studies
%D 2024