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Proctor, William. "Schrödinger’s Cape: The Quantum Seriality of the Marvel Multiverse." Make Ours Marvel. Media Convergence and a Comics Universe. Ed. Matt Yockey. World Comics and Graphic Nonfiction. Austin: Univ. of Texas Press, 2017. 319–45. Added by: joachim (7/8/17, 11:23 AM) |
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| Resource type: Book Chapter Language: en: English BibTeX citation key: Proctor2017 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Marvel, Narratology, Sciences, Superhero, USA Creators: Proctor, Yockey Publisher: Univ. of Texas Press (Austin) Collection: Make Ours Marvel. Media Convergence and a Comics Universe |
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| Attachments | URLs https://www.academ ... _Marvel_Multiverse |
| Abstract |
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On the surface, quantum physics and narrative theory are not easy bedfellows. In fact, some may argue that the two fields are incommensurable paradigms and that any attempt to prove otherwise would be a foolhardy endeavor, more akin to intellectual trickery and sleight-of-hand than a prism with which to view narrative systems. Yet I find myself repeatedly confronted by these two ostensibly incompatible theories converging as I explore the vast narrative networks associated with fictional world-building—most notably those belonging to the comic book multiverses of Marvel and DC Comics, which, as Nick Lowe argues, “are the largest narrative constructions in human history (exceeding, for example, the vast body of myth, legend and story that underlies Greek and Latin literature)” (Kaveney 25). Contemporary quantum theory postulates that the universe is not a singular body progressing linearly along a unidirectional spatiotemporal pathway—as exponents of the Newtonian classic physics model believe— but, rather, a multiverse comprising alternate worlds, parallel dimensions, and multiple timelines. Both Marvel and bête noire DC Comics embrace the multiverse concept that allows multiple iterations, versions, and reinterpretations of their character populations to coexist within a spatiotemporal framing principle that shares remarkable commonalities with the quantum model. Where Marvel and DC deviate from one another, however, is that the latter utilizes the conceit as an intra-medial model for its panoply of comic books, whereas the Marvel multiverse functions as a transmedia firmament encapsulating an entire catalog within its narrative rubric, a strategy that is analogous with the quantum paradigm.
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