ICFA 31:Call for Papers. The 31st International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts will be held March 17-21, 2010, at the Orlando Airport Marriott in Orlando, Florida. The theme for 2010 is "Race and the Fantastic." Papers are invited that explore this diverse topic. We especially welcome papers on the work of Nalo Hopkinson (Guest of Honor), Laurence Yep (Guest of Honor), and Takayuki Tatsumi (Guest Scholar). As always, we also welcome proposals for individual papers and for academic sessions and panels on any aspect of the fantastic in any media. The deadline is October 31, 2009.

From the debut of Superman in 1938 through recent tales of narrative crisis and politically divided superheroes, superhero comic books have made an indelible mark on American culture. The current popularity of stories and characters originating in comic books has expanded interest in the medium and in the superhero genre which itself incorporates a mixture of other genres. Recent scholarship has striven to define the superhero's unique relationship to American culture. Submissions that address the ways the comic book superhero represents, constructs, and distorts American culture are welcomed. Submissions on comic culture, characters, and comics-inspired media are welcomed at the FCH annual meeting.