Tag: Highlander: Endgame

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UPDATED: CFP

Call for Papers: Critical Essays on the Highlander Franchise

Abstract Submission Deadline: This is an updated call – open until filled

There Can Be Only One.  This phrase was made popular 35 years ago with the release of Highlander, a fantasy action-adventure film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christophe Lambert, Sean Connery, and Clancy Brown.  While it did not turn a profit during its theatrical release, it did become a cult film inspiring several sequels, three television series, original novels, comic books, audio books, video games, a web series, collectibles, musical scores, and a loyal fandom who have successfully organized a number of Highlander fan conventions.  

Over the years, aspects of this franchise has become part of popular culture’s lexicon, such as the enduring Queen album, A Kind of Magic with iconic phrases (“Princes of the Universe”/“There Can Be Only One”), and dramatic imagery (electrifying beheadings and portrayals of historic events/places).  Since 2008, there have been discussions of remakes and reboots and most recently in May 2021 with Henry Cavill proposed to have a lead role.  

Interestingly, other than franchise retrospectives, soundtrack analysis, and film reviews, there are no singular books of scholarly focus.  This proposed transmedia book will seek to address this gap by collecting a series of essays that provide a focused exploration of the Highlander franchise. 

The editor seeks essays exploring any aspect of the Highlander franchise in films/television, literature, comics, video games, and any other popular culture medium such as: 

  • Films*: Highlander (1986, Russell Mulcahy); Highlander II: The Quickening (1991, Russell Mulcahy); Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1995, Andy Morahan); Highlander: Endgame (2000, Doug Aarniokoski); Highlander: The Source (2007, Brett Leonard); Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007, Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
  • Television series: Highlander: The Series (1992-1998); Highlander: The Animated Series (1994-1996); Highlander: The Raven (1998-1999)
  • Books:  Highlander: Die Ruckkehr des Unsterblichen (Highlander: The Return of the Immortal, 1994, Martin Eisele and Hans Sommer); Highlander: The Element of Fire (1995, Jason Henderson); Highlander: Scimitar (1996, Ashley McConnell); Highlander: Scotland the Brave (1996, Jennifer Roberson); Highlander: Measure of a Man (1997, Nancy Holder); Highlander: The Path (1997, Rebecca Neason); Highlander: Zealot (1997, Donna Lettow); Highlander: Shadow of Obsession (1998, Rebecca Neason); Highlander: The Captive Soul (1998, Josepha Sherman); Highlander: White Silence (1999, Ginjer Buchanan); Highlander: An Evening at Joe’s (2002, written by cast/crew of Highlander: The Series)
  • Comics: Highlander comic book series (Dynamite Entertainment); Highlander 3030 (Emerald Star Comics)
  • Video games: Highlander (1986, PC); Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods (1995, Atari Jaguar CD)
  • Audio*: Highlander: The Original Scores (1995); Big Finish Productions’ Highlander audio stories; Highlander: A Celtic Opera
  • Web series: The Methos Chronicles (2001)
  • Collectibles: Highlander: The Card Game (La Montagnard Inc.)
  • Fan derivative works: film, fiction, etc. 

PLEASE NOTE: I received essays on both the first film and Queen’s music, so please refrain from submitting abstracts primarily focused on those topics.  I am seeking essays that discuss the myriad of other aspects of the franchise – the sequels, television series, books, etc. 

Essays that take an interdisciplinary approach to the subject matter and/or can apply a variety of lenses and frameworks, such as, but not limited to, are encouraged: 

  • Close textual analysis
  • Comparative analysis
  • Cult/secret societies
  • Cultural and ethnic
  • Fandom and fan studies
  • Film studies
  • Folklore
  • Gender/LGBTQIA+ and identity/representation studies
  • Historic analysis
  • Literature studies
  • Media and communications
  • Media sociology
  • Mythological
  • Psychological
  • Racial studies
  • Semiotics
  • Theoretical

The editor will review multiple abstract submissions to assemble the most cohesive arrangement of entertaining/insightful essays that will provide a well-rounded exploration and representation of this popular franchise.  Additionally, the editor is seeking essays that balance an academic and armchair enthusiast tone to ensure the widest audience appeal.  

Additional notes:

*The editor will be utilizing Microsoft Word’s Track Changes function to record all edits.  It will be the writer’s responsibility to resolve each edit and submit a final clean essay. 

*Contributors will receive a complimentary book copy when published.  Postage will be paid by the editor.

*For team written essays, keep to a maximum of two co-authors. 

*The editor encourages the widest possible diverse representation to submit to this call for papers.

Please direct all correspondence to: Michele Brittany, Editor at mcbrittany@gmail.com

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Highlander Reference Material

A few resource books on the Highlander franchise.

With about 10 days left before my call for papers closes, I wanted to share some reference material that might be insightful for individuals who are thinking of submitting an abstract but also for people who are fans of the IP and looking for more to read and/or listen to. 

Fan2Fan (Podcast/YouTube)

Recently, I was a guest on Fan2Fan hosted by Bernie and Pete.  We had an in depth conversation about the original film and the IP which I think listeners (and viewers) will find insightful and entertaining.  Click here for the podcast and if you want to watch on YouTube, click here for a link to the show. 

A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander (Book)

Written by Jonathan Melville and published by Polaris in 2020, this is an informative examination of the original Highlander film.  I found Melville’s structure – using the shooting scrip as a guide – and inclusion of many snippets of interviews from cast and crew helpful in understanding the behind-the-scenes activities that resulted in the cult 1986 film.  Melville spent chapters on the musical score, building a franchise, and creating an enduring legacy. 

The Best of Highlander (Book)

Maureen Russell’s 1999 book published by Davis-Panzer Productions, this slim tome focuses on the television series.  Russell selected a handful of episodes and then let the cast and crew discuss the episode at length.  Each chapter is accompanied by several color photographs.  

Fearful Symmetry: The Essential Guide to All Things Highlander (Book)

A JM2 Publication from 2015, author and Highlander fan John Mosby structured his journey chronologically starting with the Highlander film and finishing his examination with Highlander: The Source.  Additional chapters focused on Bill Panzer, a reunion, and the legacy of the IP.  I have been using this book as source material while watching the films and shows.  Photographs are sparse and are in black/white. 

Queen – All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track

This coffee table tome was written by Benoit Clerc, a professional musician, and published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (2020).  While this is a book for fans of the band, there are 30 pages devoted to the album, A Kind of Magic (June 1986) and Live Magic (December1986).  There’s an introduction to the album and then for each song, a section on the genesis of the song and production notes.  I purchased the book from Amazon and saved $15 off the cover price. 

Check out the individual season releases of the television series because included as extra material are electric copies of scripts for each episode.  And, there are all the films with lots of extra material.  There are also about 10 novels each penned by a different author (in most cases).  I found most of my copies at local used bookstores that I have collected over the past year.  

If you have an idea, but want to chat before submitting a formal abstract to my call, let’s chat: mcbrittany@gmail.com.   

Categories
News

Call for Papers

There Can Be Only One: Critical Essays on the Highlander Franchise

Abstract submission deadline: May 31, 2022

Essays of 4,000 – 6,000 words deadline: December 10, 2022

There Can Be Only One.  This phrase was made popular 35 years ago with the release of Highlander, a fantasy action-adventure film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christophe Lambert, Sean Connery, and Clancy Brown.  While it did not turn a profit during its theatrical release, it did become a cult film inspiring several sequels, three television series, original novels, comic books, audio books, video games, a web series, collectibles, musical scores, and a loyal fandom who have successfully organized a number of Highlander fan conventions.  

Over the years, aspects of this franchise become part of popular culture’s lexicon, such as the enduring Queen album, A Kind of Magic with iconic phrases (“Princes of the Universe”/“There Can Be Only One”), and dramatic imagery (electrifying beheadings and portrayals of historic events/places). Since 2008, there have been discussions of remakes and reboots and most recently in May 2021 with Henry Cavill proposed to have a lead role.  

Interestingly, other than franchise retrospectives, soundtrack analysis, and film reviews, there are no singular books of scholarly focus.  This proposed transmedia book will seek to address this gap by collecting a series of essays that provide a focused exploration of the Highlander franchise. 

The editor seeks essays exploring any aspect of the Highlander franchise in films/television, literature, comics, video games, and any other popular culture medium such as: 

  • Films: Highlander (1986, Russell Mulcahy); Highlander II: The Quickening (1991, Russell Mulcahy); Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1995, Andy Morahan); Highlander: Endgame (2000, Doug Aarniokoski); Highlander: The Source (2007, Brett Leonard); Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007, Yoshiaki Kawajiri)
  • Television series: Highlander: The Series (1992-1998); Highlander: The Animated Series (1994-1996); Highlander: The Raven (1998-1999)
  • Books:  Highlander: Die Ruckkehr des Unsterblichen (Highlander: The Return of the Immortal, 1994, Martin Eisele and Hans Sommer); Highlander: The Element of Fire (1995, Jason Henderson); Highlander: Scimitar (1996, Ashley McConnell); Highlander: Scotland the Brave (1996, Jennifer Roberson); Highlander: Measure of a Man (1997, Nancy Holder); Highlander: The Path (1997, Rebecca Neason); Highlander: Zealot (1997, Donna Lettow); Highlander: Shadow of Obsession (1998, Rebecca Neason); Highlander: The Captive Soul (1998, Josepha Sherman); Highlander: White Silence (1999, Ginjer Buchanan); Highlander: An Evening at Joe’s (2002, written by cast/crew of Highlander: The Series)
  • Comics: Highlander comic book series (Dynamite Entertainment); Highlander 3030 (Emerald Star Comics)
  • Video games: Highlander (1986, PC); Highlander: The Last of the MacLeods (1995, Atari Jaguar CD)
  • Audio: Highlander: The Original Scores (1995); Queen’s A Kind of Magic (1986); Big Finish Productions’ Highlander audio stories; Highlander: A Celtic Opera
  • Web series: The Methos Chronicles (2001)
  • Collectibles: Highlander: The Card Game (La Montagnard Inc.)
  • Fan derivative works: film, fiction, etc. 

Essays that take an interdisciplinary approach to the subject matter and/or can apply a variety of lenses and frameworks, such as, but not limited to, are encouraged: 

  • Close textual analysis
  • Comparative analysis
  • Cult/secret societies
  • Cultural and ethnic
  • Fandom and fan studies
  • Film studies
  • Folklore
  • Gender/LGBTQIA+ studies
  • Historic analysis
  • Literature studies
  • Media and communications
  • Media Sociology
  • Mythological
  • Psychological
  • Racial studies
  • Semiotics
  • Theoretical

The editor will review multiple abstract submissions to assemble the most cohesive arrangement of entertaining/insightful essays that will provide a well-rounded exploration and representation of this popular franchise.  Additionally, the editor is seeking essays that balance an academic and armchair enthusiast tone to ensure the widest audience appeal. The deadlines are: 

  • 05/31/2022: Abstract of 300 – 500 words, brief CV, and preliminary draft bibliography emailed to the editor. 
  • 06/10/2022: Notification of acceptance/rejection.  Successful essayists will be sent a comprehensive style sheet.
  • 12/10/2022:  Essays of 4,000 – 6,000 words in length are due to the editor.  Earlier submissions are welcomed and encouraged.
  • 12/10/2022 – 05/10/2023: Essays will be edited and returned to each author for review and revision.  
  • 05/11/2023 – 11/11/2023: Manuscript will be peer reviewed.  The editor will work with essayists to address all peer review notes and finalize each essay.
  • 11/30/2023: Final manuscript sent to the publisher. 

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • The editor will be utilizing Microsoft Word’s Track Changes function to record all edits.  It will be the writer’s responsibility to resolve each edit and submit a final clean essay by the deadline noted above. 
  • Contributors will receive a complimentary book copy when published.  Postage will be paid by the editor.
  • For team written essays, keep to a maximum of two co-authors. 
  • The editor encourages the widest possible diverse representation to submit to this call for papers.

Please direct all correspondence to Michele Brittany, Editor, at mcbrittany@gmail.com