Fan culture: not forgetting Katy Keene (1945-1961)

While fan networks are not necessarily new (e.g. the first US movie fan magazine was founded in 1911), how many comic book characters can claim to be the focus of a loyal fan club and pen pals, with merchandising to match, and whose clothes, houses, and cars are created by the fans themselves? Created by American illustrator Bill Woggon (1911-2003), Katy Keene who made her debut in 1945, is part of a history of comic strips written about independent career women. Katy Keene was drawn to reflect the fashionable female image of America’s fifties post-war period - less exotic ‘pin-up’, rather girl-next-door - but one with ambition and drive to make it as a successful career woman. What makes Katy Keene significant is the process by which the designs for her clothes, possessions and other elements of the graphic page like the lettering of the story titles, were submitted by fans. While not the first to use fans’ drawings in a comic book, the way in which Woggon actively sent out a call to readers was unique. He would then redraw the designs to fit the comic book characters attributing each contribution with the fan’s postal address. This paper will explore Katy Keene’s comic book world and the way in which her creator broke down the barrier between artist and fan.

Citation of talk in THES 25.11.10. Paper to be completed for publication.

A forthcoming book section is expected to be published in 2012/13 titled: Fan culture: not forgetting Katy Keene (1945-1961)in Women In Comics edited by Catriona Mary MacLeod and Sarah Lightman, published by the University of Mississippi Press.