COWBOYS, FATHERS, AND EVERYONE ELSE: EXAMINING RACE IN THE WALKING DEAD THROUGH THE MYTHS OF WHITE MASCULINITY by LEVI PRESSNELL BETH S. BENNETT, COMMITTEE CHAIR GREG AUSTIN ANDREW BILLINGS JASON EDWARD BLACK JEFF WEDDLE A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Communication and Information Sciences in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2017 Copyright Levi Pressnell 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT This study offers an analysis of three different series within The Walking Dead franchise: the comics, the AMC television series, and Telltale’s video games. The critical and commercial popularity of all three make them particularly worthy of study, and the franchise’s focus on characters invites a rhetorical study based on mythic figures across these three different media forms. While critical comparisons have been made either between the comics and the television series or between the comics and Telltale’s video game series, a comprehensive look at the series across all three media has so far escaped critical attention. The study explores characters in The Walking Dead media primarily through two dominant myths of White masculinity: the cowboy with his rugged individualism and the good patriarch with his familial care. These mythic figures shift across different media, often revealing opposing perspectives that cannot find representation within the myths themselves. Critical analysis reveals the emergence of a general trend among the three series, one of increasing critique and eventual rejection of these myths of White masculinity. Alongside this trend in character development, analysis of the three media forms suggests that increased interactivity, as seen in the video game franchise, encourages consumers to respond more directly to the myths on display. This factor was especially evident in confronting the racism that was directed at the protagonist of the first game, Lee Everett. Suggestions for future studies include how to adapt other pop culture franchises across different media, the expansion of interactivity with television viewing and second-screen services, and the continued evolution of zombie media. ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my wife Leisa and daughter Leanna. I love you both dearly. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the help, support, and patience of so many. Thanks to my advisor and dissertation chair, Dr. Beth Bennett, and the other members of my committee, Drs. Jason Black, Andy Billings, Jeff Weddle, and Greg Austin. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv CHAPTER 1 ZOMBIES IN POPULAR CULTURE ..................................................................... 1 Zombie Themes in Popular Culture ............................................................................................ 4 The Walking Dead – Transmedia Juggernaut ........................................................................... 11 TWD Comics – A Diverse Cast and Developing Relationships........................................... 13 TWD on the Small Screen – Innovation and Adaptation ..................................................... 15 TWD in an Interactive Medium – Confronting Players with Race ...................................... 19 CHAPTER 2 RHETORIC, MYTH, AND DISCOURSE ANALYSIS ....................................... 26 Mythic Masculinity: Cowboys and Fathers .............................................................................. 28 Discourse Analysis as Critical Method ..................................................................................... 33 Critical Discourse Analysis................................................................................................... 36 Multimodal Discourse Analysis ............................................................................................ 37 Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis ............................................................................... 38 Employing Discourse Analysis for Race in The Walking Dead ........................................... 40 CHAPTER 3 THE WALKING DEAD IN PRINT ......................................................................... 44 Rick Grimes: Cowboy and Father ............................................................................................. 46 Tyreese and Black Masculinity ................................................................................................. 49 Michonne and Black Femininity ............................................................................................... 59 v Glenn and the Model Minority ................................................................................................. 65 The Walking Dead and the Horror of Miscegenation ............................................................... 70 Expanding Diversity in The Walking Dead .............................................................................. 80 CHAPTER 4 WALKING FROM THE PAGE TO THE SMALL SCREEN ................................ 83 The Dominance and Deficiency of White Masculinity ............................................................ 84 White Men and (Sometimes Subtle) Southern Bigotry ............................................................ 88 The Failed Asian Cowboy: Glenn’s Embrace and Rejection of Rugged Individualism .......... 99 The Failed Fallen Patriarch: The Governor’s Violent Masculinity ........................................ 107 “Richonne”: Defying Miscegenation ...................................................................................... 110 T-Dog and Non-White Perspectives ....................................................................................... 116 The Same as It Ever Was? ...................................................................................................... 125 CHAPTER 5 RACE IN THE DIGITAL REALM ..................................................................... 131 Telltale Game Design ............................................................................................................. 135 Season 1: Educating Players on the Mythic Professor ……………………………………....138 Season 1: Confronting Lee’s Racialized Experiences ............................................................ 145 Seasons 1 and 2: Patriarchal Failures All Around .................................................................. 152 Michonne: Working against Itself ........................................................................................... 158 The Power of Actions over Observation ................................................................................. 170 CHAPTER 6 CONSTRUCTING MYTHIC MASCULINITIES THROUGH MULTIPLE MEDIA ....................................................................................................................................... 173 Future Directions .................................................................................................................... 176 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 182 APPENDIX: CAST OF CHARACTERS ................................................................................... 199 vi The Walking Dead Comic Series ............................................................................................ 199 Atlanta Camp Survivors ...................................................................................................... 199 Other Early Survivors ......................................................................................................... 200 Prison Survivors .................................................................................................................. 200 The Walking Dead Television Series ...................................................................................... 201 Season 1 (Atlanta Camp) Survivors .................................................................................... 201 Season 2 (Greene Farm) Survivors ..................................................................................... 202 Seasons 3 and 4 (Woodbury and Prison) Survivors............................................................ 202 The Walking Dead Telltale Video Game Series ..................................................................... 203 Season 1 .............................................................................................................................. 203 Season 2 .............................................................................................................................. 205 Michonne ............................................................................................................................ 206 vii CHAPTER 1 ZOMBIES IN POPULAR CULTURE A young Black man hides inside a house for fear of his life. Hearing gunshots outside, he investigates cautiously, carrying his own rifle for protection. As he nears a window, a sniper immediately shoots him in the forehead. His body is callously removed