285) Metafictional Manipulation

Metafictional Manipulation – The ability to manipulate the line between fiction and reality. This is presumably a power all creators of fiction have.

Literary Critique of Metafictional Manipulation

Stan Lee is the creator of many of the characters of the Marvel Universe.

Metafictional Manipulation–wizkids-stan-lee-heroclix

Sometimes characters go beyond having awareness of the fourth wall but break the fourth wall and try to manipulate events and/or objects beyond the fourth wall.

Deadpool (Marvel) gets some very powerful metafictional tools from Galactus in What If V9 #1.

Mephisto (Marvel) has a very long combination with the readers and thinks they will meet again as shown in the Infamous Iron Man #12 (2017).

Superboy Prime (DC) talks to the reader in Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #5.

Death Rattle V1 #1 (Kitchen Sink)

Bunko the Dog appears in America’s Best Comics Special Giant (2001).

Captain Justice V1 #1 (Marvel)

Creepy Yearbook (1969)

The Droste Effect – Is a cover within a cover. I consider a cover of with this effect to be inherently self-referential and therefore an example of metafictional manipulation for artists who would never consider a plot line that was self-referential. The Droste Effect is an example of cookie cutter metafictional manipulation. Since the cover occupies a central position in comic book fiction this effect can be very powerful.

Batman V1 #8