Responsive: Trans-media

Trans-media is the convergence and crossover of subjects into different media. For example, super-heroes started in newspaper comics, and developed into comics, books, cartoons, toys, boardgames, films, video games, clothes, lunchboxes, and so many other things. Trans-media has allowed subjects and themes to become relevant and current with developing technologies, and opened up to a much wider audience (for super heroes especially) with the improvement of visual effects. Here's an image of Superman's various outfits as he started in newspaper comics, through to his own comics, his T.V show, his films, cartoons, and modern film and comics. Image from charltonhero.wordpress.com

Another good example is The Walking Dead. This started as a comic, then became even more popular with the release of a T.V show.  Since then there has been video games based on both the show and comic, action figures, board games based on the theme, clothing, the list goes on.

Trans-media has allowed small fictional worlds to expand into huge universes with the money gained from wider audiences gained by the use of trans-media, and with this money they can expand this to even further possibilities of trans-media or repeat the process with another topic or subject. After all, look at the effect of superheroes, now dominating cinema becoming some of the most successful films ever made (such as the Avengers) that all started with a brightly dressed man in the back of newspapers.