"WITH GREAT POWER THERE MUST ALSO COME -- GREAT RESPONSIBILITY!"

Stan Lee, "Spider-Man!" Amazing Fantasy No. 15 (Sept. 1962)

Friday, July 25, 2014

3rd Global Conference: The Graphic Novel (Oxford, UK 9/3-5/14)

I seem to have missed this:

3rd Global Conference: The Graphic Novel (September 2014: Oxford, United Kingdom)
Location: United Kingdom
Conference Date: 2014-09-03
Date Submitted: 2014-01-08
Announcement ID: 210094
3rd Global Conference: The Graphic Novel

Wednesday 3rd September – Friday 5th September 2014
Mansfield College, Oxford, United Kingdom


Call for Presentations

“Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof.” 
(Alan Moore, V for Vendetta) 

This inter- and multi-disciplinary conference aims to examine, explore and critically engage with issues in and around the production, creation and reading of all forms of comics and graphic novels. Taken as a form of pictographic narrative it has been with us since the first cave paintings and even in the 21st century remains a hugely popular, vibrant and culturally relevant means of communication whether expressed as sequential art, graphic literature, bandes dessinees, tebeos, fumetti, manga, manhwa, komiks, strips, historietas, quadrinhos, beeldverhalen, or just plain old comics. (as noted by Paul Gravett)

Whilst the form itself became established in the 19th Century it is perhaps not until the 20th century that comic book heroes like Superman (who has been around since 1938) became, not just beloved characters, but national icons. With the globalisation of publishing brands such as Marvel and DC it is no accident that there has been an increase in graphic novel adaptations and their associated merchandising. Movies such as X-men, Iron man, Watchmen and the recent Thor have grossed millions of dollars across the world and many television series have been continued off-screen in the graphic form, Buffy, Firefly and Farscape to name a few.

Of course America and Europe is not the only base of this art form and the Far East and Japan have their own traditions as well as a huge influence on graphic representations across the globe. In particular Japanese manga has influenced comics in Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, China, France and the United States, and have created an amazing array of reflexive appropriations and re-appropriations, in not just in comics but in anime as well.

Of equal importance in this growth and relevance of the graphic novel are the smaller and independent publishers that have produced influential works such as Maus by Art Spiegleman, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Palestine by Joe Sacco, Epileptic by David B and even Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware that explore, often on a personal level, contemporary concerns such as gender, diaspora, post-colonialism, sexuality, globalisation and approaches to health, terror and identity. Further to this the techniques and styles of the graphic novel have taken further form online creating entirely web-comics and hypertexts, as in John Cei Douglas’ Lost and Found and Shelley Jackson’s Patchwork Girl, as well as forming part of larger trans-media narratives and submersive worlds, as in the True Blood franchise that invites fans to enter and participate in constructing a narrative in many varied formats and locations.

This projects invites papers that consider the place of the comic or graphic novel in both history and location and the ways that it appropriates and is appropriated by other media in the enactment of individual, social and cultural identity.

Presentations, reports, work-in-progress, workshops and pre-formed panels are invited on issues related to (but not limited to) the following themes:

1)Just what makes a Graphic Novel so Graphic and so Novel?:
~Sources, early representations and historical contexts of the form.
~Landmarks in development, format and narratology.
~Cartoons, comics, graphic novels and artists books.
~Words, images, texture and colour and what makes a GN
~Format, layout, speech bubbles and “where the *@#% do we go from here?”

2)The Inner and Outer Worlds of the Graphic Novel:
~Outer and Inner spaces; Thoughts, cities, and galaxies and other representations of graphic place and space.
~Differing temporalities, Chronotopes and “time flies”:
Intertextuality, editing and the nature of Graphic and/or Deleuzian time.
~Graphic Superstars and Words versus Pictures: Alan Moore v Dave Gibbons (Watchmen) Neil Gaiman v Jack Kirby (Sandman).
~Performance and performativity of, in and around graphic representations.
~Transcriptions and translations: literature into pictures, films into novels and high/low graphic arts.

3)Identity, Meanings and Otherness:
~GN as autobiography, witnessing, diary and narrative
~Representations of disability, illness, coping and normality
~Cultural appropriations, east to west and globalisation
~National identity, cultural icons and stereo-typical villains
~Immigration, postcolonial and stories of exile
~Representing gender, sexualities and non-normative identities.
~Politics, prejudices and polemics: banned, censored and comix that are just plain wrong”
~Other cultures, other voices, other words

4)To Infinity and Beyond: The Graphic Novel in the 21st Century: ~Fanzines and Slash-mags: individual identity through appropriation.
~Creator and Created: Interactions and interpolations between authors and audience.
~Hypertext, Multiple formats and inter-active narratives. ~Cross media appropriation, GN into film, gaming and merchandisng and vice versa
~Graphic Myths and visions of the future: Sandman, Hellboy, Ghost in the Shell.
~Restarting the Canon: what are the implication of the restart in universes such as Marcel and DC and do they represent the opportunity to reopen ongoing conversations?

Presentations will be accepted which deal with related areas and themes.

In order to support and encourage interdisciplinarity engagement, it is our intention to create the possibility of starting dialogues between the parallel events running during this conference. Delegates are welcome to attend up to two sessions in each of the concurrent conferences. We also propose to produce cross-over sessions between these groups – and we welcome proposals which deal with the relationship between The Graphic Novel and Augmentation.

What to Send:
300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 4th April 2014. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by Friday 11th July 2014. Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word or RTF formats with the following information and in this order:

a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of proposal, f) up to 10 keywords. E-mails should be entitled: GN3 Abstract Submission

Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic route or resend.

Organising Chairs
Nadine Farghaly: Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net
Rob Fisher:gn3@inter-disciplinary.net

The conference is part of the Education Hub series of research projects, which in turn belong to the At the Interface programmes of Inter-Disciplinary.Net. It aims to bring together people from different areas and interests to share ideas and explore discussions which are innovative and challenging. All proposals accepted for and presented at the conference must be in English and will be eligible for publication in an ISBN eBook. Selected proposals may be developed for publication in a themed hard copy volume(s). All publications from the conference will require editors, to be chosen from interested delegates from the conference.

Inter-Disciplinary.Net believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract for presentation.

For further details of the conference, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/call-for-papers/

Please note: Inter-Disciplinary.Net is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence.

Priory House
149B Wroslyn Road
Freeland, Oxfordshire OX29 8HR
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1993 882087
Fax: +44 (0)870 4601132
Email: gn3@inter-disciplinary.net
Visit the website at http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/call-for-papers/

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

CFP Spec. Issue of American Periodicals on War and Periodicals (1/30/15)

CFP: Special Issue of American Periodicals on War and Periodicals (Abstracts Due: January 30, 2015)
full name / name of organization:
James Berkey and Mark Noonan
contact email:
james.berkey@duke.edu
CFP: Special Issue of American Periodicals on War and Periodicals

American Periodicals is currently seeking submissions for a special issue on “War and Periodicals,” guest edited by James Berkey (Duke University) and Mark Noonan (CUNY). The journal is devoted exclusively to scholarship and criticism relating to American magazines and newspapers of all periods.

With the Civil War sesquicentennial coming to a close and World War I centennial commemorations getting underway, the time is particularly ripe to engage in productive dialogue about war and periodicals. This special issue seeks to refract the already rich discussions taking place about war and culture through the lens of periodical studies. Writers for the special edition might address:

  • periodicals as spaces of dialogue and/or dissent
  • seriality and war
  • the rise of the war correspondent
  • women journalists
  • photography and war
  • soldier newspapers
  • trench journalism
  • fictional representations of war in periodicals
  • anti-war publications
  • the imagined communities of wartime America
  • intra- and intertextual readings of war-time periodical fiction
  • issues of authenticity in the representation of war in periodicals
  • advertisements and war
  • effect of war on periodicals (changes in editorial policies, suppression of material, etc.)
  • major authors at war (Hemingway, Crane, Alcott, Wharton, Whitman)
  • war in the periodical marketplace (competing visions amongst magazines)
  • the yellow press
  • illustrating war
  • the appearance of periodicals in war-time fiction
  • war and the radical Left (Ken, Mother Earth, The Masses)
  • response to war in African American periodicals
  • newspapers and war
  • zines and war
  • Digital Humanities approaches to war-time periodicals
  • digital innovations in war journalism and photography (blogs, Twitter, Instagram, Hipstamatic)
  • representing 9/11 in the periodicals


Send abstracts to James Berkey at james.berkey@duke.edu by January 30, 2015. Completed essays should be no more than 7500 words and will be due September 2015. All submissions should conform to the style of American Periodicals (see http://www.amperiodicals.org/?page_id=11) and will undergo peer review in keeping with the procedures of the journal. The issue will appear in the fall of 2016.


By web submission at 04/18/2014 - 21:05

CFP X-Men Films: A Cultural Analysis (9/27/14)

Call For Chapters: The X-Men Films: A Cultural Analysis
Call for Chapter Proposals on the X-Men Films

We would like to invite submissions of chapter proposals for an edited book on the X-Men film franchise. The volume, to be published by Rowman & Littlefield, is titled “The X-Men Films: A Cultural Analysis” and seeks to present scholarly research on the movies, their audiences, and their place within the entertainment industry. The overarching framework is cultural studies and media studies, yet the approach is interdisciplinary, so we welcome submissions that involve related disciplines.

The book focuses specifically on the X-Men movies (not the comics) as popular culture products of international relevance. While the films are rooted in the original Marvel series, they depart from it in various ways, constituting their own conceptual universe. Therefore, chapter proposals may consider the X-Men’s transformation from comics to movies, but should not deal primarily with the comic books.

Proposals may focus on any of the X-Men’s movie characters, on themes that run across several films, or on particular installments of the series—including the original trilogy that started in the year 2000, the recent prequels, and the ‘Wolverine’ offshoots. Since the franchise continues to expand (two more movies are already slated for release in upcoming years) we are looking for research that is relevant and timely. In particular, proposals may address textual aspects of the X-Men films, consider them in relationship to social
and political issues, compare them to other superhero movie series, or provide an understanding of their audiences. Proposals that deal with topics of importance for international/intercultural communication are
encouraged.

The following is a preliminary list of topics of interest:

  • Social issues reflected in the X-Men films
  • Political subtexts found in the X-Men films
  • Individual characters’ analysis (Wolverine, Prof X, Magneto, Mystique…)
  • Representations of gender, race, class, age, and sexual orientation
  • Issues of diversity, disability, inclusiveness, and marginalization
  • Issues of otherness, identity, trauma, and belonging
  • Portrayals of violence and war in the X-Men films
  • Historical references (e.g. the Holocaust, the Vietnam War)
  • Representations of power, politics, and the government
  • Moral dilemmas, personal choices, and issues of social responsibility
  • Portrayals of science, technology and change
  • The X-Men’s transformation from comics to movies
  • Industry aspects of the film franchise
  • The X-Men in relationship to other Marvel superhero films (e.g. Avengers)
  • Marvel’s X-Men versus DC-based series (e.g. Batman, Justice League)
  • Original research on audiences and fans
  • International/intercultural perspectives on the X-Men
  • Beyond the X-Men: related themes in popular culture


Please send a 600-word abstract of your proposed chapter to bucciferro@gonzaga.edu, along with a short bio and contact information. The deadline for proposals is September 27, 2014.

The chapter selection will seek to represent a variety of analytical perspectives, disciplinary frameworks, and thematic clusters. The full chapters will be 5,500 – 6,000 words long and the manuscripts will be due in January 2015, with further revisions due in May 2015.

If you have questions, please contact Claudia Bucciferro, assistant professor of communication studies at Gonzaga University, at bucciferro@gonzaga.edu or (509) 313-3635.

CFP Comedy and Comics (9/30/14; NeMLA 4/30-5/3/15)

Comedy and Comics: Parody, Satire, and Humor in Superhero Narratives (Abstract Deadline 9/30/14)
full name / name of organization:
Northeast Modern Language Association (Toronto, 4/30-5/3/2015)
contact email:
derek.s.mcgrath@gmail.com

Stan Lee bristles at calling them "comic books," lest readers think they are only "funny books." This panel identifies how humor operates in works centered around superheroes—as parody, satire, and comedy. Potential topics include comedic twists on the superhero archetype; "campy" TV and film adaptations of "serious" characters; webcomics and humorous children's books; teaching satire through comics; and cross-cultural appropriation of the superhero motif.

Submit abstracts (300 words maximum) to Session ID#15447 at http://NeMLA.org/convention/2015/cfp.html. A free account at http://NeMLA.org/users/?operation=register is required to submit abstracts. Submit questions to websupport@nema.org or derek.s.mcgrath@gmail.com.

This session welcomes submissions on a range of topics. This session may draw together studies of comics and the superhero motif as captured in works published by mainstream and independent outlets, including the works of Mark Millar, Frank Miller, and Alan Moore, and in works including El ChapulĂ­n Colorado, Dr. Horrible, Robocop, El Santos, The Tick, and Tiger and Bunny. This session also can include presentations focused around children's literature, based on how often texts directed at younger readers—Bone, Captain Underpants, and The Powerpuff Girls—eschew the conceits of superhero narratives to appeal to audiences across multiple age groups. In addition, camp in comics motivates considerable discussion in gender and sexuality studies, as many scholars develop their scholarship out of the shadow of the Adam West Batman television series (itself continuing in new comic books released by publisher DC Comics). Additional topics can focus on the use of satire built around superheroes in fan communities online, such as The Hawkeye Initiative and Escher Girls.

By web submission at 07/14/2014 - 18:46

CFP Josh Whedon's Comics Collection (8/31/14)

CfP: Joss Whedon’s Comics
Posted on July 6, 2014

With dozens of nonfiction books on Joss Whedon’s works from Buffy toAvengers, one critical area has been ignored: Whedon’s comics. In fact, he’s written several series for Marvel and DC, along with independents and the many issues of Angel, Buffy, and Serenity comics for IDW and Dark Horse. While a few isolated essays have tackled Buffy season eight or Whedon’s X-Men run, there is no anthology devoted to only Whedon comics. Now that’s about to change.

Essays on any aspect of Whedon’s comics (as described below) are welcome. The completed essays should be 4000-5000 words. Essays must adhere to MLA format and be friendly and approachable, yet academic in scope and content. New papers or presented conference papers rather than reprints are appreciated. This collection is not yet under contract, but I have several interested publishers who are awaiting a list of essays to be included. McFarland, who publishes most of the Buffy criticism collections, will likely be on board.

Proposal Guidelines: Please send a 350-500 word summary of your proposed essay pasted into your email, along with a short professional bio or cover letter.

Direct inquiries and proposals can be sent to Valerie Estelle Frankel, pop culture author and professor, at valerie at calithwain.com with a subject of WHEDON SUBMISSION.

Abstracts are due Aug 31, Complete papers Nov 30, 2014.

Essays on both canon and “less official” Whedon comics are welcome, as are comparisons between Whedon comics and other comics or other Whedon works. Discussion of comic conventions from canon to art to gender issues are also appreciated.  Other areas, like comparing Whedon’s Avengers movie, Agents of SHIELD, Doctor Horrible, or other shows to comics are also possible. On the shows, Buffy is compared to Spider-Man, Superman and Power Girl, Angel is compared to Batman so much Boreanaz was offered the role, Dark Willow parallels Dark Phoenix, Cordy and Fred are called Wonder Woman, and Xander and Giles are compared to Jimmy Olsen and Alfred…there’s paper material there, too. This anthology welcomes established Whedon scholars as well as enthusiastic new writers.

Which comics are Whedon’s? Canon comics include the following Whedon products (as Whedon wrote or supervised them).

BUFFYVERSE

  • Fray
  • Tales of the Slayers
  • Tales of the Vampires
  • Buffy: The Origin (reprinted in Buffy Omnibus 1)
  • Angel: Long Night’s Journey (#1-4) (reprinted in Angel: Omnibus 1)
  • “Always Darkest” (reprinted in Myspace Dark Horse Presents #4 or available online)
  • Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight (Whedon wrote #1-5, 10, 11, 16-19)
  • Angel: After the Fall, Angel: The End, and spin-offs
  • Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Nine (Whedon wrote #1-2)
  • Angel & Faith
  • Buffy Season Ten and Angel & Faith Vol. 2  2014-

See http://valeriefrankel.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/a-guide-to-the-buffy-and-angel-comics/ for a more elaborate Buffyverse comics guide and reading order.

X-MEN

  • Astonishing X-Men vol. 3: (#1-24) & Giant Size Astonishing X-Men #1 (reprinted as the collections Astonishing X-Men: Gifted, Dangerous, Torn, Unstoppable)
  • “Teamwork” (in Giant Size X-Men #3, available online)


SERENITY

  • Serenity: Those Left Behind
  • Serenity: Better Days
  • Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale
  • “Serenity: Firefly Class 03-K64 – It’s Never Easy” (available online) by Zack Whedon
  • Serenity: Leaves on the Wind by Zack Whedon


DOCTOR HORRIBLE

  • Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories by Zack Whedon


OTHER

  • “Some Steves” (in Stan Lee Meets The Amazing Spider-Man #1)
  • Runaways vol. 2 (#25-30) (reprinted as Dead End Kids)
  • Superman/Batman #26 (p. 20-21)
  • Sugarshock 1-3 (reprinted in Myspace Dark Horse Presents #1)


Please contact Valerie Estelle Frankel at valerie @ calithwain.com with any questions.

CFP Arrow TV Series Collection (8/31/14)

Call for Submissions: Edited collection on the CW television series Arrow
Editors: Jim Iaccino, Cory Barker, and Myc Wiatrowski

In just two years on the air, the CW’s Arrow has garnered both fan and critical acclaim for its ambitious storytelling, well-produced action sequences, and solid performances. Arrow’s stories and characters offer opportunities for discussions of justice and vigilantism, masculinity, dual identities, and aesthetics. Furthermore, the series has thrived in adapting DC Comics stories and characters to television, but also in translating the spirit and stylistic flourishes of comics to the televisual medium. Arrow therefore also raises important questions about media franchising, adaptation, medium specificity, and industry trends. As a young series, very little has been written about Arrow in academic circles. This collection of essays seeks to provide the opening large-scale investigation into the CW series and examine Arrow from multiple perspectives and disciplines.

Potential topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:

  • Representations of masculinity, femininity, race, sexuality, class, and family within Arrow
  • Explorations of justice, violence, the greater good, and morality within Arrow
  • Examinations of secret (and dual) identities, teamwork, and secret keeping within Arrow
  • Deceptions of a “realistic” superhero story and the slow introduction of more fantastical elements within Arrow
  • Arrow’s narrative techniques, including the preponderance of flashbacks and serialization
  • Arrow’s fight choreography and action set pieces
  • Chapters discussing individual episodes or story arcs within Arrow
  • Chapters discussing particular character arcs or relationships (Oliver-Felicity, Oliver-Slade, Thea-Roy, etc.) within Arrow
  • Arrow as an adaptation of the pre-existing Green Arrow stories and its employment of characters and arcs from the larger DC Comics universe
  • Evolution of the Arrow figure from the Smallville series to the current show
  • Arrow as part of the recent push for superhero series on television (including comparisons between Arrow and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow and The Flash)
  • Critical reception to Arrow
  • Arrow themes in popular culture
  • Fan readings, productions, and activities related to and about Arrow

This collection is under contract with McFarland, so all that remains is securing the contributions in a timely fashion for a planned text publication in late 2015-early 2016.

The deadline for proposals of 500 words is August 31, 2014. Please email your abstract and a brief bio to jiaccino@thechicagoschool.edu. Please put “Arrow Abstract” in the subject line. If an abstract is selected for the collection, full essays of 5,000-7,000 words will be due by December 1, 2014.

CFP Comic Book Women (Spec. Issue of J of Fandom Studies) (3/1/14)

Another expired CFP (sorry): 

Call For Papers: Comic Book Women, Journal of Fandom Studies special issue
Thematic Issue: Comic Book Women

This special issue of the Journal of Fandom Studies responds to the increasing interest in representations of women in comic books and the general explosion of Comic Studies over the last decade.
Historically, the best known comic book heroes have been men, reflecting a general dismissal of, and bias against, women within the genre. However, fan communities throughout the world have rebelled against this tradition.

Wonder Woman has never gone out of style, with fans such as Gloria Steinem from the early years of the comic as well as later fans introduced to the heroine through the Lynda Carter television show or her most recent comic book appearances. Some of Wonder Woman’s peers from the 1940s, such as Miss Fury and Nelvana of the Northern Lights, have recently reemerged in print due to crowdfunding efforts. Interest in such female comic book characters is not purely nostalgic, instead speaking to the ways in which fans have reinterpreted their cultural relevancy. In addition, new fan communities are responsible for the revival of Ms. Marvel, who will now appear as a Muslim teenager. She will be the first comic book character to represent contemporary intersections of gender, ethnicity, and religion.
In spite of these exciting cultural trends, there remains little scholarly research about fan responses to comic book women.
Existing research tends to focus upon gender stereotypes within texts and has not addressed what these heroines have represented to actual fans, both past and present.
We welcome papers representing a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• the history, development, and significance of the fan communities of comic book women
• the role of new media in creating, sustaining, or reimagining these fan communities
• fan activities and cultural practices
• fan discourses
• the commodification and/or cultural production/destruction of fan communities
• fan reactions or fan community formations related to issues of class, race, gender, or sexual orientation

Deadline for submission of abstracts: 1 March 2014.
Please submit an Abstract (250 words maximum) and a short biography (50 words maximum)

Deadline for submission of full papers: 15 September 2014.
Please submit a full paper (6,000-9,000 words, including references and tables).

Please send abstracts and full papers to: Dr. Caryn E. Neumann (neumance@miamioh.edu) and Dr. Sharon Zechowski (zechows@miamioh.edu)

For any further queries, please write to:
Dr. Caryn E. Neumann (neumance@miamioh.edu), Lecturer, Dept of Integrative Studies and Affiliate, Dept of History, Miami University of Ohio

OR

Dr. Sharon Zechowski (zechows@miamioh.edu), Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept of Communication, Miami University of Ohio

CFP Comics and the Canon (Spec. Issue of Partial Answers) (6/16/14)

Another expired call:

Call for Papers: Comics and the Canon
A special issue of Partial Answers: Journal of Literature and the History of Ideas

Over the last three decades, comics, graphic memoirs, and graphic novels have emerged as literary, artistic, and cultural artifacts of central importance. Comics were once seen as outside what we might broadly call a literary and fine-arts “canon”: as objects belonging to low culture rather than high culture, as ephemeral items rather than artworks of lasting and iconic significance, as lesser hybrids of word and image rather than as belonging to a specific demanding medium. And yet the last thirty years have seen the rise and impact of works that are serious, ambitious, and monumental — works in conversation with an established literary and artistic canon, and works which themselves make a claim to cultural centrality and significance. “Comics studies” has developed as an academic discipline; artists and critics have worked to recover the rich and understudied history of the medium, with the result that a “canon” of central figures is emerging.

What is gained and what is lost when we try to establish a Comics canon? How do artists make claims to cultural centrality by putting their work in conversation with more traditional canonical works, and how do they challenge the “canon” through exploring alternative aesthetic values and subjects? In the canon-building process of winnowing and centralization, which works are elevated and which are excluded? Is there something perverse in canonizing works in a medium that has often characterized itself as marginal? What tensions are thereby exposed, not just in comics but also in the very process of canonization?

This collection invites essays on all aspects of comics and canonization, including

  • analyses of comics which rewrite or otherwise engage with canonical works of art, film and literature,
  • studies that consider comics in relation to other artistic media in which word and image are traditionally combined (illustrated novels, illuminated manuscripts, film scripts and storyboards, etc.),
  • defenses and critiques of the artists whose works have become most central to the comics canon (Spiegelman, Satrapi, Bechdel),
  • arguments for the inclusion of understudied artists, artworks and movements in the comics canon,
  • essays on the ways in which comics challenge the premises and processes of literary canonization,
  • projections on the future of the “canon” in comics classes and scholarship. 

Submissions (between 5,000 and 10,000 words, the Harvard system of references) are due by June 16, 2014. Authors of the papers that are accepted will be responsible for obtaining permissions to reprint illustrations.
    The journal will accept electronic submissions, in Word or RTF, to be sent to partans@mail.huji.ac.il . For inquiries please contact the guest editor, Professor Ariela Freedman (Concordia University, Montreal) at ariela.freedman@concordia.ca .