Many critics and reviewers have hailed the comics of Chris Ware as a form of modernist cultural practice, with comparisons being made to canonical modernist writers such as James Joyce, Franz Kafka, William Faulkner, Samuel Beckett, John Dos Passos and Gertrude Stein.[1] As Kuhlman and Ball have pointed out (x, xviii), critics have repeatedly identified Ware’s affinities with modernism: his theory of impersonality (Sattler), his use of repetition and interrupted narratives (Goldberg), the themes of alienation and commodity culture in his work (Prager), the interaction between memory and circularity (Bartual) and the presence of a modernistic, melancholic masculinity in the anthologies edited by Ware (Worden, ‘Shameful’; see also Worden, ‘Modernism’s Ruins’). This essay extends the modernist framework that has previously been used to analyse Ware’s work, with a specific focus on the Civil War battle scene in Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (2000).[2] I will relate this scene’s formal features to a group of writers who are sometimes placed under the sign of modernism, albeit as an early outpost: the literary impressionists of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.[3] Tamar Katz summarises as follows:
Yearly Archives: 2013
Vertigo’s Archival Impulse as Memorious Discourse by Christophe Dony
Vertigo, DC’s adult-oriented imprint, has been repeatedly praised for having ‘fully joined the fight for adult readers’ in the early 1990s (Weiner 2010: 10). It has been noted that this “fight” coincided with the imprint’s ‘adoption of the graphic novel format’ as well as ‘a new self-awareness and literary style’ which ‘brought the scope and structure of the Vertigo comics closer to the notion of literary text’ (Round 2010: 22). However, little attention has been devoted to the very cultural identity of the imprint, even if Vertigo has since its early days engaged in an intro- and retrospective discourse on the American comics form, its history, and the power relations inherent to its industry. This short essay intends to start filling that gap by investigating Vertigo’s archival impulse. It argues that in deploying various rewriting strategies which engage with specific past (comics) traditions, the label has activated a unique memorious discourse that provides a self-reflexive and critical commentary on the structuring forces of the American comics field, its politics of domination and exclusion, and hence its canons.
News Review: September 2013
Africa
South Africa
Culture
Open Book Comics Fest happened over 4 days. The 7th and the 8th September saw the marketplace and panel talks at The Homecoming Centre in District 6, Cape Town, followed by two days of workshops at the Central Library in Cape Town. Link 1 (11/09/2013, English, MR), Link 2 (10/09/2013, English, MR), Link 3 (English, MR)
Americas
Canada
Research
The Canadian Society for the Study of Comics/la Société Canadienne pour l-étude de la band desinée (CSSC/SCEBD), has been dormant for a while, but is now accepting new members. Link (English, WG)
United States
Business
Digital comics distributor Comixology has named former HBO GO founder and executive Jeff DiBartolomeo as the Chief Technology Officer, with an eye toward making digital comics truly mass-market. Link (09/09/2013, English, EG)
The top 100 comic books based on total unit sales of products invoiced for August 2013 has been reported by Diamond News. The new Marvel miniseries, Infinity #1, moved into the top spot with Superman Unchained #3 and Batman #23 slipping down into second and third respectively from last month. Link (English, MB & EG)
Diamond News has compiled a list of the 100 top selling graphic novels of August 2013. Robert Kirkman’s Walking Dead continues its domination in a list heavy with independent titles. Chew Vol 7: Bad Apples, and Rocket Raccoon Tales From Half World, follow in the list. Link (English, MB & EG)
Culture
American public broadcasting network PBS has dubbed the 15th October “superheroes night,” and will premiere a three-hour documentary from filmmaker Michael Kantor entitled Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle that will examine the beginnings of both superheroes and comics. Link (05/09/2013, English, EG)
The University of California – Berkeley’s Bancroft Library is hosting an exhibit entitled “Comics, Cartoons, and Funny Papers: The Rube Goldberg, Phil Frank, and Gus Arriola Archives at Bancroft,” which will also feature work from cartoonists Dan O’Neill and Lou Grant. The exhibit is open from 10 AM to 4 PM every weekday until the 28th February 2014. Link (26/09/2013, English, EG)
Obituary
Mike Dimayuga, the artist on Colt Noble And The Megalords and Hero House, passed away on the 16th September, at 39 years old. Link (17/09/2013, English, WG)
Dr Sol Davidson, whose PhD thesis was one of the first scholarly works on comic strips as an important part of American culture, passed away aged 88 on the 19th September. Link (22/09/2013, English, WG)
Research
There is a call for proposals on the topic of Comics and Comic Art for the annual PCA/ACA National conference that takes place between the 16th and 19th April 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The deadline for abstracts is the 1st November 2013. Link (English, MB)
The International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts has released a call for papers for its 35th meeting between the 19th and 23rd March next year in Orlando, Florida. The specific theme of the conference is “fantastic empires,” and paper proposals are being accepted until the 31st October. Link (02/09/2013, English, EG)
There is a call for papers for a collection entitled “Engaging the Woman Fantastic in Contemporary American Media Culture.” Abstracts for submissions that includes consideration of comic works are due by the 1st November. Link (21/08/2013, English, WG)
Dale Jacob’s monograph Graphic Encounters: Comics and the Sponsorship of Multimodal Literacy has recently been published by Bloomsbury. Link (English, WG)
Kevin Thurman and Julian Darius’ monograph Voyage in Noise: Warren Ellis and the Demise of Western Civilization has recently been published by SEQUART. Link (English, WG)
Patrick Meaney and Kevin Thurman’s book Warren Ellis: The Captured Ghosts Interviews has recently been published by SEQUART. Link (English, WG)
Jeet Heer’s book about Françoise Mouly’s comic work, entitled In Love with Art: Françoise Mouly’s Adventures in Comics with Art Spiegelman, has recently been published by Coach House Books. Link (English, WG)
There is a call for papers for a special issue of the journal Partial Answers entitled “Comics and the Canon.” Submissions between 5,000 and 10,000 words are due by the 30th April 2014. Link (English, WG)
The University of Cincinnati’s Composition Studies journal has solicited a call for papers for their Spring 2015 issue, the topic of which is “Comics, Multimodality, and Composition.” Submissions are due by 1st August 2014. Link (22/09/2013, English, EG)
The MLA Discussion Group on Comics and Graphic Narratives announced they have four scholarly panels focused on the study of comics during the 129th Annual MLA Convention, which takes place between the 9th and 12th January 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. There are session details published on their blog. Link (22/09/2013, English, MB & EG)
Washington State University professor Dr. James Bucky Carter has released a call for papers for an edited collection of essays entitled “The Conversations Project: Interdisciplinary Conversations About Comics, Literacy, and Scholarship.” Examples of potential topics are listed in the CFP, and the deadline for submissions is the 1st March 2014. Link (17/09/2013, English, MB & EG)
There is a call for papers for the conference “Can Comics Be Poetry?” to be held at Dartmouth College between the 28th February and the 2nd March. Abstracts of 250 words are due by the 15th November. Link (26/09/2013, English, WG)
Fantagraphics has available a new book for pre-order by comics scholar Trina Robbins entitled “Pretty in Ink: North American Women Cartoonists 1896-2013.” This monograph documents the history of women cartoonists, and the book will ship in November. Link (English, MB)
Asia
China
Research
There is a call for papers for the Women’s Manga Research Project & Hong Kong Arts Center Joint International Symposium entitled “Modern Women and Their Comics: Changing Local Identities from the 1960s to the 2000s.” Abstracts for 20 minute talks are due by the 15th October, for the event taking place at Comix Home Base, in Hong Kong, between the 22nd and 24th March 2014. Enquiries about the event can be made to Katrien Jacobs (kjacobs@cuhk.edu.hk), Kazumi Nagaike (nagaike@cc.oita-u.ac.jp) or Fusami Ogi (fogi@chikushi-u.ac.jp). (WG)
Japan
Culture
Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library (Meiji University) is holding a talk show related to the “Gaiman Award” (Foreign manga award) on the 13th October. Link (Japanese, JBS)
Malaysia
Culture
Chinese cartoon pioneer Huang Yao (1917 – 1987) of Niubizi fame had a major retrospective at the National Visual Arts Gallery of Malaysia. Done in collaboration with the Huang Yao Foundation, “The Remarkable Guest of Malaya” runs from the 21st July until the 5th October. Link (English, LCT)
Singapore
Culture
The 2013 edition of the Singapore Toy Game and Comic Convention took place on the 31st August and the 1st September. Run by Reed Exhibitions, it is more of a toys and games con these days, with a heavy focus on Iron Man toys this year. Link (English, LCT)
Europe
Belgium
Business
Bande dessinée publisher Dupuis has announced plans for a theme park dedicated to several famous characters including Spirou, Gaston Lagaffe and Marsupilami. The park is expected to open in 2015. Link (18/09/2013, French, LTa)
Culture
Raoul Cauvin, renowned author of various bande dessinée series, including Cédric and Pierre Tombal, has announced his retirement at the age of 74. In 2006 it was estimated he had sold around 45 million albums. Link (27/09/2013, French, LTa)
Finland
Culture
Allan Haverholm reports on the 2013 Helsinki Comics Festival for the The Comics Grid blog. Link (24/09/2013, English, WG)
France
Culture
The celebrated bande dessinée series Quai d’Orsay has been adapted for cinema. The film, to be released in November 2013, is directed by Bertrand Tavernier and stars Thierry L’Hermitte. Link (28/09/2013, French, LTa)
A bronze bust of René Goscinny, creator of Astérix and Le Petit Nicolas, has been unveiled in Warsaw (video). Link (25/09/2013, French, LTa)
The Museum of Immigration in Paris has announced a large exhibition on bande dessinée and immigration. It will take place from the 16th October until the 27th April 2014. Link (24/09/2013, French, LTa)
Germany
Business
German comic authors have released a manifesto demanding public funding. Link (02/09/2013, German, MdlI)
Culture
An exhibition on Berlin in comics, Comics aus Berlin. Bilder einer Stadt, was held in Berlin from the 4th to the 15th September. Link (02/09/2013, German, MdlI)
Comicfestival Hamburg will take place between the 3rd and the 6th October; guests include Rutu Modan. Link (09/09/2013, German)
Several comic authors, including Gabriel Bá and Fabio Moon, will be present at the Frankfurt Book Fair from the 9th to the 13th October. Link (12/09/2013, German, MdlI)
The first Manga-Comic-Convention (MCC), formerly part of Leipzig Book Fair, has been announced for the 13th to the 16th March 2014. Link (19/09/2013, German, MdlI)
The exhibition Steffen Kverneland/Munch – Lars Fiske/Merz – Comic-Künstler aus Oslo takes place at the Edvard-Munch-Haus in Warnemünde from the 28th September to the 3rd November. Link (26/09/2013, German, MdlI)
Education
Helene-Lange-Gymnasium, a secondary school in Dortmund, won the reading education award of Stiftung Lesen for a teaching concept based on comics. Link (21/09/2013, German, MdlI)
Research
There is a call for papers for the conference Transmedial Worlds in Convergent Media Culture, which will take place at the Winter School at the Graduate Academy of the University of Tuebingen, Germany, between the 24th and 28th of February 2014. Talks can consider comics-based transmedial worlds, and abstracts of 300 words are due by the 31st October. Link (English, WG)
The programme for the 8th ComFor conference in Erlangen, which takes place between the 15th and the 17th November, is now online. Link (29/09/2013, German, MdlI)
Ireland
Culture
The Irish Comic News website discuss the imapct of the event DICE 2013. Link (English, SC)
Research
There is a call for papers for the conference, A Friend in the Furrows: Exploring “Folk Horror” in Literature, Film, and Music, which takes place at Queen’s University Belfast in October 2014. Abstracts, inclusive of considerations of folk horror in comics, are due by the 1st June 2014. Link (English, SC)
Portugal
Culture
Until the 4th November the Galeria Mundo Fantasma in Oporto is hosting an exposition of comics and illustration titled Crise Ibérica (Iberian Crisis). As the title suggests, it offers representations of Portuguese and Spanish crisis by authors living in both contexts. Link (13/09/2013, Portuguese, RR)
Spain
Business
There is a new comics publisher: Yermo Ediciones. The aim of this publisher is to go back to the roots of comics as a popular medium to tell stories. It will publish works both by Spanish artists and by international ones. Link (Spanish, EC)
Culture
There is a new online journal devoted to the analysis of comics. Some of the top Spanish critics are already featured in the first issue. Link (Spanish, EC)
Switzerland
Culture
An exhibition on Hergé and ligne claire comics, Die Abenteuer der Ligne claire. Der Fall Hergé & Co., will open at Cartoonmuseum Basel on the 26th October 2013, and run until the 9th March 2014. Link (09/09/2013, German, MdlI)
Law & Politics
Swiss politician, Toni Bortoluzzi, criticises the publicly funded comic Hotnights, which is used for sex education in Swiss schools. Link (***Adult Content, 21/09/2013, German, MdlI)
UK
Culture
The line up for this year’s Dundee Comics Day has been confirmed. The event will take place on the 26th and 27th October. Link (25/09/2013, English, WG)
The British Comics Awards committee has released its shortlist of nominees up for awards. Link (25/09/2013, English, WG)
Education
Sarah Lightman is currently offering a number of short courses in creating comics at the Jewish Community Centre London. The next course, Jews, Visual Memoirs, takes place on the 9th October. Link (English, WG)
Research
Professor Ronan Deazley will be giving a lecture entitled “Writing About Comics and Copyright” on the 10th October, at the University of Glasgow. Link (English, WG)
There is less than a month left to submit to our themed month on Comics and Cultural Work, guest edited by Casey Brienza. 1000-1500 word articles are due by the 31st October. Link (08/08/2013, English, WG)
The programme for Transitions 4 Comica Symposium has been published online. The event will take place at Birkbeck, University of London, on the 26th October. Link (24/09/2013, English, WG)
There is a call for papers for the panel, “Diversity in Speculative Fiction: Digital Comics Panel,” that will take place at Loncon 3, 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, between the 14th and 18th August 2014 in London. The deadline for submissions is the 31st December. Link (17/09/2013, English, WG)
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News Editor: Will Grady (comicsforumnews@hotmail.co.uk)
Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan), Michele Brittany (MB, North America), Esther Claudio (EC, Spain), Shelley Culbertson (SC, Ireland), Eric Ganeau (EG, North America), William Grady (WG, UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Germany), Renatta Rafaela (RR, Portugal), Moray Rhoda (MR, South Africa), Lim Cheng Tju (LCT, Singapore).
Click here for News Review correspondent biographies.
Suggestions for articles to be included in the News Review can be sent to Will Grady at the email address above.
Comics Forum 2013: Registration Open
Registration is now open for Comics Forum 2013: Small Press and Undergrounds, which will be running at Leeds Central Library on the 21st and 22nd of November.
This year features a fantastic lineup of speakers and papers, including:
Cameron Fletcher: “Amateur” Hour Kenan Kocak: Koloni: Pirate Comics, Published Once In A While Lise Tannahill: Assessing Ololê: Vehicle for Breton Pride or Source of Shame? David Huxley: ‘I still have 50 Copies in the Attic’: British Regional Underground comics 1970- 1980 Martin de la Iglesia: Early manga translations in the West: underground cult or mainstream failure? Louisa Parker: Small Story – Big Picture Laura A. Pearson: Nina Bunjevac’s “Alternative” Catwoman in ‘Bitter Tears of Zorka Petrovic’ Brenna Clarke Gray, Damon Herd, Hattie Kennedy, Ernesto Priego, Peter Wilkins and David N Wright (Graphixia): Small is the New Big: The Comics Criticism Blog as Small Press Mihaela Precup: ‘It came from Alpha Centaur looking for love’: The Mutant and Non-human Body in Denis Kitchen’s Bizarre Sex (1972-1982) Gareth Brookes: Small Press Comics and Fine Art Paddy Johnston: From Random House to Rehab: Julia Wertz and the Small Press Dan Smith: Revisiting Donald Parsnips’ Daily Journal Ian Horton: Dave Sim’s Cerebus the Aardvark: Self-publishing, the Direct Market and Creative Freedom Christopher J. Thompson: Comix Narrative Parody: Hunt Emerson’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner John G. Swogger: Underground Archaeology: Comics as alternative agents of professional discourse Lydia Wysocki, Jack Fallows and Mike Thompson: Epic themes in awesome ways, or how we made Asteroid Belter: The Newcastle Science Comic R.Finn: Using a webcomic comment thread to gauge reader experience Aysel Demir: Political Humor Is Absolutely A “Serious” Job! John Miers: Metaphor, financial crisis, and the small press
Further speakers are still to be confirmed, and we’ll put the details up here as soon as we have them.
Registration fees this year are as follows:
1 day pass (21st or 22nd): £10
2 day pass (21st and 22nd): £20
4 day pass (two day Comics Forum pass + 2 day Thought Bubble Convention pass (SRP £22)): £35 (save £7!)
To register, simply email comicsforum@hotmail.co.uk with the phrase ‘CF2013 Registration’ in your subject line and tell us your name and how many tickets you’d like. It’s that simple!
We look forward to seeing you in November!
Comics Forum 2013 is supported by: Thought Bubble, the University of Chichester, Routledge, Dr Mel Gibson and Molakoe.
Keep watering the rocks by Di Laycock
‘For goodness sake put that graphic novel down and get yourself a real book to read.’
Overheard in the school library, this comment was a short, but far from simple, remark made to a student by a colleague. Given the work I’d done with this teacher as to how graphic novels might be used in the classroom, I was disheartened to hear that graphic novels still struggled to make her literary cut. And whilst another colleague once told me not to waste time ‘watering the rocks,’ a part of me wasn’t going to give up so easily – I enrolled in a professional doctorate and grabbed my watering can.
The above scenario took place nearly six years ago, around the same time that Carter (2007) suggested graphic novels ‘still remain largely on the fringes of the [teaching] profession’ (p. 1). To reposition graphic novels more centrally, added Carter, more success stories of their use in schools were needed.
Comics Forum 