Americas
Canada
Research
There is a call for papers for the conference “Transmédialité, Bande dessinée, Adaptation”, which will take place as part of the ACFAS convention in Montreal, from the 11th to the 13th May 2016. Abstracts are due by the 5th February. Link (31/12/2015, French, BC)
United States
Research
The new issue of Digital Humanities Quarterly (9.4) is a special issue focused upon “Comics as Scholarship”. Link (English, WG)
There is a call for papers for a collection entitled Superheroes and Critical Animal Studies. Abstracts are due by the 15th March for possible inclusion into this edited collection which seeks to explore the world of animal rights and liberation against the backdrop of superheroes in film, television, and comics. Link (24/01/2015, English, WG)
The Comics and Popular Arts Conference (CPAC) invites submissions for its ninth annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, taking place between the 2nd and 5th September. The submission deadline for abstracts is the 15th February. Link (English, WG)
The Visual Narrative Reader, edited by Neil Cohn, has been published through Bloomsbury. Link (English, WG)
There is a call for papers for the conference, Deaf-initely Ironic…? “Cripping” the Comic Con 2016, which takes place at Syracuse University on the 1st April. The deadline for proposals is the 8th February. Link (English, WG)
“How Come Boys Get to Keep Their Noses?”: Women and Jewish American Identity in Contemporary Graphic Memoirs, by Tahneer Oksman, has been published through Columbia University Press. Link (English, WG)
The New Mutants: Superheroes and the Radical Imagination of American Comics, by Ramzi Fawaz, has been published through New York University Press. Link (English, WG)
Disaster Drawn: Visual Witness, Comics, and Documentary Form, by Hillary Chute, has been published through Harvard University Press. Link (English, WG)
Asia
Japan
Culture
The exhibition of works by Urasawa Naoki (Author of the best-selling manga series Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto) at Setagaya Literary Museum is open until the 31st March. Related events will be held on the 28th February and the 12th March. Link (Japanese, JBS)
The Graduation Works exhibition of the students graduating Kyoto Seika University’s Faculty of Manga, will be exhibited at Kyoto International Manga Museum from the 17th to the 21st February. During this period, access to the museum is free. Link (English, JBS)
The award-winning works of the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival will be exhibited from the 3rd until the 14th February at the National Art Center in Tokyo (as well as a number of affiliated venues). There are four categories (Art, Entertainment, Animation, and Manga), and the awarded works were chosen from among 4417 from 87 countries. Link (English, JBS)
An exhibition, The Exhibition of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, will be held at Roppongi Hills from the 16th April until the 19th June, with original art from manga artist Takeuchi Naoko. Link (Japanese, JBS)
Europe
Austria
Culture
A Barbara Yelin exhibition is being shown in Krems until the 14th February. Link (28/01/2016, German, MdlI)
France
Business
The most recent Astérix album, Asterix And The Missing Scroll, is France’s highest-selling book of 2015. Link (27/01/2016, French, LTa)
Culture
Belgian author Hermann wins this year’s Grand Prix at the Angoulême International Comics Festival; Here, by Richard McGuire wins best album with Best Series going to Ms. Marvel by G Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. Link 1 (27/11/2016, English, LTa) Link 2 (20/01/2016, English, LTa)
A ‘fake awards ceremony’, preceding the genuine Angoulême International Comics Festival prize giving, has caused more controversy at this year’s festival. Link 1 (1/02/2016, English, LTa) Link 2 (31/01/2016, English, LTa)
A global controversy ensued after the Angoulême International Comics Festival released the long list for its Grand Prix award, which included no women cartoonists. The debate was initiated by the Collectif des Créatrices de Bande Dessinée Contre le Sexisme and fuelled by several nominees backing out of the list. Link 1 (05/01/2016, French, BC) Link 2 (06/01/2016, English, BC)
Research
Neuvième Art 2.0 published a new online issue devoted to Jacques Tardi. Link (11/01/2016, French, BC)
There is a call for papers for the bilingual workshop “Les femmes et la bande dessinée: autorialités et représentations/ Women and comics, authorships and representations,” which will take place on the 2nd June. Abstracts are due by the 31st March. Link (18/01/2016, French/English, BC)
Germany
Culture
The LUCHS children’s book award goes to Der Traum von Olympia by Reinhard Kleist. Link (18/01/2016, German, MdlI)
An exhibition on contemporary LGBT superhero comics is shown in Berlin until the 26th June. Link (21/01/2016, German, MdlI)
A radio feature on Erika Fuchs was broadcast. Link (22/01/2016, German, MdlI)
A Richard McGuire exhibition opens in Frankfurt on the 30th January. Link (25/01/2016, German, MdlI)
An MCM Comic Con is going to take place in Hanover on the 4th and 5th June. Link (26/01/2016, German, MdlI)
Obituary
Hansrudi Wäscher died aged 87 on the 7th January. Link (08/01/2016, German, MdlI)
Research
The January issue of literaturkritik.de focuses on comics. Link (German, MdlI)
Hungary
Culture
The Hungarian Comics Association in co-operation with kArton Gallery has started a series of workshops to promote interaction and creativity in the Hungarian Comics World. The monthly event series will feature talks by artists, discussions of various techniques, and common improvisations. The first workshop was held on the 12th January. Link (Hungarian, ES)
Portugal
Culture
BDteca2016 is taking place until March at the Library of Odemira. The show includes exhibitions, workshops, and a comics contest. Participants can enter until the 12th February. Link (04/01/2016, Portuguese, RR)
The exhibition, Nos 80 Anos d’O Mosquito [In the 80 yeas of O Mosquito], dedicated to the comics magazine O Mosquito, is being hosted at the Portuguese National Library until the 29th February. Link (26/01/2016, Portuguese, RR)
The Clube Português de Banda Desenhada in Amadora is hosting an exhibition related to O Mosquito and is open until the 12th March. Link (15/01/2016, Portuguese, RR)
Spain
Culture
The graphic novels publishing house, Astiberri, has celebrated its 15th anniversary. Link (26/01/2016, Spanish, EdRC)
The University of Córdoba is organising “dialectic battles” between superheroes to promote science. The next ‘battle’ will feature Batman vs. Spiderman (10th February) and Jean Grey vs. Wonder Woman (9th March). Link (10/12/2015, Spanish, EdRC)
Following this year’s Angoulême International Comics Festival’s controversial shortlist not including women, an article has been written about sexism and the role of women in Spanish comics. Link (12/01/2016, Spanish, EdRC)
UK
Culture
The exhibition, Comic Invention, will be hosted at the Hunterian Art Gallery from the 18th March until the 17th July. Link (English, WG)
There is a call for papers for the 17th “Forum for Iberian Studies“, which will take place at the University of Oxford between the 29th and 30th September. The conference will focus on current issues in the Iberian Peninsula and there will be a panel on comics. Abstracts between 200 and 250 words should be written in English or, additionally, in any other peninsular language and must be sent by the 1st May. Link (25/01/2016, English, EdRC)
Research
Comics Grid has an event report on the symposium, “From Hogarth to Hellboy: Transformations of the Visual Reader”, which was hosted at Senate House Library, University of London on the 16th December. Link (19/12/2015, English, WG)
* * *
Correspondents: Jessica Bauwens-Sugimoto (JBS, Japan), Enrique del Rey Cabero (EdRC, Spain), Benoît Crucifix (BC, Canada and France), William Grady (WG, United States and UK), Martin de la Iglesia (MdlI, Austria and Germany), Renatta Rafaella (RR, Portugal), Eszter Szép (ES, Hungary), and Lise Tannahill (LTa, France).
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