Comics Medium Links

Bugs Bunny is Superman!

2012-01-24T00:07:00.002-05:00

Check out this clip from the new Looney Tunes series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGhbL20Ap8Q.

New Kirby Book

2012-01-03T21:22:00.002-05:00

Hand of Fire: The Comics Art of Jack Kirby
By Charles Hatfield

304 pages (approx.), 7 x 10 inches, 32 line illustrations, appendix, bibliography, index

978-1-61703-177-9 Printed casebinding $65.00S

978-1-61703-178-6 Paper $25.00T

978-1-61703-179-3 Ebook $25.00

The first critical exploration of the work of a great comics creator

Jack Kirby (1917-1994) is one of the most influential and popular artists in comics history. With Stan Lee, he created the Fantastic Four and defined the drawing and narrative style of Marvel Comics from the 1960s to the present day. Kirby is credited with creating or cocreating a number of Marvel's mainstay properties, among them the X-Men, the Hulk, Thor, and the Silver Surfer. His earlier work with Joe Simon led to the creation of Captain America, the popular kid gang and romance comic genres, and one of the most successful comics studios of the 1940s and 1950s. Kirby's distinctive narrative drawing, use of bold abstraction, and creation of angst-ridden and morally flawed heroes mark him as one of the most influential mainstream creators in comics.

In this book, Charles Hatfield examines the artistic legacy of one of America's true comic book giants. He analyzes the development of Kirby's cartooning technique, his use of dynamic composition, the recurring themes and moral ambiguities in his work, his eventual split from Lee, and his later work as a solo artist. Against the backdrop of Kirby's earlier work in various genres, Hand of Fire examines the peak of Kirby's career, when he introduced a new sense of scope and sublimity to comic book fantasy.

Charles Hatfield, Northridge, California, is associate professor of English at California State University, Northridge. He is the author of Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature. Follow his blog at http://handoffire.wordpress.com/.

304 pages (approx.), 7 x 10 inches, 32 line illustrations, appendix, bibliography, index

New Trailers for the End of the Year

2011-12-29T22:58:00.000-05:00

Here's two more trailers for upcoming films based on comics:

I'm unsure about the first one here. The Dark Knight was a bad film in so many ways, and The Dark Knight Rises (despite its hope-filled title) paints a bleak picture for Batman and Gotham (plus the end tag here--"The Legend...Ends"--suggests a depressing conclusion for all).

One the other hand, The Men in Black films are always fun; let's hope the latest installment does not disappoint.

New OV Justice League: Doom

2011-12-27T00:17:00.000-05:00

A new original video from the DC Animated Universe is due out in February. Here is the advance trailer:

Plug for Sequart Research

2011-12-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

I recently came across the web site for the Sequart Research & Literacy Organization. They seem to bring the ground between popular scholarship of comics and academic discussions of the medium. The group maintains a lively blog and has published a series of essay collections on a variety of topics, including companions to recent films (see also the following link for more details: http://www.sequart.org/magazine/5111/sequarts-books-get-new-cheaper-editions/). This is definitely one to watch.

Spidey Art Book

2011-12-20T18:35:00.000-05:00

Spider-Man turns 50 next year, and Marvel begins the celebration with The Art of Spider-Man Classic, a visual survey of the character's history in the comics. I won't say it is a "must have", but it is interesting to look at to explore the character's evolution on the comics page. Further details at Westfield Comics.

New Alex Ross Art Book

2011-12-20T18:23:00.000-05:00

Here's a great read from Dynamite Entertainment:

THE DYNAMITE ART OF ALEX ROSS HC

Rating: Teen +
Cover: Alex Ross
Writer: Alex Ross
Artist: Alex Ross
Publication Date: Nov 2011
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 328
ISBN-10: 1-60690-244-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-60690-244-8

The Dynamite Art of Alex Ross has now EXPANDED to 328 PAGES!!!!!! Containing sketches, designs, layouts and pencils, interior work, covers, and a wealth of unpublished art, The Dynamite Art of Alex Ross can be found at comic stores everywhere December 7th! But now, it is going to come with over a hundred and twenty-eight more pages, at the same price! Originally just over 200 pages, The Dynamite Art of Alex Ross will be a whopping 328 pages with ABSOLUTELY no price increase!

Alex Ross' ultra-realistic, painted renditions of iconic superheroes have made him a superstar. In the vein of acclaimed and fan-favorite Alex Ross books such as Mythologies and Rough Justice, we are proud to present the ultimate collection of Alex Ross art from his extensive collaboration with Dynamite, The Dynamite Art of Alex Ross. Containing sketches, designs, layouts and pencils, interior work, covers, and a wealth of unpublished art.

Collecting all of Alex's Dynamite covers and interior art in one complete hardcover volume, also featuring Marvel pages, along with commentary throughout the book by Alex Ross himself, as well as special bonus material, this is a package not to be missed. A must-buy for Alex Ross' legion of fans!

Tintin Movie

2011-12-20T18:13:00.001-05:00

Due out this week:

2011 In Memoriam

2011-12-20T17:38:00.002-05:00

I'm perpetually behind on blog posts but did want to at least acknowledge the recent passing of two Golden Age greats: Jerry Robinson and Joe Simon. I was not very familiar with Robinson (and now look forward to reading N. C. Christopher Couch's biography Jerry Robinson: Ambassador of Comics [2010]), but Simon's recent autobiography provided much insight into his life and career.

Teasers

2011-12-11T22:23:00.001-05:00

New From McFarland

2011-11-28T01:03:00.001-05:00

Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, 2d ed.

William B. Jones, Jr.

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3840-2
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8840-7
357 photos (48 in color), appendices, notes, bibliography, index
409pp. hardcover (8.5 x 11) 2011
Price: $55.00

About the Book
A significant expansion of the critically acclaimed first edition, Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History, 2d ed., carries the story of the Kanter family’s series of comics-style adaptations of literary masterpieces from 1941 into the 21st century. This book features additional material on the 70-year history of Classics Illustrated and the careers and contributions of such artists as Alex A. Blum, Lou Cameron, George Evans, Henry C. Kiefer, Gray Morrow, Rudolph Palais, and Louis Zansky. New chapters cover the recent Jack Lake and Papercutz revivals of the series, the evolution of Classics collecting, and the unsung role of William Kanter in advancing the fortunes of his father Albert’s worldwide enterprise. Enhancing the lively account of the growth of "the World’s Finest Juvenile Publication" are new interviews and correspondence with editor Helene Lecar, publicist Eleanor Lidofsky, artist Mort Kunstler, and the founder’s grandson John "Buzz" Kanter.

Detailed appendices provide artist attributions, issue contents and, for the principal Classics Illustrated-related series, a listing of each printing identified by month, year, and highest reorder number. New U.S., Canadian and British series have been added. More than 300 illustrations--most of them new to this edition--include photographs of artists and production staff, comic-book covers and interiors, and a substantial number of original cover paintings and line drawings.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: “Good Stories” 1

I. Albert Kanter’s Dream 9
II. Of Musketeers and Mohicans: The Jacquet Shop 17
III. Louis Zansky: The Painter’s Touch 26
IV. Eccentricity Abounding: The War Years 35
V. Arnold Lorne Hicks: Transitional Figure 42

Between pages 48 and 49 are eight pages containing 22 color plates

VI. Enter Iger: The Fiction House Artists 49
VII. Henry Carl Kiefer and the Classics House Style 63
VIII. Alex A. Blum: “A Prince of a Man” 76
IX. A “Newer, Truer Name”: The Late Forties 90
X. Blood, Sweat, and Rudy Palais 104
XI. Painted Covers and an Extra Nickel: The Early Fifties 111
XII. Maurice del Bourgo: A “Man’s World Artist” 131XIII. Canonical Matters and Classical Curiosities 135
XIV. Lou Cameron: “If John Wayne Had Drawn Comic Books” 144
XV. Norman Nodel: “A Certain Integrity” 153
XVI. From the Crypt to the Classics: The EC Era 165
XVII. George Evans, Reed Crandall, and the Tradition of EC Realism 182
XVIII. Roberta the Conqueror 197

Between pages 200 and 201 are eight pages containing 26 color plates
IX. High Tide and Greenbacks: The Late Fifties 201
XX. Gerald McCann: The Colors of the Sky 213
XXI. Gray Morrow: “Real People and Real Events” 217
XXII. “Roberta’s Reforms”: The Early SixtiesXIII. William E. Kanter: About a Son 240
XXIV. Five Little Series and How They Grew: Picture Progress; Classics Illustrated Junior; Classics Illustrated Special Issues; The World Around Us; The Best from Boys’ Life Comics 244
XXV. “Frawley’s Folly”: The Twin Circle Era (1967–1971) 270
XXVI. Classics Abroad: The Worldwide Yellow Banner 274
XXVII. The Wilderness Years: The Seventies and Eighties 280
XXVIII. Great Expectations: First Publishing’s Graphic Novels 283
XXIX. “Your Doorway to the Classics”: Acclaim’s Study Guides 291
XXX. Restoration: Jack Lake Productions and Papercutz 294
XXXI. Classics Collected: Notes on the Evolution of a Pastime and a Passion 299
XXXII. Classical Coda 306
Notes 309

Appendices
A. Classic Comics and Classics Illustrated 317
B. Classics Illustrated Giant Editions 334
C. Fast Fiction/Stories by Famous Authors Illustrated 334
D. Classics Illustrated Educational Series 335
E. Picture Parade/Picture Progress 335
F. Classics Illustrated Junior 336
G. Classics Illustrated Special Issues 342
H. The Best from Boys’ Life Comics 343
I. The World Around Us 344
J. British Classics Illustrated, First and Second Series 349
K. Classics Illustrated, Second Series (Berkley/First) 353
L. Classics Illustrated, Third Series, Study Guides (Acclaim) 353
M. Classics Illustrated, Fourth Series ( Jack Lake) 355
N. Classics Illustrated Junior, Second Series ( Jack Lake) 357
O. Classics Illustrated Special Issues, Second Series ( Jack Lake) 359
P. British Classics Illustrated, Third Series 359
Q. Papercutz Classics Illustrated DeLuxe Editions 360
R. Papercutz Classics Illustrated Editions 360
S. Correspondence Between Roberta Strauss and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, re: The Dark Frigate 360
T. Letter from Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht to E. Nelson Bridwell 361

Bibliography 363
Index 367

About the Author
Attorney, teacher, and freelance writer William B. Jones, Jr., lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Portraying 9/11: Essays on Representations in Comics, Literature, Film and Theatre

Edited by Veronique Bragard, Christophe Dony and Warren Rosenberg

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-5950-6
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8896-4
4 photos, notes, bibliographies, index
184pp. softcover (7 x 10) 2011
Price: $40.00

About the Book
Commentators and artists attempting to represent the events of September 11, 2001, struggle to create meaning in the face of such powerful experiences. This collection of essays offers critical insights into the discourses that shape the memory of 9/11 in the narrative genres of comics, literature, film, and theatre. It examines historical, political, cultural, and personal meanings of the disaster and its aftermath through critical discussions of Marvel and New Yorker comics, American and British novels, Hollywood films, and the plays of Anne Nelson.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments vii
Introduction
VÉRONIQUE BRAGARD, CHRISTOPHE DONY and WARREN ROSENBERG 1

Part I: Comics
Covering 9/11: The New Yorker, Trauma Kitsch, and Popular Memory
TIMOTHY KRAUSE 11
Spandex Agonistes: Superhero Comics Confront the War on Terror
MATTHEW J. COSTELLO 30
“Whose Side Are You On?” The Allegorization of 9/11 in Marvel’s Civil War
STEPHAN PACKARD 44

Part II: Literature
September 11 and Cold War Nostalgia
AARON DEROSA 58
Don DeLillo’s Falling Man: Countering Post–9/11 Narratives of Heroic Masculinity
MAGALI CORNIER MICHAEL 73
Misplaced Anxieties: Violence and Trauma in Ian McEwan’s Saturday
ULRIKE TANCKE 89
The Mediated Trauma of September 11, 2001, in William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition and David Foster Wallace’s “The Suffering Channel”
MARC OXOBY 102

Part III: Performance
Terror and Mismemory: Resignifying September 11 in World Trade Center and United 93
GERRY CANAVAN 118
From Flying Man to Falling Man: 9/11 Discourse in Superman Returns and Batman Begins
DAN HASSLER-FOREST 134
Authenticating the Reel: Realism, Simulation, and Trauma in United 93
FRANCES PHEASANT-KELLY 147
Connecting in the Aftermath: Trauma, Performance, and Catharsis in the Plays of Anne Nelson
JAMES M. CHERRY 160

About the Contributors 173
Index 175

About the Author
Veronique Bragard is associate professor in comparative literature at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. Christophe Dony combines teaching and research activities at the Universite de Liege, Belgium, where he is a PhD candidate in English Literatures. Warren Rosenberg is a professor and chair of English at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

CFP Joker Collection

2011-11-27T01:12:00.001-05:00

My thanks to the NEPCA Journal for the head's up:

Call for Abstracts

The Joker: Critical Essays on the Clown Prince of Crime

Robert Moses Peaslee & Robert G. Weiner, Editors

“Nobody panics when things are going according to plan, even if the plan is horrifying.”

-- The Joker (Heath Ledger), The Dark Knight (2008)

If one were to survey the global public about their favorite superheroes, the results would likely place Batman, Spider-Man, and perhaps Superman in the top tier. If one were to ask about super villains, however, it’s unlikely that any character would receive more attention than the Joker. To date, the character has appeared in thousands of comics, numerous animated series, and three major blockbuster feature films dating back to 1966. One could make a strong argument that the Clown Prince of Crime is the most popular and well-known fictional villain in the history of popular culture. A superhero is only as interesting as the villains he or she faces, and the Joker stands out among hundreds of villains as one of the most complex, culturally resonant, and morally ambiguous characters to ever grace a comic book page or movie screen. In 2006, Industry publication Wizard ranked the Joker as the number one comic villain of all time.

Academic studies and collections of Batman abound, both as a text and as an industry (DiPaolo, 2009; Eury, 2009; Schopp, 2009; Kuwata, 2008; O’Neil, 2008; Zehr, 2008; Brooker, 2007; Morris, 2005; Pearson & Uricchio, 1991; Beard 2010). Despite the Joker’s popularity, however, there has never appeared a serious scholarly monograph or edited collection based around the character. The editors hope to rectify this gap in the literature of sequential art, film, media, and cultural studies. Our aspiration is to compile the definitive volume on the character, encompassing historical, textual, institutional, and interpretational approaches from a wide variety of disciplines.

To this end, the editors seek abstracts of no more than 500 words outlining proposed essays of 6,000-8,000 words. Abstracts should make clear the author’s approach to the material in epistemological terms and indicate whether or not the piece has appeared in previous forms elsewhere. Abstracts should show potential as rigorous primary research, theory development or criticism.

A by-no-means-exhaustive list of possible topics includes:

• Historical-textual examinations of the Joker’s emergence and evolution
• Comparative analyses of the Joker’s various characterizations and adaptations
• Socio-cultural approaches to the Joker’s symbolic potential
• The Joker and gender, race, sexuality, ability, etc.
• Gaming environments and the Joker’s manifestations in ludic narratives
• The Joker as an entertainment marketing tool
• The Joker pre- and post-9/11
• Relationships between the Joker and other heroes and/or villains
• Author- or creator-driven analyses
• Theoretical approaches to the Joker’s visual composition
• Narrative and rhetorical criticism
• Archetypal explorations of Joker pre-cursors
• Psychological or psychoanalytical analyses
• Humor and/or clowning and their relationship to the sinister
• The para-cinema of the Joker
• Fan communities and performance
• The Joker as a stabilizing or confounding force in sequential art taxonomies
• Joker philosophy
• Art historical or visual culture-driven analyses of the Joker
• The Joker as a pedagogical tool

Abstracts should be submitted no later than Dec. 15, 2011. Please send abstracts via email to rob.weiner@ttu.edu.

Those authors whose abstracts are accepted will be notified no later than February 1, 2012. Full essays will be required by April 1, 2012 and will be reviewed by both the editors and guest reviewers.

Note that invitation to submit a full essay does not guarantee inclusion in the volume. Selected authors will be notified over the summer of 2012.

Rob Weiner
Humanities Librarian Texas Tech University
Email: rob.weiner@ttu.edu

CFP Monsters in the Margins Conference

2011-11-24T00:26:00.001-05:00

From the ImageTexT News Feed (note that the conference conflicts with the meeting of the Popular Culture Association in Boston):
"Monsters in the Margins" April 13-15, 2012
Posted 20 Nov, 2011

UF Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels

In any crisis, whether economic or cultural, there is a sense of an unimaginable danger right around the corner. These unknown and unfathomable terrors fascinate the imagination and dramatically play out our anxieties in a more cognitively relatable form—we attempt to embody them, to transplant them, or to make them somehow tangible—yet the underlying terror persists. The narratives and mediums we channel our terrors into become our monsters.

In the midst of the first true economic crisis of the 21st century, we return to these sites with renewed curiosity. How can we depict the sublime terror of our anxieties? How can we convey our unabashed horror through image and text, and communicate those feelings? Why do we keep trying to re-imagine the same monstrous templates, especially when the tools of a craft are perpetually unable to represent the unimaginable?

The 9th University of Florida Comics Conference hopes to address these issues by welcoming any and all explorations into the representation of monsters in a visual/textual form. We are especially interested in how text augments the imaginative image (or vice versa) and approaches horror in ways that help the conscious mind endure and (hopefully) resolve the trauma that the unknown antagonizes within us. From traditional genres to new horizons of horror, we seek to examine the monsters of media and attempt to understand how the medium influences the message.

Submissions should maintain a focus on comics, manga, children's literature, video games, imaging technology or any other form that includes both image and text in its representations (either simultaneously or indirectly).

Building on the interdisciplinary and multi-modal aims of the conference, "Monsters in the Margins" encourages scholars and artists from all fields to consider alternative, interactive presentation models that utilize both technology and audience collaboration.

While traditional lecture models remain the core of the conference, "Monsters in the Margins" will also re-think the margins of the conference itself by hosting discussion-oriented panels that emphasize and incorporate audience participation. We hope that this conversational framework will facilitate a discursive space in which audience and speaker can come together to explore content, theory, and process. If you are interested in this alternative format panel, please submit an extended abstract outlining your topic and approach. Abstracts will be published online prior to the conference to help facilitate these colloquia.

Suggested topics and approaches include (but are not limited to):
Historical (EC Comics and the censored monster, historical context and development of a monster/the monstrous through manuscripts or newspapers)
Cultural (monster as metaphor for crisis, mimetic manifestations in monstrous traits)
Graphic/Image (illustrating the monster, monstrous representations)
Graphic/Text/Digital ('wording' the monster, 'voicing' the monster's image, ghost in the machine)
Adaptation (monsters across mediums, times, and periods)
Topological (landscapes, territories, terrain, environment, haunted spaces)
Socio-Cultural (PTSD and its manifestations, the neighbor, anxiety and influence)

Deadlines

21 January '12: Extended abstracts for experimental panels

15 February '12: Presentation abstracts

Please direct all items and inquiries to imagetext@english.ufl.edu

ImageText for Fall 2011

2011-11-24T00:23:00.001-05:00

Just came across the following:

ImageTexT

Volume 6, Issue 1 (Fall 2011)

Contents:
Fidelity and Period Aesthetics in Comics Adaptation byMatthew Bolton
The Violence Museum: Aesthetic Wounds from Popeye toWe3 by Jonathan Gaboury
Two Texts on "Comics" from China, ca. 1932: "In Defense of 'Comic Strips'" by Lu Xun and "Comic Strip Novels" by Mao Dun by Sean Macdonald
When Photographs Aren't Quite Enough: Reflections on Photography and Cartooning in Le Photographe by Nancy Pedri
The Empirical Twilight: A Pony's Guide to Science & Anarchism by Walton Wood

Review of Charles M. Schulz's My Life With Charlie Brown by Eric L. Berlatsky
Review of History and Politics in French-Language Comics and Graphic Novels by Anne Cirella-Urrutia
Surveying the Field: Recent Scholarship on Superheroines by Megan Condis
Review of Caped Crusaders 101: Composition through Comic Books by Michael Dean
Book Art: a review of Art of McSweeney's by Zara Dinnen
Review of Theodor SEUSS Geisel by Donald E. Pease by Rebekah Fitzsimmons
Review of Drawing France: French Comics and the Republic by Andréa L. Gilroy
Review of José Alaniz' Komiks: Comic Art in Russia by Alison Mandaville
Review of Teaching Visual Literacy by Clinton L. Robison
Review of Toni Johnson-Woods' MANGA by Caleb Simmons
Review of Animators Unearthed: A Guide to the Best of Contemporary Animation by Walton Wood

SANE 1.2 on Alan Moore

2011-11-23T21:28:00.001-05:00

The new issue of Sequential Art Narrative in Education is now available. The journal is provided free of charge but accepts donations from readers.

VOL 1, NO 2 (2011)
TEACHING THE WORKS OF ALAN MOORE

Articles examining how the comics of Alan Moore and his associates can/should/ought to be taught and the issues surrounding teaching Moore's work in various classroom settings.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLES
Introduction to Edition 1:2: "Teaching the Works of Alan Moore" PDF
James Bucky Carter, Ph.D. i-iii

Comprehending Comics and Graphic Novels: Watchmen as a Case for Cognition PDF
Travis White-Schwoch, David Rapp, Ph.D. 1-16

Lost [and Found] Girls: Teaching a College Course in Alan moore PDF
Matthew J. Smith 17-28

Learning "Stuff" and Using V for Vendetta in the Composition Classroom PDF
Stacey L Kikendall 29-42

RATIONALES
Rationale for V for Vendetta PDF
Susan Spangler 43-46

Rationale for Teaching Watchmen PDF
John Carl Weaver 47-51

Rationale for Saga of the Swamp Thing Volume 1 PDF
James Bucky Carter, Ph.D. 52-55

REVIEWS
Review of Di Liddo's Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel PDF
Orion Ussner Kidder 56-58

DC Comics for the Kindle

2011-11-23T21:20:00.001-05:00

DC Comics has recently released its first set of collected editions of Amazon's Kindle reader. Details at the DC Comics blog The Source at http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/11/22/new-dc-entertainment-storefront-launches-on-amazon-com/.

Comics Papers at NEPCA

2011-11-14T01:31:00.001-05:00

The following papers where presented this weekend at the annual NEPCA conference. I attended the keynote and second session and learned a lot from the presentations.

FRIDAY, 11 NOV.
Comics and Graphic Novels I: Disturbing and Disturbed Bodies
Chair: Lance Eaton, Emerson College

“ ‘I Know it When I See it’: Mike Diana’s Use of Childhood Iconography as ‘Obscene’ Mode of Discourse”—Lisa Cunningham, University of West Georgia

“Boundless Monstrosity: The Evolution and Intertextual Development of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”—Lance Eaton, Emerson College

“Bam! Biff! Pow!: Batman and the Evolution of the American Romantic Hero”—Forrest C. Helvie, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

RECEPTION/KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Professor William H. Foster, III

SATURDAY, 12 NOV.

Comics and Graphic Novels II: Damsels Causing Distress
Chair: Lance Eaton, Emerson College

“ She-Hulk: A Cultural Study of the Pornographic ‘Angry’ Woman”—D. L. Stephenson, Western Connecticut State University

“Vampiric Viragoes: Villainizing and Sexualizing Arthurian Women in King Arthur v. Dracula (2005) and Madame Xanadu (2008)”—Kate Allocco, Western Connecticut State University

“Women in Comics”: Jessica Gamache, Western Connecticut State University

“Drawing from the Margins: Truth, Fiction, and Power in Marisa Acocella Marchetto’s Cancer Vixen”—Lindsey Hanlon, Boston College

CFP Transnational Boys’ Love (BL) Fan Studies

2011-11-02T23:16:00.003-04:00

Transnational Boys’ Love (BL) Fan Studies, special issue of TWC
Call for Papers Date: 2012-03-01
Date Submitted: 2011-06-06
Announcement ID: 185722

“Transnational Boys’ Love Fan Studies,” a special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures, edited by Kazumi Nagaike and Katsuhiko Suganuma, Oita University

The editors of this special issue of Transformative Works and Cultures seek papers examining the activities of transnational ‘BL’ (Boys’ Love) fans, fan communities, fandom, and the production of fan fiction beyond Japan and North America. Specifically, we are seeking contributors who are engaged in the exploration of non-Japanese and non-North American contexts (e.g. Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, Africa, and others). Transnational BL fan studies may also be incorporated into the broader socio/political critical frameworks offered by studies in economics, gender/sexuality, race/class, and other areas.

‘BL’ (Boys’ Love), a genre of male homosexual narratives (consisting of manga, novels, animations, games, films, and so forth) written by and for women, has recently been acknowledged, by Japanese and non-Japanese scholars alike, as a significant component of Japanese popular culture. The aesthetic and style of Japanese BL have also been assumed, deployed and transformed by female fans transnationally. The current thrust of transnational BL practices raises a number of important issues relating to socio/cultural constructs of BL localization and globalization.

We welcome submissions dealing with, but not limited to, the following topics:

--Case-studies and ethnographic examinations of BL fans, specifically examining fans’ sex/gender, age, occupation, class, race/ethnicity, et cetera.

--Local ethnographies relating to BL fans’ production, distribution, and use of these materials. Discussions concerning the ways in which broadly framed socio/political issues or forms of consciousness (e.g. gender/sexuality formations, authorities’ interference, censorship, and so forth) impact fans’ BL activities.

--Media and social responses to fans’ involvement in BL activities.

--Commercial aspects of BL and fans’ contribution to the development of BL economics.

--The integration of research on BL fans into a wider discussion of social theory, differing cultural discourses, and globalization.

--Discussions concerning the ways in which BL fans’ forms of production, distribution, and consumption might challenge traditional notions of Author, Reader, and Text.

--Theoretical overviews reflecting traditional/contemporary ideas of fandom, fans, fan communities, and fans’ means of communications, demonstrating how these ideas specifically relate to BL fans.

--Explorations of the ways in which BL participants are motivated to become involved in other fan-oriented activities (e.g. cosplay; female fans’ cross-dressing as male BL characters).

##Submissions##

TWC accommodates academic articles of varying scope as well as other forms that embrace the technical possibilities of the Web and test the limits of the genre of academic writing. Contributors are encouraged to include embedded links, images, and videos in their articles or to propose submissions in alternative formats that might comprise interviews, collaborations, or video/multimedia works. We are also seeking reviews of relevant books, events, courses, platforms, or projects.

--Theory: Often interdisciplinary essays with a conceptual focus and a theoretical frame that offer expansive interventions in the field. Peer review. Length: 5,000–8,000 words plus a 100–250-word abstract.

--Praxis: Analyses of particular cases that may apply a specific theory or framework to an artifact; explicate fan practice or formations; or perform a detailed reading of a text. Peer review. Length: 4,000–7,000 words plus a 100–250-word abstract.

--Symposium: Short pieces that provide insight into current developments and debates. Editorial review. Length: 1,500–2,500 words.

Submissions are accepted online only. Please visit TWC’s Web site for complete submission guidelines, or e-mail editor@transformativeworks.org.

##Due dates##

Contributions for blind peer review (Theory and Praxis essays) are due by March 1, 2012.

Contributions that undergo editorial review (Symposium, Interview, Review) are due by April 1, 2012.

Kazumi Nagaike, nagaikeoita-u.ac.jp
Katsuhiko Suganuma, suganumaoita-u.ac.jp
Oita University, Japan
Email: nagaike@cc.oita-u.ac.jp
Visit the website at http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/announcement/view/19

CFP: Rocky Mountain Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels

2011-11-02T23:14:00.004-04:00

CFP: Rocky Mountain Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels, June 15-16, 2012
Location: Colorado, United States
Call for Papers Date: 2012-01-15
Date Submitted: 2011-08-28
Announcement ID: 187474

CFP: Rocky Mountain Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels, June 15-16, 2012

Rocky Mountain Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels, June 14-15, 2012, is a new literary conference devoted solely to the scholarly study and teaching of the sequential arts. What sets this conference apart from others is its unique mission to combine an educational classroom initiative with the benefits of theoretical and critical discourse. RMCCGN is being held in conjunction with the newly-emerging Denver Comic Con at the top-rated Colorado Convention Center, June 15-17 2012. All profits from both events directly benefit Comic Book Classroom, a nonprofit free after-school program for children, whose focus is raising literacy through comic books and graphic storytelling.

The conference is designed to bring together a wide range of theoretical, pedagogical, and disciplinary perspectives, and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, as well as academic, independent, and fan scholars. Any topics in the field of comics and graphic novels are welcome.

We seek proposals of 200-300 words for talks of 15-20 minutes in length and should be sent along with a brief, 100-word biography to Christina Angel at christina@comicbookclassroom.org. Deadline for submission is January 15, 2012 and notification of acceptance or rejection will be emailed by or before March 1, 2012.

Please visit our websites: www.comicbookclassroom.org and www.denvercomiccon.com for more information about these events.

Exciting guest announcements are coming soon – stay tuned!

Christina Angel, PhD
christina@comicbookclassroom.org
Email: christina@comicbookclassroom.org
Visit the website at http://denvercomiccon.com

CFP Graphic Novels, Comics and Popular Culture SWTXPCA

2011-11-02T23:12:00.003-04:00

Call for Papers: Graphic Novels, Comics and Popular Culture-SWTXPCA 2012 Feb 8-11th
Location: New Mexico, United States
Call for Papers Date: 2011-12-01 (in 29 days)
Date Submitted: 2011-09-16
Announcement ID: 188088

Call for Papers: Graphic Novels, Comics and Popular Culture-SWTXPCA 2012

Please make plans to attend our 33rd Annual Conference
February 8-11, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel & Conference Center in
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
330 Tijeras NW,
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA 87102
Tel: +1 505 842 1234 or 888-421-1442
http://www.swtxpca.org

Proposal submission deadline: December 1st 2011

The SW/TX PCA/ACA area chair invites papers on Comics, Graphic Novels and Popular Culture.

Any Aspect of Comics and Graphic Novels in Popular Culture will be considered.

Possible panel/discussion topics

With the recent rise in the Superhero movies, a discussion of 2011’s summer of the superhero or superflop would be welcome eg., Captain America, Green Lantern, Thor, X-Men First Class. What is the future of the superhero based movie?

Pedagogical approaches to teaching graphic novel content. This has become an increasingly important part of comic studies and the area chair seeks those scholars who would like to present on this topic.

Zombies and Vampires in comics continue to rise in popularity. Why are these monsters ideally suited for four colored pages?

Other topics:

Sequential Art and Storytelling
Manga, Anime and the Movies
Comic-Conventions-Fan Culture
Particular Artists or writers (Bendis, Steranko, Kirby, Everett, Niles, etc)
The Rise of the Graphic Novel
What is a Graphic Novel?
History of Newspaper Comics!
Gay Characters in comics
Film and Superheroes!
Adapting Graphic Novels for the Screen
Racism and the X-Men
Spiderman as the Everyman
Cartoon Network: Good or Bad for Comics
Comics and Philosophy
Graphic Novels as outlets for social justice (ie,, World War III )
Comics as political satire (eg,., Tom Tomorrow, Addicted To War )
Horror Comics
The Resurrection of Captain America-Why NO comic character ever stays dead?
DC, Marvel, and Comic corporations
Comics Studies and Film Studies: How do the two intersect?
The Definition of the Superhero.

Indies and their role
Comics and Graphic Novels around the world (eg., Tintin, Asterix).
The scholarly study of Graphic Novels/comics in the academy
Libraries and Graphic Novels

Proposal submission deadline: December 1st 2011

Please submit your title, and 100-250 word abstract through our website database which can be accessed at http://conference2012.swtxpca.org

33rd Annual Conference Southwest/Texas Popular/American Culture Association
February 8-11, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel & Conference Center in Albuquerque,
New Mexico.
Submission Deadline: 12/1/11
Priority Registration Deadline 12/31/11
Conference Hotel:
Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
330 Tijeras NW,
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA 87102
Tel: +1 505 842 1234 or 888-421-1442
http://www.swtxpca.org

Rob Weiner
Area Chair: Graphic Novels, Comics, and Popular Culture
Humanities Librarian Texas Tech University
Rweiner5@sbcglobal.net
http://www.swtxpca.org

CFP Religion and Comics

2011-11-02T23:10:00.001-04:00

On the Scholarship of Religion and Comic Books
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Call for Papers Date: 2011-12-01 (in 29 days)
Date Submitted: 2011-09-12
Announcement ID: 187932

The last half-dozen years have seen an explosion in U.S. publications addressing the intersection of religion and comics, but little has been said on the body of work taken as a whole. Outside of individual reviews, rarely are these works discussed in terms of their applications, their intertextuality, their audiences, their shortcomings, or the new questions they raise. This panel is to act as a forum addressing either portions of these works, entire books, their shared space, or the next steps to which they may all lead. In addition to the print publications recommended below, this panel also invites reflections on some of the websites and blogs conducting similar work, also listed:

Books: Superheroes: Religion and Popular Culture (2005), Up, Up, and Oy Vey (2006), Our Gods Wear Spandex (2007), Superheroes and Gods: A Comparative Study from Babylonia to Batman (2007), Disguised as Clark Kent (2007), Holy Superheroes! Revised and Expanded Edition (2008), From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books (2008), The Jewish Graphic Novel: Critical Approaches (2008), Jews and American Comics (2008), India’s Immortal Comic Books: Gods, Kings, and Other Heroes (2009), Graven Images: Religion in Comic Books and Graphic Novels (2010), Supergods (2011), The Seven Spiritual Laws of the Superhero (2011), Do the Gods Wear Capes? (2011)

Online: ComicAttack.net “Comics Are My Religion” columns, ComicBookBin.com “Religion and Comics” columns, By Rao! Religion and Religion site, Jewish Comics blog, Faith in Four Colors site

Other English-language, U.S. market pieces of scholarship may be considered, but the focus should remain on already-produced analysis, not on works-in-progress nor on the comics themselves. Submissions should be thoughtful reflections on how these pieces function, what opportunities they present, where they may fail, and what has been overlooked.

Abstracts of 100-250 words, a C.V., and brief bio are due by December 1 to ADL@bu.edu for consideration. The full panel will be proposed for the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association (PCA/ACA) Annual Conference 2012 in Boston from April 11-14, 2012.

A. David Lewis
Boston University
Department of Religion
147 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02115
Email: adl@bu.edu
Visit the website at http://captionbox.net/loosepages/?p=900

CFP Smallville Collection

2011-11-02T23:08:00.002-04:00

Call for Submissions: Edited collection on the recently-concluded WB/CW television series Smallville (01/15/12, 06/01/12)
Call for Papers Date: 2012-01-15
Date Submitted: 2011-09-23
Announcement ID: 188301

Call for Submissions: Edited collection on the recently-concluded WB/CW television series Smallville.

Areas of analysis: American Studies, Cultural Studies, Fan Studies, Fan Studies, Film and Television Studies, Folklore, Gender Studies, Popular Culture Studies.

Editors: Cory Barker, Chris Ryan and Myc Wiatrowski, Bowling Green State University

When the WB/CW television series Smallville ended its unprecedented 10-year run this past May, it was the longest-running comic-book based series and the longest-running North American science fiction series in television history. The televised story of Clark Kent’s long, complicated journey to becoming Superman survived dysfunctional networks, actor and creator departures and two years in the “Friday night death slot.” Yet, despite the series’ decade-long stay on the air, very little has been written about Smallville in critical and academic circles. This collection of essays seeks to rectify this academic blind spot and examine Smallville from multiple perspectives and disciplines.

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

*Clark Kent’s journey to becoming Superman within Smallville

*Character arcs for Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Chloe Sullivan, Oliver Queen and other Smallville supporting characters

*Clark Kent’s relationships with Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Chloe Sullivan and other supporting characters

*Relationships between other characters (i.e. Lex and Lionel, Chloe and Lois, Oliver and Chloe, etc.)

*Representations of masculinity, femininity, race, sexuality and family within Smallville

*Explorations of good and evil, heroes and villains and the concept of justice within Smallville

*Explorations of the role of legend and folklore within the diegetic framework of Smallville

*Smallville’s relationship to the Superman mythology or other Superman-related productions

*Smallville’s usage and representation of known DC Comics characters and stories

*Smallville’s narrative techniques, including “Freak of the Weak” stories and long-term story arcs

*Smallville’s visual style and practices, including special effects, direction and costuming

*Smallville as an example of the science fiction, superhero and teen drama genres

*Chapters discussing individual episodes or story arcs

*Critical reception to Smallville

*Smallville in popular culture

*Fan readings, productions and activities related to and about Smallville

The deadline for proposals of 500 words is January 15, 2012. Please email your abstract and a short biography to Smallville.Book@Gmail.com. The subject line should contain the writer’s surname followed by “Smallville Abstract.” If an abstract is selected for the collection, the full essay of 5,000-7,000 words will be due June 1, 2012.

Myc Wiatrowski
Department of Popular Culture
Bowling Green State University

7A Hanna Hall
Bowling Green, OH 43403
Office Phone: (419) 372-9182
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays, 10:00am-11:00am
Email: michaw@bgsu.edu

Making of Books

2011-10-16T02:22:00.000-04:00

Marvel Worldwide recently released The Art of Captain America: First Avenger by Matthew K. Manning, and it can be ordered from the usual online dealers. The book includes a very brief introduction to the character of Captain America and his history and the remainder of the book presents a detailed look at making of the film with commentary by cast and crew. The book is well illustrated by pictures of costumes, weapons, and various concept art, though, as with Manning's The Art of Thor (2011), these do get somewhat boring after a while. In addition. unlike similar tomes, one never gets the sense here that either the filmmakers or stars had any connection with the character or his legacy; there are also few comments by comics creators, aside from some quotes by Joe Simon, Cap's creator, to connect the film to its origins. Instead, the filmmakers have become the spokesmen for the character and his legacy.

In contrast, Paul Ruditis's The Walking Dead Chronicles: The Official Companion Book (Abrams, 2011) is a well-illustrated and loving tribute to the television series and its comic book source. Forewords by show-runner Frank Darabont and series creator Robert Kirkman detail their involvement in the franchise, while the book itself, which features copious commentary by the cast and crew--all proponents of the comic and its TV adaptation--covers the history of The Walking Dead phenomenon from its initial proposal to hints for season two of the TV series, set to premiere on 16 October.

Other sections include detailed discussions on the makeup, visual effects and filming of the series, and, in addition to his narrative history Ruditis provides synopses of the first six issues of the comic, which parallel, events of the first season of the show and, later, synopses of each of the six television episodes.

Joe Simon Autobiography

2011-10-15T23:49:00.001-04:00

Titan Books has recently published Joe Simon: My Life in Comics, an intimate look at the life and career of comics creator Joe Simon. It's a quick and interesting read that offers insight into the comic book industry and its history.

Joe Simon: My Life in Comics

ISBN: 9781845769307Joe Simon, Steve Saffel

Dimensions: 6 1/8” x 9 1/4“
Hardback: 256pp + 8pp colour
Publication date: June 21 2011
Illustration detail: 128 b&w, 8pp colourRRP $24.95

SYNOPSIS

In his own words, this is the life of Joe Simon, one of the most important figures in comics history, and half of the famous creative team Simon and Kirby. Joe Simon co-created Captain America, and was the first editor in chief of Marvel Comics (where he hired Stan Lee for his first job in comics).

Simon began his prolific career in the Great Depression, and this book recounts his journey to New York City, his first comic book work, his meeting with Jack Kirby, and the role comics played in wartime America. He remembers the near-death of the comics, and the scramble to survive. And he reveals what it was like to bring comics out of their infancy, as they became an American art form.

Marvel News

2011-10-10T19:53:00.002-04:00

I've been remiss of late in reporting on affairs in Marvel Comics. Important stories of late include the death of Ultimate Peter Parker/Spider-Man in a truly heart-wrenching tale (details at Comics Alliance, as reported by David Uzumeri) by creators Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley and published in Ultimate Spider-Man No. 160 that paves the way, ultimately, for the introduction of a new multiracial Spider-Man and, as also reported by Uzumeri at Comics Alliance, the end of the long-running Uncanny X-Men series in anticipation of the launching of a new Uncanny X-Men series and Wolverine and the X-Men featuring a splintering of the team as result of the Schism crossover event.

Still More on the New 52

2011-10-10T19:38:00.003-04:00

In case you're as deeply confused as me, I came across some interesting posts at Comics Alliance detailing how the New 52 universe differs from the established DCU. Primarily, the new universe is created as a result of the conclusion of Flashpoint (out in colected editions later in the year), and heroes have only been active for about 5 years! Detailed comments by David Uzumeri on the indivual books are in four parts: one, two, three, and four.

Uzumeri seems to be the DC guy at Comics Alliance and has also written a guides to the birth of the New 52 in
"The New 52 FAQ: Answering Your Questions about the Relaunched DC Universe" (31 Aug.), while a post by Andy Khouri details DiDio's disturbing news regarding DC's various Crises, which have been wiped from continuity: "DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio: No 'Crisis' Events In DCnU" (3 Oct.). Despite this, Earth-Two still exists, as reported in "DC Comics Announces Relaunched 'Justice Society Of America' And The Return Of Earth-Two" (28 Aug.) by Uzumeri, and its adventures will be chronicled by writer James Robinson, who returns to his Starman roots later this year in a 12-issue series on the Shade, which will perhaps bridge between the New 52 Earth and the new Earth-Two.

Digital Comics Wars

2011-10-10T19:01:00.003-04:00

Recently, Barnes and Noble has announced that it will pull some of its stock of collected editions and graphic novels published by DC Comics from its physical stores after DC announced an exclusive deal with Amazon.com to distribute digital editions of those books solely on its Kindle platform. Further details and links at Comics Alliance.

The New 52 Info

2011-10-10T18:48:00.002-04:00

It occurred to me that readers may not be familiar with the New 52 being published this fall by DC Comics, and I've come across a handy introduction to the series and its various components (with details on all 52 new books) at io9.com. Another article on the site includes an interview with some of creators, including Dan DiDio, the current co-publisher of DC, who states part of the logic for the re-envisioning of the brand is to "bring a more youthful feel across the entire line." This is a rather disturbing comment because, as noted on the various posts from PopMatters, the overwhelming majority of comics readers are older males in their 20s, 30s and beyond, a demographic equivalent to the majority of DC's creators. In moving out of its niche, DC runs the risk of alienating its established fan base for short-term profit and the curiosity of new readers.

Wonder Woman's Dad

2011-10-10T16:31:00.003-04:00

As further evidence of the companies attempts to alienate old readers with the New 52, DC Comics has recently revealed that the new Wonder Woman has been retconned a father in the figure of the Greek god Zeus. Details at the Source, DC's blog, and a reaction at the New York Post.

More on the New 52

2011-10-10T15:57:00.000-04:00

Reaction to the new 52 has been dramatic, and Jill Pantozzi of Newsarama offers a particular strong reaction as a female fan in "Is THE NEW 52 The Wrong Relaunch?" (28 Sept.).

DC's The New 52

2011-10-10T13:43:00.001-04:00

DC Comics recently rebooted the entire DC Universe in an effort to attract new readers. The initial details can most easily be accessed by an article on Newsarama. Now that the books are coming out, some of the fallout has been detailed on the PopMatters website. The following pieces were most insightful:

"DC Reboot Gives Comics a 'Logan's Run' For Their Money" (10 June 2011) by Lana Cooper

"Detective Comics 881: The Death of a 74-Year-Old Legend" (15 August 2011) by Michael D. Stewart

"A Pointless, Truncated History Winds Up the "Batman" " (22 August) by Michael D. Stewart

"Is It Just Us?" [review of new Justice League series] (2 Sept.) by shathley Q

"Reanimated: Snyder Reasserts the Moody Genius of Swamp Thing" (9 September 2011) by Shawn O'Rourke

"Choice in DC Comics' New 52" (19 Sept.) by shathley Q

"Revisiting the Rabbit Hole in 'Batman #1' " (23 September) by Michael D. Stewart

"Thus Far: DC's New 52 at the Halfway Mark" (26 September 2011) by shathley Q and Michael D. Stewart

"The Flash's Long Road Back to Existence" (30 September) by Andrew Ly

"Prodigal Sons and Daughters Return in Teen Titans #1" (30 September) by Shawn O'Rourke

"It's All About Putting on Appearances for 'Superman #1' " (30 Sept.) by Charles Moss

"Missed Directions: The Involved Psychology of the Hunt In "Green Arrow #2" " (3 Oct.) by shathley Q

"An Awfully Big Adventure: Wrapping Up DC’s Extreme Makeover" (5 Oct.) by Michael D. Stewart

Additional content can be found on the site's recent news page for comics.

Heroes and Superheroes

2011-10-10T02:19:00.000-04:00

I've added a new section to the blog on "Heroes and Superheroes" to keep track of the interesting and/or insightful pieces I have come across in using heroes as a writing topic these past three years as an adjunct at the Community College of Rhode Island. I hope you find them useful and welcome further suggestions.

Michael Torregrossa

Early American Comics at Dartmouth

2011-10-09T00:37:00.001-04:00

The Dartmouth College Library's digital collection now features downloadable PDFs of the following examples of nineteenth-century American comics alongside a variety of books, manuscripts, maps, and other material:

Töpffer, Rodolphe. The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck. New York: Wilson & Co., [184-?].

The first comic book printed in the U.S.

The Fortunes of Ferdinand Flipper. New York: Published at the Brother Jonathan Office, 185-?.

The first comic book written in the U.S.

Captain America and Green Lantern DVD/Blu-ray Updates

2011-09-14T17:48:00.000-04:00

Amazon has finally posted the contents on the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger and Green Lantern DVD and Blu-ray releases. Here are the details (once again note that almost all the extras are exclusive to Blu-ray):

Captain America: The First Avenger (TBA)

DVD:

- Two Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes and more

Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy:

- Includes Digital Copy
- Deleted Scenes
- Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes
- Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer -- Go deeper inside the Marvel Universe and unveil secret plans to assemble the ultimate superhero team, the Avengers.
- And more!

Green Lantern (14 Oct. 2011)

DVD:

- Deleted Scenes
- Preview of new Justice League book #1

Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy:

- Theatrical Feature & Extended Cut Films
- Maximum Movie Mode with PiP
- Ryan Reynolds Becomes Green Lantern
- Universe According to Green Lantern
- WBA Green Lantern Animated Series Promotion
- Digital Enhanced new Justice League book #1
- Deleted Scenes

Dr. Horrible the Book

2011-08-31T12:53:00.000-04:00

Recently published by Titan Books. The book is a must for die-hard Whedon fans and a maybe for the rest for the rest of us:

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: The Book

PRODUCT DETAILS

ISBN: 9781848568624
Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 10 7/8”
Paperback: 160pp
Publication date: March 29 2011
Illustration detail: Colour photos throughout
All authors: Joss Whedon

SYNOPSIS

“Once in a generation, a movie comes along that changes everything. Dr. Horrible is way better than that. It’s like a combination of everything-changing movies; it’s Gone With the Wonderful Life of Citizen Goonies. And it’s shorter.” -- Joss Whedon

“I hope you enjoy the pictures of me. I know I do.” -- Captain Hammer, from his introduction.

Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) stars as Billy, A.K.A. Dr. Horrible, a budding super-villain whose plans for world domination continually go awry. His two goals: getting accepted into the Evil League of Evil, and working up the guts to speak to his laundromat crush Penny, played by Felicia Day (The Guild). The only thing standing in his way is Captain Hammer, Billy's superhero arch-nemesis played by Nathan Fillion (Castle). With one big score, Billy could get into the E.L.E. and earn the respect of Penny, but only if he can keep her away from the dashing Captain Hammer...

Joss Whedon’s award-winning, Internet server-melting, genre-twisting musical tragicomedy shook the movie industry to its very roots, and quickly became a sensation. Here, at last, is the book the fans have demanded! Compiled by Whedon and the production team, this definitive companion features:

Behind-the-scenes memories from Joss and his fellow writers Jed Whedon, Zack Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen.

Exclusive contributions from stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day and Simon Helberg.

The full, uncut shooting script, original handwritten lyrics, costume designs, and scores of previously unpublished photos.

The official sheet music.

George O'Connor's Olympians

2011-08-23T01:13:00.000-04:00

I recently discovered George O'Connor's ongoing series of Olympian graphic novels, which presents the Greek gods as the world's first superhero. The first volume, Zeus, offers an innovative and interesting account of the rise of the Olympian gods and the creation of the world. This is definitely a series to watch.

Other volumes include: Hera, Athena, and, due in 2012, Hades. O'Connor also runs a website that presents details on the creation of the series and a wealth of resources for students and teachers.

Batman: Year One--The Movie

2011-08-21T17:14:00.000-04:00

Due out on 18 October 2011 from Warner Bros. is the new animated film Batman: Year One:

Details on the upcoming film can be accessed at its website. All versions of the film include a Catwoman short set within the movie universe and preview of the next film, Justice League: Doom. In addition, the Blu-Ray combo pack includes the most extras (including 2 featurettes, commentary, and 2 Batman: The Animated Series episodes from the "Bruce Timm Collection"), and a two-disc DVD includes a sampling of the extras (but no commentrary track). There is also a one-disc DVD option with no extras. Given the various editions, I ask, once again, why can't we have a DVD with all the extras and omit the non-essentials, like the extra cartons and the additional previews of older DCU animated films that reappear with every release?

Catching Up on Green Lantern

2011-08-21T16:28:00.001-04:00

I posted back in May on upcoming GL films, and, while there is still no release date on the DVD/Blu-Ray versions of the GL feature film, here are the details on the original video prequel Green Lantern: Emerald Knights:

The film is available on both DVD and Blu-Ray, but (alas) all of the extras are on the Blu-Ray disc (a disturbing trend):

Sneak Peek at upcoming DC Universe animated movie
Sneak Peek at “All-Star Superman"
Featurette:“Only the Bravest: Tales of The Green Lantern Corps”
Featurette: “Why Green Lantern Matters: The Talent of Geoff Johns"
Feature Film Commentary with Dan DiDio and Geoff Johns
Pod: “From Comic Book to Screen: Abin Sur”
Pod: “From Comic Book to Screen: Laira Omoto"
This short pod will take a peek into Geoff John’s Green Lantern Secret Origin book, which for the first time, showed fans what really happened to Abin Sur before he crashed landed on Earth, and passed on his ring to Hal Jordan.
Bruce Timm’s Picks:
-Excerpt from “The Siege of Starro! Part One” from “Batman: The Brave and The Bold”
-“Revenge of The Reach!” from “Batman: The Brave and The Bold”
Digital Comic: Green Lantern

I (for one) continue to not see the point in Warner Bros continually replicating its trailers and sneak peeks for older DCU original animated videos and the "Bruce Timme collection" of cartoons. Why can't we get a DVD (as we did in the beginning of the series) with the extras and commentary track instead?

In addition to the feature film, original video, and upcoming animated series, Warner Bros. is also releasing on 11 October Best of the Green Lantern, a compilation DVD including appearances of the Green Lantern in various DCU animated series, including Superman: The Animated Series, The Justice League, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold:

Studio: Warner Bros.
Run Time: 88 minutes
Episodes Info :
In Brightest Day
In Blackest Night Part 1
In Blackest Night Part 2
Ring Toss
The Eyes of Despero!
Packaging Type: Eco Amaray Case

Synopsis:
Together for the first time is the best of the Green Lantern in a single disc. Each Green Lantern has been chosen by the Guardians of the Universe and wields a power ring that can generate a variety of effects, sustained purely by the ring wearer's strength of will; the greater the user's willpower, the more effective the ring. The ring can be used for antigravity, space travel, flight, unleashing torrents of energy, translating alien dialects, and creation of green objects (constructs) of any shape. Across the years, the ring has been shown capable of accomplishing anything within the imagination of the ring bearer. This compilation contains 5 fan favorite action packed episodes that have been taken from other series.

New to DVD: Secret Origin

2011-08-18T02:05:00.000-04:00

Narrated by actor Ryan Reynolds and written/directed by Mac Carter, Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics is an original film released to DVD and digital download last fall. The film offers a comprehensive history of DC Comics and includes insightful commentary from many influential writers, artists, and editors at the company.

Chapman on British Comics

2011-08-18T00:58:00.000-04:00

Coming soon from Reaktion Books:

British Comics: A Cultural History
James Chapman

234 x 156 mm
320 pages
70 illustrations

Hardback
978 1 86189 855 5
Forthcoming October 2011
£25.00

British Comics is a unique cultural history of British comic papers and magazines, from their origins in the late nineteenth century to the present day. It shows how comics were transformed in the early twentieth century from adult amusement to imaginative reading matter for children, and relates the rise of the major comic publishers and the emergence of the mighty duopoly of Amalgamated Press and D.C.Thomson that would dominate the industry for half a century.

Beginning with the first British comic ‘superstar’, Ally Sloper – ‘A Selection, Side-splitting, Sentimental, and Serious, for the Benefit of Old Boys, Young Boys, Odd Boys generally and even Girls’ – whose various misadventures reflected the emergence of a middle-class leisure economy in the late nineteenth century, British Comics goes on to describe the heyday of comics in the 1950s and ’60s, when titles such as School Friend and Eagle sold a million copies a week, and analyses the major genres including schoolgirl fantasies, sport and war stories for boys. The author charts the development of a new breed of violent comics in the 1970s, including the controversial Action and 2000AD, and also considers the attempt of an American comic publisher, Marvel, to launch a new hero for the British market in the form of Captain Britain. He goes on to document the appearance in the 1980s and ’90s of adult-oriented comics such as Warrior, Crisis, Deadline and Revolver and alternative comics such as Viz, and concludes by considering the work of important contemporary comic writers including Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Ian Edginton, Warren Ellis and Garth Ennis.

British Comics explains what children and adults thought of their comics and why some titles prospered while others failed, and also maps the changing structure of the comic publishing industry and how comic publishers, writers and artists have responded to the tastes of their consumers. Ultimately, the book argues that British comics are a distinctive kind of publishing that is different from (and certainly not inferior to) American, French and Japanese comics. An invaluable reference for comics collectors and fans worldwide, British Comics is a fascinating and thorough history that showcases the major role that comics have played in the imaginative lives of British juveniles – and some adults.

James Chapman is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Leicester, UK. He is the author of many books, including Cinemas of the World: Film and Society from 1895 to the Present (Reaktion Books, 2004) and War and Film (Reaktion Books, 2008).

Contents List IJoCA 12.2-3

2011-08-14T03:18:00.001-04:00

As promised, though I apologize for odd formatting. See their website for a cleaner list.

Vol. 12, No. 2/3, Fall 2010
708 pages / 38 Articles

John A. Lent 1 Editor’s Note
Fabrice Leroy 2 Yves Chaland and Lue Cornillon’s Rewriting of Classical Belgian Comics in Captivant: From Graphic Homage to Implicit Criticism
Giancarla Unser-Schutz 25 Exploring the Role of Language in Manga: Text Types, Their Usages, and Their Distributions
Rick Marschall 44 Nurturing the Butterfly: My Life in Comic Art Studies
Derik A. Badman 91 Talking, Thinking, and Seeing in Pictures: Narration, Focalization, and Ocularization in Comics Narratives
Enrique Garcia 112 Coon Imagery in Will Eisner’s The Spirit and Yolanda Vargas Dulché’s Memín Pinguín and Its Legacy in the Contemporary United States and Mexican Comic Book Industries
Kerry Soper 125 From Jive Crows in “Dumbo” to Bumbazine and “Pogo”: Walt Kelly and the Conflicted Politics Reracinating African American Types in Mid-20th Century Comics
Robert Furlong and Christophe Cassiau-Haurie 150 Comic Books, Politics, and Manipulation: The Case of Repiblik Zanimo, the First Comic Strip and Book in Creole
Grazyna Gajewsk 159 Between History and Memory – Marzi: Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard Marzena Sowa and Sylvain Savoia
Matthew M. Chew and Lu Chen 171 Media Institutional Contexts of the Emergence and Development of Xinmanhua in China
Jörn Ahrens 192 The Father’s Art of Crime: Igort’s 5 Is the Perfect Number
Marco Pellitteri 209 Comics Reading and Attitudes of Openness toward the Other: The Italian-Speaking Teenagers’ Case in South Tyrol
Iren Ozgur 248 Have You Heard the One about the Islamist Humor Magazine?
Weidan Cao 251 The Mountains and the Moon, the Willows and the Swallows: A Hybrid Semiotic Analysis of Feng Zikai’s “New Paintings for Old Poems”
Candida Rifkind 268 A Stranger in an Strange Land? Guy Delisle Redraws the Travelogue
Daniel Stein 291 The Long Shadow of Wilhelm Busch: “Max & Moritz” and German Comics
Hannah Miodrag 309 Fragmented Text: The Spatial Arrangement of Words in Comics
Christopher Eklund 328 Toward an Ethicoaesthetics of Comics: A Critical Manifesto
Muliyadi Mahamood 336 The Malaysian Humor Magazine Gila-Gila: An Appreciation
Roy Bearden-White 354 Inheriting Trauma in Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
Philippe Gauthier 367 On “Institutionalization”: From Cinema to Comics
Marc A. Londo 376 Mr. Tap and His African-American Cartoons of the 1940s/1950s
Marcia R. Ristaino 395 Two Linked by Another, Ding Cong: Interviews with Betty McIntosh and Shen Jun
Shelley Drake Hawks 402 Ding Cong’s “True Story of Ah Q” in Art and Life
John A. Lent and Xu Ying 425 Fengjing – The Town That Claimed Ding Cong
Phillip Troutman 432 The Discourse of Comics Scholarship: A Rhetorical Analysis of Research Article Introductions
Ross Murray 445 Referencing Comics: A Comprehensive Citation Guide
Sylvain Rheault 459 Curvy Alterations in “Gaston” by Franquin
Miriam Peña-Pimentel 469 Baroque Features in Japanese Hentai
Yuko Nakamura 487 What Does the “Sky” Say? – Distinctive Characteristics of Manga and What the Sky Represents in It
B.S. Jamuna 509 Strategic Positioning and Re-presentations of Women in Indian Comics
Meena Ahmed 525 Exploring the Dimensions of Political Cartoons: A Case Study of Pakistan
Camila Figueiredo 543 Tunes Across Media: The Intermedial Transposition of Music in Watchmen
Rania M. R. Saleh 552 Making History Come Alive Through Political Cartoons
Bill Kartalopoulos 565 Taking and Making Liberties: Narratives of Comics History
Toni Masdiono 577 An Indonesian Bid for the First Graphic Novel
John A. Lent 581 In Remembrance of Five Major Comic Art Personalities
Perucho Mejia Garcia 588 Ismael Roldan Torres (1964-2009) of Colombia: A Memorial Tribute
Zheng Huagai 598 Tributes to Two Famous, Anti-Japanese War Cartoonists: Zhang Ding and Te Wei
John A. Lent 614 The Printed Word
620 Book Reviews
644 Exhibition and Media Reviews
696 Correction
697 Portfolio

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

2011-08-14T03:12:00.000-04:00

Nicholas Cage returns as the Ghost Rider in next year's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance feature film. Images from the film have been posted to the Empire magazine website. (Again, thanks to Spinoff Online for the head's up.)

Green Lantern: The Animated Series

2011-08-14T02:41:00.003-04:00

Coming this fall to Cartoon Network:

There is also an extended clip at the show's website.

Man of Steel First Look

2011-08-14T01:46:00.002-04:00

Warner Bros. has recently released the first look of the new Superman for the upcoming film Man of Steel. There has also been some significant updates to the cast, and these can be reviewed at Spinoff Online, which links to the original articles.

Spider-Man and Batman Trailers

2011-08-14T00:15:00.000-04:00

The fruits of Comic Con: trailers for next year's films The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises, a reboot and continuation, respectively, of the popular Spider-Man and Batman film franchises.

New TV

2011-08-13T23:51:00.001-04:00

The cable network G4 is now airing two new anime series based on Marvel's Iron Man and X-Men franchises. Trailers follow:

X-Men First Class DVD Details

2011-08-08T01:43:00.000-04:00

Details are now available on the extras for the DVD and Blu-Ray release of X-Men First Class (due of 9/9/11) as follows, and, as is now the trend, the majority of the extras are only on the Blu-Ray set:

DVD

Theatrical Feature
Children of the Atom

Blu-Ray

Disc 1: Theatrical Feature Blu-ray
X Marks The Spot
Composer's Isolated Score
Cerebro: Mutant Tracker
Children of the Atom – 8 Part Featurette Series
Deleted Scenes

Disc 2: Digital Copy

Spider-Man and EW

2011-07-18T23:15:00.000-04:00

The latest (22 July 2011) issue of Entertainment Weekly features images from the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man feature film. A complete archive can be accessed at the magazine's web site.

Capes and No Ordinary Family on DVD

2011-07-18T22:54:00.000-04:00

Last year's superhero-related television shows The Cape and No Ordinary Family are coming to DVD. The Cape will be released 7/5/11, and No Ordinary Family on 9/6/11.

More from TwoMorrows

2011-07-18T22:29:00.000-04:00

The Quality Companion
256 page Trade Paperback with COLOR - by Mike Kooiman with Jim Amash
$31.95

This product will be in stock on Wednesday 26 October, 2011.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60549-037-3
ISBN-10: 1-60549-037-7

THE QUALITY COMPANION provides the first dedicated look at the prolific Golden Age publisher which spawned a treasure trove of beautiful art and classic characters, including the modern-day “Freedom Fighters”—UNCLE SAM, PHANTOM LADY, BLACK CONDOR, THE RAY, HUMAN BOMB, and DOLL MAN—as well as PLASTIC MAN, the BLACKHAWKS, and others now under the DC Comics umbrella. It provides the first-ever A-Z in-depth character profile of every Quality costumed hero, many of whom were superbly-produced but are now long-forgotten. It also reprints, in FULL-COLOR, several 1940s key stories of these characters from such rare 1940s collector’s items as SMASH COMICS, POLICE COMICS, NATIONAL COMICS, FEATURE COMICS, and CRACK COMICS, and features Golden Age art by the top artistic talents of that era, including LOU FINE, REED CRANDALL, JACK COLE, CHUCK CUIDERA, MATT BAKER, WILL EISNER, and others! There’s a contextual chronology, a unique oral history featuring commentary by many of the major Quality creators and their progeny, and studies that shed new light on Will Eisner's relationship with Quality! Plus: It covers the characters’ revival from the 1970s to today, including Plastic Man’s short-lived 1960s series, the classic Justice League/Justice Society crossover that introduced the Quality characters into the DC Comics universe, the Freedom Fighters’ own 1970s series, plus the Ray and Black Condor series of the 1990s, up through the current versions of the characters at DC. Creators who were instrumental in the revival of the Quality characters from the 1970s to today are interviewed, including ROY THOMAS, LEN WEIN, JIMMY PALMIOTTI and others! There’s also an introduction by ROY THOMAS, and a new cover drawn especially for this book by the late DICK GIORDANO! Written by Mike Kooiman with Jim Amash!

Marvel Comics In The 1970s
An Issue-By-Issue Field Guide to a Pop-Culture Phenomenon
224 page Trade Paperback - by Pierre Comtois
$27.95

This product will be in stock on Friday 26 August, 2011.

ISBN-13: 978-1-605490-034-2
ISBN-10: 1-60549-034-2

By popular demand, TwoMorrows Publishing presents Marvel Comics in the 1970s, the sequel to Pierre Comtois’ heralded first volume on the 1960s! This book covers Marvel’s final historical phase: the twilight years of the 1970s, after the initial ’60s wave of popularity pushed the company to the forefront of the comics industry, and made many of its characters household names. This full decade of pop-culture history saw Stan Lee’s role as writer diminish as he ascended to Publisher, the stunning departure of Jack Kirby to DC (and his later return to Marvel), the rise of Roy Thomas as editor (and eventual Editor In Chief), and the introduction of a new wave of writers and artists who would expand the boundaries of comics beyond super-heroes, while planting the seeds for the company’s eventual self-destruction. Comics such as the Spider-Man “drug” issues, Conan the Barbarian, Tomb of Dracula, Master of Kung Fu, Howard the Duck, the new X-Men, and more are covered in detail—along with the creators who wrote and drew them, including Chris Claremont, Barry Windsor-Smith, Gene Colan, Marv Wolfman, Steve Gerber, John Romita, Gil Kane, Sal Buscema, and many others. So don’t be satisfied with only half the story! Check out Marvel Comics in the 1970s and find out why Marvel was once hailed as The House of Ideas!

Alan Moore Book

2011-07-18T22:13:00.000-04:00

Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel
By Annalisa Di Liddo
Great Comics Artists Series

192 pages (approx.), 6 x 9 inches, 40 b&w illustrations, bibliography, index
978-1-60473-212-2 Unjacketed cloth $50.00S
978-1-60473-213-9 Paper $22.00T

Eclectic British author Alan Moore (b. 1953) is one of the most acclaimed and controversial comics writers to emerge since the late 1970s. He has produced a large number of well-regarded comic books and graphic novels while also making occasional forays into music, poetry, performance, and prose.

In Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel, Annalisa Di Liddo argues that Moore employs the comics form to dissect the literary canon, the tradition of comics, contemporary society, and our understanding of history. The book considers Moore's narrative strategies and pinpoints the main thematic threads in his works: the subversion of genre and pulp fiction, the interrogation of superhero tropes, the manipulation of space and time, the uses of magic and mythology, the instability of gender and ethnic identity, and the accumulation of imagery to create satire that comments on politics and art history.

Examining Moore's use of comics to scrutinize contemporary culture, Di Liddo analyzes his best-known works--Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, From Hell, Promethea, and Lost Girls. The study also highlights Moore's lesser-known output, such as Halo Jones, Skizz, and Big Numbers, and his prose novel Voice of the Fire. Alan Moore: Comics as Performance, Fiction as Scalpel reveals Moore to be one of the most significant and distinctly postmodern comics creators of the last quarter-century.

Annalisa Di Liddo is an independent scholar and translator based in Milan, Italy. She has been a contributor to Cityscapes: Islands of the Self, Londra tra memoria letteraria e modernità, and Cross-Cultural Encounters: Identity, Gender, Representation, and her work has appeared in the International Journal of Comic Art.

Image--Cover of Watchmen (1987) by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Amazing Love

2011-07-18T22:08:00.000-04:00

Agonizing Love: The Golden Era of Romance Comics
By Michael Barson

On Sale: 5/10/2011
ISBN: 9780061807343; ISBN10: 0061807346; Imprint: Harper Design ; On Sale: 5/10/2011; Format: Trade PB; Trimsize: 8 3/8 X 11 1/4; Pages: 208; $29.99; Ages: 18 and Up; BISAC1:ART023000

Return to the tear-stained, melodramatic heyday of romance comics in this fantastic anthology of the genre's best stories, covers, advice columns, and more! In a valentine to a bygone era, perfect for fans of modern love stories, Archie comics, and series like Strangers in Paradise, pop-culture expert Michael Barson celebrates the stories that captivated the American imagination during the 1950s and 1960s. Readers of books like From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Female Comics From Teens to Zines will be captivated by this one-of-a-kind look at four-color female portrayals, while collectors of the history of Golden Age comics will be entranced by crucial stories from Fawcett, Marvel, DC, and many more comics publishing giants. Above all, however, the indelible pathos at the heart of every Agonizing Love story makes Barson’s collection more than a pop-culture artifact; it’s also an unforgettable look into the heart of true romance.

Book Description
Agonizing Love is a rich anthology of those legendary romance comic books that once filled newsstands to overflowing during their heyday in the 1940s and '50s. "I Craved His Kisses," "With Hate in My Heart," "Kisses Came Second," "Flame of Jealousy," "Was I a Wicked Wife?": these stories are just a taste of the absolutely riveting dramas that play out in the sob-racked pages of this evocative collection. Agonizing Love—is there any other kind?—runs the narrative gamut from honeymoon to heartbreak, first love to total loss, marital bliss to marriage hell, and all the stops in between. Throughout these colorful pages you will find a diverse selection of cover art and stories enhanced by a plethora of engaging quizzes ("Are You Ready for Marriage?"), confessional letters from readers, informative articles, tips on choosing the right man (or getting rid of the wrong one!), and oh, so much more!

Compiled and with witty, informative com-mentary by pop-culture expert Michael Barson, Agonizing Love is an irresistible treasure trove sure to please comic-book lovers, soap-opera fans, and die-hard romantics who could use a good slap in the face. This is a heartfelt, often tear-drenched valentine to a long lost—but never to be forgotten—era.

Michael Barson is the author of more than a dozen books that celebrate popular culture. His work has appeared in the pages of Entertainment Weekly, Premiere, American Film, and AMC magazine, among other publications. His books and postcard anthologies include Lost, Lonely & Vicious, Born to Be Bad, Teenage Confidential, True West, and Red Scared! He lives in suburban New Jersey with his wife of twenty-six years who hasn't stopped weeping since tying the knot. They have three boys, none of whom has a clue about love or romance—yet.

New/Recent Scholarship on Superheroes

2011-07-18T22:05:00.000-04:00

Secret Identity Reader: Essays on Sex, Death and the Superhero
by Lee Easton and Richard Harrison
November 2010
400 pages | ISBN: 978-1-894987-50-9
$25.00

Comic-book superheroes have risen from their newsprint beginnings to dominate films, infiltrate the literary establishment, and become an integral part of popular culture. Secret Identity Reader: Essays on Sex, Death and the Superhero is a collaboration between two authors who investigate, and often disagree on, key facets of the superhero character and storyline. Masculinity, origin stories and the problem of the side kick are all fair game in this wide ranging discussion, which also considers the superhero’s place in a post 9/11 world and considers why these characters keep dying and coming back to life.

Stan Lee & Jack Kirby: The Wonder Years
(Jack Kirby Collector #58)
128 page tabloid-size Trade Paperback - Written by Mark Alexander
$19.95

ISBN-13: 978-1-60549-038-0
ISBN-10: 1-60549-038-5

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Fantastic Four #1 with this special squarebound edition (#58) of The Jack Kirby Collector, about the two pop-culture visionaries who created the Fantastic Four, and a decade in comics that was more tumultuous and awe-inspiring than any before or since. Calling on his years of research, plus new interviews conducted just for this book (with Stan Lee, Flo Steinberg, Mark Evanier, Joe Sinnott, and others), regular Jack Kirby Collector magazine contributor Mark Alexander traces both Lee and Kirby's history at Marvel Comics, and the remarkable series of events and career choices that led them to converge in 1961 to conceive the Fantastic Four. It also documents the evolution of the FF throughout the 1960s, with previously unknown details about Lee and Kirby's working relationship, and their eventual parting of ways in 1970. With a wealth of of historical information and amazing Kirby artwork, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby: THE WONDER YEARS beautifully examines the first decade of the FF, and the events that put into motion the 1960s era that came to be known as the Marvel Age of Comics!

The Batman Files
by Matthew Manning
U.S.: $100.00 Canada: $100.00
ISBN: 9781449408220
Format: Hardcover
On Sale: October 25, 2011
Trim Size: 10 X 13 in.
Page Count: 308 pp

Unearthed from the depths of the Batcave by Mathew K. Manning, The Batman Files begins with Wayne's childhood drawings and continues along a time line of significant events in Batman's life. Complete and authentic in every way possible, all of Batman's friends and foes—from Poison Ivy, Catwoman, the Riddler, and Penguin, to the Joker, Batgirl, Mr. Freeze, and of course, Robin—appear throughout the dossier to provide a framework of the Caped Crusader's entire career.
Completely outlining Batman's war on crime, The Batman Files includes in-depth computer files, news articles, crime scene photos, blueprints, schematics, and actual maps of Gotham City that were collected, and in many cases even drawn, by the Caped Crusader himself.
High production values include black matte gilding, as well as a high-tech fabric cover—complete with a metallic Batman emblem to secure the secret contents within. Each detail of Batman's life is carefully and faithfully detailed with the involvement of DC Comics inside The Batman Files—destined to be the must-have gift for every avid Batman fan and collector.

UK Degree in Comics Studies

2011-07-18T03:21:00.002-04:00

Dundee University is lunching a one-year Masters in Comic Studies this September. Further details at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-13668885.

CFP Masculinity in superhero comic books and films (9/30/11)

2011-07-18T03:09:00.000-04:00

http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=185570

Masculinity in superhero comic books and films
Location: New York, United States
Call for Papers Date: 2011-09-30
Date Submitted: 2011-05-30
Announcement ID: 185570

CFP: Masculinity in superhero comic books and films
Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
March 15 to 18, 2012
Rochester, NY

Deadline: September 30, 2011.

Submit 250- to 500-word proposals to Derek McGrath
derek.mcgrath@stonybrook.edu).

With comic books becoming more mainstream, thanks to numerous summer blockbuster films focusing on superheroes—2011 bringing audiences Super, Thor, The Green Hornet, Captain America, X-Men: First Class, and Green Lantern—this session welcomes all papers looking at ongoing portrayals of masculinity in works of popular culture that focus on male superheroes. Possible topics include but are not limited to adherence or subversion of masculine archetypes in superhero comic books, graphic novels, films, plays, and other works in popular culture.

Please include with your abstract the following: Name, affiliation, email address, and A/V requirements if any ($10 handling fee with registration).

Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA session; however, panelists may only present one paper (panel or seminar). Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at a creative session or participate in a roundtable. For more information, visit the NEMLA online at
http://www.nemla.org/convention/2012/cfp.html.

Derek McGrath, SUNY Stony Brook
Email: derek.mcgrath@stonybrook.edu
Visit the website at http://dereksmcgrath.blogspot.com/2011/05/call-for-papers-masculinity-in.html

CFP Screen Superheroes in National, International and Transnational Contexts (7/31/11)

2011-07-18T03:06:00.000-04:00

http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=185359

CFP: Not Just The American Way: Screen Superheroes in National, International and Transnational Contexts (Proposals by 31 July 2011)
Call for Papers Date: 2011-07-31
Date Submitted: 2011-05-20
Announcement ID: 185359

CFP on international superheroes on screen
Not Just The American Way:
Screen Superheroes in National, International and Transnational Contexts

The figure of the superhero is primarily seen as an American one, dominated by Marvel and DC comics and their adaptations across multiple media. These superhero franchises operate across media networks within many of the world’s global markets, influencing local representations of heroism and being altered to meet local expectations of the superhero in turn. American culture and, indeed, American superheroes play significant roles in these phenomena and historically have often led the way in debates around the representations around superheroes in culture. However, super-powered and costumed heroes are not just American in origin; they appear in screen media across many cultures, whether as the anti-social teenagers of Britain’s Misfits, India’s alien-empowered Krrish or Japan’s Ultraman. This collection examines super-heroes and heroines as they travel around the world, exploring the figure of the superhero beyond the North American context. As such, we are interested in the local, international and transnational manifestations of superheroes, as well as in their reach beyond their originating contexts. Furthermore, we are seeking papers on the importance of the superhero to global media markets.

Potential subjects include, but are not limited to:

Local and national superheroes outside the United States US superheroes in global markets
Co-produced superheroes
Transmedia franchising and the superhero
Superheroes on TV
Iconography and aesthetics
The reception of the superhero
Gender, sexuality and ideology and the superhero
Marketing the superhero internationally
Geographically dislocated superheroes
Cultural specificity of the superhero
Special effects and the superhero in film and/or television
Superhero adaptations
Industrial and narrative origins
The geography of superheroes
International cultural flows and exchanges in superhero phenomena

Abstracts of no more than 250 words should be sent no later than 31st July 2011 to: superheroesonscreen@gmail.com

Please see the blog for this project at
http://superheroesonscreen.blogspot.com/

The collection will be edited by Rayna Denison, Derek Johnston and Rachel Mizsei-Ward.

Derek Johnston
Email: superheroesonscreen@gmail.com
Visit the website at http://superheroesonscreen.blogspot.com/

CFP Comic Book Superheros (12/16/11)

2011-07-18T02:54:00.000-04:00

A composite post:
http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=185839
http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=185930

Call For Papers, 52nd Annual Florida Conference of Historians--Special Interest Section on Media Arts and Culture
Location: Florida, United States
Call for Papers Date: 2011-12-16
Date Submitted: 2011-06-11
Announcement ID: 185839

From Superman’s 1938 debut through recent tales of identity crisis and political divide, superhero comic books have made an indelible mark on American culture. The current popularity of stories and characters originating in comic books has expanded interest in the medium and in the symbolic power of the superhero. Recent scholarship has attempted to define the superhero’s unique relationship to American culture. The Florida Conference of Historian Special Interest Section (SIS) on Media Arts and Culture welcome submission to the 52nd annual Florida Conference of Historian meeting that address the ways the comic book superhero represents, constructs, and distorts American culture are welcomed. Special consideration will be given to papers that explore comics-inspired movie, television, and music. The Media Arts and Culture SIS welcomes submission from graduate students, undergraduates, and independent scholars who wish to participate. All conference invitees are eligible for review for inclusion in the FCH refereed published proceedings.
1. Paper title and abstract/proposal (300-500 words)
2. Brief vita or biography (one page max)
3. Complete personal information: name, department, academic affiliation, mailing address, and e-mail address.

Worthwhile topics include (but are not limited to):

Ethnicity and the Superhero / Gender and the Superhero / Superheroes and Nationalism / Religion and the Superhero / The Superhero in the Media / Marvel Cinematic Universe: Past and Presence / Superhero and Identity / Class Identity and the Superhero/ Violence and the Superhero / Political Identity and the Superhero

Dr. Julian Chambliss
Rollins College
1000 Holt Avenue-2762
Winter Park, FL 32789
407-646-2214
Email: jchambliss@rollins.edu
Visit the website at http://myweb.rollins.edu/jchambliss/Julian_C._Chambliss/Homepage.html

CONFERENCE DETAILS:
Florida Conference of Historians 52nd Annual Meeting Feb 24-25, 2012
Location: Florida, United States
Conference Date: 2011-12-01
Date Submitted: 2011-06-15
Announcement ID: 185930

The Florida Conference of Historians welcomes papers on all topics for its 52nd Annual Conference. The meeting will be hosted by Florida Gateway College in Lake City, Florida on February 24-25, 2012. The host hotel where all conference activity will take place is the Holiday Inn in Lake City. Hotel website: http://hilakecityfl.com/
The FCH welcomes papers or panels on all topics from undergraduates, graduate students, instructors, and history enthusiasts. Of particular interest would be papers on Florida history, military or diplomatic history, graphic culture such as comic books, African-American history, and womens history. Registration begins Thursday night, February 23rd at the hotel. Registration includes a banquet on Friday night, Feb 24th. Keynote speaker will be Professor Paul Ortiz from the University of Florida.

For more information please contact Dr. Sean McMahon, Professor of History at Florida Gateway College.

Lake City, the Gateway to Florida, welcomes historians in February 2012.

Dr. Sean McMahon
Professor of History
Division of Liberal Arts
Florida Gateway College
Lake City, FL 32025
Ph (386) 754-4293
Fx (386) 754-4793
Email: sean.mcmahon@fgc.edu

CFP Rocky Mountain Conference on Comic and Graphic Novels (TBA)

2011-07-18T02:32:00.000-04:00

I came across this will updating the blog's resources on teaching comics:

http://www.denvercomiccon.com/literarycon/

Denver Comic Con is proud to host the Rocky Mountain Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels.

Rocky Mountain Conference on Comic and Graphic Novels will take place June 14-16, 2012, location TBA, as part of the larger Comic Con experience here in beautiful Denver, Colorado.

A literary conference gives students, teachers, professors, and established scholars the opportunity to present critical papers to an audience of peers from a variety of scholarly settings, and participate in resulting discussions. Presenters and attendees alike have the opportunity to hear papers and discussion panels on topics of interest to further their work or potentially publish said work.

Everyone involved gets the chance to be more involved in their own scholarly topics, as well as make connections with those who have similar interests and network with academics from all over the world.

Details on package deals are forthcoming, as are announcements about some exciting guests and events. So please stay tuned!

We plan to host a range of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as established scholars from all over the globe, to discuss and present papers on the ever-widening academic field of comics studies.

We welcome papers/panel proposals in nearly any field of study and across the disciplines, such as art, theory, history, and pedagogy. CFPs will be posted soon, so please check back in the coming weeks.

Contact Dr. Christina Angel by sending an email to:

christina@comicbookclassroom.org

CFP Graphic Medicine: Visualizing the Stigma of Illness (UK) (7/18/11)

2011-07-18T01:02:00.000-04:00

http://www.h-net.org/announce/show.cgi?ID=186185

Graphic Medicine: Visualizing the Stigma of Illness
Location: United Kingdom
Call for Papers Deadline: 2011-07-18
Date Submitted: 2011-06-28
Announcement ID: 186185

CALL FOR PAPERS
Comics Forum
Leeds Art Gallery
16-18 November 2011
Part of a three day comics conference.

Graphic Medicine: Visualizing the Stigma of Illness
17th November

This one-day interdisciplinary conference aims to explore medical narrative in graphic novels and comics with an emphasis on the stigma of illness, disease or disability, both physical and mental. A subgenre of graphic narrative known as graphic medicine is emerging as a field of interest to both scholars and creators of comics, and members of the healthcare professions are beginning to turn to comics as a source of illness narratives and documents of the patient and carer experience.

We invite proposals for scholarly papers (20 minutes) or panel discussions (60 minutes), focused on medicine and comics in any form (e.g. graphic novels, comic strips, graphic pathographies, manga, and/or web comics) on the following—and related—topics:

notions of stigma in graphic pathographies of illness and disability
the use of comics to explain, highlight and eradicate stigma
the use of comics in patient care
the interface of graphic medicine and other visual arts in popular culture
ethical implications of patient representation in comics by healthcare providers
trends in international use of comics in healthcare settings
the role of comics in provider/patient communication
comics as a virtual support group for patients and caregivers
the use of comics in bioethics discussions and education

Contributions are sought from humanities scholars, comics scholars, healthcare professionals, comics enthusiasts, writers and cartoonists.

300 word proposals for a 20 minute paper should be submitted by 18/07/2011 to submissions@graphicmedicine.org and notice of acceptance or rejection may be expected by 1/8/2011

Abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats, following this order: author(s), affiliation, email address, title of abstract, body of abstract

All proposals submitted will receive and acknowledgement. Abstracts will be blind peer reviewed.

Drs. Columba Quigley, Maria Vaccarella and Ian Williams

Ian Williams
www.graphicmedicine.org
Email: submissions@graphicmedicine.org
Visit the website at http://comicsforum.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/comics-forum-2011-cfp.pdf

Captain America on SyFy

2011-07-15T00:45:00.000-04:00

SyFy has listings this month for 2 or 3 Captain America films to air in commemoration of the release of the new feature film Captain America: First Avenger. I'm assuming they are the 2 telefilms from the 1970s and possibly the 1990 film that was released direct top home video.

Jul 21
05:00 PM Movie: Captain America
07:00 PM Movie: Captain America II
09:00 PM Movie: Captain America
11:00 PM Movie: Captain America

Jul 22
02:00 PM Movie: Captain America
04:00 PM Movie: Captain America II
06:00 PM Movie: Captain America

Jul 24
03:00 AM Movie: Captain America

Alphas on SyFy

2011-07-15T00:31:00.001-04:00

SyFy premiered the new X-Men inspired series Alphas on Monday.

The series airs throughout the month and repeats (both on SyFy and across the NBC Universal line) at various times. Here are the details for the remainder of the month and into August (subject to change) on SyFy (all times EST):

Jul 14
08:00 AM Alphas: Pilot
09:00 PM Alphas: Pilot

Jul 15
06:30 PM Alphas: Pilot
11:00 PM Alphas: Pilot

Jul 17
10:00 AM Alphas: Pilot

Jul 18
08:00 AM Alphas: Pilot
10:00 PM Alphas: Cause & Effect

Jul 19
01:00 AM Alphas: Cause & Effect

Jul 22
11:00 PM Alphas: Cause & Effect

Jul 25
02:00 AM Alphas: Pilot
03:30 AM Alphas: Cause & Effect
08:30 AM Alphas: Cause & Effect
10:00 PM Alphas: Anger Management

Jul 26
01:00 AM Alphas: Anger Management

Jul 29
11:00 PM Alphas: Anger Management

Jul 31
07:30 PM Alphas: Pilot
09:00 PM Alphas: Cause & Effect
10:00 PM Alphas: Anger Management

Aug 1
10:00 PM Alphas: Rosetta

Aug 2
01:00 AM Alphas: Rosetta

Aug 5
11:00 PM Alphas: Rosetta

Aug 8
10:00 PM Alphas: Never Let Me Go

Aug 9
01:00 AM Alphas: Never Let Me Go

Aug 12
11:00 PM Alphas: Never Let Me Go

Aug 15
10:00 PM Alphas: Bill And Gary's Excellent Adventure

Aug 16
01:00 AM Alphas: Bill And Gary's Excellent Adventure

Aug 18
08:30 AM Alphas: Pilot
10:00 AM Alphas: Cause & Effect
11:00 AM Alphas: Anger Management
12:00 PM Alphas: Rosetta
01:00 PM Alphas: Never Let Me Go
02:00 PM Alphas: Bill And Gary's Excellent Adventure

Aug 19
11:00 PM Alphas: Bill And Gary's Excellent Adventure

Aug 22
10:00 PM Alphas: Catch And Release

Aug 23
01:00 AM Alphas: Catch And Release

Aug 26
11:00 PM Alphas: Catch And Release

Aug 29
10:00 PM Alphas: A Short Time In Paradise

Aug 30
01:00 AM Alphas: A Short Time In Paradise

Journal of Graphic Novels & Comics 2.1

2011-06-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

IJoCA13.1

2011-06-21T17:14:00.001-04:00

The latest number of The International Journal of Comic Art 13.1 (Spring 2011) arrived in today's mail. This issue is a hefty 760 pages. Contents to follow.

Long Live the Peanuts

2011-06-16T03:03:00.006-04:00

The Peanuts are coming to DVD in a new collection Snoopy's Adventures and an original film Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown:

New from McFarland

2011-06-16T02:32:00.000-04:00

Founders of Comic Fandom: Profiles of 90 Publishers, Dealers, Collectors, Writers, Artists and Other Luminaries of the 1950s and 1960s

Bill Schelly

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4347-5
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-5762-5
81 photos, glossary, appendix, bibliography, index
236pp. softcover (7 x 10) 2010
Price: $40.00

About the Book
In the 1950s and ’60s, a grassroots movement arose to celebrate comic books and strips, which were becoming increasingly important to American popular culture. This broad group of ardent readers and collectors had little formal structure until the 1950s. As the art and literary form grew in popularity, a dedicated core began building an organized network. Profiled here are 90 people at the heart of the movement: indexers, dealers, fanzine publishers, convention organizers, writers, artists, active collectors and industry professionals.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
Introduction: A Brief History of Comic Fandom 3
Fandom Timeline 15
Glossary 17

I. Indexers 19
Jerry Bails 20
Larry Ivie 26
Howard Keltner 27
John McGeehan 30
Tom McGeehan 31
Raymond Miller 32
Michelle Nolan 34
Bob Overstreet 35
Fred von Bernewitz 38

II. Dealers 40
Burt Blum 41
Leonard Brown 43
Claude Held 44
Bud Plant 46
Howard Rogofsky 48
Bill Thailing 50
Malcolm Willits 51

III. Fanzine Publishers 54
Edwin Aprill, Jr. 55
Marty Arbunich 56
Gary Brown 58
Larry Herndon 59
Dave Herring 61
Roger Hill 64
Robert Jennings 67
G. B. Love 68
Dick Lupoff 71
Pat Lupoff 74
Ron Parker 75
Derrill Rothermich 77
Buddy Saunders 78
Bob Schoenfeld 80
Bill Spicer 82
Bhob Stewart 84
Don Thompson 87
Maggie Thompson 89
Mike Tuohey 90
Jerry Weist 92
Ted White 94

IV. Convention Organizers 96
John Benson 97
Bernie Bubnis 99
Shel Dorf 101
David Kaler 104
Phil Seuling 106

V. Writers 109
Michael Barrier 109
Tom Fagan 111
Margaret Gemignani 113
Glen Johnson 114
Richard Kyle 116
Fred Patten 119
Steve Perrin 121
John T. Ryan 123
Larry Stark 124
Roy Thomas 126
Rick Weingroff 130
John Wright 133

VI. Artists 135
D. Bruce Berry 136
Richard Buckler 138
Landon Chesney 140
Bill DuBay 143
John Fantucchio 145
Ronn Foss 146
Rudi Franke 149
Richard “Grass”
Green 151
Alan J. Hanley 154
Alan Hutchinson 156
Steve Kelez 157
Don Newton 159
Mike Vosburg 161
Alan Weiss 163
Biljo White 165

VII. Active Fans and Collectors 168
Ray Bonario 168
Bart Bush 170
Bob Butts 171
Rick Durell 173
Mark Evanier 175
Paul Gambaccini 176
Don Glut 178
Mark Hanerfeld 180
Rick Norwood 181
Jim Rossow 183
Len Wein 184
Marv Wolfman 186

VIII. Professionals 189
Otto Binder 190
Steve Ditko 192
Jules Feiffer 193
Gardner Fox 195
Bill Gaines 196
Stan Lee 198
Russ Manning 200
Julius Schwartz 201
Jim Steranko 203
Wally Wood 205

Afterword: Fandom’s Founders—The Next Generation 208
Appendix: The 1964 Who’s Who List 209
Bibliography 217
Index 219

About the Author
Bill Schelly has been chronicling the history of popular culture since the 1960s, beginning with his magazine Sense of Wonder. He has written or edited several books, and is associate editor of the Eisner Award-winning magazine Alter Ego. He lives in Seattle.

The Batman Filmography: Live-Action Features, 1943-1997

Mark S. Reinhart

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-6117-2
notes, bibliography, index
240pp. softcover 2011 [2005]
Price: $29.95

About the Book
This is a detailed examination of live-action Batman features from the 1940s film serials, through the camp craze surrounding the 1966 television series, up to the Warner Bros. series of summer blockbusters that began with 1989’s Batman starring Michael Keaton. Chapters on each of the seven feature-length Batman movies include extensive credits, a production history, and a critical analysis relative to other Batman films and the original comic book character. Includes notes, bibliography and index.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1

Introduction 5
One—Batman (1943) 71
Two—Batman and Robin (1949) 92
Three—Batman (1966) 113
Four—Batman (1989) 136
Five—Batman Returns (1992) 161
Six—Batman Forever (1995) 178
Seven—Batman and Robin (1997) 196
Conclusion—Batman Begins and the “Definitive” Live-Action Batman Film 211
Chapter Notes 215
Bibliography 219
Index 221

About the Author
Mark S. Reinhart works both as a media services consultant and a musician in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. He has written for The Lincoln Herald and presented a number of lectures on the subject of Lincoln-related film and television.

Caped Crusaders 101: Composition Through Comic Books, 2d ed.

Jeffrey Kahan and Stanley Stewart

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4774-9
20 photos, notes, index
249pp. softcover 2010
Price: $35.00

About the Book
This updated and expanded textbook inspires a greater appreciation for literature by studying important literary themes found in comics. By deconstructing comics, it raises critical thinking about literature, a crucial skill for understanding language and composition. Chapters discuss DC, Marvel and other comics’ varied attempts at portraying race, politics, economics, business ethics and democracy; responses to the Cold War and the events of September 11; and portrayals of prisons and capital punishment. New to this edition, an additional chapter explores how the deaths of Captain America, Superman and Batman offer insightful commentary on the nature of heroism. Each chapter offers a series of questions that stimulate further reading, writing and discussion.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi
Introduction: Why Comics Can Save Us from Illiteracy 1

1. Black Heroes for Hire: Serializing Social Construction in the Comics 7
2. Comic Books, Cold Wars, and Desert Storms 36
3. Spider-Man and Corporate Responsibility 66
4. The Comic Book Code and American F-agg 92
5. Dr. Strange, or, How I Learned to Love Metaphysics 127
6. 9/11 and the Man Without Fear 149
7. Comics and the Prison System 177
8. Killing Off the Hero 203

Coda: Our Heroes, Ourselves 223
Chapter Notes 229
Index 237

About the Author
Jeffrey Kahan is a professor in the English department at the University of La Verne in La Verne, California. His popular blog can be found at capedcrusaders101.blogspot.com.
Stanley Stewart is a distinguished professor in the English Department of the University of California at Riverside.

The 21st Century Superhero: Essays on Gender, Genre and Globalization in Film

Edited by Richard J. Gray II and Betty Kaklamanidou

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-6345-9
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8730-1
notes, filmography, bibliography, index
212pp. softcover 2011
Price: $40.00

About the Book
Superhero films are one of the most enduring genres of cinema, and their popularity is only increasing in the 21st century. These ten critical essays explore the phenomenon through the lenses of numerous academic disciplines, and cover topics such as the role of globalization in the formation of superhero narratives, the shifting nature of masculinity and femininity in the superhero world and the state of the genre today. Of particular interest is the way these narratives, however fantastic, abstract, futuristic or simplistic, resonate with specific events in the world and function as starting points for discussion of contemporary sociopolitical conflicts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi
Introduction
RICHARD J. GRAY II and BETTY KAKLAMANIDOU 1

Part 1. Globalization
Exceptional Recognition: The U.S. Global Dilemma in The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and Avatar
ANTHONY PETER SPANAKOS 15
“You Took My Advice About Theatricality a Bit ... Literally”: Theatricality and Cybernetics of Good and Evil in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Spider-Man, and X- Men
JOHANNES SCHLEGEL and FRANK HABERMANN 29
Power, Choice, and September 11 in The Dark Knight
CHRISTINE MULLER 46

Part 2. Gender
The Mythos of Patriarchy in the X- Men Films
BETTY KAKLAMANIDOU 61
Vivacious Vixens and Scintillating Super- Hotties: Deconstructing the Superheroine
RICHARD J. GRAY II 75
Evolving Portrayals of Masculinity in Superhero Films: Hancock
CHRISTINA ADAMOU 94

Part 3. Genre
Genre and Super- Heroism: Batman in the New Millennium
VINCENT M. GAINE 111
Super- Intertextuality and 21st Century Individualized Social Advocacy in Spider- Man and Kick- Ass
JUSTIN S. SCHUMAKER 129
The Watchmen, Neo- Noir and Pastiche
PHILLIP DAVIS 144
Smallville: Super Puberty and the Monstrous Superhero
SHAHRIAR FOULADI 161
Films and Television Programs 179

Works Cited 187
About the Contributors 197
Index 199

About the Author
Richard J. Gray II is assistant professor of French at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee. His fields of study include interdisciplinary approaches to French literary studies, language, cultural studies, and Women’s Studies. He is the author of numerous articles. Betty Kaklamanidou is a lecturer in film history and theory in the film studies department at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Her fields of study include film and politics, adaptation theory, genre and gender, and contemporary Greek cinema. She has also authored numerous articles.

War, Politics and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda in Comics and Film

Marc DiPaolo

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4718-3
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8579-6
66 photos, filmography, notes, bibliography, index
342pp. softcover (7 x 10) 2011
Price: $45.00

About the Book
Superhero adventure comics have a long history of commenting upon American public opinion and government policy, and the surge in the popularity of comics since the events of September 11, 2001, ensures their continued relevance. This critical text examines the seventy-year history of comic book superheroes on film and in comic books and their reflections of the politics of their time. Superheroes addressed include Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Superman, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, and topics covered include American wars, conflicts, and public policy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
Introduction: Are Superheroes Republicans? On The Avengers, Star Trek, and Watchmen 11

1. Batman as Terrorist, Technocrat and Feudal Lord 49
2. Wonder Woman as World War II Veteran, Feminist Icon, and Sex Symbol 70
3. Spider-Man as Benedict Arnold, Objectivist, and Class Warrior 92
4. The Punisher as Murderous Immigration Officer and Vietnam War Veteran 115
5. Superman vs. Ronald Reagan and the Ku Klux Klan 138
6. The Special Relationship: Britain and America in James Bond, Doctor Who, and Hellblazer 169
7. Tortured Consciences: Jack Bauer, the Invisible Woman, and George W. Bush’s America 196
8. Gay Rights, Civil Rights, and Nazism in the X-Men Universe 219
9. In Brightest Day, in Darkest Knight: President Obama vs. the Zombie Apocalypse 248

Chapter Notes 279
Bibliography 299
Index 317

About the Author
Marc DiPaolo is an assistant professor of English and Film at Oklahoma City University. He is a frequent contributor to books and journals, the author of a book about screen adaptations of Jane Austen’s Emma, and serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Popular Culture.

Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero

2011-06-15T23:25:00.000-04:00

In anticipation of the upcoming film, check out:

Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays

Edited by Robert G. Weiner
Foreword by John Shelton Lawrence; Afterword by J.M. DeMatteis

Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-3703-0
EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-5340-5
26 photos, notes, bibliographies, index
243pp. softcover (7 x 10) 2009
Price: $39.95

About the Book
For more than 60 years, Captain America was one of Marvel Comics’ flagship characters, representing truth, strength, liberty, and justice. The assassination of his alter ego, Steve Rogers, rocked the comic world, leaving numerous questions about his life and death.

This book discusses topics including the representation of Nazi Germany in Captain America Comics from the 1940s to the 1960s; the creation of Captain America in light of the Jewish American experience; the relationship between Captain America and UK Marvel’s Captain Britain; the groundbreaking partnership between Captain America and African American superhero the Falcon; and the attempts made to kill the character before his "real" death.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii
Key to Abbreviations xi
Foreword by John Shelton Lawrence 1
Introduction by Robert G. Weiner 9

GENERAL HISTORY
O Captain! My Captain!
Christopher J. Hayton and David L. Albright 15

WORLD WAR II
Madmen, Morons, and Monocles: The Portrayal of the Nazis in Captain America
John E. Moser 24
The Invaders and the All-Star Squadron: Roy Thomas Revisits the Golden Age
Mark R. McDermott 36
Graphic Imagery: Jewish American Comic Book Creators’ Depictions of Class, Race, Patriotism and the Birth of the Good Captain
Nicholas Yanes 53

RACIAL ISSUES
Not Just Another Racist Honkey: A History of Racial Representation in Captain America and Related Publications
Ora C. McWilliams 66
Weakness Is a Crime: Captain America and the Eugenic Ideal in Early Twentieth-Century America
Brian E. Hack. 79

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILES
Sixty-Five Years of Guilt Over the Death of Bucky
Robert G. Weiner 90
Captain America, Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and the Vietnam Era
Shawn Gillen 104

COMPARISONS OF CAPTAIN AMERICA WITH OTHER CHARACTERS
The Historical Value of Bronze Age Comics: Captain America and the Haunted Tank
Nicholas D. Molnar 116
The Ultimate American?
Jackson Sutliff 121
The Alpha and the Omega: Captain America and the Punisher
Cord Scott 125
Captain America and Captain Britain: Geopolitical Identity and “the Special Relationship”
Jason Dittmer 135
History of the Marvel Zombies and Colonel America among the Marvel Zombies
Mark R. McDermott 147

POLITICAL INTERPRETATIONS AND THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA
“Captain America Must Die”: The Many Afterlives of Steve Rogers
David Walton 160
Stevie’s Got a Gun: Captain America and His Problematic Use of Lethal Force
Phillip L. Cunningham 176
A Genealogy of Evil: Captain America vs. the Shadows of the National Imagined Community
Christian Steinmetz 190

LITERARY INTERPRETATIONS
The Man Behind the Mask? Models of Masculinity and the Persona of Heroes in Captain America Prose Novels
Mike S. DuBose 204

GUIDES
A Selected Webography: FanFiction
Freedonia Paschall 215
A Selected Filmographic Essay
Cord Scott and Robert G. Weiner 218
A Selected Bibliographic Essay: Academic Literature
Jason Dittmer and Robert G. Weiner 227
Afterword by J.M. DeMatteis 241
About the Contributors 245
Index 247

About the Author
Robert G. Weiner is associate humanities librarian at Texas Tech University. His works have been published in the Journal of Popular Culture, Public Library Quarterly, Journal of American Culture, International Journal of Comic Art and Popular Music and Society. He lives in Lubbock, Texas.

BenBella and The Walking Dead

2011-06-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

Triumph of The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman’s Zombie Epic on Page and Screen
Edited By James Lowder
Publication Date: November 2011
$14.95
ISBN-10: 1936661136
ISBN-13: 9781936661138

DESCRIPTION
The Walking Dead gained national attention as AMC’s latest critically acclaimed drama, shattering the network’s previous premiere ratings highs and earning a second season renewal after its very first episode. But before its television debut, Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead was a comic phenomenon.
James Lowder, veteran editor and author in the horror genre and comics field, collects some of the biggest names in the zombie genre, along with other top horror and comics writers, to discuss the series on both page and screen.
Contents include:
what makes The Walking Dead so effective as a zombie narrative
the television show’s surprising optimism
Rick Grimes as Objectivist hero
The Walking Dead’s journey from comic to television series

ABOUT THE EDITOR
James Lowder has worked extensively on both sides of the editorial blotter. His credits include the bestselling, widely translated novels Prince of Lies and Knight of the Black Rose, short fiction for such anthologies as Shadows Over Baker Street and The Repentant, and comic book scripts, role-playing game material, and hundreds of reviews and articles, including essays for the BenBella titles The Unauthorized X-Men and King Kong is Back! As an editor, he's directed book lines or series for a variety of publishers and has helmed more than a dozen critically acclaimed anthologies, including Curse of the Full Moon, Hobby Games: The 100 Best, and the Books of Flesh zombie anthology series. He's been a finalist for the International Horror Guild Award and the Stoker Award, and has won five Origins Awards and a silver ENnie Award.

CONTRIBUTORS
Kyle William Bishop, Arnold T. Blumberg, Jay Bonansinga, Brendan Deneen, Craig Fischer, Kenneth Hite, Del Howison, Scott Kenemore, Jonathan Maberry, Lisa Morton, Kim Paffenroth, Brendan Riley, Matt Staggs, Kay Steiger, and Ned Vizzini

Superheroes for NeMLA 2012

2011-06-15T19:47:00.000-04:00

Call for Papers
43rd Annual Convention
Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA)
http://www.nemla.org/convention/2012/cfp.html

March 15-18, 2012
Rochester, New York

The 43rd Annual Convention will feature approximately 350 sessions, as well as dynamic speakers and cultural events. Interested participants may submit abstracts to more than one NeMLA session; however, panelists can only present one paper (panel or seminar). Convention participants may present a paper at a panel and also present at a creative session or participate in a roundtable.

Abstract Deadline: September 30, 2011

Please include with your abstract:

Name and Affiliation
Email address
A/V requirements ($10 handling fee with registration per person; two person per panel minimum for Media Projector)

Masculinity in Superhero Comic Books and Films (listed under "Women's and Gender Studies)

With comic books becoming more mainstream thanks to numerous summer blockbuster film adaptations, this session welcomes all papers looking at ongoing portrayals of masculinity in works focused on male superheroes. Possible topics include but are not limited to adherence or subversion of masculine archetypes in superhero comic books graphic novels, and films, and the gender-bending of women taking on the names and costumes of previously male superheroes. Submit 250- to 500-word proposals to Derek McGrath (derek.mcgrath@stonybrook.edu).

European Comic Art 4.1

2011-06-11T01:26:00.000-04:00

European Comic Art 4.1 (2011)

Introduction: Diversity and New Directions
PDF (121.8 KB)
Pages v-viii
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.1
v-viii

Interview with Farid Boudjellal
PDF (2.4 MB)
Pages 1-28
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.2
Author Mark McKinney
1-28

'Corsican Speak' in Two French Bandes dessinées, or How to Manipulate Communication Rules: A Pragmatic Analysis
PDF (156.0 KB)
Pages 29-38
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.3
Author Anna Giaufret
29-38

Joann Sfar Conjures Marc Chagall: The Politics of Visual Representation in The Rabbi's Cat
PDF (179.4 KB)
Pages 39-57
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.4
Author Fabrice Leroy
39-57

A Creative Culture Where It Is Hard to Make a Living: The Socio-Economic Situation of Comics Authors and Illustrators in Belgium
PDF (237.3 KB)
Pages 59-80
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.5
Authors Pascal Lefèvre and Morgan Di Salvia
59-80

The OP War, Libertarian Communication and Graphic Reportage in Georgian London
PDF (1.5 MB)
Pages 81-104
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.6
Author James Baker
81-104

Comic Art and Commitment: An Interview with Morvandiau
PDF (3.5 MB)
Pages 105-123
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.7
Author Ann Miller
105-123

Angoulême, 2011
PDF (138.4 KB)
Pages 125-127
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.8
Author Bart Beaty
125-127

Reviews
PDF (100.1 KB)
Pages 129-135
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.9
129-135

Notes on Contributors
PDF (71.8 KB)
Pages 137-138
DOI 10.3828/eca.2011.10
137-138

Green Lantern and Philosophy

2011-06-11T01:11:00.000-04:00

Green Lantern and Philosophy: No Evil Shall Escape this Book
William Irwin (Series Editor), Jane Dryden (Editor), Mark D. White (Editor)
ISBN: 978-0-470-57557-4
Paperback
304 pages
May 2011
US $17.95

DESCRIPTION:

The first look at the philosophy behind the Green Lantern comics—timed for the release of the Green Lantern movie in June 2011
The most recent Green Lantern series—Blackest Night—propelled GL to be the top-selling comic series for more than a year, the latest twist in seven decades of Green Lantern adventures. This book sheds light on the deep philosophical issues that emerge from the Green Lantern Corps's stories and characters, from what Plato's tale of the Ring of Gyges tells us about the Green Lantern ring and the desire for power to whether willpower is the most important strength to who is the greatest Green Lantern of all time.

Gives you a new perspective on Green Lantern characters, story lines, and themes
Shows what philosophical heavy hitters such as Aristotle, Descartes, and Kant can teach us about members of the Green Lantern Corp and their world
Answers your most pressing Green Lantern questions, including: What motivates Hal Jordan to be a Green Lantern? Does the Blackest Night force us to confront old male/female stereotypes? What is the basis for moral judgment in the Green Lantern Corps? Is Hal Jordan a murderer?
Whether you're a new fan or an elder from Oa, Green Lantern and Philosophy is a must-have companion.

CONTENTS:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: No Gratitude Shall Escape.
Our Sight.

INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the Corps!

Part One Will and Emotion: The Philosophical Spectrum.

1The Blackest Night for Aristotle’s Account of Emotions (Jason Southworth).

2 Flexing the Mental Muscle: Green Lanterns and the Nature of Willpower (Mark D. White).

3 Women Are from Zamaron, Men Are from Oa (Sarah K. Donovan and Nicholas P. Richardson).

Part Two Emerald Ethics: It’s Not All Black and White.

4 Will They Let Just Anybody Join? Testing for Moral Judgment in Green Lantern Corps (Andrew Terjesen).

5 The Greatest Green Lantern: Aesthetic Admiration and the Praiseworthy Hero (Jane Dryden).

6 There Should Be No Forgiveness for Hal Jordan (Nicolas Michaud).

7 Morality, Atonement, and Guilt: Hal Jordan’s Shifting Motivations (Joseph J. Darowski).

Part Three I’m with Green Lantern: Friends and Relationships.

8 Hard-Traveling Ethics: Moral Rationalism vs. Moral Sentimentalism (Andrew Terjesen).

9. “I Despise Messiness”: The Plato-Aristotle Debate in the Troubled Friendship of Green Lantern and Green Arrow (Brett Chandler Patterson).

10 Can’t Live With ‘Em, Can’t Live Without ‘Em: Green Lantern, Relationships, and Autonomy (Jane Dryden).

Part 4. With This Ring, I Thee Swear: Power, Duty, and Law.

11 The Oaths of Soranik Natu: Can a Doctor Be a Green Lantern? (Ruth Tallman and Jason Southworth).

12 Crying for Justice: Retributivism for Those Who Worship Evil’s Might (Mark D. White).

13 Hate Crimes as Terrorism in Brother’s Keeper (Ron Novy).

14 Ring of Gyges, the Ring of the Green Lantern, and the Temptation of Power (Adam Barkman).

Part Five Don’t Tell Krona: Metaphysics, Mind and Time.

15 All For One and One For All: Mogo, the Collective, and Biological Unity (Leonard Finkelman).

16 Green Mind: The Book of Oa, the Lantern Corps, and Peirce’s Theory of Communal Mind (Paul R. Jaissle).

17 Shedding an Emerald Light on Destiny: The problem with Time Travel (Amy Kind).

Part Six Can Green Lantern Make a Boxing Glove He Can’s Lift? Powers and Limitations.

18. Another Glove? Green Lantern and the Limits of Imagination (Daniel P. Malloy).

19. “Beware my Power”: Leibniz and Green Lantern on God, Omnipotence, and Evil (Carsten Fogh Nielsen).

20. Magic and Science in the Green Lantern Mythos: Clarke’s Law, the Starheart, and Emotional Energy (Andrew Zimmerman Jones).

CONTRIBUTORS: Tales of the Philosophy Corps.

INDEX: The Book of Oa.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Jane Dryden is an assistant professor of philosophy at Mount Allison University.
Mark D. White is a professor in the Department of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at the College of Staten Island, CUNY. He coedited Batman and Philosophy and edited Watchmen and Philosophy and Iron Man and Philosophy.

William Irwin is a professor of philosophy at King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books as coeditor of the bestselling The Simpsons and Philosophy and has overseen recent titles including Batman and Philosophy, House and Philosophy, and Mad Men and Philosophy.

Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels

2011-06-11T00:20:00.000-04:00

Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels
Author: Katie Monnin

$23.95

ISBN 13: 978-1-936700-23-3
MH # 229

Engage even the youngest readers with Dr. Monnin’s standards-based lessons and strategic approach to teaching comics and graphic novels to early readers!

Examples from a wide variety of comics and graphic novels—including multicultural models—and recommended reading lists help teachers of grades K-6 seamlessly teach print-text and image literacies together. Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels shows you how to address the unique needs of striving readers, connect reading and writing, teach the necessary terminology, and apply the standards to any graphic novel or comic for emerging through advanced readers.

A companion blog, www.teachinggraphicnovels.blogspot.com, offers free downloads, teaching tips, and updates on new comics and graphic novels you can use in your classroom.

Tap into the power of comics and graphic novels to engage all learners!

Downloads

Table of contents

Introduction

Sample lesson: "Example guided-reading lesson plan for teaching Big Fat Little Lit
in second- and third-grade classrooms"

Raves
“I wish I’d had this book, or a teacher who’d read this book, back when I was in school. But at least I have it now!”
–Jane Yolen, author of more than 300 books and graphic novels

"Katie Monnin is at it again! Useful, practical information on literacy and the comics form, playful literacy-building strategies, and engaging example images from excellent, age-appropriate comics and graphic novels characterize this new offering from one of the leading voices in the comics-and-literacy discourse. I share with my pre-service educators the mantra "You are the professional; the standards are the tools. You don't work for them; put them to work for you and your students!" and Monnin's standards-aware approach to literacy through comics and comics through literacy nails it. Anyone who reads Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels will understand the best of what comics and graphic novels can offer young students."
–James Bucky Carter, award-winning comics scholar, author, and assistant professor of English education at the University of Texas at El Paso

“Dr. Katie Monnin’s passion for both graphic novels and education are inspiring. Using comics to reach out to young minds is a smart and effective way to teach foundational skills, and in Teaching Early Readers Comics and Graphic Novels, she offers the tools to do just that. The resources she offers here will not only help educate children—they'll also inspire a lifelong love of reading.”
–John Hogan, editor, GraphicNovelReporter.com

DC Comics News

2011-06-10T23:56:00.001-04:00

USA Today offers two recent articles on upcoming changes at DC Comics:

DC Comics unleashes a new universe of superhero titles

DC Comics ready for a risky yet relevant publishing change

Further details on the re-launch can be found at DC's own blog:

The New Justice

The Smallville Chonicles

2011-06-10T23:50:00.003-04:00

The Smallville Chronicles: Critical Essays on the Television Series
Edited by Lincoln Geraghty

List Price: $40.00
ISBN: 0-8108-8130-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-8130-3
Pub Date: Sep 28, 2011
176 pages
Binding: Cloth
Availability: Not Yet Published

List Price: $40.00
ISBN: 0-8108-8131-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-8131-0
Pub Date: Sep 28, 2011
176 pages
Binding: Electronic
Availability: Not Yet Published

DESCRIPTION
In 2001, yet another adaptation of the Superman comic book came to television. Lasting 10 seasons, Smallville took the traditional Superman story and turned it into an American teen action drama about Clark Kent's life at high school—before he donned the famous blue tights and red cape. Instead of depicting Superman's clashes with criminals in Metropolis, the show focused on how Clark first developed his powers and learned to cope with girls, school, and teenage angst. Although largely overlooked by critics and derided by Superman fans who regarded it as too far a departure from the comic book canon, Smallville nonetheless endeared a whole new generation of viewers. The setting, style, narrative, and cast of fresh-faced actors suggested that the Superman story was not only ready for a makeover but also still relevant for a post-9/11 American audience.

In The Smallville Chronicles: Critical Essays on the Television Series, scholars examine the multiple narratives of the Smallville universe. Addressing issues related to gender, sexuality, national identity, myth, history, and politics, these essays explore how the series uses the Superman story to comment on contemporary social issues. Additional essays investigate the complex relationship the show's audience has with the characters through blogging, fan fiction, visits to filming locations, and the creation of websites.

As the first book-length study specifically focused on the Smallville television series, this collection is an excellent text for studies in science fiction, fandom, and teen television scholarship, and it will also have general appeal to fans of the show.

CONTENTS (from Loc.gov):
Introduction: investigating Smallville / Lincoln Geraghty -- Texts and Contexts. From comic book to bildungsroman: Smallville, narrative, and the education of a young hero / Stan Beeler -- Televisual transformations: myth and social issues in Smallville / Karin Beeler -- The Kryptonite closet: silence and queer secrecy in Smallville / Jes Battis -- No flights, no tights: Smallville and the roles of special effects in television / Rayna Denison -- Audiences and meta-texts. Smallville: superhero mythos and intellectual property regimes / Ian Gordon -- Vids, vlogs, and blogs: the participatory culture of Smallville’s digital fan / Juli Stone Pitzer -- "I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore": Examining Smallville’s Canadian Cult Geography / Lincoln Geraghty -- Sacrifice or Salvation? Smallville’s Heroic Survival Amidst Changing Television Trends / Michael S. Duffy -- Index.

ABOUT THE EDITOR
Lincoln Geraghty is principal lecturer in film studies in the School of Creative Arts, Film and Media at the University of Portsmouth. He is the author or editor of several books on popular culture, including Living with Star Trek: American Culture and the Star Trek Universe (2007), Channeling the Future: Essays on Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (Scarecrow, 2009), and Directory of World Cinema: American Hollywood (2011).

The Smallville Chonicles

2011-06-10T23:50:00.000-04:00

The Smallville Chronicles: Critical Essays on the Television Series
Edited by Lincoln Geraghty

List Price: $40.00
ISBN: 0-8108-8130-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-8130-3
Pub Date: Sep 28, 2011
176 pages
Binding: Cloth
Availability: Not Yet Published

List Price: $40.00
ISBN: 0-8108-8131-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-8131-0
Pub Date: Sep 28, 2011
176 pages
Binding: Electronic
Availability: Not Yet Published

DESCRIPTION
In 2001, yet another adaptation of the Superman comic book came to television. Lasting 10 seasons, Smallville took the traditional Superman story and turned it into an American teen action drama about Clark Kent's life at high school—before he donned the famous blue tights and red cape. Instead of depicting Superman's clashes with criminals in Metropolis, the show focused on how Clark first developed his powers and learned to cope with girls, school, and teenage angst. Although largely overlooked by critics and derided by Superman fans who regarded it as too far a departure from the comic book canon, Smallville nonetheless endeared a whole new generation of viewers. The setting, style, narrative, and cast of fresh-faced actors suggested that the Superman story was not only ready for a makeover but also still relevant for a post-9/11 American audience.

In The Smallville Chronicles: Critical Essays on the Television Series, scholars examine the multiple narratives of the Smallville universe. Addressing issues related to gender, sexuality, national identity, myth, history, and politics, these essays explore how the series uses the Superman story to comment on contemporary social issues. Additional essays investigate the complex relationship the show's audience has with the characters through blogging, fan fiction, visits to filming locations, and the creation of websites.

As the first book-length study specifically focused on the Smallville television series, this collection is an excellent text for studies in science fiction, fandom, and teen television scholarship, and it will also have general appeal to fans of the show.

CONTENTS (from Loc.gov):
Introduction: investigating Smallville / Lincoln Geraghty -- Texts and Contexts. From comic book to bildungsroman: Smallville, narrative, and the education of a young hero / Stan Beeler -- Televisual ransformations: myth and social issues in Smallville / Karin Beeler -- The Kryptonite closet: silence and queer secrecy in Smallville / Jes Battis -- No flights, no tights: Smallville and the roles of special effects in television / Rayna Denison -- Audiences and meta-texts. Smallville: superhero mythos and intellectual property regimes / Ian Gordon -- Vids, vlogs, and blogs: the participatory culture of Smallville’s digital fan / Juli Stone Pitzer -- "I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore": Examining Smallville’s Canadian Cult Geography / Lincoln Geraghty -- Sacrifice or Salvation? Smallville’s Heroic Survival Amidst Changing Television Trends / Michael S. Duffy -- Index.

ABOUT THE EDITOR
Lincoln Geraghty is principal lecturer in film studies in the School of Creative Arts, Film and Media at the University of Portsmouth. He is the author or editor of several books on popular culture, including Living with Star Trek: American Culture and the Star Trek Universe (2007), Channeling the Future: Essays on Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (Scarecrow, 2009), and Directory of World Cinema: American Hollywood (2011).

Thoughts on X-Men: First Class

2011-06-10T23:05:00.000-04:00

I went to see X-Men: First Class this weekend. It is an entertaining reboot of the franchise and offers intriguing new perspectives on Professor X and Magneto, but the remaining mutants were an odd mix (though their powers were depicted convincingly). Beast was interesting (and an obvious choice), but an American Banshee (and a teenaged one at that) was off-setting. A young Havok was also an interesting choice, yet I missed the rest of the original "First Class": Cyclops, Ice Man, Angel, and Marvel Girl. Mystique starting out as X-Men offered an original take on the character (as was her relationship to Xavier), and it is interesting now to consider her arc in the original three films in light of this one.That said, the other X-Men--Darwin and Pixie--were lacking in much development and rationale for their inclusion (unless Pixie was only present as a counter for Banshee, who also flies); likewise, an American Moira MacTaggert (and an CIA opp to boot) seemed a strange choice. The villains caused similar confusion. Sebastian Shaw as a Nazi and Magneto's "Xavier" was very strange, and I cannot fathom the inclusion of Riptide and Azazel (perhaps he's here to foreshadow the origin of Nightcrawler from X2). However, the use of Emma Frost (here displaying much flesh and her secondary mutation) made sense given Shaw's presence.

Constructing Green Lantern

2011-06-04T00:12:00.005-04:00

Out now, a companion to the upcoming film (though the copy below seems outdated). Constructing Green Lantern is a copiously illustrated guide to the making of the film and includes details on everything from story development to costume design and character development (with lots of cool-looking Green Lanterns) to world building to a section on visual effects highlighting the realization of the Green Lanterns' power effects. There are few spoilers here and little details on the actual plot of the film, which includes at least three villains: Hector Hammond, Sinestro, and Parralax.

Constructing Green Lantern: From Page to Screen
Written by Ozzy Inguanzo, Introduction by Geoff Johns

Pub Date: May 31, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Category: Performing Arts - Film - General
Publisher: Universe
Trim Size: 8-1/2 x 11
US Price: $35.00
CAN Price: $40.00
ISBN: 978-0-7893-2261-6

About This Book

From the creative group at DC Entertainment comes The Green Lantern, certain to be the hit of Summer 2011. The Art of The Green Lantern is the ultimate companion book to the movie, showcasing production ephemera including: storyboard art, character sketches, concept art, and still photos from the movie's sets. The Green Lantern will also contain observations and insights of the film by producers, art director, and various other film crew.

About the Author

Ozzy Inguanzo is Green Lantern's research and asset manager. He has been living at the epicenter of the Green Lantern movie for almost a year and a half. The filmmakers have told us that he is their resident expert on the comic books and the conceptual artwork produced for the film: from storyboards, creatures, and costumes, to environments, vehicles, and props. Geoff Johns is the Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment and a comic book writer. Johns is best known for his work on Superman, Green Lantern, and The Flash, and he is credited with bringing Green Lantern to its current levels of popularity.

Reviews
“A new book, Constructing Green Lantern: From Page to Screen, gives a kind of production diary that takes you through every stage of creating the movie’s weird vistas, alien landscapes and green energy constructs.” ~iO9.com

“Author Inguanzo, the films’ on-set Green Lantern expert and ‘Assets Manager,’ didn’t get the memo about writing fluffy movie tie-in books and actually wrote a detailed and intelligent production memoir, loaded with photos from the set, pre-viz art, storyboards and final composite images that at least prove that the filmmakers set out to do the character justice.” ~cartoonbrew.com

“Books like these can run the risk of becoming boring technical retellings, but Constructing avoids that problem by structuring the book to follow the plot of the film… It’s Inguanzo’s emphasis on story that makes Contructing a book you can actually sit down and read instead of just flipping through it looking for interesting bits.” ~bleedingcool.com

More Movie Trailers (Both with Vampires)

2011-05-30T22:28:00.000-04:00

New X-Men Productions

2011-05-30T01:05:00.000-04:00

Captain America: The First Avenger FF

2011-05-30T00:57:00.002-04:00

Coming soon:

Green Lantern on Film

2011-05-30T00:53:00.003-04:00

Coming soon to a theater near you:

And now on DVD and BluRay:

Comics Scholarship at NeMLA 2011

2011-05-11T21:57:00.000-04:00

The NeMLA 2011 Convention was held last month at the Hyatt New Brunswick in New Brunswick, New Jersey, from April 7-10, 2011, and included a variety of papers and sessions of interest. The complete program (divided by days) can be accessed at: http://www.nemla.org/convention/2011/index.html.

FRIDAY, APRIL 8

4.04 Conference B
Seeing Texts and Speaking Images: Visual-Verbal Dialogues in Modernity
Chair: Mary V. Marchand, Goucher College
PAPER 3 OF 3: “Text and Image in Partnership: Narrative Intersections in Jeff Smith’s Bone”
Emily Lauer, Hunter College

6.11 Conference JK
Adoption in Contemporary Literature and Culture (Roundtable)
Chair: Nicole Furlonge, Stuart Country Day School
PAPER 1 OF 3: “The Collapse of the Reunion Fantasy in Daniel Clowes’ Wilson: An Adoption Counter Narrative”
Genie Giaimo, Northeastern University
PAPER 2 OF 3: “What is for others nature/is for us culture: Constructions of Adoption on Heroes”
Nicole Furlonge, Stuart Country Day School

8.04 Conference B
Naming and Framing: Identity Construction in Children’s Literature and Culture
Chair: Julie Cassidy, Borough of Manhattan Community College-CUNY
PAPER 2 OF 4: “Which Powerpuff Girl Are You?: Unsettling Identity Types and Redefining Conventional Girlhood”
Lisa Hager, University of Wisconsin-Waukesha

9.09 Conference G
Captions, Slogans, and Stares (Oh, My!): Image as Argument in College Writing (Roundtable)
Chair: Peter Witkowsky, Mount Saint Mary College
PAPER 6 OF 6: “Our President, the Monster: Graphic Political Arguments in the Composition Classroom”
Angela Francis, CUNY Graduate Center

SATURDAY, 9 APRIL

11.07 Conference D
Serial Narratives and Temporality
Chair: Toni Pape, Université de Montréal
“‘Make It Repeatable’: Postmodern Seriality and the Repetition of What Is Yet to Come”
Stephen Hock, Virginia Wesleyan College
“Serial Historiography: Toward an Ethics of Irreducible Elements in Narrative Histories”
Ben Bolling, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
“Aging at the Speed of Plot: The X-Men and Chronology”
Will Duffy, SUNY Buffalo
“Temporalities on Collision Course: Time, Knowledge and Temporal Critique in Damages”
Toni Pape, Université de Montréal

11.09 Conference A
Twentieth-Century Blake
Chair: Jon Gagas, Temple University
PAPER 1 OF 4: “William Blake’s Milton, Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis, and the End of the Epic Narrative”
Geoff Klock, Borough of Manhattan Community College-CUNY

14.05 Conference I
Classical Women in Modern Literature and Media
Chairs: Krishni Burns, SUNY Buffalo; William Duffy, SUNY Buffalo
PAPER 3 OF 4: “Heroes and Amazons in Y: the last man”
Luiz Guilherme, Universidade de São Paulo

15.08 Conference G
Reading the Postcolonial Other in Contemporary Film (Roundtable)
Chairs: Sophie Lavin, SUNY Stony Brook; Tracey Walters, SUNY Stony Brook
PAPER 5 OF 6: “Coming-of-Age and Cultural Revolution in Persepolis”
Rachel Graf, University of Washington

SUNDAY, APRIL 10

18.10 Regency E
What a ‘Man’’s Gotta Do: (Re)Defining Duty in Post-Feminist Action Films (Seminar)
Chair: Elizabeth Abele, SUNY Nassau Community College
PAPER 2 OF 6: “When Eleven Year-Olds Kick-Ass: Hit-Girl As Role Model Or Victim?”
Keith Friedlander, University of Ottawa
PAPER 5 OF 6: “‘I Won’t Feel a Thing’: Ironic Masculinity in Joss Whedon’s ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’”
Derek S. McGrath, SUNY Stony Brook

Comics Sessions at ALA 2011

2011-05-11T21:20:00.000-04:00

The 22nd Annual Conference of the American Literature Association will be held later this month at The Westin Copley Place, Boston, Massachusetts, from 26-29 May 2011, and there are a number of sessions of interest. The full program and registration information can be accessed at: http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/english/ala2/american_literature_assoc_2011.html.

THURSDAY, 26 MAY
Session 5-F Expanding the Working-Class Literary Canon: Claiming New Writers, Texts, and Genres (Marriott Tufts) Organized by the Society for the Study of Working-Class Literature
Chair: Paul Lauter, Trinity College
PAPER 4 OF 4. ―Sisterhood (and Brotherhood) of the Traveling Wallet: Coming to Class Consciousness through Comics and Graphic Novels
Sara Appel, Duke University

FRIDAY, 27 MAY

Session 9-M The ―small eye poet among the Moderns (Defender 7th Floor)
Organized by the E. E. Cummings Society
Chair: Millie Kidd, Mount St. Mary‘s College
PAPER 1 OF 3. ―" 'A Foreword to Krazy': E. E. Cummings' Love of the 'Lively Art' of Krazy Kat"
April Fallon, Kentucky State University

SATURDAY, 28 MAY

Session 17-A Problems and Possibilities in Defining American Comics: A Roundtable Discussion (Essex North Center) Organized by the American Society for Comics Studies
Chair: Derek Parker Royal, University of Nebraska at Kearney
1. Alfred Bendixen, Texas A&M University
2. Peter Coogan, Institute for Comics Studies
3. David Huxley, Manchester Metropolitan University (UK), co-editor, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics
4. M. Thomas Inge, Randolph-Macon College
5. Andrew Kunka, University of South Carolina at Sumter
6. Joan Ormrod, Manchester Metropolitan University (UK), co-editor, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics
7. Robert Weiner, Texas Tech University
8. Joseph Witek, Stetson University

Session 18-K Negotiations of Public and Private Trauma in Comic Art (Essex Center)
Chair: Charles Henebry, Boston University‘s College of General Studies
1. ―The Graphic Memoir in a State of Exception: Transformations of the Personal in Art Spiegelman‘s In the Shadow of No Towers
Lopamudra Basu, University of Wisconsin-Stout
2. ―Emerging from Comics: The Representation of Trauma in Alissa Torres‘s American Widow
Davida Pines, Boston University‘s College of General Studies
3. ―Scene and Obscene: Graphic Approaches to Child Sexual Abuse
Jane Tolmie, Queen‘s University, Kingston, Canada

Session 19-A Comic Books as Resistance Literature (Essex Center)
Organized by Jorge Santos Chair: Derek Parker Royal, University of Nebraska at Kearney
1. ―Re-Visioning Race: Transformations of the Passing Narrative in Incognegro (2008)
Martha J. Cutter, University of Connecticut, Editor of MELUS
2. ―Feminist and Counter-Apocalyptic Resistances in the Comic Art of Sam Kieth
Tof Eklund, Full Sail University
3. ―Killer Conventions: Sandman and Comics Resisting Academic Institutionalization
Daniel Anderson, Case Western Reserve University
4. ―Peter Parker: The Amazing Everyman and Marvel Comics‘ resistance to ―Patriot Act ideologies
Jorge Santos, University of Connecticut

Session 20-A Teaching the Graphic Novel (Essex Center)
Organized by the Contemporary Literature Society Chair, Karen Weekes, The Pennsylvania State University
1. ―The Spirit of '86
Jonathan W. Gray, John Jay College CUNY
2. ―Reading Theory with the Graphic Novel
Lisette Gibson, Capital University
3. ―I Kill Giants, or, I Might Kill Readers
Jennifer Mitchell, Hunter College & CUNY Graduate Center

Session 20-N Organizing Meeting of American Society for Comics Studies
(Empire Room 7th Floor)

Comics Studies at PCA/ACA

2011-05-10T19:03:00.005-04:00

There were a number of sessions of interest at last month's Joint Conference of the National Popular Culture & American Culture Association and the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture & American Culture Association held in San Antonio, Texas, from 4/20-23/11. Unfortunately, I cannot copy and paste from the PDF version of the program to list these sessions. The complete program can be accessed at http://pcaaca.org/conference/conf_program.php. Most of the sessions are listed under the Comics and Comic Art Area and the Graphic Novels, Comics, and Popular Culture Area.

New Book: Classics and Comics

2011-05-09T21:59:00.001-04:00

Classics and Comics
Edited by George Kovacs and C. W. Marshall
ISBN13: 9780199734191
ISBN10: 0199734194
Paperback, 288 pages
Oxford University Press, Jan 2011
Price: $29.95
Also available: Hardback

Description
Since at least 1939, when daily-strip caveman Alley Oop time-traveled to the Trojan War, comics have been drawing (on) material from Greek and Roman myth, literature and history. At times the connection is cosmetic-as perhaps with Wonder Woman's Amazonian heritage-and at times it is almost irrelevant-as with Hercules' starfaring adventures in the 1982 Marvel miniseries. But all of these make implicit or explicit claims about the place of classics in modern literary culture.

Classics and Comics is the first book to explore the engagement of classics with the epitome of modern popular literature, the comic book. The volume collects sixteen articles, all specially commissioned for this volume, that look at how classical content is deployed in comics and reconfigured for a modern audience. It opens with a detailed historical introduction surveying the role of classical material in comics since the 1930s. Subsequent chapters cover a broad range of topics, including the incorporation of modern theories of myth into the creation and interpretation of comic books, the appropriation of characters from classical literature and myth, and the reconfiguration of motif into a modern literary medium. Among the well-known comics considered in the collection are Frank Miller's 300 and Sin City, DC Comics' Wonder Woman, Jack Kirby's The Eternals, Neil Gaiman's Sandman, and examples of Japanese manga. The volume also includes an original 12-page "comics-essay," drawn and written by Eisner Award-winning Eric Shanower, creator of the graphic novel series Age of Bronze.

Table of Contents:

Preface, C.W. Marshall and George Kovacs
Acknowledgments

1. Comics and Classics: Establishing a Critical Frame, George Kovacs

Seeing the Past through Sequential Art
2. An Ancient Greek Graphic Novel (P. Oxy. XXII 2331), Gideon Nisbet
3. Sequential Narrative and the Shield of Achilles, Kyle Johnson
4. Declassicizing the classical in Japanese comics, Nicholas A. Theisen
5. Heroes Unlimited, Brett M. Rogers

Gods and Superheroes
6. The Furies, Wonder Woman, and Dream, C. W. Marshall
7. Coming up to Code: Ancient Divinities Revisited, Craig Dethloff
8. The Burden of War: From Homer to Oeming, R. Clinton Simms
9. 'Seven Thunders Utter Their Voices', Benjamin Stevens

Drawing (on) History
10. Hard-Boiled Hot Gates, Vincent Tomasso
11. Persians in Frank Miller's 300 and Greek vase-painting, Emily Fairey
12. A Dream of Augustus, Anise K. Strong
13. Francophone Romes: Antiquity in les Bandes Dessinees, Martin Dinter

The Desires of Troy
14. Twenty-First Century Troy, Eric Shanower
15. Sex and Love in Eric Shanower's Age of Bronze, Chiara Sulprizio
16. Heavy Metal Homer, Thomas E. Jenkins

A reading list of Classics in Comics
Contributors
Bibliography
Index

About the Author(s)

George Kovacs teaches at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.

C.W. Marshall is Associate Professor of Greek and Roman Theatre at the University of British Columbia.

CFP Transitions 2: New Directions in Comics Studies (7/31/11)

2011-05-09T21:41:00.002-04:00

Comica Symposium 2011 - Transitions 2: New Directions in Comics Studies
full name / name of organization:
Birkbeck, University of London - School of Arts
contact email:
transitions.symposium@gmail.com

Transitions 2 is a one day symposium devoted to promoting new research into comics in all their forms. Rather than restricting itself to a specific theme, the symposium will highlight research from postgraduate students and early career lecturers bringing together different perspectives and methodoogies, whether cultural, historical, or formal, thereby mapping new trends and providing a space for dialogue and further collaboration to emerge. By thinking about comics across different disciplines, the intention is to spark debate and address a wide spectrum of questions.

We welcome abstracts of 250-300 words for twenty minute papers on topics as diverse as, but not limited to:

international iterations: manga, bande dessinée, fumetti etc. – children’s comics – superheroes – non-fiction comics – the (im)materiality of comics – formalist approaches – cultural histories – adaptation/remediation – autographics –early comics – comic strips – small press – alternative comics/underground comix – comics narratologies – political comics – comics and cultural theory – audiences – comics and the archive – subjectivity in comics – graphic medicine – fan subcultures – comics as historiography – key creators...

Abstracts should be submitted by July 31 2011 to Tony, Paul and Zara at transitions.symposium@gmail.com

The first Transitions symposium was the successful opening event of Comica 2010. Dr. Roger Sabin, Reader in Popular Culture at Central St. Martins and author of Adult Comics and Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels, will once again act as respondent.

Transitions 2 will open Comica 2011, the London International Comics Festival in association with Birkbeck, University of London, Studies in Comics, and European Comic Art.

CFP International Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels (5/31/11; Madrid 11/10-12/11)

2011-05-09T21:37:00.002-04:00

International Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels
full name / name of organization:
Instituto Franklin-UAH
contact email:
graphicnovel@institutofranklin.net

International Conference on Comics and Graphics Novels (Alcalá de Henares, Madrid.
November 10th-12th, 2011)

The main objective of the conference is to bring together the largest number of specialists and researchers of comics (graphic novels, manga, BD, etc) in order to reflect on the study of this area.

CHARLES HATFIELD, JESSICA ABEL, ROGER SABIN and ANTONIO ALTARRIBA have confirmed their assistance as plenary speakers to this conference.

The theme is “Sites of visual and textual innovation” and it welcomes papers on (but not limited to):

-The origins of comics,
-Avant-garde and experimental works
-Biography and autobiography.

The languages of the conference will be English and Spanish.

Abstracts of approximately 250-500 words can be submitted to graphicnovel@institutofranklin.net . Deadline for acceptance: May, 31st 2011.

Conference will take place at Universidad de Alcalá in Spain.

For further information please visit: http://www.institutofranklin.net/en/conferences/graphic-novel

ORGANIZED BY:
Instituto Franklin - Universidad de Alcalá

CFP Lois Lane Collection (8/1/11)

2011-05-09T20:55:00.000-04:00

Collection of Essays exploring Lois Lane (1st of August 2011)
full name / name of organization:
Nadine Farghaly, M.A., Mag. Phil.
contact email:
Lois.Lane@gmx.net

Collection of essays exploring the character Lois Lane from the DC Superman Universe.

Did you ever wonder about the woman behind Superman? The woman who supports him and without whom one of America’s favourite heroes would be unable to fulfil his destiny? Rightly so! And yet, there is no work that examines this central figure in the Superman universe.

BEING LOIS will be the first book that will focus on this female protagonists and her significance in popular culture.
Lois Lane first appeared in the issue # 1 of the in 1938 founded Superman universe. Since her creation Lois Lane’s character has developed even more than Superman’s. The woman next to the man of steel had to find and fight her way through multiple feministic waves, eight decades of changing ideologies and the constant reinvention of her character by other artists.

Starting with the graphic novels, over radio and Broadway appearances to various movies and TV shows, not to forget the multitude of culture references that are connected to her, Lois Lane never left the audiences’ sight. This well beloved character not only functions as a role model for millions of women and girls, but she also reflects women’s struggles within a mostly male dominated world.

This publication aims to examine Lois Lane in literature, art, and other media to questions concerning sexuality, gender, social change and feminism. It will provide an interdisciplinary stage for the development of innovative and creative research and examine this vital and complex female protagonist in all her various manifestations and cultural meanings.

Please send one page (around 500 words) abstracts to the following E-mail address Lois.Lane@gmx.net

And include the following information:
Writers submit a 1-page synopsis of their proposed chapter to us clearly stating:

[a] the research question
[b] the methodology
[c] the findings
[d] the bibliography (5 sources)

Deadline: 1st of August 2011

For questions please contact

Nadine Farghaly
Lois.Lane@gmx.net

Hope to hear from you soon.

Nadine

New Scholarship: Gerry Canavan on Kirkman's The Walking Dead

2011-03-19T01:41:00.000-04:00

From the lastest issue of Extrapolation:

Canavan, Gerry. " 'We Are the Walking Dead': Race, Time, and Survival in Zombie Narrative." Extrapolation 51.3 (Fall 2010): 431-53.

Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics 1.2 Now Available

2011-02-18T21:40:00.000-05:00

The latest number (contents below) of the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, 1.2 (2010), is now available at the publishers website, and, through the end of February, both 1.1 and 1.2 of the journal may be accessed free of charge.

Forthcoming issues include:

June 2011 - Superheroes in Comics
Dec 2011 - Audiences and Readership

Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics 1.2 (2010)

Editorial
David Huxley; Joan Ormrod
Pages 91 – 92

Articles
Seeing double: the transforming personalities of Alan Moore's Promethea and the Ulster Cycle's Cuchulain
Hannah Means-Shannon
Pages 93 – 104

Producing comics culture: a sociological approach to the study of comics
Casey Brienza
Pages 105 – 119

What Bunty did next: exploring some of the ways in which the British girls' comic protagonists were revisited and revised in late twentieth-century comics and graphic novels
Mel Gibson
Pages 121 – 135

Man, myth and sacrifice: graphic biographies of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara
James Scorer
Pages 137 – 150

Reconstructing Alice Cooper: ‘From the Inside’ to The Last Temptation
Julia Round
Pages 151 – 169

Comicology: comic books as culture in India
Ritu G. Khanduri
Pages 171 – 191

Inside the story: a conversation with Joe Sacco
Øyvind Vågnes
Pages 193 – 216

Book Reviews
Graphic novels and comics in libraries and archives. Essays on readers, research, history and cataloging, edited by Robert G. Weiner
Jefferson, North Carolina, McFarland and Company, 2010, 276 pp., US$45.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-7864-4302-4.
Mel Gibson
Pages 217 – 218

Che: a graphic biography, edited by Spain Rodriquez and edited by Paul Buhle
New York, Verso, 2008, 106 pp., US$16.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-844671-6-87
John T. ‘Jack’ Becker
Pages 219 – 220

¡Viva la historieta! Mexican comics, NAFTA, and the politics of globalization, by Bruce Campbell
Jackson, University of Mississippi Press, 2009, vii + 234 pp., US$55.00 (hardback), US$25.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-604731-2-55
Rachael Collins
Pages 220 – 222

Life on the press: the popular art and illustration of George Benjamin Luks, by Robert L. Gambone
Jackson, University of Mississippi Press, 2009, 240 pp, US$50.00, ISBN 9781604732221
Paul Gravett
Pages 222 – 223

Teaching graphic novels: practical strategies for the secondary ELA classroom, by Kate Monnin
Gainesville, FL, Maupin House Publishing, Inc., 2010, xx + 236 pp., US $24.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-934338-4-07
Patrick R. Grzanka
Pages 223 – 225

The reader's advisory guide to graphic novels, by Francisca Goldsmith
Chicago, American Library Association, 2010, x + 124 pp., US$45 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-838910-08-5
Carrye Syma
Pages 225 – 227

Graphic novels and multimodal literacy: a reader response study, by Heidi Hammond
Köln, Germany, Lambert Academic Publishing, 2009, ix + 143 pp., US$87.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-3-838315-02-7
Carrye Syma
Pages 227 – 228

The Jewish graphic novel: critical approaches, edited by Samantha Baskind and Ranen Omer-Sherman
New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers University Press, 2010, xxvii + 292 pp., US$28.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-8135-4775-6
Robert G. Weiner
Pages 229 – 231

Conference Review
The Manchester Conference on Graphic Novels and Comics
Manchester Metropolitan University, 12–14 April 2010
Martin Barker
Pages 233 – 234

Call for Papers for 'Audiences and Readership' Special Issue
Page 235

New From Continuum

2010-12-27T23:07:00.000-05:00

Do The Gods Wear Capes? : Spirituality, Fantasy, and Superheroes
by Ben Saunders

Imprint: Continuum
Series: New Directions in Religion and Literature
Pub. date: 11 Jul 2011
ISBN: 9780826441980
192 Pages, paperback
World rights
Translation Rights Available
$21.95

A consideration of the modern Superhero comic as an expression of spiritual desire, showing what Superheroes can teach about our most essential human needs.

Description

Brash, bold, and sometimes brutal, superheroes might seem to epitomize modern pop-culture at its most melodramatic and mindless. But according to Ben Saunders, the appeal of the superhero is fundamentally metaphysical - even spiritual - in nature. In chapter-length analyses of the early comic book adventures of Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and Iron-Man, Saunders explores a number of complex philosophical and theological issues, including: the problem of evil; the will-to-power; the tension between intimacy and vulnerability; and the challenge of love, in the face of mortality. He concludes that comic book fantasies of the superhuman ironically reveal more than we might care to admit about our human limitations, even as they expose the falsehood of the characteristically modern opposition between religion and science. Clearly and passionately written, this insightful and at times exhilarating book should delight all readers who believe in the redemptive capacity of the imagination, regardless of whether they consider themselves comic book fans.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements \ INTRODUCTION: The Power of Love \ 1. SUPERMAN: Truth, Justice, and All That Stuff \ 2. WONDER WOMAN: Bondage and Liberation \ 3. SPIDER-MAN: Heroic Failure and Spiritual Triumph \ 4. IRON MAN: Techno-Faith \ CODA: Modern Gods \ APPENDIX: Methods and Problems in Superhero Studies \ Notes \ Index

Author(s)

Ben Saunders is Associate Professor of English at the University of Oregon. He is author of Desiring Donne: Poetry, Sexuality, Interpretation (Harvard University Press, 2006) and co-editor, with Roger Beebe and Denise Fulbrook, of Rock Over the Edge: Essays in Popular Music Culture (Duke University Press, 2002).

Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives
edited by Toni Johnson-Woods

Imprint: Continuum

Pub. date: 15 Apr 2010

ISBN: 9780826429384

368 Pages, paperback

World rights

Translation Rights Available

$27.95

A collection of essays by an international cast of scholars, experts, and fans, providing a definitive, one-stop Manga resource.

Description

Once upon a time, one had to read Japanese in order to enjoy manga. Today manga has become a global phenomenon, attracting audiences in North America, Europe, Africa, and Australia. The style has become so popular, in fact, that in the US and UK publishers are appropriating the manga style in a variety of print material, resulting in the birth of harlequin mangas which combine popular romance fiction titles with manga aesthetics. Comic publishers such as Dark Horse and DC Comics are translating Japanese “classics”, like Akira, into English. And of course it wasn’t long before Shakespeare received the manga treatment. So what is manga?
Manga roughly translates as “whimsical pictures” and its long history can be traced all the way back to picture books of eighteenth century Japan. Today, it comes in two basic forms: anthology magazines (such as Shukan Shonen Jampu) that contain several serials and manga ‘books’ (tankobon) that collect long-running serials from the anthologies and reprint them in one volume. The anthologies contain several serials, generally appear weekly and are so thick, up to 800 pages, that they are colloquially known as phone books. Sold at newspaper stands and in convenience stores, they often attract crowds of people who gather to read their favorite magazine.

Containing sections addressing the manga industry on an international scale, the different genres, formats and artists, as well the fans themselves, Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives is an important collection of essays by an international cast of scholars, experts, and fans, and provides a one-stop resource for all those who want to learn more about manga, as well as for anybody teaching a course on the subject.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Section One: The Industry
   The History of Manga - Jean-Marie Bouissou
   Manga in Asia - John A. Lent
   Manga in Europe - Paul M. Malone
   Understanding Manga Merchandising: An Australian Case
   Study - Jason Bainbridge and Craig Norris
   Shakespeare as Manga - Emma Hayley
   Globalizing from Japan to Hong Kong and Beyond -
   Wendy Siuyi Wong
   Manga and the Critics - Toni Johnson-Woods
Section Two: The Genres & Formats & Artists
   Overview of Manga Genres - Mio Bryce and Jason Davis
   Ryori Manga - Lorie Brau
   Shojo Manga at Home and Abroad - Jennifer Prough
   Beautiful Boys in Japanese Women's Comics - Mark
   McClelland
   Meanings of Manga - Neil Cohn
   The Aesthetics of Manga - Christopher Couch
   Visual Representations and Manga - Craig Norris
   A Look at Takahashi Rumiko, Watase Yu, Shinohara
   Chie, Hikawa Kyoko, Itsuki Natsumi - Mio Bryce
   Osamu Tezuka and Family: Early Pioneers of Manga -
   Wendy Goldberg
   Miuchi Suzue and Intertextuality - Rebecca Suter
   Miyasaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: Manga
   into Anime and Its Reception - Marc Hairston
Section Three: The Fans
   Fandom in Germany, Italy and France - Bouissou, Pellitteri
   and Dolle-Weinkauff
   Scanlation - James Rampant
   American Otaku and the Search for the Authentic Text -
   Stacy Rue
Conclusion

Author(s)

Toni Johnson-Woods is President of the Pop Culture Association of Australia (PopCANNZ) and Senior Lecturer in the English, Media Studies and Art History School at the University of Queensland.

Thor: Myth to Marvel
by Martin Arnold

Imprint: Continuum
Pub. date: 21 Jul 2011
ISBN: 9781441135421
256 Pages, paperback
World rights
Translation Rights Available
$29.95

An exploration of how the legend of Thor has been adopted, adapted and transformed through history.

Description

The myths of the Norse god Thor were preserved in the Icelandic Eddas, set down in the early Middle Ages. The bane of giants and trolls, Thor was worshipped as the last line of defence against all that threatened early Nordic society.

Thor’s significance persisted long after the Christian conversion and, in the mid-eighteenth century, Thor resumed a symbolic prominence among northern countries. Admired and adopted in Scandinavia and Germany, he became central to the rhetoric of national romanticism and to more belligerent assertions of nationalism.

Resurrected in the latter part of the twentieth century in Marvel Magazine, Thor was further transformed into an articulation both of an anxious male sexuality and of a parallel nervousness regarding American foreign policy.

Martin Arnold explores the extraordinary regard in which Thor has been held since medieval times and considers why and how his myth has been adopted, adapted and transformed.
Table of Contents

Introduction:Reverberations throughout History \ 1. The Giant Killer: Thor in Old Norse Mythology \ 2. Damnation and Resurrection: Thor from the Christian Conversion to the Enlightenment \ 3. The Romancing of Thor \ 4. Distant Thunder: Thor and the Nationalists \ 5. The God of War: Thor and the Fascists \ 6. Marvellous Thor \ Appendix \ Bibliography \ Index

Author(s)

Martin Arnold is Professor of Scandinavian Literature at Hull University. He is the author of The Vikings (Continuum, 2006).

New/Recent from McFarland

2010-12-27T19:17:00.000-05:00

I was browsing the McFarland Publishing website last week and came upon the following:

Heroes of Film, Comics and American Culture: Essays on Real and Fictional Defenders of Home
Edited by Lisa M. DeTora
ISBN 978-0-7864-3827-3
37 photos, bibliography, index
347pp. softcover 2009
Price: $39.95

Description
These essays consider the way that heroes and the domestic spaces they defend have been represented in 20th and early 21st century popular forms, especially film, comic books and material culture. The authors work in various academic disciplines such as English, film studies, history and human geography, thus bringing a rich variety of theoretical vantage points to the reader in a single collection.

Topics covered include Tales of Suspense, Captain America, gender and popular culture during World War II, Iron Man and the military-industrial complex, Batman, Xena: Warrior Princess, The Ring, Ridley Scott, and many others.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v
Introduction: Real Americans, Heroes, and Home Fronts
LISA DETORA 1

1. “A Labyrinth Without a Clew”: Husbands, Houses and Harpies in Richard Matheson’s The Shrinking Man and Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves
DARA DOWNEY 17
2. Beautiful Results: Whitman’s Democratic Vision and the Evolution of America in Michael Cunningham’s Specimen Days
ANDREW SCHOPP 40
3. Defending the Heartland: Technology and the Future in The Phantom Empire (1935)
CYNTHIA J. MILLER 61
4. Temporary Heroes “In the Service of Mars”: Women in Uniform, Factories, and the Kitchen during World War II
HEATHER MOLYNEAUX 77
5. Fighting for Home: Masculinity and the Constitution of the Domestic in Tales of Suspense and Captain America
JASON DITTMER 96
6. “Axe the Axis” and “Bombers Aloft”: Militaristic Play During the Second World War
LISA L. OSSIAN 117
7. To Protect and to Threaten: Gary Cooper and the Gender Politics of High Noon (1952)
STEVEN T. SHEEHAN 134
8. Hero of the Military-Industrial Complex: Reading Iron Man Through Burke’s Dramatism
RONALD C. THOMAS, JR. 152
9. Professional Killers at Home: Domesticity and the Deregulated Subject
LACHLAN MACDOWALL 167
10. The Teacher as Hero: Representations in Late Cold War Film and Culture
LEAH SADYKOV 181
11. Terrorist, Technocrat, and Feudal Lord: Batman in Comic Book and Film Adaptations
MARC EDWARD DIPAOLO 194
12. Knocked Up, Not Knocked Out: Xena: Warrior Princess, Pregnant Action Hero
MARY JO LODGE 218
13. The Naked Hero and Model Man: Costumed Identity in Comic Book Narratives
DAVID COUGHLAN 234
14. Mommy, Baby, Ghost: The Technological Chain Letter and the Nuclear Family in The Ring
CHUCK ROBINSON 253
15. Waking Up the Mythic American Neo
JAYSON BAKER 268
16. Ridley Scott’s Epics: Gender of Violence
DANIELLE GLASSMEYER 281
17. “Real Americans”: Inclusion, Difference, and Tolerance in Post 9/11 Nationalist Discourse
RANDY COTA 301

Afterword
MALIA K. DU MONT 315
For Further Reading—TEEVRAT GARG 319
About the Contributors 323
Index 329

About the Author
Lisa M. DeTora is an assistant professor and assistant director in the English department at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

The Rise and Reason of Comics and Graphic Literature: Critical Essays on the Form
Edited by Joyce Goggin and Dan Hassler-Forest
ISBN 978-0-7864-4294-2
20 photos, notes, bibliography, index
244pp. softcover 2010
Price: $35.00

Description
These 15 essays investigate comic books and graphic novels, beginning with the early development of these media. The essays also place the work in a cultural context, addressing theory and terminology, adaptations of comic books, the superhero genre, and comic books and graphic novels that deal with history and nonfiction. By addressing the topic from a wide range of perspectives, the book offers readers a nuanced and comprehensive picture of current scholarship in the subject area.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Joyce Goggin and Dan Hassler-Forest 1

Part One. Origin Stories: History and Development of the Genre
1. Of Gutters and Guttersnipes: Hogarth’s Legacy
Joyce Goggin 5
2. Ridiculous Rebellion: George L. Carlson and the Recovery of Jingle Jangle Comics
Daniel F. Yezbick 25
3. Suspended in Mid-Month: Serialized Storytelling in Comics
Daniel Wüllner 42

Part Two. What We Talk About When We Talk About Comics: Theory and Terminology
4 Balloonics: The Visuals of Balloons in Comics
Charles Forceville, Tony Veale, and Kurt Feyaerts 56
5. Remediation and the Sense of Time in Graphic Narratives
Kai Mikkonen 74
6. Brick by Brick: Chris Ware’s Architecture of the Page
Angela Szczepaniak 87

Part Three. Out of the Gutter: Comics and Adaptations
7. It Was the Best of Two Worlds, It Was the Worst of Two Worlds: The Adaptation of Novels in Comics and Graphic Novels
Dirk Vanderbeke 104
8. The 300 Controversy: A Case Study in the Politics of Adaptation
Dan Hassler-Forest 119

Part Four. Men in Tights: The Superhero Paradigm
9. The Last Action Hero’s Swan Song: Graphic Novelty or Never-Ending Story?
Andreas Rauscher 130
10. Extraordinary People: The Superhero Genre and Celebrity Culture in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Jonathan E. Goldman 142
11. Warren Ellis’s Planetary: The Archaeology of Superheroes
Karin Kukkonen 154

Part Five. Drawing History: Nonfiction in Comics
12. Reconsidering Comics Journalism: Information and Experience in Joe Sacco’s Palestine
Benjamin Woo 166
13. Comics, Trauma and Cultural Memory(ies) of 9/11
Christophe Dony and Caroline van Linthout 178
14. “Be vewy, vewy quiet. We’re hunting wippers”: A Barthesian Analysis of the Construction of Fact and Fiction in Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell
Julia Round 188
15. Graphic Black Nationalism: Visualizing Political Narratives in the Graphic Novel
James Braxton Peterson 202

About the Contributors 223
Works Cited 227
Index 237

About the Author
Joyce Goggin is an associate professor of literature, film and new media at the University of Amsterdam and Head of Studies at Amsterdam University College. Her primary research is on gambling and its representation in various media, though she has published on topics including film adaptation and Jane Austen, the tarot in literature, film serialization, The Gilmore Girls and addiction, and disaster capitalism.
Dan Hassler-Forest teaches media studies and English literature at the University of Amsterdam, where he is currently finishing his dissertation on superheroes in post-9/11 popular culture.

New Telefilms from Cartoon Network

2010-11-28T22:48:00.001-05:00

Cartoon Network premiered two comic-based telefilms last week.

The first was Firebreather based on the series created by Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn and published by Image Comics. The protagonist is a teenaged boy half-dragon and half-human. I append the teaser trailer below; a longer trailer can be accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApoLKbwU_VQ&feature=channel. The film is not yet available on DVD but can be purchased on iTunes for $9.99

The second telefilm was Young Justice a pilot film for the forthcoming animated series (launching in January 2011) and inspired by the long-running Young Justice series. As was true with the comic, the animated series features the sidekicks, young relatives, and (in the case of Superman) teenaged clones of members of the Justice League.

Recent Scholarship on Stardust

2010-11-28T01:03:00.000-05:00

Extrapolation 51.2 (Summer 2010) arrived this week with the following contents of interest to the blog:

Paula Brown, "Stardust as Allegorical Bildungsroman: An Apology For Platonic Idealism," pp. 216-34.

Complete contents and further details on the journal's website.

IJOCA 12.2-3 Contents

2010-11-22T00:29:00.001-05:00

As promised, here are the contents for IJOCA 12.2-3:

Vol. 12, No. 2/3, Fall 2010
708 pages / 38 Articles
Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque

John A. Lent 1 Editor’s Note
Fabrice Leroy 2 Yves Chaland and Lue Cornillon’s Rewriting of Classical Belgian Comics in Captivant: From Graphic Homage to Implicit Criticism
Giancarla Unser-Schutz 25 Exploring the Role of Language in Manga: Text Types, Their Usages, and Their Distributions
Rick Marschall 44 Nurturing the Butterfly: My Life in Comic Art Studies
Derik A. Badman 91 Talking, Thinking, and Seeing in Pictures: Narration, Focalization, and Ocularization in Comics Narratives
Enrique Garcia 112 Coon Imagery in Will Eisner’s The Spirit and Yolanda Vargas Dulché’s Memín Pinguín and Its Legacy in the Contemporary United States and Mexican Comic Book Industries
Kerry Soper 125 From Jive Crows in “Dumbo” to Bumbazine and “Pogo”: Walt Kelly and the Conflicted Politics Reracinating African American Types in Mid-20th Century Comics
Robert Furlong and Christophe Cassiau-Haurie 150 Comic Books, Politics, and Manipulation: The Case of Repiblik Zanimo, the First Comic Strip and Book in Creole
Grazyna Gajewsk 159 Between History and Memory – Marzi: Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard Marzena Sowa and Sylvain Savoia
Matthew M. Chew and Lu Chen 171 Media Institutional Contexts of the Emergence and Development of Xinmanhua in China
Jörn Ahrens 192 The Father’s Art of Crime: Igort’s 5 Is the Perfect Number
Marco Pellitteri 209 Comics Reading and Attitudes of Openness toward the Other: The Italian-Speaking Teenagers’ Case in South Tyrol
Iren Ozgur 248 Have You Heard the One about the Islamist Humor Magazine?
Weidan Cao 251 The Mountains and the Moon, the Willows and the Swallows: A Hybrid Semiotic Analysis of Feng Zikai’s “New Paintings for Old Poems”
Candida Rifkind 268 A Stranger in an Strange Land? Guy Delisle Redraws the Travelogue
Daniel Stein 291 The Long Shadow of Wilhelm Busch: “Max & Moritz” and German Comics
Hannah Miodrag 309 Fragmented Text: The Spatial Arrangement of Words in Comics
Christopher Eklund 328 Toward an Ethicoaesthetics of Comics: A Critical Manifesto
Muliyadi Mahamood 336 The Malaysian Humor Magazine Gila-Gila: An Appreciation
Roy Bearden-White 354 Inheriting Trauma in Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
Philippe Gauthier 367 On “Institutionalization”: From Cinema to Comics
Marc A. Londo 376 Mr. Tap and His African-American Cartoons of the 1940s/1950s
Marcia R. Ristaino 395 Two Linked by Another, Ding Cong: Interviews with Betty McIntosh and Shen Jun
Shelley Drake Hawks 402 Ding Cong’s “True Story of Ah Q” in Art and Life
John A. Lent and Xu Ying 425 Fengjing – The Town That Claimed Ding Cong
Phillip Troutman 432 The Discourse of Comics Scholarship: A Rhetorical Analysis of Research Article Introductions
Ross Murray 445 Referencing Comics: A Comprehensive Citation Guide
Sylvain Rheault 459 Curvy Alterations in “Gaston” by Franquin
Miriam Peña-Pimentel 469 Baroque Features in Japanese Hentai
Yuko Nakamura 487 What Does the “Sky” Say? – Distinctive Characteristics of Manga and What the Sky Represents in It
B.S. Jamuna 509 Strategic Positioning and Re-presentations of Women in Indian Comics
Meena Ahmed 525 Exploring the Dimensions of Political Cartoons: A Case Study of Pakistan
Camila Figueiredo 543 Tunes Across Media: The Intermedial Transposition of Music in Watchmen
Rania M. R. Saleh 552 Making History Come Alive Through Political Cartoons
Bill Kartalopoulos 565 Taking and Making Liberties: Narratives of Comics History
Toni Masdiono 577 An Indonesian Bid for the First Graphic Novel
John A. Lent 581 In Remembrance of Five Major Comic Art Personalities
Perucho Mejia Garcia 588 Ismael Roldan Torres (1964-2009) of Colombia: A Memorial Tribute
Zheng Huagai 598 Tributes to Two Famous, Anti-Japanese War Cartoonists: Zhang Ding and Te Wei
John A. Lent 614 The Printed Word
620 Book Reviews
644 Exhibition and Media Reviews
696 Correction
697 Portfolio