Abstract: Art Spiegelman’s Children’s Cartoons and the History of Comics Literacy

This is the abstract of a paper I hope to deliver at ACLA in 2016 (on a stream I am co-sponsoring called “Institutions of Reading“). The paper represents some of my preliminary work for a projected Spiegelman/Mouly chapter of my current book project, “Rise of the Graphic Novel.” It is also a talk-version of my anticipated contribution to the … Continue reading Abstract: Art Spiegelman’s Children’s Cartoons and the History of Comics Literacy

Justin Green’s “Strong Iconic Attraction”

For my first real post on “Rise of the Graphic Novel,” I’m going to share the abstract I submitted for the forthcoming ASAP/7 conference at Clemson University in Greenville, SC. Title Justin Green’s “Strong Iconic Attraction,” or, How U.S. Comics Emerged from the Underground Abstract In the 1970s, underground comix began transforming into what many … Continue reading Justin Green’s “Strong Iconic Attraction”

In Praise of Zombies

We need to talk about zombies. In a recent article in Inside Higher Education about the precipitous decline in the number of English majors at my institution, the University of Maryland, College Park, the undead rear their charred and mutilated heads. Our zombie friends, we are informed, promise (or threaten) to help lure resistant students back into the English major: … Continue reading In Praise of Zombies