Medieval Classics (Re)Illustrated: A Medieval Comics Project Teamup (Hybrid)
61st International Congress on Medieval Studies
Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, Michigan)/Online through Confex
Session 369: Saturday, 16 May 2026, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
Sangren Hall 3110 (hybrid)
Organized by Michael A. Torregrossa, Bristol Community College, and Siân Echard, University of British Columbia
Co-sponsored by Medieval Comics Project; International Arthurian Society, North American Branch (IAS/NAB); International Society for the Study of Medievalism
Presider: Rachael Warmington, Seton Hall University (rkw2111@gmail.com)
1 - What Makes a Hero? (In-Person)
Jehan Parker, Independent scholar
A focused genealogy of "hero" as an archetype in the chronology of Western Canon, seeking to explore the central question of "what makes a hero?" and grappling with the enormous and frenetic variance in the virtues embodied therein.
Jehan Parker is an independent scholar—this is their first presentation! It’s part of a larger project on the genealogy of hero mythology more broadly.
2 - Trans Thinking: Exploring the Productive Consonances between Medieval Arthurian and Contemporary Superhero Comics Storytelling through the Lens of Camelot 3000 (Remote)
Adrian McClure, Independent Scholar
The 1980s limited series Camelot 3000, with its ground-breaking transgender content, provides a useful jumping-off point to explore the myriad and mutually illuminating connections between the generic universe of contemporary superhero comics and Arthurian chivalric romance, especially with regard to gender binaries and the interrelationship of embodiment and personal identity.
Adrian McClure is an autistic independent scholar whose research focuses on the intersection of gender and religious identity in medieval literature. They published an article in Speculum on the Chanson de Roland as a multi-layered, theologically inflected text, and an article in Arthuriana's special comics issue on trans Arthurian themes in Grant Morrison's Shining Knight and Luda. They are finishing a book on the thirteenth-century Perlesvaus as a work of trauma fiction tied to the Albigensian Crusade. Their new book project explores nonbinary gender in Arthurian literature, from Chrétien de Troyes through present-day Marvel and DC comics.
3 - An Unlikely Heroine: The Challenges of Depicting Joan of Arc in Bandes Dessinées (In-Person)
Deborah L. McGrady, Univ. of Virginia
This presentation examines the representation of Joan of Arc in French comics from the 1890s through 2023 with specific attention given to how the Maid's story, her appearance and her expression are constrained by misogynistic and conservative values that hold enduring influence in the comic world.
Deborah McGrady, professor of French and Director of Medieval Studies at the University of Virginia. She published a monograph last May on Joan of Arc: The life of a French Cultural Icon. The work she is presenting today is a spinoff of that work.
4 - Hermetic Text as Metafictional Artifact: Medieval Arcana in Recent Graphic Novels (In-Person)
Andrew Hartzell, Independent Scholar
A focused genealogy of "hero" as an archetype in the chronology of Western Canon, seeking to explore the central question of "what makes a hero?" and grappling with the enormous and frenetic variance in the virtues embodied therein.
Jehan Parker is an independent scholar—this is their first presentation! It’s part of a larger project on the genealogy of hero mythology more broadly.
2 - Trans Thinking: Exploring the Productive Consonances between Medieval Arthurian and Contemporary Superhero Comics Storytelling through the Lens of Camelot 3000 (Remote)
Adrian McClure, Independent Scholar
The 1980s limited series Camelot 3000, with its ground-breaking transgender content, provides a useful jumping-off point to explore the myriad and mutually illuminating connections between the generic universe of contemporary superhero comics and Arthurian chivalric romance, especially with regard to gender binaries and the interrelationship of embodiment and personal identity.
Adrian McClure is an autistic independent scholar whose research focuses on the intersection of gender and religious identity in medieval literature. They published an article in Speculum on the Chanson de Roland as a multi-layered, theologically inflected text, and an article in Arthuriana's special comics issue on trans Arthurian themes in Grant Morrison's Shining Knight and Luda. They are finishing a book on the thirteenth-century Perlesvaus as a work of trauma fiction tied to the Albigensian Crusade. Their new book project explores nonbinary gender in Arthurian literature, from Chrétien de Troyes through present-day Marvel and DC comics.
3 - An Unlikely Heroine: The Challenges of Depicting Joan of Arc in Bandes Dessinées (In-Person)
Deborah L. McGrady, Univ. of Virginia
This presentation examines the representation of Joan of Arc in French comics from the 1890s through 2023 with specific attention given to how the Maid's story, her appearance and her expression are constrained by misogynistic and conservative values that hold enduring influence in the comic world.
Deborah McGrady, professor of French and Director of Medieval Studies at the University of Virginia. She published a monograph last May on Joan of Arc: The life of a French Cultural Icon. The work she is presenting today is a spinoff of that work.
4 - Hermetic Text as Metafictional Artifact: Medieval Arcana in Recent Graphic Novels (In-Person)
Andrew Hartzell, Independent Scholar
This paper will highlight contemporary graphic novels that feature arcane Medieval texts as framing devices or nested narratives. We will explore the ways in which these cartoonists retrieve and/or subvert premodern mystical genres toward postmodern ends.
Andy Hartzell is a cartoonist, designer, independent scholar and recent transplant to Kalamazoo. He’s contributed to several award-winning anthologies, and his most recent graphic novels are available through Uncivilized Books. In a previous life he designed video games, educational toys and VR experiences at Google and elsewhere.
Andy Hartzell is a cartoonist, designer, independent scholar and recent transplant to Kalamazoo. He’s contributed to several award-winning anthologies, and his most recent graphic novels are available through Uncivilized Books. In a previous life he designed video games, educational toys and VR experiences at Google and elsewhere.
