Saving the Day at Kalamazoo: Finding Comics for Medievalist Research and Teaching (A Workshop) (Virtual)
59th International Congress on Medieval Studies (you must register to attend)
Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI)
Virtual Session
Session 319: Friday, 10 May 2024, from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Sponsored by Medieval Comics Project
Organized by Michael A. Torregrossa, Bristol Community College
Presider: Scott Manning, Independent Scholar
Presentation #1:
“Medieval Comics Project: The Basics”
Michael A. Torregrossa
Michael A. Torregrossa (he/him/his) is a graduate of the Medieval Studies program at the University of Connecticut (Storrs) and works as an adjunct instructor of writing and literature courses in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. His research focuses on popular culture’s adaptation and appropriation of literary classics, including the Arthurian legends, Beowulf, and the Robin Hood story, and he has published an annotated comicsography, an article, and two encyclopedia entries on Arthurian comics. As part of his work on medieval-themed comics, Michael founded the Arthurian Comics Discussion List in 2000 and the Medieval Comics Project Discussion List in 2005. He also maintains their associated blogs: The Arthur of the Comics Project and The Medieval Comics Project.
Michael’s profile on Academia.edu (with links to his work on medieval-themed comics).
Medieval Comics Project: The Basics
Introduction
The term medieval comics refers both to comic-like media from the medieval past (such as the Bayeux tapestry and manuscript illuminations) as well as to adaptations and appropriations of the medieval produced by creators of comics in the post-medieval world. This second group represents a fascinating form of global medievalisms featured in materials that include cartoons, comic books, comic strips, graphic albums, graphic novels, and related media (such as anime, books, collectibles, films, games, television programming, and toys) based on comics.
My presentation will share some general links and some starting points to find and access some comics and engage with them within the larger context of the field,
Medieval Comics Links
Sponsored Resources
The Medieval Comics Project Discussion List (sign up at Groups.io)
The Arthurian Comics Discussion List (sign up at Groups.io)
Comics and Medieval Studies Survey (link to Google Form)
Monographs
Bishop, Chris, Medievalist Comics and the American Century (UP of Mississippi).
Gorgievski, Sandra, Representing the Crusades: From Medieval Imagination to Contemporary Popular Culture (McFarland).
Nokes, Richard Scott, Beowulf in Comic Books and Graphic Novels (McFarland).
Tondro, Jason, Superheroes of the Round Table: Comics Connections to Medieval and Renaissance Literature (McFarland).
Resources for Finding and Accessing Medieval Comics and Medieval Comics Scholarship
Keywords
Medieval:
Arthurian, Beowulf/Grendel, Celtic, Chaucer/Canterbury Tales, Cid, Dante/Inferno/Commedia, Joan of Arc/Jeanne d'Arc, Knight (?), Medieval/Middle Ages/Dark Ages, Norse Mythology, Robin, Roland, Vikings.
Medievalisms:
Cervantes, Scott, Hugo, Twain, Wagner, Stoker, and Smurfs.
Library Databases
MLA International Bibliography (EBSCOhost) (best starting point)
Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) (useful secondary resources; also includes some reviews)
Gale Literature Resource Center (seems to draw from a different set of resources)
Search restrictors: (comics or "graphic novels" or "comic books" or “comic strip” or cartoon or manga)
Academic Databases for Comics
Bonn Online Bibliography of Comics Research
Comics-Specific Databases and Other Resources
Grand Comics Database (great starting resource)
Comics Vine (good to supplement the GCD)
Lone Star Comics website (create an account to access the “Advanced Search” - most comics have some description)
Comic Book Plus (repository of out-of-copyright comics; items have limited descriptions that are searchable)
Presentation #2
“Comics and Graphic Novels in the Beowulf’s Afterlives Bibliographic Database (BABD)”
Britt Mize, Texas A&M Univ.
Britt Mize (he/him) is a Professor in the Department of English at Texas A&M University. He works on Old English poetry and poetics, Middle English drama, and (of greatest relevance here) post-1705 representations and adaptations of Beowulf. As part of this work on Beowulf, Britt has created The Beowulf’s Afterlives Bibliographic Database, which (in addition to its freestanding existence as a digital resource) has supported several traditional publications, including the book Beowulf as Children’s Literature (2021).
BABD link: beowulf.dh.tamu.edu
Beowulf as Children’s Literature (U of Toronto)
Beowulf as Children’s Literature (JSTOR)
Presentation #3
“The Medieval Comics Database Project”
Richard Scott Nokes, Troy Univ.
Richard Scott Nokes (he/him) is a professor of medieval literature at Troy University and the Senior Academic Editor for Witan Publishing. His most recent book is Beowulf in Comic Books and Graphic Novels. Scott is also the lead on a new project called The Medieval Comics Database, the focus of his presentation today. This resource includes the work of scholars from the United States as well as Vietnam, India, and Uganda.
Presentation #4
“Questioning Signifiers of Authenticity in Medieval Comics for Pedagogical Use”
Elizabeth Allyn Woock, Palacký Univ.
Straddling two fields—Medieval Studies and Literature—Elizabeth Allyn Woock (she/her) is an assistant professor at Palacký University, in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Her research ranges from questions on medieval monasticism to investigating medievalisms in modern-day comic books, elements of narrative in comic books, and medievalisms in the Gothic and horror modes. She just finished a book about the poetics of medievalist spaces in comics called Medieval Spaces in Comics: Affect and Ideology, which should be out soon. She is eagerly following the development of comics as a form of scholarly communication within comics-based research.
Personal webpage: eallynwoock.com
Presentation: Finding Comics for Medievalist Research and Teaching.pptx
Presentation #5
“Finding Medievalist Comics: Using Kindle”
Carl B. Sell, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Dr. Carl B. Sell (he/him/his) is the Assistant Director of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program at the University of Pittsburgh. His research explores appropriations of Arthurian legend narratives, characters, and themes in popular culture as an extension of the medieval adaptive tradition. He serves as a member of the advisory boards for The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture and the Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain, and he is the author of journal articles and book chapters on Arthurian topics and DC’s Aquaman.
Presentation Link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17w13gp7uqMX63N5kQmmbi-H-C-ceUw9i/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=100650849758700312253&rtpof=true&sd=true
Amazon Kindle Store for Comics and Graphic Novels:
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/comics-store/home?ref_=sub_ebooks_cat_5
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