CFP Medieval Temporalities and Comics (Hybrid) (9/20/2025; Leeds IMC 7/6-9/2026)

Medieval Temporalities and Comics (Hybrid) (Leeds IMC, 6th-9th July, 2026)

deadline for submissions:
September 20, 2025

full name / name of organization:
Natalie Hopwood and Michael Torregrossa / The Medieval Comics Project

contact email:
ennrho@leeds.ac.uk



Medieval Temporalities and Comics

Leeds International Medieval Congress, 6th-9th July 2026

Hybrid Session

Co-organized by Natalie Hopwood, University of Leeds and Michael A. Torregrossa, Bristol Community College (The Medieval Comics Project)

This session aims to discuss the lasting legacy of the medieval on modern comics, sequential art, manga, and related media, and how the medieval continues to affect us today. We invite proposals for 20 minute papers about topics including, but not limited to:

Adaptations of medieval sources/characters into modern comics
Parallels between medieval art and comics
Longevity of medieval-themed comics characters (Prince Valiant, Shining Knight, etc.)
Reimaginings of the medieval in science fiction (Camelot 3000, Fourth World, etc.)
Time-displaced medieval characters in modern comics



Abstracts (250 words) and a short bio can be emailed to Natalie Hopwood (ennrho@leeds.ac.uk) and Michael Torregrossa (comics.get.medieval@gmail.com) of The Medieval Comics Project by 20th September 2025. Feel free to contact us with any questions!

Call for Papers Notice for Kalamazoo and Leeds 2026

Call for Papers Kalamazoo and Leeds 2026

Dear friends of the Medieval Comics Project.

Two updates to share. 

First up, Kalamazoo 2026.

We've had much success this summer with session proposals for the 2026 International Congress on Medieval Studies at Kalamazoo and have been awarded both a panel and workshop on medieval-themed comics.

Please consider submitting a proposal and/or sharing these with your network. Submissions are due by 15 September 2025. Please use the links provided. (The ICMS does offer limited travel awards and grants for subsidized registration; details are available at https://wmich.edu/medievalcongress/awards.) 

Medieval Classics (Re)Illustrated: A Medieval Comics Project Teamup (hybrid): https://icms.confex.com/icms/2026/prelim.cgi/Session/7242.

Medieval literature has long been popular with comics creators as the source for stories and characters, which have been adapted, appropriated, and/or transformed within a variety of comics. In this co-sponsored session we seek, primarily, to unite the disciplines of Comics Studies and Medieval(ism) Studies at large to explore the history of comics adaptations, appropriations, and transformations of medieval literature for their value to our teaching and research. In addition, we hope panelists will also address how these comics can shed insight into a creator’s personal connections to the medieval past and/or their readers’ reception of the content.

The Medieval Comics Project Bibliographies: Resources for Finding and Accessing Comics and Critiques (A Workshop) (virtual): https://icms.confex.com/icms/2026/prelim.cgi/Session/7246.  

This workshop session will highlight the recently launched Medieval Comics Project Bibliographies (https://tinyurl.com/MedievalComicsProjectBiblios), an open-access resource devoted to spreading knowledge of comics based on medieval subjects and furthering discussion and debate of this material.

Second, Leeds 2026 (and other events).

Looking ahead a bit further, Natalie Hopwood of Leeds University has offered to organize a session on comics for the 2026 International Medieval Congress under its theme of "Temporalities". If you have ideas for papers, please forward them to me (comics.get.medieval@gmail.com) and Natalie (ennrho@leeds.ac.uk). The conference is hybrid as well.

Do also share with me (comics.get.medieval@gmail.com) any other events that you think would be of value for sharing work on comics.

Thanks for your time,

Michael

--

Michael A. Torregrossa (he/him/his)

Organizer, The Comics Get Medieval: details at https://medieval-comics-project.blogspot.com/.

Architect: The Medieval Comics Project Bibliographies: https://tinyurl.com/MedievalComicsProjectBiblios.

Founder, The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture: https://medievalinpopularculture.blogspot.com/.

Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain: https://kingarthurforever.blogspot.com/.

Sponsored Sessions on Comics (and More) for NeMLA 2025

Cross-posted from the Mass Mediævalisms blog:

We are organizing the following sessions for the 56th Annual Convention of the Northeast Modern Language Association to be held in Philadelphia, 6-9 March. The full schedule is available online and registration is required to attend. 

Thursday, Mar 6 - Track 4 (02:15-04:15 PM)

4.12 Saving the Day for Medieval Studies: Using Comics for Teaching the Middle Ages (Roundtable)
Chair: Michael Torregrossa, Bristol Community College
Chair: Karen Casebier, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Location: 402 (Media Equipped)
Pedagogy & Professional & Cultural Studies and Media Studies

"The Medieval Comics Project: Ongoing Efforts to Expand the Field of Medieval Comics Scholarship" Michael Torregrossa, Bristol Community College

"From Borders to Panels: Integrating Comic Books into Medieval Studies Pedagogy" Rachael Warmington, Seton Hall University

"Reshaping Literary Canon: Graphic Novels as the Future of Classics" Derek Castle, University of New Hampshire

"Marvel 1602 and its Connection to the Scientific Enlightenment" Madison Cothern, University of Memphis

Sunday, Mar 9 - Track 22 (08:15-10:15 AM)

22.20 (Re)Animating the Middle Ages: Adapting the Medieval in Animated Media (Seminar)
Chair: Michael Torregrossa, Bristol Community College
Chair: Karen Casebier, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
Location: 410 (Media Equipped)
Cultural Studies and Media Studies & Interdisciplinary Humanities

"Animating Marie de France : Emile Mercier’s Bisclavret (2011)" Karen Casebier, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

"Possibilities and Pitfalls in Arthurian Animation: An Exploration of the Darkstalkers Series (1995)" Michael Torregrossa, Bristol Community College

"The Black Knight: Women “Passing” as Knights in Children’s Entertainment" Megan Arnott, Lakehead University

"Cartoon Saloon's Wild Women: Monstrous Genders in Irish Animated Medievalism" Colin Wheeler, Kennesaw State University

"A Modern Look at Late Medieval Religion and Literacy in Obsidian Entertainment’s Pentiment" Olivia Mathers, Lehigh University

"Heresy and Crusades: How Modern Fascists Appropriated the Medieval Aesthetics of Warhammer 40k" William Weiss, Independent Scholar

CFP Comics Get Medieval 2023: New Work on the Comics Medium in Medieval Studies (virtual) (8/15/2023; ICSM 10/26-28/2023)

Comics Get Medieval 2023: New Work on the Comics Medium in Medieval Studies (virtual)

Call for Papers - Please Submit Proposals by 15 August 2023

The Medieval in Cyberspace: 2023 International Conference for the Study of Medievalism

The UNICORN Castle (https://unicorn-castle.org/)

Online event: Thursday, 26 October, through Saturday, 28 October, 2023

Comics Get Medieval 2023: New Work on the Comics Medium in Medieval Studies (virtual)

Sponsoring Organization: Medieval Comics Project

Organizers: Michael A. Torregrossa, Richard Scott Nokes, and Carl Sell


The comics medium offers a wealth of material of relevance to medievalists from comic-like art and illustrations from the Middle Ages to post-medieval cartoons, comics, and related media. Comics from the medieval era present unique insights into the past and allow us to forge a connection with those that lived then through a now-familiar artform. Meanwhile, modern comics with medieval themes adapt, appropriate, and transform the medieval bringing history, legends, literature, myths, and personages to life through disparate formats and genres presented for audiences across the globe.


In this session, we seek to celebrate and explore the variety and vitality of medieval comics (both those from the medieval past as well as contemporary ones) and to share that material with our colleagues to promote further debate, discussion, and inquiry and to, hopefully, inspire future research and teaching.


Topics might include:

• Creating medieval or medieval-themed comics
• Sharing resources for accessing medieval or medieval-themed comics
• Study of a particular character across a series or variety of comics
• Study of a particular creator of comics
• Study of a particular series of comics
• Using medieval comics in the classroom or for research
• Using medieval-themed comics in the classroom or for research

.

We are especially seeking coverage on comics from outside the United States. We also welcome assistance through bibliographies, interviews, and/or resource guides that can be shared with our audience.


All proposals for the session must be submitted directly to the organizers, at Comics.Get.Medieval@gmail.com, by 15 August 2023.



Please check out our growing resources on medieval-themed comics at the Medieval Comics Project (https://medieval-comics-project.blogspot.com/) and the Arthurian Comics Project (https://arthur-of-the-comics-project.blogspot.com/) websites. We also maintain two listservs of relevance–both the Medieval Comics Discussion List (at https://groups.io/g/medieval-comixlist) and the Arthurian Comics Discussion List (at https://groups.io/g/arthurian-comixlist)--and welcome new members. :


Thank you for your interest in our session. Please address questions and/or concerns to the organizers at Comics.Get.Medieval@gmail.com.

CFP Saving the Day at Kalamazoo: Finding Comics for Medievalist Research and Teaching (A Workshop) (virtual) (9/15/2023; ICMS 5/9-11/2024)

Saving the Day at Kalamazoo: Finding Comics for Medievalist Research and Teaching (A Workshop) (virtual)

Call for Presenters - Please Submit Proposals by 15 September 2023

59th International Congress on Medieval Studies

Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, Michigan)

Hybrid event: Thursday, 9 May, through Saturday, 11 May, 2024

Saving the Day at Kalamazoo: Finding Comics for Medievalist Research and Teaching (A Workshop) (virtual)

Sponsoring Organization: Medieval Comics Project

Organizers: Michael A. Torregrossa, Richard Scott Nokes, and Carl Sell


The comics medium has much to offer to the field of Medieval Studies, but medievalists are often unfamiliar with comics and how to go about locating them and incorporating them productively into their work.


The focus of this workshop will be to present resources for finding comics of relevance to medieval topics (and legitimate scholarship on them) and to allow participants to employ these tools under the guidance of experts in the field. In addition, we hope that this forum will serve as a safe space to ask questions and address concerns about comics and their value.


To support our endeavors, we are interested in contributions to the workshop towards helping participants access medieval-themed comics in general as well as approaches to more focused topics relevant to the field of Medieval Studies. We are especially seeking coverage on comics from outside the United States. We also welcome assistance through bibliographies, interviews, and/or resource guides that can be shared with our participants.


All proposals for the workshop must be submitted directly to the organizers, at Comics.Get.Medieval@gmail.com, by 15 September 2023.



Please check out our growing resources on medieval-themed comics at the Medieval Comics Project (https://medieval-comics-project.blogspot.com/) and the Arthurian Comics Project (https://arthur-of-the-comics-project.blogspot.com/) websites. We also maintain two listservs of relevance–both the Medieval Comics Discussion List (at https://groups.io/g/medieval-comixlist) and the Arthurian Comics Discussion List (at https://groups.io/g/arthurian-comixlist)--and welcome new members. :


Thank you for your interest in our session. Please address questions and/or concerns to the organizers at Comics.Get.Medieval@gmail.com.

Comics Sessions in November at MAPACA

I'm pleased to announce the the Medieval Comics Project is sponsoring another session on medieval-themed comics at this year's meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association to be held online 10-12 November 2022. Access to the conference is through paid registration. Full details are available at MAPACA's website accessible from this link. 

Here the the session details:

Comics and Medieval Studies: Reflections on the Field in Commemoration of the 85th Anniversary of Prince Valiant

MEDIEVAL & RENAISSANCE / PANEL

Friday, November 11, 11:00 am to 12:15 pm (The Paper Nautilus)

Presentations

Comics in Medievalist Research and Teaching: Pitfalls and Possibilities

Michael A Torregrossa (Independent scholar)

Reworkings of Arthurian Legend in Comics: Positive Change and Perpetuation of Isms

Rachael Kathleen Warmington (Seton Hall University)

Horrible Hags and Villainous Vixens: Visual images of Female Villains in Medieval Comics

Diana Vecchio (Widener University)

Session chair

Scott Manning (Independent scholar)

Comics Sessions at ICSM This Month

Two sessions on medieval-themed comics (one sponsored by us and one independent of us) this month at the International Conference for the Study of Medievalism, a hybrid event hosted by Appalachian State University. The main page for the conference with information on registration and full program can be accessed by clicking this link. Do reach out if you have any issues. Please support both sessions if you can.

Friday, 10/21, at 2-3:30 PM EDT (virtual session)

*XII. Session: Making Comics Matter: A Celebration of Medieval-Themed Comics in Honor of the 85th Anniversary of Prince Valiant.

Sponsored by Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture

Presider: Michael Torregrossa, Independent Scholar
Richard Scott Nokes, Troy University, “Beowulf Comic Books as a Critique of Academia”
Carl Sell, Lock Haven University, “Arthuriana Post-Arthur: DC’s Demon Knights and the Extension of the Matter of Britain”
Rachael Warmington, Seton Hall University, From Swords to Lasers: The Evolving Arthurian Mythos in Comics and Graphic Novels
Iain A. MacInnes, University of the Highlands and Islands, “Comic Depictions of The Hundred Years’ War”

Saturday, 10/22, at 9-10:30 AM EDT (hybrid session)

XIX. Comics/Graphic Novels

Presider: Craig Fisher Appalachian State University
Karen Casebier, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga “Merlin’s Pseudo-Brythonic Prehistory in Merlin, the Graphic Novel
*Karl Fugelso, Towson University, “Direct and Indirect Validation in Green Dante/Green Virgil #1”
*Michael A. Torregrossa, Independent Scholar, “Arthuriana vs. the Axis Powers Revisited: Turning the Spotlight on American Comics of World War II
*Holly Aldridge, Appalachian State University, “The Fantastic Misadventure of Hawthorne and Bells”

Kalamazoo 2020 Update

This year's International Congress on Medieval Studies has been cancelled due to the coronavirus. Full details (and a request for donations) at https://wmich.edu/medievalcongress.

The Medieval Institute has offered to accept any cancelled session for the 2021 congress.

The Medieval Comics Project was set to run a two-session roundtable this year.

News of CFP Saving the Day for Medievalists: Accessing Medieval-Themed Comics in the Twenty-first Century (Roundtable) (9/15/19; Kalamazoo 5/7-10/2020)

The Medieval Comics Project is sponsoring a session for next year's International Congress on Medieval Studies. The full details on the call for paper can be found on the Making Medievalisms Matter site at https://medievalinpopularculture.blogspot.com/2019/08/cfpsaving-day-for-medievalists.html.

Paper proposals are due by 15 September 2019.

Thanks for your support of our endeavors.

Web Links Updates

Please be advised, as neither The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain nor The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture has funds for operating expenses, we will no longer be renewing our domain names effective January 2016.

The Arthur of the Comics Project can now only be accessed at http://arthur-of-the-comics-project.blogspot.com/, and The Medieval Comics Project accessed at http://medieval-comics-project.blogspot.com/.

Please update your links.

Michael A. Torregrossa
Founder, The Alliance for the Promotion of Research on the Matter of Britain
Founder, The Association for the Advancement of Scholarship and Teaching of the Medieval in Popular Culture