The Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon, administered by the Library of Congress is accepting applications for its graduate fellowship, one of the few in the field, for the 2016-2017 academic year. Deadline for applications is February 15, 2016. For criteria, guidelines, and application forms, please see:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/swann-fellow.html
Please email swann@loc.gov or call (202) 707-9115 if you have questions.
(posted at the request of the editors)
Call for book chapter proposals: Todo Fontanarrosa: la obra de un completo humorista / All Fontanarrosa: The Work of a Complete Humourist
Editors: Dr Celina Bortolotto (Massey University, New Zealand) and Dr Annick Pellegrin (University of Mauritius)
Contact email: fontanarrosaproject@gmail.com
When the Argentine Roberto Fontanarrosa passed away in 2007, a national day of mourning was declared and his funeral was attended by thousands. Although Fontanarrosa was much loved and both the man and his works have received public recognition time and again, there are very few published academic works on his œuvre to this day. This proposed anthology seeks to fill this gap by paying attention to Fontanarrosa's work as a whole.
We therefore invite papers in English, Spanish or Portuguese that consider any aspect of Fontanarrosa's œuvre, including but not limited to:
- short stories and novels
- comics
- cinema and theatre
- interviews and public addresses (such as his famous speech on "Las malas palabras")
Abstracts of 1000 words and a short CV should be sent to fontanarrosaproject@gmail.com by 31 December 2015 for consideration. Please write your family name(s) and "Fontanarrosa project" in the subject line. If accepted, full papers will be due on 31 May 2016.
Llamado a propuestas de contribuciones para edición académica: Todo Fontanarrosa: la obra de un completo humorista / All Fontanarrosa: The Work of a Complete Humourist
Editores: Dra. Celina Bortolotto (Massey University, Nueva Zelanda) y Dra. Annick Pellegrin (Universidad de Mauricio)
Contacto: fontanarrosaproject@gmail.com
Cuando el argentino Roberto Fontanarrosa falleció en el año 2007, el país declaró duelo nacional y miles de admiradores asistieron a su funeral. Si bien este humorista es muy querido y recordado y su trabajo ha recibido múltiples reconocimientos, a la fecha existen muy pocas publicaciones académicas sobre su obra. La propuesta de esta antología es suplir esta falta al considerar en profundidad la producción de Fontanarrosa en su conjunto.
Por ello invitamos artículos académicos en español, inglés o portugués que consideren cualquier aspecto de la obra de Fontanarrosa, incluyendo pero no limitándose a:
- narrativa (cuentos y novelas)
- historietas
- cine y teatro
- entrevistas y presentaciones (como la tan conocida sobre "Las malas palabras")
Las propuestas de hasta 1.000 palabras deberán enviarse a: fontanarrosaproject@gmail.com antes del 31 de diciembre de 2015, incluyendo una breve biografía del/a autor/a. Favor de escribir su(s) apellido(s) y "Proyecto Fontanarrosa" en el asunto de su correo electrónico. De ser aceptados, los capítulos deberán presentarse en versión final antes del 31 de mayo de 2016.
ICAF: International Comic Arts Forum, 14-16 April 2016
<http://www.internationalcomicartsforum.org>
14-16 April 2016
University of South Carolina, Columbia
ICAF, the International Comic Arts Forum, invites proposals for scholarly papers for its eighteenth annual meeting, to be held at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, from Thursday, April 14, through Saturday, April 16, 2016. Confirmed guests include comics artists Howard Cruse, Keith Knight, Cece Bell, and Prof. Michael Chaney of Dartmouth College.
The deadline to submit proposals is November 6, 2015.
ICAF welcomes original proposals from diverse disciplines and theoretical perspectives on any aspect of comics or cartooning, particularly studies that reflect an international perspective. Studies of aesthetics, production, distribution, reception, and social, ideological, and historical significance are equally welcome, as are studies that address larger theoretical issues linked to comics or cartooning, for example in image/text studies or new media theory.
Among the thematic panels we hope to offer are Comics and the American South, Digital and Online Comics, and Superheroes; proposals are especially welcome in these areas.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES: ICAF prefers argumentative, thesis-driven papers that are clearly linked to larger critical, artistic, or cultural issues; we avoid presentations that are summative or survey-like in character. We only accept original 20-minute papers that have not been presented or accepted for publication elsewhere. Presenters should assume an audience versed in comics and the fundamentals of comics studies. Where possible, papers should be illustrated by relevant images on PowerPoint. Proposals should not exceed 300 words.
REVIEW PROCESS: All proposals will be subject to blind review. Due to high interest in the conference, in recent years ICAF has typically been able to accept only about half of the proposals received.
SEND ABSTRACTS (with contact information, including state, province, or country of residence in the body of the email) by 6 November 2015, to C.W. Marshall, ICAF Academic Program Director, via email at <toph.marshall@ubc.ca>.
Receipt of all proposals will be acknowledged. Applicants should expect to receive confirmation of acceptance or rejection by December 14, 2015.
ICAF also sponsors the John A. Lent Scholarship in Comics Studies. This scholarship is awarded to a current student who has authored, or is in the process of authoring, a substantial research-based writing project about comics. Applications for this scholarship are due by 8 January 2016. For more information and details of the application process, please visit our website.
Michigan State University's Comic Book Collection.
Comic Time (August 14 2015): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLGUVf2_e-0&feature=youtu.be
A 75-minute look at the collection headed by Randy Scott.
SECOND CALL FOR PAPER (BY POPULAR DEMAND!)
Organizers: The research group on comics at the English Department, Stockholm University
Where and When: Stockholm, 3rd-5th September
Call for papers, deadline/ Notification of acceptance: 10th of May, 2015/15th of May, 2015
Website: https://futureincomics.wordpress.com
E-mail for submissions: Submissions will be handled via easychair:
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=fic1
This conference aims to investigate ways in which comics explore the idea of "future." Its goal is to gather scholars from the field of comic studies and related fields, such as linguistics, philosophy, literary studies, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, film studies as well as others that can discover a conceptual connection to the rigorous study of comics. Given our broad and yet specific purpose, we aim to discuss work on comics originating from all major traditions: French bande desineé, American and British comics, Italian fumetti, Japanese manga, and so on. In pursuing this cross-cultural approach, we wish to discuss not only how different conceptions of the future in comics can be compared and analysed, but also how comics offer unorthodox modes of representation that allow for creative, intellectual freedom that may be different from literature and cinema. In particular, we are interested in, but not limited to, discussing these themes:
· The cross-roads between utopia and dystopia (e.g. Gundam's Universal Century);
· Transmetropolitan's representation of life in "the city", Harlock's 30th century, the world of Rogue Trooper);
· Apocalypses and new beginnings (e.g. Nausicaä's tragic millennium, Authority's new world, X-Men's days of future past, El eternauta's alien invasion);
· The cities of the future (e.g. Dredd's Mega city one, Akira's neo-Tokyo, RanXeroX's Rome);
· The humans of the future: mutants, augmented humans and cyborgs (e.g. Major Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell, Tony Stark in Iron Man; 2000 A.D.'s ABC Warriors);
· The politics of the future (e.g. Bilal's Nicopol Trilogy, Oshi's Patlabor trilogy, Marvel's Civil War);
· Time and history (e.g. Watchmen, Planetary, Neon Genesis Evangelion);
· Nostalgia for future pasts (e.g. Nadia, Arzach, Tom Strong, Satellite Sam);
· Elaborations and revisitations of futures in comics (Pluto, Time2, Le Transperceneige);
· Futures set in stone, and how to avoid or reach them (X-Men's days of future past, AppleSeed, The Invisibles).
We hope to create a conference that not only discusses these topics and uncovers how they have been addressed in comics about the future, but also to lay the foundations of future research on these topics and develop new tools for advanced comics studies. We welcome abstracts between 400 and 500 words, excluding references and title. At the moment, we are aiming at securing publishing rights for selected papers from this conference, aiming at publication in December 2016.
For further information, please contact us at:
francesco.ursini@english.su.se
or
adnan.mahmutovic@english.su.se
Electronic registration will start by the 16th of May.
Dear colleagues,
We invite you to join us in an effort to deepen global engagement of students in the classroom, without requiring travel abroad, by implementing project-based online collaboration within existing courses. Since 2013, the University of Washington Bothell has been implementing an initiative that connects classes on our campus to those in Egypt, India, Peru, South Africa and others. Read more at: http://www.uwb.edu/globalinitiatives/academic/coil-initiative
* COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) is an approach to fostering global competence through development of a multicultural learning environment that links university classes in different countries. Using various communication technologies, students from different countries complete shared assignments and projects, with faculty members from each country co-teaching and managing coursework.
Technology-enabled global engagement is a growing internationalization trend, as highlighted in a recent article published by NAFSA on this topic, "New Windows on the World" by Christopher Connell, NAFSA International Educator, May/June 2014.
Natalia Dyba
Director of Global Initiatives
University of Washington Bothell
UW1-186 | Box 358555
18115 Campus Way NE | Bothell, WA 98011
Email: nataliak@uw.edu
Book Reviews
Apatoff, David, Nick Galifianakis, Mike Rhode, Chris Sparks, and Bill Watterson. The Art of Richard Thompson. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2014. 224 pp. $35. 978-1-4494-4795-3.
Richard Thompson is one of the United States' premier cartoonists, having received accolades from stalwarts such as Pat Oliphant, who called him "Michelangelo with a sense of humor"; Edward Sorel, who thinks of him as "one of the best comic artists of his time"; and Arnold Roth, who "salutes" him for the "delightful absolute excellence of [his] artwork and thinking." Anyone familiar with Thompson's subtle and cerebral humor cartoons knows he is more than deserving of these remarks.
Certainly the authors of The Art of Richard Thompson (David Apatoff, Nick Galifianakis, Mike Rhode, Chris Sparks, and Bill Watterson), all friends, feel that way as they assess his career, work habits, and personality, through observations of, interviews and discussions with, him, his own delightful essays, and many examples of his varied styles and forms of comic art.
Thompson's oeuvre consists of, at least, illustrations, summary-type cartoons (his long-running "Richard's Poor Almanac" in the Washington Post), caricatures, and an award-winning comic strip ("Cul de Sac"), portrait-paintings, humorous writing, and rhyming ditties. The authors (pushed by self-named "The Enforcer" Mike Rhode) write in a light-hearted, humorous manner that fits Thompson's personality and work. Though they justifiably heap praise on him, they do so with levity and much admiration. The images chosen to supplement the text reflect Thompson's exquisite art, deep literary, history, music, and trivia knowledge, and brilliant use of language in captions containing silly rhymes, bon mots, and well-thought-out parodies. A few examples: an illustration labeled "Manhattan, 240, 193 B.C." showing a graffiti-splattered mammoth; subversive and cynical satirical everyday events, such as "Benjamin Franklin Cartoonist," showing his political contemporaries not understanding the symbolism of his "Join, or Die" cartoon, or "An Introduction to Electronic Voting," where the technology fails miserably; and, to the surprise of this reviewer, refined (or simply-drawn) and artistically, often contextually-funny caricatures that interviewer and acclaimed caricaturist John Kascht said, "capture(s) a likeness in a new way. Your drawing isn't like him, it is him."
A number of Thompson's caricatures are of classical music maestros that he liked and whose works he played earlier when he was a pianist; others were of politicians (Ross Perot emerging mole-like on the White House lawn or Bill Clinton discretely discarding his wedding band upon laying eyes on a scantily-clad lass), entertainers (Elizabeth Taylor loaded down with a slew of expensive fur coats on a blistering hot day -- even the head of one of the furry animals she wears pleads for water), literati, sports figures, and more. In the interview, Thompson explained he draws people he likes or admires (exceptions George W. Bush and Jesse Helms), without anger, from memory, seeking to find his subject's "emotion."
Seeing that Thompson's "Cul de Sac" has been favorably compared to the classic "Calvin & Hobbes," it seems natural that Bill Watterson would interview him. (To get Watterson to come out of seclusion for the occasion was a feat in itself.) The interview serves a double usage, mixing Watterson's experiences and views with those of his interviewee. Obviously, Thompson knows and appreciates the works of fellow comic strip artists, slipping into "Cul de Sac" an occasional "Little Neuro in Slumberland" or a subtle reference to a "Peanuts" character.
The Art of Richard Thompson is a masterpiece, beautifully designed, intelligently planned, and craftily written. It will bring joy and laughter to the casual reader, knowledge about the whos, whys, and hows of cartooning to practitioners and scholars, and aesthetic pleasure to the art-inclined. It is a book that can comfortably grace a coffee table, fill a slot in a library reference section, or sit on the drawing table of a cartoonist.
John A. Lent
Call For Papers: The Future in Comics
Organizers: The research group on comics at the English Department, Stockholm University
Where and When: Stockholm, 3rd-5th September
Call for papers, deadline/ Notification of acceptance: 15th of April, 2015/10th of May, 2015
Website: https://futureincomics.wordpress.com
E-mail for submissions: Submissions will be handled via easychair:
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=fic1
This conference aims to investigate ways in which comics explore the idea of "future." Its goal is to gather scholars from the field of comic studies and related fields, such as linguistics, philosophy, literary studies, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, film studies as well as others that can discover a conceptual connection to the rigorous study of comics. Given our broad and yet specific purpose, we aim to discuss work on comics originating from all major traditions: French bande desineé, American and British comics, Italian fumetti, Japanese manga, and so on. In pursuing this cross-cultural approach, we wish to discuss not only how different conceptions of the future in comics can be compared and analysed, but also how comics offer unorthodox modes of representation that allow for creative, intellectual freedom that may be different from literature and cinema. In particular, we are interested in, but not limited to, discussing these themes:
· The cross-roads between utopia and dystopia (e.g. Gundam's Universal Century, Transmetropolitan's representation of life in "the city", Harlock's 30th century, the world of Rogue Trooper);
· Apocalypses and new beginnings (e.g. Nausicaä's tragic millennium, Authority's new world, X-Men's days of future past, El eternauta's alien invasion);
· The cities of the future (e.g. Dredd's Mega city one; Akira's neo-Tokyo; RanXeroX's Rome);
· The humans of the future: mutants, augmented humans and cyborgs (e.g. Major Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell, Tony Stark in Iron Man; 2000 A.D.'s ABC Warriors);
· The politics of the future (e.g. Bilal's Nicopol Trilogy; Oshi's Patlabor trilogy; Marvel's Civil War);
· Time and history (e.g. Watchmen; Planetary, Neon Genesis Evangelion)
· Nostalgia for future pasts (e.g. Nadia, Arzach, Tom Strong, Satellite Sam);
· Elaborations and revisitations of futures in comics (Pluto, Time2, Le Transperceneige);
· Futures set in stone, and how to avoid or reach them (X-Men's days of future past; AppleSeed, The Invisibles).
We hope to create a conference that not only discusses these topics and uncovers how they have been addressed in comics about the future, but also to lay the foundations of future research on these topics and develop new tools for advanced comics studies. We welcome abstracts between 400 and 500 words, excluding references and title. At the moment, we are aiming at securing publishing rights for selected papers from this conference, aiming at publication in December 2016.
For further information, please contact us at:
francesco.ursini@english.su.se or adnan.mahmutovic@english.su.se
Electronic registration will start by the 15th of May.
Photo (cc) Flickr user Birgit Speulman https://www.flickr.com/photos/birgitspeulman/16204902876
The Comic Art Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) and the International Journal of Comic Art (IJOCA) strongly condemn the murders of cartoonists, journalists, and other staff members of Charlie Hebdo and loudly applaud the Je suis Charlie demonstrations and other actions and statements supportive of the magazine. We believe that the sword (or gun) can never be permitted to be mightier than the pen.
