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.