ComicsResearch.org: Dissertations & Theses

Lee, Tain-Dow. 1986. Reforming Film Study at the Level of Higher Education in Taiwan, The Republic of China. The Ohio State University. DAI.

Lefèvre, Pascal. 2003. Willy Vandersteens Suske en Wiske in de krant (1945-1971). Een theoretisch kader voor een vormelijke analyse van strips [Willy Vandersteen's Suske en Wiske in the dailies (1945-1971): A theoretical framework for the formal analysis of comics]. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Faculteit Sociale Wetenschappen [Social Sciences]. on-line information.

English abstract: Although there are similarities between various media,comics present stories in a unique way: they make use of sequences of drawings,including texts in balloons or boxes. Remarkably, this unique formal communication system has not been studied in depth by the academic world. Compared with the considerable number of theoretical works on literature, film or theatre, the medium of comic art is still very poorly served by the scholars. Since the end of the 1960's, however, some studies have been published. Nevertheless, three decades later,no single academic work has thoroughly covered the various formal techniques of comics.Therefore this study sets out to describe these in a systemic way. Inspired by what Bordwell and Thompson (1977 &2001) have done for cinema,the approach here can be outlined in two basic questions: how does an entire comic function and how do comic techniques contribute to its form? Of course, parts of my work do clearly rely on previous theoretical thinking on comics, but also findings from other fields such as cinema, the study of perception, cognitive psychology, art history and literature are used. Thus, a new comprehensive view on aspects such as drawing, text, panel arrangement and narration is presented.
Moreover these general theoretical and analytical findings are tested in a case study of the most popular Flemish comic strip for decades: Suske en Wiske (in English translated as Spike and Suzy,Willy and Wanda or Bob and Bobette). Though the Flemish dailies are still publishing new stories of Suske en Wiske, this study focusses on the 71 stories made by Willy Vandersteen (1913-1990) for the newspapers De Nieuwe Standaard and De Standaard between 1945 and 1971. This analysis shows that Suske en Wiske has a unity and a set of concrete formal techniques,evolving in time.Culture, tradition, personal qualities of the author(s),etc.,they were all influential in the choice of resources; but very important was also the way in which these comics were published.The publication format (namely two tiers in a newspaper) influenced the total concept of the series,both style and content.
Though Vandersteen did not create many new techniques,his combination of a continuity strip with various forms of humor (including self-referential humor), a (fake) family setting, wild imagination and criticism of hot topics is quite unique.

Lipper, Mark M. 1974. Comic Caricatures in Early American Newspapers as Indicators of the National Character. DAI, 1974; 34: 5896A(So. Ill.).

Lococo, Mark Edward. 1995. 'Burned Behind My Eyes': The Dissolution of Invincibility through Performances of the Vietnam War. Northwestern University, Department of Performance Studies. DAI. [War toys, comic books, short stories, poetry]

Lunning, Nancy French. 2000. Comic Books: Sex and Death at the Edge of Modernity. DAI, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 2000 June; 60 (12): 4225. U of Minnesota.

Macdonnell, Francis Michael. 1991. Insidious Foes: The Axis Fifth Column and the American Home Front, 1938-1942. Harvard University. DAI.

Makemson, Harlan E. 2002. Images of Scandal: Political Cartooning in the 1994 Presidential Campaign. University of North Carolina.

Malach, Michele Marie. 2000. You'd Better Dust Off Your Own Black Suit: The FBI in Recent American Film and Television. University of Texas at Austin. DAI.

Marston, Emily Wright. 1982. A Study of Variables Relating to the Voluntary Reading Habits of Eighth Graders. Ed.D. Harvard University. DAI.

Martin, George Ira. 1992. Secondary English Students' Responses to Classics Illustrated Comic Books. Ed.D. University of Virginia. DAI.

Mattozzi, Alvise. 1998. Nuvole Sotterranee. Alaisi Socio-Semiotica del Fumetto Underground. Universita' Degli Studi di Siena, Facolta di Lettere e Filosofia, Corso di Laurea in Scienze della Communicazione. Relatore: Ch.mo Prof. Omar Calabrese.

McFadden, Margaret Theresa. 1996. Anything Goes: Gender and Knowledge in the Comic Popular Culture of the 1930s. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1997 May; 57 (11): 4796. Yale U, 1996 [note: uncertain if this diss mentions comics or not]

McKinney, Edgar Duane. 1990. Images, Realities, and Cultural Transformation in the Missouri Ozarks, 1920-1960. University Of Missouri - Columbia. DAI.

McQuillan, Elizabeth. 2001. The Reception and Creation of Post-1960 Franco-Belgian BD. University of Glasgow.

Merino, Ana. 2001. Las dimensiones narrativas del comic del mundo Hispanico en los limites de la modernidad. (Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Cuba.) University of Pittsburgh. DAI.

Mickelson, Holly Michelle. 2002. Replacing Memory: Comics, Survivorship, and Narrative Rupture in Art Spiegelman's Maus Project. Purdue University. Abstract on-line.

Miller, Jeffrey Alan. 2001. Critical Analysis of Comic Strips: A Semiological Approach. (Roland Barthes.) Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 2001 Oct; 62 (4): 1271. State U of New York, Buffalo.

Nash, Susan Smith. 1996. Apocalypse in Twentieth-Century Literature, Film, and Cultural Texts: The Persistence and Questioning of the Messianic Vision. The University of Oklahoma. DAI.

Nelson, Sandra G. 1993. J. Minor Gwynn: 1897-1971. (Textbook Writing, North Carolina) Ed.D. University of South Carolina. DAI.

Neustadt, Robert Alan. 1995. (Con)Fusing Signs: Three Spanish-American Encounters with(in) the Postmodern Position. Alejandro Jodorowsky, Guillermo Gomez-Pena and Diamela Eltit. (Mexico, Chile) University Of Oregon. DAI.

Nyberg, Amy Kiste. 1994. Seal of Approval: The Origins and History of the Comics Code. University of Wisconsin - Madison. Published as Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code (Jackson: U P Mississippi, 1998).

Nystrom, Elsa A. 1989. A Rejection of Order: The Development of the Newspaper Comic Strip in America, 1830-1920. Loyola University of Chicago. Dissertation Abstracts International 50(7):2215A.

Ogi, Fusami. 2001. Reading, Writing, and Female Subjectivity: Gender in Japanese Comics (Manga) for Girls (Shoujo). State University of New York at Stony Brook, Department of Comparative Studies.

Okamoto, Rei. 1999. Pictorial Propaganda in Japanese Comic Art, 1941-1945: Images of the Self and the Other in a Newspaper Strip, Single-Panel Cartoons, and Cartoon Leaflets. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1999 Sept; 60 (3): 580. Temple U.

O'Sullivan, Judith Roberta. 1976. The Art of Winsor Z. McCay (1871-1934). University of Maryland.

Paravisini, Lizabeth. 1982. The Novel as Parody of Popular Narrative Forms in the United States and Latin America: 1963-1980. New York University. DAI.

Park, Sung-Bong. 1993. An Aesthetics of the Popular Arts: An Approach to the Popular Arts from the Aesthetic Point Of View. Fil.Dr. Uppsala Universitet (Sweden). DAI.

Pavlovic, Tatjana. 1996. The Despotic Body and the Nymphomatic Body: Spanish Culture from Francisco Franco to Jesus Franco. University of Washington. DAI.

Peck, Stephen Madry, Jr. 1988. Tense, Aspect and Mood in Guinea-Casamance Portuguese Creole. University Of California, Los Angeles. DAI.

Pérez del Solar, Pedro. 2000. Images of the Desencanto: Spanish Comics, 1979-1986. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 2000 Nov; 61 (5): 1868. Princeton U.

Perraudin, Jean-Yves. 1989. Images of the Elderly in Comic Strips. (Franco-Belgian School) Dr.d'Etat. Universite de Bourgogne (France). DAI.

Pinsky, Michael C. 1998. Future Present: Ethics and/as Science Fiction. University of South Florida. DAI.

Price, Penelope. 1985. Gravity's Rainbow: Thomas Pynchon's Use Of The Media. Arizona State University. DAI.

Proctor, Phyllis A. 1973. Mexico's Supermachos: Satire and Social Revolution in Comics by Rius. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1973; 33: 5138A(Texas, Austin).

Pustz, Matthew John. 1998. Fanboys and True Believers: Comic Book Reading Communities and the Creation of Culture. University of Iowa. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1998 Nov; 59 (5): 1636.

Riedemann, Kai. 1987. Comic, Kontext, Kommunikation : die Kontextabhängigkeit der visuellen Elemente im Comic Strip, exemplarisch untersucht an der Gag-Strip-Serie Peanuts. Universität Hamburg. Published with the same title (Frankfurt am Main and New York : P. Lang, 1988); ISBN 3631403682. WorldCat.

Rios Soto, Marilyn. 2000. El papel del lector en la novela 'La ley del amor' de Laura Esquivel. (Mexico) University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. DAI.

Robert-Jones, P. 1954. La Caricature Francaise entre 1860 et 1890 [thesis]. Brussels [Query: Ph.D or Master's level?]

Roberts, Garyn Glyn. 1987. Black Days, Grotesque Rogues and Square-Jawed Justice: The World of Dick Tracy. Dissertation Abstracts International 47(9; Mar):3463A.

Rodman, Gilbert Brinkley. 1996. Elvis after Elvis: The Posthumous Career of a Living Legend. University of Chicago at Urbana-Champaign. DAI.

Roemer, Richard Dean. 1995. The Thief of Bad Gags: Charles Ludlam and the Ridiculous Theatrical Company. A Serious Look at a 'Ridiculosity.' (Gay studies) Universtiy of California, Los Angeles. DAI.

Rogers, Mark Christiancy. 1997. Beyond Bang! Pow! Zap!: Genre and the Evolution of the American Comic Book Industry. University of Michigan, Program in American Culture. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1997 Nov; 58 (5): 1783-84. [Note: MLA mistakenly lists the first word of the title as "Beyong"]

Rosen, Elizabeth K. 2005. Apocalyptic Transformations: The Secularization of Apocalypse in Contemporary Fiction and Film. University College London. Committee members: Adam Roberts, Paul Giles, supervisors Danny Karlin, Pamela Thurschwell. Publication information: Apocalyptic Transformation: Apocalypse and the Postmodern Imagination (Lexington Books, 2008).

Description: An exploration of how postmodern writers and filmmakers have adapted the myth of apocalypse in their work. The study explores how our understanding of apocalypse has changed in the twentieth century, the sociological purposes of telling apocalyptic stories, and what happens when postmodern creators begin to use a rigid paradigm such as the story of apocalypse in their work. Contains a chapter on Alan Moore's apocalyptic comics.

Round, Julia Valerie. 2006. From comic book to graphic novel: writing, reading, semiotics. University of Bristol, UK. Department of English. PhD thesis. More info at www.juliaround.com. An article drawn from this thesis ('Fragmented Identity: the superhero condition') was published in the International Journal of Comic Art 7.2 (2005): 358-369.

Abstract: This dissertation discusses how changes within the authorship, reading practices and criticism of contemporary American comics can alert us to more general questions raised by the inclusion of popular culture in literature. It employs a cultural materialist methodology; researching the first decade of the DC Vertigo imprint (launched in 1993) and considering these texts both as the culmination of trends that can be traced throughout the industry’s history, and as modern literature that sustains elements of certain literary genres.
It begins by summarising the American comics industry’s progress historically and uses review of literary criticism to examine comics’ progression from marginalised ‘funny books’ to cult literature to academic and mainstream acceptance. It then considers the Vertigo comics from a variety of perspectives, researching the ways in which they represent the continuance and culmination of thematic and structural elements perceived in the literary genres of the Gothic, Myth, and the Fantastic.
These elements are returned to as it subsequently approaches the Vertigo comics as postmodern artefacts, examining the ways in which this imprint has contributed to the reinvention of both the concept and material form of comics, and concludes with a case study that applies semiotic theories of text and image, showing how notions of the sign are affected by the hybrid nature of the medium. As an interdisciplinary study this research considers the Vertigo comics in relation to their history, their surroundings and readership, and to other forms of cultural/literary output past and present; grounding textual issues in a historical context and reflecting on critical discourse that typically sets literature against popular culture.

Rubenstein, Anne G. 1994. Mexico 'Sin Vicios': Conservatives, Comic Books, Censorship and the Mexican State, 1934-1976. Rutgers the State University of New Jersey - New Brunswick. DAI. On-line information.

Ruch, William Vaughn. 1980. Communicating in Their Terms. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. DAI.

Runnels, Marti Ray. 1989. Lee Breuer and His Cross-Cultural American Classicism. Texas Tech University. DAI.

Saraiva Mendes, Maria Regina. 1991. The Educational Role of Comic Strips: A Study of Sexual Stereotypes. Public D. Universitat Autonoma De Barcelona (Spain). DAI.

Saunero, Veronica Hazel. 1989. Towards a Definition of the New Spanish-American Essay in the Essayistic Texts of Julio Cortazar. (Spanish Text; Argentina) The Pennsylvania State University. DAI.

Schechter, Russell. 1991. Iron Cage Aesthetics: Rationalization and Revisionism in Postmodern Popular Culture. University of Southern California. DAI.

Schwibbe, Michael H. 1988. Das Bild der Frau bei Wilhelm Busch : ein inhaltsanalytischer Vergleich zu Bilderromanen, Schwänken, Märchen und Sagen. Göttingen : E.Goltze.

Sears, Cornelia. 1997. Africa in the American mind, 1870-1955: A study in Mythology, Ideology and the Reconstruction of Race. University of California, Berkeley. DAI.

Smith, Rodney Dale. 1979. A Study of the International Political Events and Commentary in Selected American Comic Strips from 1940 - 1970. Ed.D. Ball State University. DAI.

Soper, Kerry David. 1998. Seriously Funny: A History of Satirical Newspaper Comic Strips in Twentieth Century United States. Emory University. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1998 Oct; 59 (4): 1228.

Spaulding, Amy E. 1983. Closet Drama for Children: A Study of the Picture Book as Storyboard. [D.L.S dissertation] Columbia University. Published as The Page as Stage Set: Storyboad Picture Books (Metuchen, NJ & London: Scarecrow P, 1995)

Stall, Robin Carin. 2000. Using Comics to Teach Multiple Meaning of Words. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 2001 Apr; 61 (10): 5270.

Steiling, David A. 2006. Icon, Representation and Virtual Reality in Reading the Graphic Narrative. University of South Florida, Dept. of English. Major Professor Phillip Sipiora, Ph.D.; committee: Silvio Gaggi, Ph.D.; Victor Peppard, Ph.D.; Joseph Moxley, Ph.D. Downloadable version available

Abstract: “Icon,”“representation,” and “virtuality,” are key elements to consider when reading multi-modal narratives, including graphic narratives. By considering in detail how these elements are realized in various examples, the author shows how the study of the comics can lay groundwork for critical reading across the technological continuum of storytelling. The author looks at how icon, representation, and virtuality interact in a reading of William Hogarth’s A Harlot’s Progress. He then examines each term in more detail through readings of a variety of graphic narratives including Max Ernst’s, Une Semaine de Bonte, Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland, Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, Craig Thompson’s Blankets, Phoebe Gloeckner’s Diary of a Teenage Girl, and Posy Simmonds’s Gemma Bovery.
The author distinguishes between two types of virtuality, internal and external, and ties the construction of virtuality to reader response theory. In exploring issues related to the icon, the author builds on Scott McCloud’s conjecture that the iconic character is the means through which the reader inhabits the virtual space of the graphic story. The author advances the proposition that icons are metonymies and that graphic narratives are centered in metonymic, not metaphoric devices. He also undertakes a discussion of how icon operates within the expanding tradition of the “illustrated novel.” Throughout the dissertation an attempt is made to express observation and analysis through continuous instead of binary descriptors in order to emphasize the cooperative rather than oppositional arrangements of word and image within the graphic narrative. The dissertation concludes with an extended examination of Will Eisner’s contention that the use of stereotype is a necessity in graphic storytelling. Examples from Frederik Strömberg’s Black Images in the Comics are used to test this theory and illustrate its consequences. The treatise finishes with an analysis of approaches to representation that avoid stereotypical treatment, are inclusive but sufficiently flexible to operate through caricature. These observations are applied to issues of characterization and representation in electronic gaming narrative. The author concludes that ethics, effectiveness, reputation and empathy are all compromised when artists resort to stereotypes.

Swartz, John Alan. 1978. The Anatomy of the Comic Strip and the Value World of Kids. Ohio State University. WorldCat.

Takahashi, Maki. 2002. It is Hard to be Ordinary: An Analysis of Language Use in 'Maboroshi no Futsuu Shoojo' (Japanese, Shungiku Uchida). University of Kentucky. DAI.

Thalheimer, Anne. 2002. Terrorists, Bitches, and Dykes: Gender, Violence, and Heteroideology in Late 20th-Century Lesbian Comix. University of Delaware. DAI, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences (DAIA) 2002 Sept; 63 (3): 939. Abstract no: DA3046632

Thorn, Matthew Allen. [forthcoming.] Unlikely Explorers: An Ethnography of the Community of Japanese Girls' and Women's Comic Books. New York: Columbia University.

Tjardes, Susan E. 1996. Televisual Literacy, Producerly Texts and the Serialized Graphic Narrative: The Rhetorical and Satirical Potential of 'Doonesbury.' University of Iowa. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1996 Nov; 57 (5): 1897A.

Tondro, Jason William. 2008. An Imaginary Mongoose: Comics, Canon, and the Superhero Romance. University of California Riverside. Committee Members: Dr. Stanley Stewart, Dr. John Ganim, Dr. John Briggs. Published through ProQuest and in hard copy at UCR Rivera Library.

Abstract: "An Imaginary Mongoose" argues that the superhero is a continuation of the romance tradition, exemplified by works like Malory's Morte d'Arthur and Spenser's Faerie Queene. The project argues that not only can we better read and analyze superhero romances equipped with a knowledge of Medieval and Renaissance literature, but that the opposite is also true; because the superhero romance grapples with many of the same themes and problems that canon romances do, an awareness of superhero literature and comics criticism is useful to the scholar of traditional literature.
Chapter One examines Spenser's Faerie Queene, especially Britomart, Arthegall, and Talus "the yron man." Superheroes like Captain America help us understand Spenser's use of "shadows," allegorical characters who represent one facet of a real individual (such as Elizabeth). Iron Ma' s struggle with alcoholism illuminates the importance of self-control in both the superhero romance and the knight who is his forebear. Tony Stark's slippery identity, often confused by his superhuman suit and his identification with it, help us to understand how Arthegall's identity as the Knight of Justice is temporarily bestowed instead on Britomart, who acts as an exemplar.
Chapter Two surveys the use of Arthurian myth in comics, and creates adjectival categories which may be applied in a non-exclusionary manner to these Arthurian comics.
Chapter Three is a close reading of three comics by Grant Morrison -- JLA, The Invisibles, and Seven Soldiers of Victory -- focusing on his use of the Holy Grail. His Arthurian sources, including Wolfram von Eschenbach, Wagner, Chretien, and Malory, are traced. Morrison's Grail is a symbol of communion, of the exchange of ideas between forces which seem opposite but are, in fact, the same.
Finally, Chapter Four is an analysis of Jack Kirby's "Fourth World" epic, with a comparison made to Ben Jonson s innovative work on the court masque. The Judeo-Christian and anti-fascist elements of the two-year experiment are unpacked, challenges of collaboration are examined, and the argument is made that, like Jonson, Kirby took a well-established form known for its limitations and went beyond those limitations to make the genre definitively his own.

Tousignant, Nathalie. 1995. Les manifestations publiques du lien colonial entre la belgique et le congo belge (1897-1988). Universite Laval (Canada). DAI.

Vergara, Robert A., II. 1990. Humanizing Mass Media: Alternative Approaches to Comic Books During Allende's Chile (1970-1973). Ed.D. Northern Illinois University, Department of Leadership and Educational Policy Studies.

Verster, François Philippus. 2003. ’n Kultuurhistoriese ontleding van pikturale humor, met besondere verwysing na die werk van T.O. Honiball. [English translation: A cultural-historical analysis of pictorial humor, with special reference to the work of T.O. Honiball]. D.Phil. University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Committee members: Dr Dorothea van Zyl, Dr Celestine Pretorius, Dr Mathilda Burden. Email address: fransverc@telkomsa.net. http://uk.geocities.com/fp_verster, http://www.sun-e-shop.co.za, http://StellenboschWriters.com, http://StellenboschArtists.com. Publication info: Honiball 100 (CD ROM, 2004) –includes complete dissertation in Afrikaans and English translation of shortened book (TO Honiball: Culture with a smile, 2004). In 2005 the book Van Kaspaas tot Kaas: die lewe en werk van TO Honiball was published. All publications by African Sun Media, publishing house of the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Abstract: Thomas Ochse Honiball (1905 – 1990) created several comic strips in Afrikaans, the first to do so successfully on a continuous basis (over 40 years), while also working as a book illustrator and political cartoonist for the National Press, known as the voice of the political system of Apartheid (separate development of races) in South Africa. His cartoons are reputed to have made a major impact in rallying the white population to vote for Apartheid in 1948. Ironically Honiball was no racist himself and preferred to write and draw his well-loved comic strips. His most popular strips were Oom Kaspaas (Uncle Casper), Jakkals en Wolf (Jackal and Wolf) and Adoons-hulle (Adonis and Company). Because South Africans are not great readers of comics his popularity is all the more remarkable and because Afrikaans readers are not well versed in comic literature, the first volume of this dissertation (650 pages, 400 illustrations in total) focus on a general background of comics, cartoons and caricature (definitions, origin, historical development, comparisons), as well as a history of South African pictorial humor. The life and work of Honiball is discussed in the second volume, with comparisons between his work as that of icons like Carl Giles and Charles Schultz.

Villaverde, Leila Edith. 1999. Mapping Discourse, Art, and Politics in the Construction of Pedagogy. Pennsylvania State University. DAI.

Volper, Ronald Jay. 1975. Feminist Goals as Depicted in the Behavior of the Husband Versus the Wife in Selected American Family Comic Strips from 1960-1974 - A Content Analysis. New York University. DAI.

Wainer, Alex Myer. 1996. Mythic Expression in Comic Book Technique: Mythopoeic Aspects of Batman. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1998 June; 58 (12): 4486. Regent U.

Walowit, Karen. 1974. Wonder Woman: Enigmatic Heroine of American Polular Culture. University of California-Berkeley.

Walsh, Susan F. 1999. Modifying Risk Perceptions of Japanese University Students Using a Culturally Compatible Mode of Instruction. Ed.D. West Virginia University. DAI.

Warburton, Terrence L. 1984. Toward a Theory of Humor: An Analysis of the Verbal and Nonverbal Codes In 'Pogo.' University Of Denver. DAI.

West, Mark Irwin. 1983. Defenders of Childhood Innocence: Reformer Responses to Children's Culture In America, 1878-1954. Bowling Green State University. DAI.

Westbrook, Matthew David. 1997. Invisible Countries: The Poetics of the American Information Commodity, 1891-1919. University of Michigan. DAI.

Weston, Joan. 2000. Comic Books, Superheroes, and Boys: Superhero Comic Books in the Everyday Life of Preadolescent Boys. University of California, Santa Barbara. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 2001 Mar; 61 (9): 3788.

Whitney, Patricia. 1994. Influences on Grade-Five Students' Decisions to Read: An Exploratory Study of Leisure Reading Behavior. University of British Columbia. DAI.

Wiedemer, Caroline Alice. 1994. Reconstructing Sites: Representations of the Holocaust in Postwar Literary, Cinematic, and Memorial Texts. (Comic books, France) Princeton University. DAI.

WienhF6fer, Friederike. 1979. Untersuchungen zur semiotischen C4sthetik des Comic Strip unter der besonderen BerFCcksichtigung von Onomatopoese und Typographie. Zur Grundlage einer Comic Didaktik. Dortmund

Williams, Jeffery Littleton. 1999. Culture, Theory, and Graphic Fiction. Texas Tech University. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1999 Nov; 60 (5): 1538.

Winchester, Mark David. 1995. Cartoon Theatricals from 1896 to 1927: Gus Hill's Cartoon Shows for the American Road Theatre. Ohio State University. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1995 Dec; 56 (6): 2047A-48A.

Witek, Joseph Patrick. 1988. 'Stranger and More Thrilling than Fiction': Comic Books as History. Vanderbilt University. Published as Comic Books as History: The Narrative Art of Jack Jackson, Art Spiegelman, and Harvey Pekar. (Jackson and London: UP of Mississippi, 1989).

Wright, Bradford Walker. 1998. The American Comic Book: A Cultural History. Purdue University. Dissertation Abstracts International, Section A: The Humanities and Social Sciences, 1999 Feb; 59 (8): 3176.

Yarian, Sharon. 1975. The Comic Book Hero, a Cultural Fantasy. Adelphi University. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1975; 35: 4205B-06B.

Young, William Henry. 1969. Images of Order: American Comic Strips During the Depression, 1929-1938. Emory University. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1969; 30: 2049A-50A.

Yu, Kie-Un. 1999. The Development of the Korean Animation Industry: Historical, Economic, and Cultural Perspectives. Temple University. DAI.

Yus, Francisco. 1995. Pragmatica y Relevancia. Un modelo escripto-iconico aplicado al discurso del comic ingles [Pragmatics and relevance. A verbal-visual model applied to the discourse of English comics]. University of Alicante, Department of English Studies. Published as two books. The first one comprises the first part of the thesis, while the second book is about parts second and third: (1) Cooperacion y relevancia. Dos aproximaciones pragmaticas a la interpretacion. Alicante: University of Alicante, Servicio de Publicaciones, 1997; (2) La interpretacion y la imagen de masas. Alicante: Instituto Juan Gil-Albert, 1997. See also: Dr. Yus' website; Relevance Theory Online Bibliographic Service.

English Abstract: The thesis has three main parts. In the first one, there is an introduction to the pragmatic perspective and, especially, to Sperber and Wilson’s relevance theory, which is an essential cognitive model throughout the book. The second part is devoted to building up a model of communication (so-called "escripto-icónico") based on four dichotomies: (a) whether communication takes place directly between the author of the (media) discourse and the reader/spectator or it takes place between characters inside the plot of the story narrated in the discourse; (b) whether communication is intentional or it is exuded, as it were, from the author/character without a prior intentionality (if intentional, several sub-intentions are proposed: author-oriented, character-oriented, overt, covert, direct and indirect); (c) whether communication is achieved through verbal or nonverbal means; and (d) whether interpretation is efficient (in the sense that the addressee picks up precisely the sender’s [author or character] intended interpretation) or not. These four dichotomies (a-d) are then combined and the outcome is a set of sixteen categories, each of them with four preliminary attributes: channel of transmission, intentionality, type of discourse and interpretive efficiency. The sixteen categories form what a verbal-visual model of communication. The third part is devoted to an application of these sixteen categories to the different varieties of communication that can be found in British comics, although the model can be applied to any verbal-visual discourse.

Zambrano, Wa-Ki Fraser De. 1996. El discurso colonial/postcolonial y el erotismo en las novelas de dos escritoras: reedicion del encuentro, conquista y colonizacion de America. The University of Iowa, DAI Vol. 57:05A, p. 2058. On-line information at the bottom of this page.

Zitawi, Jehan Ibrahim. 2004. The Translation of Disney Comics in the Arab World: A Pragmatic Perspective. Centre for Translation and Intercultural Studies (CTIS), School of Modern Languages, University of Manchester, UK. External examiner: Dr. Zahia Salhi, Middle Eastern Studies, University of Leeds; internal examiner: Penny Brown, French Studies, University of Manchester. Email: jehan.zitawi@adu.ae or jehanzitawi@yahoo.co.uk

   Abstract: The vast majority of studies drawing on pragmatics have focused on conversation and face-to-face interaction, with little or no attention paid to written text. Like much of pragmatic theory, Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory also focuses on spoken discourse. At the same time, politeness theory claims to offer a universal framework for the study of politeness across different cultures and, one would therefore assume, across different genres of discourse. This study attempts to examine the applicability of the Brown and Levinson model to a particularly challenging genre, namely Disney comics, and to extend the model beyond monolingual and monocultural contexts, to look at politeness strategies in translation between two very different cultures. The study thus sets out to test politeness theory to ascertain whether it can offer credible and coherent explanations of the potential for comics in translation to threaten the face(s) of Arab readers, and whether it can provide a robust framework for describing the pragmatic strategies employed by translators seeking to maintain the face(s) of Arab readers.
    The study argues that Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory can be fruitfully applied to Disney comics translated from English into Arabic, provided we can demonstrate that (a) it is possible to identify a composite speaker and composite hearer in Disney comics, and (b) Disney comics can be read as face threatening texts (FTTs). Disney comics are simply texts that have writers and readers. However, the complex nature of this discourse and the attempt to contextualise it within a totally different culture – Arab culture – point to certain limitations of the Brown and Levinson model. At the same time, they enable us to propose ways in which the model may be refined to read the nuances of complex discourses, such as Disney comics, that are normative and manipulative in nature while presenting themselves as benign entertainment.
    The data used in this study consists of 278 Disney comic stories: 140 English stories and 138 Arabic stories translated and published by Dar Al-Hilal in Egypt, Al-Futtaim/ITP in Dubai, and Al-Qabas in

Kuwait

. The English stories appeared between 1962 and 2000. The Arabic stories appeared between 1993 and 2003. Most of these comics are aimed at 6-13 year-olds. The starting point of the analysis is a conventional application of Brown and Levinson’s politeness theory to original and translated Disney comics, looking specifically at three sources of face threat in this context: verbal and/or visual signals that can be considered taboo or at least unpalatable to the reader; the raising of sensitive or divisive topics (e.g., Jewish and Christian imagery and colonial ideologies, stereotyping and ridiculing the target reader); and the use of address terms and other status-marked identifications that may be misidentified in an offensive or embarrassing way, either intentionally or accidentally. Politeness strategies used by Arab publishers and translators in the data examined in this study include all three categories proposed by Brown and Levinson: Don’t do the FTA; Do the FTA on record with mitigation; and Do the FTA baldly with no mitigation. However, the study also reveals a number of weaknesses inherent in the Brown and Levinson model and highlights the need to refine politeness theory in order to make it more applicable to the analysis of complex genres such as comics and complex types of face threat encoded in discourses which are normative in nature but which present themselves as benign.

Zurier, Rebecca. 1988. Picturing The City: New York in the Press and the Art of the Aschan School, 1890-1917. (Volume I: Text. Volume Ii: Text And Illustrations; Illustrations Not Microfilmed As Part Of Dissertation) Yale University. DAI.

Top || Master's Theses || Undergradate Theses

Master's Theses (M.A. unless otherwise specified)

Abrego, Irene Louise. 1996. Getting Beyond the Comic Strips: The Impact of Hispanic Media Images on Career Choice by Hispanic Newspaper Journalists. University of North Texas. DAI.

Aragão, Octavio Carvalho, Júnior. 2002. A óptica sócio-política da arte seqüencial de Angelo Agostini em algumas das páginas de O CABRIÃO (1866 - 1867) e d'A REVISTA ILLUSTRADA (1876 - 1898) [The social-political side of the seqüential art of Angelo Agostini in some pages of O CABRIÃO (1866 - 1867) and A REVISTA ILLUSTRADA (1876 - 1898)]. UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO DE JANEIRO, CENTRO DE LETRAS E ARTES, ESCOLA DE BELAS ARTES - EBA, PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM ARTES VISUAIS [Federal university of Rio de Janeiro, Center of literature and art, High school of Fine Arts, Program of post-graduation in Visual Arts]. ORIENTADORA: Profª Drª Rosza W. Vel Zoladz, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Escola de Belas Artes. BANCA EXAMINADORA: Profª Rosza W. Vel Zoladz, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Presidente; Profª Drª Telênia Hill, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Escola de Comunicação; Profª Drª Rosângela de Araújo Aimbinder, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro.

English abstract: This research studies the illustrated pages by Angelo Agostini in his magazines O Cabrião and Revista Illustrada in serial form - that would be known later as seqüential art -, tracing basis to judge it's influence in the social structure of the Brazilian society and politics in the second half of the XIX century through it's semiotics structures. Also, we have a based biography pointing his relations and works alongside or against his contemporaries, artists, friends or foes. The present work makes a link between the past and future of the Brazilian comics pointing parallelisms with the pioneer Angelo Agostini and the contemporary webcomic artists. We also intended to determinate the artist Agostini as one of the firsts - world wide - in the making of social-politics sequential art.

Argyris, Vassilios. 2003. The In-Between Art of Comics: A Semiotic Approach to the Medium. MAAL. The University of Reading.

Barber, John. 2002. The Phenomenon of Multiple Dialectics in Comics Layout. London College of Printing. On-line version.

Bush, William S. 1998. Reaction as Image: Comic Books and American Life, 1940-1955. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. DAI.

Carter, Jason Douglas. 1995. Comic Book Violence and Aggression. M.S. Texas Women's University. DAI.

Cormier, Faith Joanne. 1987. La traduction de la bande dessinee. The University Of New Brunswick (Canada). DAI.

Darowski, Joseph James. 2006. The American Way: What Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men Reveal About America. Brigham Young University, Department of English. on-line information -- complete version (PDF - 29MB)

Daye, Kathleen Ann. 2003. A Feminist Perspective on the Female Superhero in DC Comics: Soft Porn Spandex Queens or Real Heroes for a Troubled Universe? Roosevelt University. WorldCat.

Driest, Joris. 2005. Subjective Narration in Comics. New Media and Digital Culture, Faculty of Arts, University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Supervisor: Dr. Ann Rigney. dowload complete thesis in PDF format - e-mail Joris Driest

Abstract: Mankind has always told stories, and developed different strategies to tell them. This thesis will regard one such strategy, called subjective narration. Subjective narration consists of several strategies that aim to bring characters closer to the reader. The last century saw the emergence of new media in which stories can be told. The techniques of subjective narration can be used in all those media – with varying results. What works in one medium, does not in another. In this thesis, we will compare comics to writing and film, with subjective narration as our guideline. We analyse how comic stories differ, but also overlap with stories in writing and film. The main question will subsequently be whether we need new academic methods to study comics – can it be done within the confines of literary- or cinema studies, or do comics require another approach?

Drummond, William H. 1948. Comic Book Reading in the Secondary Schools of a Rural Community. Leland Stanford Junior University, School of Education. June.

Evans, Dan Keith. 1995. Social and Political Commentary in Superhero Comic Books: A Critical History. California State Universtiy, Fresno. DAI.

Flynn, Julie S. 2006. "We Owe It to Each Other to Tell Stories:" Neil Gaiman and the Polyphonic Narrative. Drew University.

Frail, James Howthorn. Jr. 2004. Powers and Abilities Far Behind Those of Mortal Men: An Examination of the Comic Book Industry and Subculture through a Feminist Sociological Perspective. Marshall University, Sociology. On-line information. UMI.

Fulford, Jennifer Ann. 1993. Feeling Unique or Similar to the Group: An Investigation of the Processes Involved in Temporary Self-Concept Activation. Msc. Acadia University, Canada. DAI.

Gagnon, Michel. 1999. Elements discursifs, sociolinguistiques et actes de parole dans les BD. Macgill University. DAI.

Gale, Carole Francis. 1972. An Annotated Bibliography of Books and Articles on the Modern American comic book, 1940-Spring, 1972. unpublished Master's Research Paper, Library Science, Kent State University.

Gaudry, Frederic. 1997. Principales caracteristiques de l'esthetique de la bande dessinee et leur application a 'Chlorophylle.' Universite Laval (Canada). DAI.

Gibson, Mel. 1996. Wonder Women and Invisible Girls. Female lead characters and feminism in American mainstream superhero comics of the 1970s and 1980s. University of Sunderland, Cultural and Textual Theory.

Gorni, Elettra. 1996. L’Illustrazione Satirica in Italia nel 1848. Università di Venezia, Facoltà di Lettere.

Gray, Margaret. 2005. Cold War Superheroes: U.S. Comics as Sites of Ideological Struggle. MA History of Art. University College London. contact

Abstract: An examination of the correspondences between Golden Age superheroes,the ideology of American global nationalism that emerged after 1945, and the discourses of containment, conformity, radiation, anti-communism and domesticity that it mobilised. Analysing the narrative and semiotic conventions that developed in comics of this period, which were concretised by increasingly conservative editorial policies in response to the various anti-comics crusades, exposes the contradictions inherent in Cold War ideology and the traditions and discourses it drew from. This dissertation challenges notions of uniformly affirmative culture, and characterisations of the fifties, in particular, as a period of affluent tranquility in which dissenting voices were marginalised, by reading the rapid decline in the popularity of superheroes as a failure ofthe rhetoric of American nationalism to forge overwhelming consensus in support of the domestic and foreign policies of the early Cold War, as audiences turned to genres which more adequately addressed the contradictions and anxieties of that era.

Gluckson, Robert K. 1992. Sex Comics in the 1930s-1950s: A Genre History. University of Washington. Author's website / contact.

Hardy-Vallée, Michel. 2007. Where do the pictures fit in the overall picture? Graphic novels as literature. McGill University [Canada], Department of English. Director: Professor Trevor Ponech.

Abstract: Numerous artists and scholars advocate a literary consideration of graphic novels. However, their arguments seldom present a clear analysis of what makes graphic novels literary, let alone a clear definition of literature. This thesis seeks to fill in these explanatory gaps by arguing for the literary consideration of graphic novels, understood as a genre within comics, on the basis of an institutional theory of literature. As this theory posits a shared practice of production and appreciation of artistic value, the value of a literary work is not exclusively tied to the linguistic medium. On the contrary, pictures can significantly contribute to the particular value that literature affords. Nevertheless, the particular use of pictures in graphic novels exemplifies artistic conventions that are conceptually distinct from those of literature. A literary analysis can therefore explain partially, but not exhaustively, the artistic value of graphic novels.
Résumé: De nombreux artistes et acteurs du milieu académique défendent une considération littéraire du roman graphique. Cependant, leurs arguments offrent rarement une analyse précise de ce qui rend le roman graphique littéraire, encore moins une définition claire de la littérature. Le présent mémoire vise à combler ces lacunes en justifiant la considération littéraire du roman graphique, défini comme un genre de la bande dessinée, sur la base d’une théorie institutionnelle de la littérature. Comme cette dernière postule une pratique partagée entre artistes et audiences de production et d’appréciation d’une valeur artistique, la valeur de l’oeuvre littéraire n’est pas exclusivement déterminée par son texte. Néanmoins, l’usage particulier des images dans un roman graphique démontre la présence de conventions artistiques qui sont conceptuellement distinctes de celles qui gouvernent la littérature. Une analyse littéraire du roman graphique peut donc expliquer partiellement, mais non pas totalement, sa valeur artistique.

Holman, Curtis Lehner. 1989. Reinventing The Wheel: A Multi-Perspective Analysis of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Graphic Novel 'Watchmen.' University of Georgia. DAI.

Holmes, Eric. 2004. Atomic Books: "One World or None" as Rhetorical Narrative. University of South Dakota.

Abstract: Upon the completion of the second World War, a rhetorical narrative of the new atomic age began to emerge: One World or None. Popular periodicals such as The Reader's Digest and The Ladies Home Journal, as well as a collection of essays titled One World or None argued to the American public that the atomic bomb was the gravest threat that mankind had ever faced, and that international control of the bomb was the only way to ensure safety. This sentiment chained out through the world of politics and activism and landed within the realm of popular culture. This thesis argues that EC's "New Trend" horror comics (Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror and The Haunt of Fear) reflect this sentiment metaphorically within their tales of monsters and mayhem.

Hutchings, Martina. 1997. Super-Heroines of Manga and Anime. Swinburne, Japanese.

Jedlinski, Beverly Ann. 1999. 'Dilbert': A Rhetorical Reflection of Contemporary Organizational Communication. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. DAI.

Keong, Fan Kok. 1996. The Use of Comics in the Teaching of English as a Second Language. The University of Reading.

Khordoc, Catherine. 1993. Noms, ballons, allusions: Quelques aspects du comique dans la bande dessinee 'Asterix Le Gaulois.' Carleton University (Canada). DAI.

Kruse, Roland. 1995. Wie Comics funktionieren - Eine Untersuchung zur Semiotik und Lesepsychologie [German master's thesis: How Comics Work - A Study in Semiotics and Reading Psychology].

Lancelot, Ronan. 1998. Vues d'ici, New York dans la bande dessinée francophone, 1928-1998. Mémoire de DEA "Relations interculturelles anglophones et francophones." Université Paris XIII.

Lewis, Dylan. 2004. "The Sandman": Comics, Myth, and Intertextuality. California State University, Dominguez Hills. UMI.

Lippert, David L. 1991. Alienation and Comic Books: The Construction of Good and Evil in The Fantastic Four. University of Wyoming. WorldCat.

Long, Everitt. 1998. Reading, Writing and Rendering the World in Neil Gaiman's Sandman. University of Western Ontario.

Mahoney, Carol Christine. 1997. A Content Analysis of Family Relationships in Six Superhero Comic Book Series. (Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Wolverine, Punisher) Michigan State University. DAI.

Mandel, Susanah. 2003?. [title unknown; concerns gay representation in superhero comics.] Massachusetts Institure of Technology, Comparative Media Studies.

Marshall, Scott. 1992. Toward a Literary Treatment of Comic Books. Acadia University (Canada). DAI.

Martin, Todd Gregory. 2008. The Language of Memín Pinguín: Idiolect and
Equivalence in the English Translation of a Mexican Historieta. Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, México. Degree: Traducción e Interpretación Inglés-Español, Español-Inglés. (Abstract and On-line version forthcoming)

Mihm, Gesa Doris. 1998. Shojo and Beyond: Depiction of the World of Women in Fictional Works of Banana Yoshimoto. The University of Arizona.

Miller, Jeffrey Alan. 1994. Inside the Creative Team: Exploring the Process of Creating Comic Books. University of Buffalo.

Miller, Matthew. 2002. Secret Identity: Biographical Legend and the Dueling Personas of Writer/Director Kevin Smith. Emory University, Film Studies Department. Published as The Dueling Personas of Kevin Smith (View Askew Books, 2003).

Miranda, Kate. 1997. From Minnie to Minx: The History and Development of Comics and 'Teen' Magazines for Girls. MA Dissertation. National Centre for Research in Children's Literature (UK). On-line abstract.

Mitchell, Steven E. 1982. Evil Harvest: Investigating the Comic Book, 1948-1955. Arkansas State University.

Nasirov, Michael Stephan. 2003. Feathers and Tuxedos: An Analysis of Political Cartoons About Indian Gaming. Louisiana State University, Geography and Anthropology. Committee members: Mary Jill Brody - Chair, Helen Regis, and Miles Richardson. download PDF version here.

Abstract: "Feathers and Tuxedos: An Analysis of Political Cartoons About Indian Gaming" is an examination of changing stereotypes of Indians in illustrated media. Beginning with general issues such as poverty and media coverage, this thesis continues to cover chronologically the origins of modern Indian gaming and the resulting expenditure of profits into social welfare of the tribes and the continuous three-way battle between state, federal, and Indian sovereign rights. Normative U.S. societal reactions to Indian gaming are contrasted with their Indian counterpoints. Cartoons allow for a visual representation of contested relationships, including recent imagery of well-to-do entrepreneurs profiting at the expense of the surrounding communities. Mainstream media cartoon illustrations of wealthy Indians reveal a threatened counterimage of whiteness. Cartoons released through Indian media, on the other hand, present as rebuttal, images of white anxiety as a continuation of past injustices. The issues of power underlying white aggression represent the latest tactic in the undermining of Indian sovereignty. The ensuing Indian defense involves negotiations of identity.

Nguyen, Nhu-Hoa. 2000. La rhétorique de la parodie dans Le destin de Monique de Claire Bretécher. University of Ottawa, Canada; Département des lettres françaises, Faculty of Art. Supervisor: Dr. Christian Vandendorpe. Published in part as: "The Rhetoric of Parody in Claire Bretécher’s Le destin de Monique" (International Journal of Comic Art 3.2 [Fall 2001]: 162-174); and « L’Onomastique chez Claire Bretécher » (Regards sur la bande dessinée, L’acte du premier colloque sur la bande dessinée, de l’Université du Québec à Hull, Montréal, Les 400 Coups), forthcoming 2004.

Abstract: La bande dessinée a été l’objet de plusieurs analyses de fond, tant au plan de ses techniques sémiotiques que de ses significations et implications idéologiques. Les années quatre-vingt en France voient éclore une génération de bédéistes doués qui couvrent largement le spectre de l'humour, allant de la simple observation de Sempé ou Cabu, jusqu'à la satire sociale de Wolinski ou Bretécher, la dérision crue et cruelle de Reiser ou Binet, et allant jusqu'au pur non-sens de Mandrika, Gotlib et F'Murrr, pour ne citer que ceux-là.
    Cette thèse étudie les mécanismes de la rhétorique parodique qu’utilise Claire Bretécher dans son album Le destin de Monique (1983), le seul album de ses oeuvres consacré entièrement à une unique diégèse, contrairement à sa pratique habituelle de gags d'une page ou d'une double-page.
   À première vue, Le destin de Monique dresse un procès hilarant d'un mode de vie hollywoodien où l'on fait un usage abusif et désinvolte de la manipulation des gènes. Importé en France, ce mode de vie s'intègre dans les moeurs et les valeurs sociales de la France des années quatre-vingt.
   Une première section étudie les moyens dont est mise en place une rhétorique de la parodie textuelle. Recourant abondamment à la technique du récit-parenthèse, Bretécher met en scène des personnages dotés chacun d'un registre de langue particulier, issu non pas tellement d'une réalité linguistique que d'une composition créative de l'auteur. Une autre section analyse les procédés de rhétorique iconique et s'intéresse à la façon dont Bretécher exploite le langage visuel propre à la bande dessinée, soit les rapports entre planches, cases et dessins. Une attention particulière est apportée à la technique de la citation composite au moyen de laquelle sont détournées de façon iconoclaste de nombreuses peintures religieuses de la tradition classique.
   À la lumière de ces analyses, il apparaît que Le destin de Monique fournit un bel exemple de transmission d'un message paralittéraire et humoristique, jouant habilement sur la connivence entre l'auteur et son lecteur.

Niederhausen, Michael. 1999. Signifying in Comic Books: Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. Xavier University, Department of English, Cincinnati, OH, USA. Approved by: Dr. Tyrone Williams - Faculty Thesis Advisor Dr. Norman Finkelstein - English Department Chair. On-line at http://www.holycow.com/dreaming/academia/thesis.txt

Page, Tyler M. [date?] I Couldn't Make This Up If I Tried. MFA in Visual Studies. Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Graduate Program. Committee Members: Dr. Frenchy Lunning, MCAD Liberal Arts Professor and degree mentor Vesna Kittelson, MCAD Fine Arts Professor Greg Ketter, Vice-President of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and owner of DreamHaven Books. Images from thesis exhibition, along with direct link to paper. The body of work developed for the thesis has been published as two graphic novels to date: "Stylish Vittles: I Met a Girl" 2002, ISBN 0972080104; "Stylish Vittles: All the Way" 2003, ISBN 0972080112.

Abstract: This paper examines the differences between corporate comics creators and independent comics creators and how those differences lead to an inherent disparity in the quality and type of the comics they produce. It is my contention that in order to advance comics as an artform, to produce comics which are progressive and original, the true comics creator must work outside of the current, dominant corporate comics industry paradigm. Independent creators are able to explore non-formulae genres and truly experiment with story and form due to lack of editorial and budgetary restrictions. In support of this, I will examine comics works which stand apart with unique artistic or literary merit, and how those works could have only been produced as independents. Similarly, I will show how my own work fits in to the independent comics movement,and how it could only have been produced outside of the corporate comics world.

Perna, Laura A. 2009. "Ora e sempre: Resistenza!: Ten Years of Comics on Italy's postwar Resistance and Contemporary Political Debate. New York University, Italian Dept. Advisors: Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Dr. Chiara Ferrari. A version of one section was published as "(Re)Constructing History: Italy's Post-War Resistence Movement in Contemporary Comics," in SCAN: Journal of Media Arts Culture 5.2 (September 2008).

Phillips, Llana Stephanie. 1991. Situational Humor, Personality and Key Demographic Variables as Factors in the Appreciation of Family-Context Cartoons. University of Regina (Canada). DAI.

Polsky, Jude. 2002. Laughing Matters: The Holocaust Humour of Art Spiegelman, Tadeusz Borowski, and Aleksander Kulisiewicz. University of Calgary (Canada). DAI.

Prusik, Krystyna H. 1974. Les effets stylistiques des onomatopees de choc dans la bande dessinee. McMaster University (Canada). DAI.

Rifas, Leonard. 1991. The Forgotten War Comics: The Korean War and American Comic Books. University of Washington, School of Communications.

Rufus, Anneli. 2004. Good and Evil in the Ashes: The Search for a New Aesthetic and a New Morality in Post-WWII Japan, as Revealed in Keiji Nakazawa's 'Barefoot Gen' and Selected Late-20th-century Japanese Literature. California State University, Dominguez Hills. Advisor: Abe Ravitz. UMI.

Schmidt, Peter A., Jr. 2002. The History of Atomic Power and the Rise of the American Comic Book Superhero. Arizona State University, Interdisciplinary Humanities.

Schwartzhoff, Kim Marie. 2001. Collaboration and its Meaning in Art Education. University of Iowa. [library info]

Selden, Arthur Frank. [date?] The underground comix of R. Crumb and Gilbert Shelton: Criticism of the 1960s social and political movement. University of Virginia. FirstSearch.

Short, Don M. 1984. The Construction and Organization of Sexuality and Gender Difference in Western Popular Culture: A Genre Study of Classical Hollywood Narrative. M.F.A. York University (Canada). DAI.

Skilling, Pierre. 1994. Le role du recit de fiction dans la socialisaton politique: Une analyse des representations du politique dans 'Les Aventures De Tintin.' Universite Laval (Canada). DAI.

Soledad Souza e Paula, Leonora. 2004. Intertextual Negotiations in Sandman: An Orbital Movement. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos Literários - Faculdade de Letras - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - Belo Horizonte - Brasil. Committee: Prof. Eliana Lourenço de Lima Reis (adviser), Prof. Waldomiro Vergueiro and Prof. Thomas Burns. E-mail: leonorasl@hotmail.com

Abstract: This work intends to analyze Sandman, by Neil Gaiman, as a graphic novel belonging to the contemporary production of comics, characterized by the creative transportation of cultural productions. The reading of Sandman allows the audience to observe how the contemporary artistic production is affected by the reelaboration of cultural manifestations in its process of construction, which is characterized by a constant communication among means of expression. In this process, the work of art establishes dialogues with cultural productions of different time and space, generating interesting hybrid experiences. The intertextual negotiation among means of expression occurring in Sandman results from practices of appropriation via pastiche placed in a space of orbital circulation.

Thalheimer, Anne N. 1997. [Title unknown]. University of Delaware, Department of English. Chapter Three on-line: The Aesthetic Advancement and Narrative Fluidity of Neil Gaiman's Sandman: Brief Lives.

Thanki, Dhruti. 1997. Motivations Behind the Public Display of Comic Strips. Michigan State University. DAI.

Twomey, John E. 1955. The Anti-Comic Book Crusade. University of Chicago, Communication. September,

Uppendahl-Potter, Lee Ann. 1994. Reflections of Cold War Policies in Popular Culture, 1944-1965. University of Houston. DAI.

Vallee, Jacques. 1990. La propagande de guerre dans les albums de 'Becassine' (1914-1918) et dans les episodes de 'Superman' (1942-1943). Universite Laval (Canada). DAI.

Vermette, Stephane. 2000. Au-dela des cliches. Le regard porte sur le Zaire par la bande dessinee aux Xxe siecle. Universite Laval (Canada). DAI.

Wienskoski, Paula. 2002. Carlos Estêvão, cronista do traço: retratos críticos do cotidiano familiar [Carlos Estêvão, pictorial cronist: critical portraits of the family daily life]. Master Degree on Visual Arts at the Escola de Belas-Artes (EBA) (School of Fine Arts) from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Committee members: Prof. Rosza W. Vel Zoladz, PhD, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; Prof. Angela Martins, PhD, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; Prof. Mohammed El Hajji, PhD, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

English Abstract: This research focus on the life-work of Carlos Estêvão, a social cartoonist that published on O Cruzeiro, a magazine from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), during the '50s and '60s. Considering how the cartoon may be seen as a record of the daily life and transactions in the city, this work will complete an etnographic study of chosen images - where the characters are in the presence of mass communication media vehicles of the time -, starting from the cartoonist's mind-set and life-work and how it is arranged in relation to his social and cultural context. The proposed goal in the research is to prove the feasibility of realizing these analysis through the application of an array of epistemological procedures previously selected in order to achieve the interpretations of these pictures.

Winchester, Mark David. 1990. George McManus, comic strip theatricals and vaudeville. Ohio State University.

Wood, Jennifer. 1999. A Formal Analysis of Art Spiegelman's Maus. Central Michigan University.

Top || Doctoral Dissertations and Theses || Undergradate Theses

Undergraduate Theses

Boatner, Charles. 1977. Appreciating Comics. Individual major; David Swagger, dir. University of California, Santa Cruz.

"It examines mainstream comics material, basically from the '60's, from a literary and social viewpoint." --Mark Clegg

Chang, Vanessa. 2003. Kabuki: The Myth of Face. Vassar College, English. Thesis advisor: Peter Antelyes. On-line version.

Clegg, Mark. 1978. Understanding Comics. B.A. in Comics Art with Honors. University of California, Santa Cruz.

"It [...] examined the medium of comics to discover the fundamental processes of how it works to communicate from creator to consumer. Projection is uncovered to be the underlying principle. It has not been published, but it was circulated in a professionals-only amateur press alliance in the late '80's. Scott McCloud was one of the founding members of that apa." --MC

Cohn, Neil. 2002. A Time Frame of Mind: Visual Language and Buddhist Dharma Theory. Undergraduate Honors Thesis. University of California, Berkeley. Published version appears in Berkeley Undergraduate Journal 31 (Spring 2003): 1-34. On-line version linked from this page.

Effron, Samuel Asher. 1996. Taking Off the Mask. Invocation and Formal Presentation of the Superhero Comic in Moore and Gibbons’ Watchmen. B.A., awarded High Honors from the Honors College. Wesleyan University, Department of American Studies. Advisor: Richard Slotkin. On-line version containing the final two chapters (out of four).

Gray, Margaret. 2004. Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman': 'Comic' or 'Graphic Novel'? A Study of the 'Adult Revolution' of the 1980s and the Resultant Terminological Debate. BA dissertation (bridge essay); BA Combined History of Art and English & Related Literature(EQ). University of York. contact

Abstract: An examination of the advent of the term 'graphic novel' in the context of postmodernism and the so-called 'adult revolution' of the 1980s. Reading 'Sandman's' innovation in terms of breaking the traditional genre and publication conventions of comics, but not transcending the medium itself but rather exposing its unique narrative and semiotic potential. As a 'bridge essay' between the history of art and english literature, this dissertation questions the ability of either discipline to adequately address comics as an autonomous rather than hybrid medium. It also questions the motives behind scholarly and industry attempts to give comics cultural legitimacy by mobilising the term 'graphic novel'.

Hague, Ian. 2007. Historiographic Metafiction in From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. University of Hull, English. BA (hons). Supervisor: Dr. Jane Thomas.

Abstract: An application of Patricia Waugh’s concept of Historiographic Metafiction (see A Poetics of Postmodernism) to Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell’s From Hell and Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Volumes 1 & 2).

Huitula, Kristian. 2000. Comic Book's Relation to Sound and Multimedia. Tampere Polytechnic, Finland; Medianomi AMK/ BA in Media. Author's website.

Hutchings, Martina. 1996. The Female in Japanese Comics. Honors, Swinburne, Japanese.

Kuechenmeister, Bobby James. 2005 (anticipated). Christ, Anti-Christ, or Super-Hero: Green Lantern Through the Looking Glass. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Literature. Mentor: Dr. Joel Pace, Assistant Professor of English. Published version appears in Prism: A Student Journal of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Vol. 7 (2004). E-mail: <kuechebj@yahoo.com>

Abstract: Analysis of religious values found in Green Lantern comics. Focuses on presenting Green Lantern / Hal Jordan as Christ and Anti-Christ personae in the "Emerald Twilight," "Zero Hour," and "Final Night" story arcs.

Kim, Hak Joon. 1997. Sports Manga: A Contemporary Expression of the Japanese Spirit. Honors dissertation. Monash University, Japanese Studies.

Lancelot, Ronan. 1997. "Hot Dang, look at them commies run!" Communism through mainstream super hero comic books, 1945-1997. Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Grenoble.

Li, Rosanna. 1996. Images of the Family in Four Japanese Comics. Honors dissertation. Monash University, Japanese Studies.

Muskat, Etan. 2003. Cartooning Truth: Towards a Documentary of Comix. Thesis Project, Bachelor of Arts, English (Cultural Studies). McGill University, 2003. Montreal, Canada. Thesis advisor: Professor Michael Bristol.

Abstract: This paper discusses comix as a potential site for documentary and will focus on three artists, each coming to the fore during various periods over the last thirty-odd years: Robert Crumb, the artist responsible for popularizing underground comix, Art Spiegelman, the first artist to win mainstream critical acclaim for a comic book, and Joe Sacco, currently redefining the potential of the form to engage with contemporary historical narratives.
What distinguishes these three artists is not merely their concern with history and current events, but their willingness to ‘call a spade a spade’. While comics have always in some way represented the psychological subconscious of the society that produces them, there has always been an impetus to submerge these concerns in the conventions of genre. Its was not until Crumb began actually describing his own experiences with the Haight-Ashbury counterculture of the late 1960’s that comix began to engage directly with the issues to which they had always been referring.
All three of these artists are characters in their own narratives: they call attention to themselves as the conduit for history. This point is extremely important when defining the concept of ‘documentary’. In film, the definition of this notion has been extremely problematic. However, film is the only medium that possesses such a category and has received academic attention for it. Therefore, for the purpose of this argument, the cinematic concept of documentary will be used as a starting point. In as much, it is essential to determine what documentary is, what the label entails, and how the artist, author or filmmaker’s own experiences and personality have come to occupy a very central position in the creation of documentary artworks.

Simmonds, Adam. 1996. Manga and Pornography after the Harmful Comic Controversy. Honors dissertation. Monash University, Japanese Studies

Tang, Happy. 2000. Female Creation and Consumption of Male Homosexuality: A Case Study of Yaoi Manga. Honors dissertation. Monash University, Japanese Studies.

Taylor, Constance. 2003. Independent Study: Comic Book Industry. University of Dayton, English. Advisor: Dr. Irene J. Dickey.

Woo, Benjamin. 2004. Untangling Comics. Honors thesis, Queen's University, Canada, Film Studies. On-line version.

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Copyright © Comics Research.org. This Page Last Updated June 14, 2009.

Copyright © Comics Research.org.
This Page Last Updated June 14, 2009.