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This page collects inks to various resources of interest to those who study or teach comics in the classroom or manage library collections. Two more significant collections of links may be found at the web sites of the Comics Scholars Discussion List (primarily designed for the study of comics in the classroom) and National Association of Comics Art Educators (primarily designed for the teaching of comics ["how to"] in the classroom). If you have suggestions for more resources to list here, please contact us.
Entries markedor
have been newly added or revised since January 1, 2010.
Comics-Related Dissertations and Theses
Listings of doctoral, masters, and undergraduate works on comics, maintained by ComicsResearch.org. Always under
Journals
A list of journals that specialize in comic art, published by university presses, museums, libraries, etc. See Periodicals for popular/fan magazines. Jornals marked "PR" are peer- reviewed.
9e Art: edited by Thierry Groensteen, France, 1996-present [info at CNBDI].
Deutsche Comicforschung: edited by Eckart Sackmann. PR
European Comic Art: edited by Laurence Grove, Mark McKinney, and Ann Miller, and published by Liverpool University Press. "The first English-language scholarly publication devoted to the study of European-language graphic novels, comic strips, comic books and caricature." PR
Image [&] Narrative: edited by Jan Baetens, Belgium, 2000-present. PR
ImageText: published by the University of Florida, USA. PR
inks: cartoon and comic art studies: edited by Lucy Shelton Caswell, and published by Ohio State University, USA, 1994-1997. (contents via MSU) PR
International Journal of Comic Art: edited and published by John Lent, Temple University, USA, Spring 1999-present.
Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics: edited by David Huxley and Joan Ormrod, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, 2010- . PR
Mechademia: edited by Frenchy Lunning, and published by University of Minnesota Press. "Academic journal for writing about anime, manga and the 'fan arts.'" PR
SIGNs – Studies in Graphic Narratives: edited by Fabio Gadducci. "Focusing on Comics (or, in contemporary jargon, Graphic Novels), from modern times up to the early decades of the 20th century." PR
Studies in Comics: edited by Julia Round, Chris Murray, Dean Chan, and M. Thomas Inge; published by Intellect."[A]ims to describe the nature of comics, to identify the medium as a distinct art form, and to address the medium’s formal properties." PR
The following journals do not specialize in comic art, but often publish articles on this and related subjects:
Journal of Popular Culture: See also "Bibliography of Comics Articles in the Journal of Popular Culture" PR
Studies in American Humor: Affiliated with the American Humor Studies Association
Transformative Works and Cultures: "the academic arm of the nonprofit fan advocacy group Organization for Transformative Works"
Word & Image: Affiliated with the International Association for Word & Image Studies / Association Internationale pour l'Etude des Rapports entre Texte et Image (IAWIS/AIERTI) PR
Journals which have published special issues devoted to comic art:
20th Century Studies 13/14 (December 1975): Politics in Cartoon and Caricature.
Belphégor 4.1 (November 2004): L'étude de la bande dessinée; Belphégor 5.1 (December 2005): L'étude de la bande dessinée II.
Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies 6 (Spring 2005): Comics.
Print: America's Graphic Design Magazine 42.6 (November/December 1988): Comics: A Special Issue.
Philosophy Now 73 (May / June 2009): Comics & Philosophy issue.
SCAN: Journal of Media Arts Culture 5.2 (September 2008): Reading Between the Panels (Part I).
Theory, Culture & Society 26.2-3 (2009): Special Issue on Ubiquitous Media (some manga/anime content).
February: University of Florida's Conference on Graphic Novels (USA)
March/April (Easter/Passover weekend): Comic Art & Comics Area, Popular Culture Association (USA) (movable conference; comics papers also presented in the Asian Popular Culture Area and other Areas)
May: Sequential Art Studies Conference, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia - status uncertain
July: Comic Arts Conference, San Diego Comic-Con International, USA
Summer: International Society for Humor Studies (varies)
September/October: International Comic Arts Forum, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA - formerly the International Comic Arts Festival
October (every three years): Festival of Cartoon Art, Ohio State University, USA
Various: The International Bande Dessinee Society Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Special Conferences (most recent listed first)
January 31, 2009: Graphica in Education: Graphic Novels come out from Under the Desk, Fordham University Graduate School of Education, New York City
May 18-19, 2006: International Conference on Asian Comics, Animation & Gaming, York University, Toronto
November 19-21, 2004: CRLMC Conference: Mythology and Comic Book Art / Mythe et bande dessinée, Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France
May 8-9, 2004: La linea inquieta. Emozione e ironia nel fumetto / The Troubled Line: Emotion and Irony in Comics, Bologna, Italy.
May 12-13, 2000: Second International Conference on the Graphic Novel, KU Leuven, Belgium.
May 9-10, 1998: Fumettopolis, Turin, Italy.
American Humor Studies Association
Anime and Manga Research Circle discussion list
Comics Scholars Discussion List
GNIE-L: "Discussion of graphic novels and comics in educational environments: daycares, pre-schools, elementary, middle and senior high schools up to college and other post-secondary institutions."
GNLIB-L: "Just for Young Adult / Adult Librarians! Share reviews and resources for collection development of your graphic or comic novel section."
International Association of Word and Image Studies
International Bande Dessinée Society (IBDS) - housed at the University of Glasgow
Japan Society for Studies in Cartoons and Comics - with foreign-language information
CANADA: Book & Media Studies: University of St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto: A wide-ranging program of potential interest to students of the comics form; courses include "FCS 297H1 Comic Books and French Culture"
USA: Minneapolis College of Art and Design: Schoolgirls and Mobile Suits: Culture and Creation in Manga and Anime, annual workshop in Continuing Studies.
USA: University of Florida: See especially the graduate track for Comics and Visual Rhetoric.
USA: University of Massachusetts Amherst: Word and Image: A Collaborative Research Exchange Project. In conjunction with Romance Languages at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
Post-Secondary Schools for Studying Comic Art - Making ComicsCANADA: Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology: Comic Design and Scripting - Ontario. (More info via instructor Richard Comely)
CANADA: Université du Québec en Outaouais - Arts, design et bande dessinée
UK: North Wales School of Art & Design - BA (Hons) Illustration for Graphic Novels
USA: Center for Cartoon Studies - Vermont. Read profile from Southwest Airlines' September, 2008 Spirit magazine.
USA: Emerson College (Boston, MA) - Graphic Novel Writing & Illustration Certificate
USA: Joe Kubert School of Cartoon & Graphic Art, Inc. - New Jersey; offers the Dave & Paty Cockrum Scholarship for continuing students [more info].
USA: Minneapolis College of Art and Design - including a major in Comic Art
USA: Rhode Island School of Design - including an undergraduate degree program in illustration
USA: Savannah College of Art & Design - Sequential Art - Georgia
Copyright InformationFor Current and Recent Graduate-Level Students
Swann Foundation Fellowships from The Library of Congress' Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon. "To be eligible, one must be a candidate for an M.A. or Ph.D. degree in a university in the United States, Canada or Mexico and working toward the completion of a dissertation or thesis for that degree, or be engaged in postgraduate research within three years of receiving an M.A. or Ph.D." Annual award.
For University- and College-Level Students
The Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship from the National Cartoonists Society Foundation. "Applicants must be college students in the United States, Canada or Mexico that will be in their Junior or Senior year of college" during the next academic year.
Duncan, Randy and Matthew J. Smith. 2009. The Power of Comics: History, Form & Culture. London & New York: Continuum.Kahan, Jeffrey and Stanley Stewart. Caped Crusaders 101: Composition through Comic Books. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company, 2006. 200pp. ISBN 0786425326 (paper).
Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels: Page by Page, Panel by Panel. 2007. Edited by James Bucky Carter. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Cary, Stephen. Going Graphic: Comics at Work in the Multilingual Classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004. 218pp. ISBN 0325004757 (paper). Buy It!
Thomas, James L. 1983. Cartoons in the Classroom: A Reference for Teachers and Librarians. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited. 181pp. ISBN 0872873579 (cloth). Buy It!
Thomas, Rebecca L. and Catherine Barr. 2005. Popular Series Fiction for Middle School and Teen Readers. Westport, CT & London: Libraries Unlimited. 515pp. ISBN 1591582024 (hc). Buy It!
Weblink: Cognitive Comics: A Constructivist Approach to Sequential Art - "for the purposes of submission to the the State University of New York College at Buffalo Office of Undergraduate Research."
Weblink: The Comic Book Project - "an arts-based literacy and learning initiative hosted by Teachers College, Columbia University with materials published by Dark Horse Comics."
Weblink: Comics in the Classroom .net - and a Pop Thought interview with CitC.net's Scott Tingley
Weblink: Educating with Comics, by Leonard Rifas. AIGA Design Forum, posted June 28, 2005.
Weblink: The Graphic Classroom, by Chris Wilson. "Promoting the use of high quality comic literature in the elementary, middle school, and high school classroom."
Weblink: The Maryland Comic Book Initiative - see also Industry News via partner Diamond Comics Distributors
Weblink: Teaching with Comics via Flummery.com
Cornog, Martha, and Timothy Perper, eds. 2009. Graphic Novels Beyond the Basics: Insights and Issues for Librarians. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimites - ABC-Clio.
Miller, Steve. Developing and Promoting Graphic Novel Collections. Teens @ the library series. NY: Neal-Schuman P, 2005. 130pp. ISBN 1555704611 (paper). Buy It!
O'Kelly, Joss, compiler. 2001. Son of Invisible Art: Graphic Novels for Libraries. Aylesbury [UK]: Library and Information Service for Schools, Buckinghamshire County Council, 2001.
Scott, Randall W. Comic Books and Strips: An Information Sourcebook. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx P, 1988. 152pp. ISBN 089774389X (paper). Buy It!
Scott, Randall W. Comics Librarianship: A Handbook. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1990. ISBN 0899505279.
Serchay, David S. 2008. The Librarian's Guide to Graphic Novels for Children and Tweens. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
Serchay, David S. 2009. The Librarian's Guide to Graphic Novels for Adults. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
Weblink: No Flying, No Tights - Comics reviews for teens. Also Sidekicks (for kids) and The Lair (for teens and adults)
Library Research Collections
See also Comics Research Libraries by MSU's Randy Scott
Belgium
Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée / Belgisch Centrum voor het Beeldverhaal
Denmark
Tegneseriemuseet i Danmark - primarily a museum; see also information in English
Finland
Aralis - Suomen Sarjakuvaseuran kokoelma - also in English
France
Centre National de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image
Norway
Sweden
Serieteket - also in English
USABowling Green State University - Browne Popular Culture Library
Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library - Comics - including the Murray (Edwin and Terry) Comic Book Collection, the Sarah Dyer Zine Collection, ca. 1985-1999, and the M. Thomas Inge Papers, 1978-1982, 1988-1989. See also past exhibits including "Comic Book Cultures" and "Early Comic Strips 1898-1916"
Henderson State University's Huie Library Special Collections - including the Stephen R. Bissette Collection, "The Graphic Novel as Literature and History of Comics," and the "Jean-Marc L' Officier Collection: French Comics and French Popular Culture."
Kent State University Library's Department of Special Collections and Archives - including the P. Craig Russell Collection
Library of Congress - Caroline and Erwin Swann Foundation for Caricature and Cartoon - Several resources; see, for example, Cartoon-related Research at the Library of Congress and Swann Foundation Fellowships.
Michigan State University- Comic Art Collection - including a list of other comics research libraries as well as Indexes by Mike Rhode
Northern Illinois University Libraries - Rare Books & Special Collections - includes the Comic Book Collection, with a searchable database.
Ohio State University - Cartoon Research Library - see also detailed information at Cartoonist Group
Portland State Library's Comics Collection featuring the Dark Horse Collection - includes one copy of each title in Special Collections and in a browsing, circulating collection.
University of California Riverside Libraries - Special Collections - including The J. Lloyd Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Utopian Literature - with two fanzine collections
University of Connecticut - Thomas J. Dodd Research Center - including an underground comix collection. See also "Voices from the Underground: Radical Protest and the Underground Press in the 'Sixties': An Exhibition."
University of Florida - George A. Smathers Libraries - see Special and Area Studies Collections exhibit information including "Help is on the Way! Comic Books and Superheroes in Special Collections" and "75 Years of Blondie: 1930-2005" (pdf file)
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Library Special Collections (4th floor) includes a Comic Book Collection (see catalog search tips)
University of Wyoming - American Heritage Center's Rural Images Virtual Exhibit - including J.R. Williams, Ace Reid, and Jerry Palen. Also Stan Lee: Papers, 1947-1991; see related news release
Virginia Commonwealth University - Special Collections and Archives - Manuscript and Book Collections - featuring the Comic Arts Collection: several different collections, including the M. Thomas Inge Collection of Comic Arts Reference Periodicals and the M. Thomas Inge Papers, as well as over 20,000 comic books. From VCU News, June 12, 2006: Article on the collection.
United Kingdom
Centre for the Study of Cartoons and Caricature [CartoonHub] - located at the University of Kent at Canterbury: "a library, archive, gallery, and registered museum dedicated to the history of British cartooning over the last two hundred years. CartoonHub describes the Centre's holdings, but is also a guide to the holdings of other archives and galleries, including the partners in the RSLP CartoonHub Project."
National Art Library at the Victoria & Albert Museum - see Comics in the National Art Library, including the "Krazy Kat Arkive of Twentieth Century Popular Culture" and the "Rakoff Collection of Comics." See also The Andy Roberts Memorial Collection of Comics and Zines, maintained by Jenni Scott.
Columbia University - Graphic Novels
University at Buffalo - Library Guides - Comic Books - also Graphic Novels: Resources for Teachers & Librarians
University of North Carolina - Graphic Novels
University of North Texas - Graphic Novels and Comics Websites
Yale University - Comic Books, Comic Strips, and Graphic Novels
Other On-Line Resources
Comic Art in Scholarly Writing: A Citation Guide
Comics studies: Resources for scholarly research: a list by Derik A. Badman, for the Association of College & Research Libraries News
The Media History Project's "Comics & Graphic Arts" connections page
Online Bibliography of Anime and Manga Research, incorporating the Anime/Manga Web Essay Archive.
Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928-1999 - Essential database by the late Jerry Bails