Sunday, November 26, 2006

CFP: MECHADEMIA 3: Limits of the Human

Mechademia is a new journal, one I'm very much looking forward to reading. It joins our list of academic journals about comic art.

MECHADEMIA 3: Limits of the Human
Editor: Frenchy Lunning
Associate Editors: Thomas LaMarre, Michelle Ollie, Christopher Bolton

Mechademia is a new annual refereed journal from the University of Minnesota Press, a forum for critical work on anime, manga, and fan arts. We are seeking submissions on topics linked to Japanese manga or anime, as well as related material from fields like fashion, film studies, fine art, game design, and American or global fan culture, among others. Mechademia's goal is to promote critical thinking, writing, art, and creative activity that can bridge the current gap between professional, academic, and fan communities and discourses.

To this end, we seek contributions in a variety of formats, by authors from a wide range of backgrounds and fields. Contributors should endeavor to write across disciplinary boundaries, presenting their unique knowledge in all its sophistication, but with a broad audience in mind. Each issue will have a theme that will focus the conversation and connect different pieces, but we encourage contributors to interpret these themes broadly in order to keep the way open for new and original kinds of work. Superior submissions that fall outside the theme may also be considered if space permits.

We are currently accepting submissions for Mechademia #3, the theme of which is "Limits of the Human." This issue will look at the way anime, manga, and related media have probed the contours human identity and activity-by imagining non-human others; by positing breakthroughs in human capability; or by showing us our own limitations as readers and viewers, among many other strategies. Possible topics include cyborg theory; new fan species; animalism and animalization; undead and the occult; speed and distance; phenomenologies and ontologies, etc. And this list is only a beginning: contributors are encouraged to interpret the theme broadly and contribute their own original perspective on the topic.

The submission deadline for issue #3 is January 5, 2007.

Submissions should be approximately 5000 words or less. Mechademia uses Chicago style documentation, though other formats are acceptable at the submission stage. Files may be sent as attachments to submissions at mechademia.org.

Detailed information about the journal's mission and submission procedures is available on our web site at http://mechademia.org.

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Tuesday, November 21, 2006

CFPs: Research Society for American Periodicals (ALA, 24-27 May 2007)

A set of Calls for Papers of potential interest to comics scholars. See also the RSAP's Resources for Research: Periodicals.

The Research Society for American Periodicals announces calls for papers for the American Literature Association annual meeting in Boston, May 24-27, 2007:
Contemporary Popular Magazines
The Research Society for American Periodicals invites proposals for a session on contemporary popular magazines. Topics may concern magazines individually or in categories (e.g., bridal, lifestyle, news), and may consider genres, departments, contributors, or editorial/textual practices. Please email a 250-word abstract along with a 2-3 sentence bio and any a/v equipment you might need to Judith Yaross Lee: leej@ohio.edu. Deadline for submissions is January 5, 2007.

19th Century Periodicals in Transatlantic Context
The extensive circulation of British periodicals in 19thC America and, especially later in the century, of American periodicals in Britain came to exert a profound influence on the development of the two nations. The Research Society for American Periodicals invites proposals dealing with any aspect of this subject, including individual periodicals, e.g. the Westminster Review; questions of shared concern, e.g. slavery/imperialism; cultural and literary influence, e.g. Punch and American humor; or individual writers, e.g. Henry James. Please email a 250-word abstract along with a 2-3 sentence bio to Robert J. Scholnick: rjscho@wm.edu.
Deadline 5 January, 2007.

Visual Culture in American Periodicals
The Research Society for American Periodicals invites proposals for a session on visual culture in American periodicals. Topics might include the development of illustrations in early periodicals, intertextual relations between verbal and visual texts, illustrators and writers as collaborators, reading advertisements, and cover art. Please email a one-paragraph abstract along with a 2-3 sentence bio and any a/v equipment you might need to Patricia Okker: okkerp@missouri.edu. Deadline for submissions is 5 January 2007.

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Sunday, November 12, 2006

November Entries

Here are the ComicsResearch.org book-entries we've added or revised recently.
Cartoons and Ethnicity. Catalog of the 1992 Festival of Cartoon Art. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Libraries, 1992.

Davis, Linda H. Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life. NY: Random House, 2006.

Gabler, Neal. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.

Gadducci, Fabio. Notes on the Early Decades of Italian Comic Art. Felici Editore, 2006.

Gresh, Lois H. and Robert Weinberg. The Science of Superheroes. John Wiley & Sons, 2002. 224pp. ISBN 0471024600 (cloth -Buy It!), 0471024600 (paper -Buy It!).

Gresh, Lois H. and Robert Weinberg. The Science of Supervillains. John Wiley & Sons, 2004. 224pp.

Kaplan, Arie. Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed! Will Eisner, Stan Lee, Neil Gaimam and More! Chicago Review Press, 2006.

McAllister, Matthew P., Edward H. Sewell, and Ian Gordon, eds. Comics and Ideology. Popular Culture and Everyday Life, Vol. 2. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2001.

McCarthy, Tom. Tintin and the Secret of Literature. Granta, 2006. 211pp.

Merino, Ana. El Cómic Hispánico [Spanish-language Comics]. Madrid: Ediciones Cátedra, 2003. ISBN 8437620570.

Popspiszyl, Tomáš. Otobriana and the Russian Underground: The Incredible Story of Petr Sadecký [Octobriana a Ruský Underground: Neuvĕřitelný Příbĕh Petra Sadeckého]. Prague: Labyrint, 2004.

Trondheim, Lewis and Sergio Garcia. Bande dessinée, apprendre et comprendre. Editions Delcourt, 2006.

Weinstein, Simcha. Up, Up, and Oy Vey!: How Jewish History, Culture, and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero. Leviatham Press, 2006.

Wright, Bradford W. Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.

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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

CFP: Comics and Graphic Novels at New Jersey College English Association, 31 March 2007

Looks like it's academic "call for papers" season again!
COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS
30th Annual New Jersey College English Association
Spring Conference
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ


Over the past twenty years, the "graphic novel" has become a mainstay -- if second-class citizen -- of the popular media. But can we say the form is properly understood when two of the most highly regarded "Graphic Novels" -- Spiegelman's Maus and Satrapi's Persepolis -- are not "novels" at all? This panel seeks papers challenging conventional perspectives of comics and graphic novels. Papers on all topics are welcome, but considerations of non-genre works are encouraged.

Presenters should consider delivering their work in a pedagogical manner, rather than simply reading papers. Visual and rhetorical aids (i.e., handouts, illustrations) are encouraged, as is sharing work with other panelists and distributing completed papers to the audience. For suggestions, see: de Jonge, Julie Stephens. "A Reflection on the Conference Paper Format and Ideas for Change." Modern Language Studies 35.2, 2006. 82-90.

Please send abstract and CV by Jan 2, 2007 to: Edward Shannon, Associate Professor of Literature, Ramapo College of NJ. eshannon@ramapo.edu

Edward A. Shannon, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Literature
Convener of Literature
School of American and International Studies
Ramapo College of New Jersey
505 Ramapo Valley Rd.
Mahwah, NJ 07430
(201) 684-7425 Phone
(201) 684-7973 Fax

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CFP: Comics as Art, Entertainment and Design - Scotland, 25-26 May 2007

Just received this call for papers. Note the January 31 deadline for submissions.

Biff! Bam!! Crikey!!!
Comics as Art, Entertainment and Design

Comics are an important and vital part of popular culture, shaping the early reading experiences of many children, as well as commanding an increasing body of adult readers. They can offer slapstick fun or serious literary themes and have spread into every imaginable genre (comedy, horror, war, adventure, autobiography, documentary and so on). Comics therefore have the potential to be both popular entertainment and provocative art, and have a profound influence on various other media and art-forms, including film, animation, computer games, and television.

The Six Cities Design Festival and the University of Dundee are pleased to announce this international conference, to be held in Dundee on May 25th and 26th 2007. It will celebrate the history of comics in Dundee, but will also explore wider themes, including comics as art, popular culture and design.

Suggested topics include: comics in Scotland, British comics, the intersection of British and American comics, topical and controversial comics, defining comics, and comics and other media.

Dundee is the perfect venue for this conference as the comics of Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson are known all over the world, and 2007 marks the 70th anniversary of The Dandy, widely recognised as the world'€™s longest running comic. The Dundee programme will include the publication of a comic published by DC Thomson highlighting design and innovation in Dundee.

Papers will be 20 minutes long. Proposals of around 300 words should be sent to the address below by January 31st 2007. It is the intention that the conference proceedings will be published. For further information regarding the conference contact:

Dr Chris Murray
Department of English
162 Nethergate,
University of Dundee
DD1 4HN
UK

e-mail: c.murray@dundee.ac.uk
www.six-cities.com

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