1st Global Conference:
The Graphic Novel
Friday 7th September 2012 – Sunday 9th September 2012
Mansfield College, Oxford, United Kingdom
“Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask
there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof.”
― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta
Call for Papers:
This inter- and multi-disciplinary conference aims to examine,
explore and critically engage with issues in and around the
production, creation and reading of all forms of comics and graphic
novels. Taken as a form of pictographic narrative it has been with us
since the first cave paintings and even in the 21st century remains a
hugely popular, vibrant and culturally relevant means of communication
whether expressed as sequential art, graphic literature, bandes
dessinees, tebeos, fumetti, manga, manhwa, komiks, strips,
historietas, quadrinhos, beeldverhalen, or just plain old comics. (as
noted by Paul Gravett)
Whilst the form itself became established in the 19th Century it is
perhaps not until the 20th century that comic book heroes like
Superman (who has been around since 1938) became, not just beloved
characters, but national icons. With the globalisation of publishing
brands such as Marvel and DC it is no accident that there has been an
increase in graphic novel adaptations and their associated
merchandising. Movies such as X-men, Iron man, Watchmen and the recent
Thor have grossed millions of dollars across the world and many
television series have been continued off-screen in the graphic form,
Buffy, Firefly and Farscape to name a few.
Of course America and Europe is not the only base of this art form
and the Far East and Japan have their own traditions as well as a huge
influence on graphic representations across the globe. In particular
Japanese manga has influenced comics in Taiwan, South Korea, Hong
Kong, China, France and the United States, and have created an amazing
array of reflexive appropriations and re-appropriations, in not just
in comics but in anime as well.
Of equal importance in this growth and relevance of the graphic novel
are the smaller and independent publishers that have produced
influential works such as Maus by Art Spiegleman, Persepolis by
Marjane Satrapi, Palestine by Joe Sacco, Epileptic by David B and even
Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware that explore, often on a personal level,
contemporary concerns such as gender, diaspora, post-colonialism,
sexuality, globalisation and approaches to health, terror and
identity. Further to this the techniques and styles of the graphic
novel have taken further form online creating entirely web-comics and
hypertexts, as in John Cei Douglas’ Lost and Found and Shelley
Jackson’s Patchwork Girl, as well as forming part of larger
trans-media narratives and submersive worlds, as in the True Blood
franchise that invites fans to enter and participate in constructing a
narrative in many varied formats and locations.
This projects invites papers that consider the place of the comic or
graphic novel in both history and location and the ways that it
appropriates and is appropriated by other media in the enactment of
individual, social and cultural identity.
Papers, reports, work-in-progress, workshops and pre-formed panels
are invited on issues related to (but not limited to) the following
themes:
* Just what makes a Graphic Novel so Graphic and so Novel?:
~Sources, early representations and historical contexts of the form.
~Landmarks in development, format and narratology.
~Cartoons, comics, graphic novels and artists books.
~Words, images, texture and colour and what makes a GN
~Format, layout, speech bubbles and “where the *@#% do we go from
here?”
* The Inner and Outer Worlds of the Graphic Novel:
~Outer and Inner spaces; Thoughts, cities, and galaxies and other
representations of graphic place and space.
~ Differing temporalities, Chronotopes and “time flies”:
Intertextuality, editing and the nature of Graphic and/or Deleuzian
time.
~ Graphic Superstars and Words versus Pictures: Alan Moore v Dave
Gibbons (Watchmen) Neil Gaiman v Jack Kirby (Sandman).
~Performance and performativity of, in and around graphic
representations.
~Transcriptions and translations: literature into pictures, films
into novels and high/low graphic arts.
* Identity, Meanings and Otherness:
~GN as autobiography, witnessing, diary and narrative
~Representations of disability, illness, coping and normality
~Cultural appropriations, east to west and globalisation
~National identity, cultural icons and stereo-typical villains
~Immigration, postcolonial and stories of exile
~Representing gender, sexualities and non-normative identities.
~Politics, prejudices and polemics: banned, censored and comix that
are “just plain wrong”
~Other cultures, other voices, other words
* To Infinity and Beyond: The Graphic Novel in the 21st Century:
~Fanzines and Slash-mags: individual identity through appropriation.
~Creator and Created: Interactions and interpolations between
authors and audience.
~Hypertext, Multiple formats and inter-active narratives.
~Cross media appropriation, GN into film, gaming and merchandisng
and vice versa
~Graphic Myths and visions of the future: Sandman, Hellboy, Ghost in
the Shell.
Papers can be accepted which deal solely with Graphic Novels. This
project will run concurrently with our project on Fear, Horror and
Terror – we welcome any papers considering the problems or
addressing issues on Fear, Horror and Terror and Graphic Novels for a
cross-over panel. We also welcome pre-formed panels on any aspect of
the Graphic Novel or in relation to crossover panel(s).
Papers will be accepted which deal with related areas and themes. 300
word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 16th March 2012. If an
abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be
submitted by Friday 22nd June 2012. 300 word abstracts should be
submitted to the Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word,
WordPerfect, or RTF formats, following this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract,
e) body of abstract, f) up to 10 keywords
E-mails should be entitled: GN1 Abstract Submission
Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using any
special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or
underline). We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals
submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should
assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in
cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic
route or resend.
Organising Chairs
Nadine Farghaly
Paris-Lodron University, Salzburg,
Austria
E-mail: Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net <mailto:Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net>
Rob Fisher
Network Leader
Inter-Disciplinary.Net,
Freeland, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
E-Mail: gn1@inter-disciplinary.net
<mailto:gn1@inter-disciplinary.net>
The conference is part of the Education Hub series of research
projects, which in turn belong to the At the Interface programmes of
Inter-Disciplinary.Net. It aims to bring together people from
different areas and interests to share ideas and explore discussions
which are innovative and challenging. All papers accepted for and
presented at this conference are eligible for publication in an ISBN
eBook. Selected papers may be invited to go forward for development
into a themed ISBN hard copy volume or volumes.
For further details of the project, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/
<../../../../at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/>
For further details of the conference, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/call-for-papers/
<../../../../at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/call-for-papers/>
Please note: Inter-Disciplinary.Net is a not-for-profit network and
we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel
or subsistence.
The Graphic Novel
Friday 7th September 2012 – Sunday 9th September 2012
Mansfield College, Oxford, United Kingdom
“Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask
there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof.”
― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta
Call for Papers:
This inter- and multi-disciplinary conference aims to examine,
explore and critically engage with issues in and around the
production, creation and reading of all forms of comics and graphic
novels. Taken as a form of pictographic narrative it has been with us
since the first cave paintings and even in the 21st century remains a
hugely popular, vibrant and culturally relevant means of communication
whether expressed as sequential art, graphic literature, bandes
dessinees, tebeos, fumetti, manga, manhwa, komiks, strips,
historietas, quadrinhos, beeldverhalen, or just plain old comics. (as
noted by Paul Gravett)
Whilst the form itself became established in the 19th Century it is
perhaps not until the 20th century that comic book heroes like
Superman (who has been around since 1938) became, not just beloved
characters, but national icons. With the globalisation of publishing
brands such as Marvel and DC it is no accident that there has been an
increase in graphic novel adaptations and their associated
merchandising. Movies such as X-men, Iron man, Watchmen and the recent
Thor have grossed millions of dollars across the world and many
television series have been continued off-screen in the graphic form,
Buffy, Firefly and Farscape to name a few.
Of course America and Europe is not the only base of this art form
and the Far East and Japan have their own traditions as well as a huge
influence on graphic representations across the globe. In particular
Japanese manga has influenced comics in Taiwan, South Korea, Hong
Kong, China, France and the United States, and have created an amazing
array of reflexive appropriations and re-appropriations, in not just
in comics but in anime as well.
Of equal importance in this growth and relevance of the graphic novel
are the smaller and independent publishers that have produced
influential works such as Maus by Art Spiegleman, Persepolis by
Marjane Satrapi, Palestine by Joe Sacco, Epileptic by David B and even
Jimmy Corrigan by Chris Ware that explore, often on a personal level,
contemporary concerns such as gender, diaspora, post-colonialism,
sexuality, globalisation and approaches to health, terror and
identity. Further to this the techniques and styles of the graphic
novel have taken further form online creating entirely web-comics and
hypertexts, as in John Cei Douglas’ Lost and Found and Shelley
Jackson’s Patchwork Girl, as well as forming part of larger
trans-media narratives and submersive worlds, as in the True Blood
franchise that invites fans to enter and participate in constructing a
narrative in many varied formats and locations.
This projects invites papers that consider the place of the comic or
graphic novel in both history and location and the ways that it
appropriates and is appropriated by other media in the enactment of
individual, social and cultural identity.
Papers, reports, work-in-progress, workshops and pre-formed panels
are invited on issues related to (but not limited to) the following
themes:
* Just what makes a Graphic Novel so Graphic and so Novel?:
~Sources, early representations and historical contexts of the form.
~Landmarks in development, format and narratology.
~Cartoons, comics, graphic novels and artists books.
~Words, images, texture and colour and what makes a GN
~Format, layout, speech bubbles and “where the *@#% do we go from
here?”
* The Inner and Outer Worlds of the Graphic Novel:
~Outer and Inner spaces; Thoughts, cities, and galaxies and other
representations of graphic place and space.
~ Differing temporalities, Chronotopes and “time flies”:
Intertextuality, editing and the nature of Graphic and/or Deleuzian
time.
~ Graphic Superstars and Words versus Pictures: Alan Moore v Dave
Gibbons (Watchmen) Neil Gaiman v Jack Kirby (Sandman).
~Performance and performativity of, in and around graphic
representations.
~Transcriptions and translations: literature into pictures, films
into novels and high/low graphic arts.
* Identity, Meanings and Otherness:
~GN as autobiography, witnessing, diary and narrative
~Representations of disability, illness, coping and normality
~Cultural appropriations, east to west and globalisation
~National identity, cultural icons and stereo-typical villains
~Immigration, postcolonial and stories of exile
~Representing gender, sexualities and non-normative identities.
~Politics, prejudices and polemics: banned, censored and comix that
are “just plain wrong”
~Other cultures, other voices, other words
* To Infinity and Beyond: The Graphic Novel in the 21st Century:
~Fanzines and Slash-mags: individual identity through appropriation.
~Creator and Created: Interactions and interpolations between
authors and audience.
~Hypertext, Multiple formats and inter-active narratives.
~Cross media appropriation, GN into film, gaming and merchandisng
and vice versa
~Graphic Myths and visions of the future: Sandman, Hellboy, Ghost in
the Shell.
Papers can be accepted which deal solely with Graphic Novels. This
project will run concurrently with our project on Fear, Horror and
Terror – we welcome any papers considering the problems or
addressing issues on Fear, Horror and Terror and Graphic Novels for a
cross-over panel. We also welcome pre-formed panels on any aspect of
the Graphic Novel or in relation to crossover panel(s).
Papers will be accepted which deal with related areas and themes. 300
word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 16th March 2012. If an
abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be
submitted by Friday 22nd June 2012. 300 word abstracts should be
submitted to the Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word,
WordPerfect, or RTF formats, following this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract,
e) body of abstract, f) up to 10 keywords
E-mails should be entitled: GN1 Abstract Submission
Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using any
special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or
underline). We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals
submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should
assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in
cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic
route or resend.
Organising Chairs
Nadine Farghaly
Paris-Lodron University, Salzburg,
Austria
E-mail: Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net <mailto:Nadine.Farghaly@gmx.net>
Rob Fisher
Network Leader
Inter-Disciplinary.Net,
Freeland, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
E-Mail: gn1@inter-disciplinary.net
<mailto:gn1@inter-disciplinary.net>
The conference is part of the Education Hub series of research
projects, which in turn belong to the At the Interface programmes of
Inter-Disciplinary.Net. It aims to bring together people from
different areas and interests to share ideas and explore discussions
which are innovative and challenging. All papers accepted for and
presented at this conference are eligible for publication in an ISBN
eBook. Selected papers may be invited to go forward for development
into a themed ISBN hard copy volume or volumes.
For further details of the project, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/
<../../../../at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/>
For further details of the conference, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/call-for-papers/
<../../../../at-the-interface/education/the-graphic-novel/call-for-papers/>
Please note: Inter-Disciplinary.Net is a not-for-profit network and
we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel
or subsistence.
