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ComicsResearch.org's
Comics-Related Dissertations & Theses: Masters
Note: The original list has now been separated into three pages.
See also: Doctoral Dissertations and Theses || Undergradate Theses
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For more information on comics in academia, see our Academic Resources page.
- Suomalainen sarjakuvantutkimus vuoteen 2000 - luettelo kirjoista ja kirjoituksista: II OPINNÄYTTEET (A huge list of Finnish academic work on comics)
- Abschlußarbeiten zum Thema Comic (German-Language university-level works)
- Comic Related MS/PhD Thesis (a brief list of primarily American work)
Also, consider joining the Comics Scholars Discussion List.
Note: Degrees awarded are 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.
de la Iglesia, Martin. 2007. Die Popularität US-amerikanischer Comics in Großbritannien [The popularity of US American comics in Britain]. Humboldt- Universität zu Berlin, Germany. Supervisors: Claudia Rückert, Charlotte Klonk. Contact: martin.delaiglesia@gmail.com
Di Menno, Francis. 2005. The rise and fall of EC comics, 1950-1956 : Cold War or cultural war casualty? University of Rhode Island, English. 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.
Figueiredo, Camila Augusta Pires de. 2010. Hollywood Goes Graphic: The Intermedial Transposition of Graphic Novels to Films. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil; English. Committee members: Prof. Thaïs Flores Nogueira Diniz (advisor), Prof. Maria do Carmo Freitas Veneroso (College of Arts, UFMG) and Prof. Álvaro Hattnher (UNESP). Online (pdf). Amazon.com.
Abstract: Comic books have always been consigned to the children's shelves at libraries and bookstores. Recently, however, a massive publishing of comic books designed for the adult audience – called graphic novels – has caught the attention of academics, critics and the film industry. Despite the existence of a vast theoretical bibliography of screen adaptations based on novels, those theories can not be satisfactorily applied to the analysis of films based on comics and graphic novels, since they do not conceive, among other aspects, the translation of the drawings in comics to the photography of film. In this sense, this thesis focuses on an area that has not received enough critical attention: the specific case of the translation of comics and particularly of graphic novels into films. In light of this, I discuss Alan Moore's Watchmen and Frank Miller's Sin City and their respective film versions. In order to support this debate, I will draw upon Irina Rajewsky's categories of intermedial relations as well as Pascal Lefèvre's considerations about film adaptations of comics.
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.
Gluckson, Robert K. 1992. Sex Comics in the 1930s-1950s: A Genre History. University of Washington. Author's website / contact.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.
Abstract: The study examines how race and gender stereotypes in popular culture shape the perception of the Black superheroine. This study also explores stereotypes and gender roles and how they impact Black female and male college students’ ages 18-38 and their imagination of the Black superheroine. As the status of popular culture grows, the generation of today’s college student still remains regular consumers. Thus it was necessary to use a convenience sample of thirty-two African American male and female college-age students from four African American Studies undergraduate courses at Georgia State University that took part in a Superheroine questionnaire, in which they designed their own Black superheroine. This research employs an interpretative textual analysis research design to collect and analyze the data in which significant themes, phrases, and sentences are extracted.
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.
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.
Hughes, Mary. 1992. What's so Funny?: Families in the Comics. Master of Liberal Studies in American Culture, University of Michigan-Flint.
Hung, Shuen-shuen. 1986. Feng Tzu-k'ai: His Art and Thoughts. Michigan State University.
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. Mask and Closet, or "Under the Hood": Metaphors and Representations of Homosexuality in American Superhero Comics after 1985. Massachusetts Institure of Technology, Comparative Media Studies. M.S. download PDF
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.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
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.
Olson, Valerie Voight. 1979. Garry Trudeau's Treatment of Women's Liberation in Doonesbury. Michigan State University.
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.
Pittman, Carolyn S. 1996. The Closet's Revolving Door: Doonesbury and Homophobia in the 90's. University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
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.
Reynolds, David. 2011. Superheroes: An Analysis of Popular Culture's Modern
Myths. Memorial University of Newfoundland, Humanities (M.Phil), under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Lockett (MUN). Available for purchase through Smashwords.com; a descriptive synopsis of the content is available on YouTube.
A semiotic and cultural anthropological interrogation of popular North American superhero narratives, such as those of Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman, provides insight into how media’s messages influence the culture’s ethical values. Since emerging in the late 1930s, the superhero has become a pervasive figure in North American popular culture. As an extension of ideas presented by Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph Campbell, and Umberto Eco, this dissertation argues that superhero tales must be regarded as modern mythology. It follows that people observe and learn social norms of justice from such narratives, since these ideals are intrinsic to the tales. In investigating the superhero’s role as a contemporary figure of myth, this project focuses primarily on three areas: an account of the history of the superhero from 1938 to present; an examination of the cultural functions of contemporary superhero narratives; and, an interrogation of vigilantism, responsibility, and justice in these narratives and how those concerns further relate to ideologies and practices in North American culture.
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.
Wilson, Jack C. 2009. A Causal Comparative Study of Students' Reading Motivation After Reading Comics in the Classroom. Master of Science in Education - Elementary Education. Missouri State University, Childhood Education and Family Studies. [read online]Abstract: This study determined the change in fifth graders’ attitudes toward reading after exposure to comics and graphic novels. The study was conducted in an urban Midwestern school comprised of middle to lower class families. A volunteer group of 10 students from an intact fifth grade class was used. The sample included 8 girls and 2 boys. All of the students were Caucasian except one who was Hispanic. The levels of ability were varied, with one gifted student, three above average learners, five average learners, and one who utilized special education services. The students took a pre-survey then were given access to comics and graphic novels during a lunchtime reading program for a period of four weeks. At the end they each took a post-survey. Data, frequencies and percentages from the surveys, were compared. There was not a significant change in the children’s attitudes toward reading after the study. The findings would suggest that more research is needed.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.
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Sources: Apart from general Internet searches, the following resources were consulted: The Modern Language Association Bibliography, 1969-2002; The Comics Research Bibliography; The Comics Scholars Discussion List; Dissertation Abstracts International; The Dreaming; Michigan State University Library's Catalog Info on "Dissertations About Comics"; WorldCat; personal corresponences. Special thanks to Martin de la Iglesia, Fabio Gadducci, Mark Rogers, Michael Rhode, and Leonard Rifas.
Publicity: Information about this site was originally posted to the Comics Scholars Discussion List. Thanks to the following resources for mentioning this site: EGON; Hijinx Comics; ¡Journalista!: The Comics Journal' Weblog by Dirk Deppey (9th item down).
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