[ Education - Editorial Work - Employment ]
[ Publications: Articles - Reviews - In Progress ]
[ Conference Participation - Invited Talks ]
[ Offices Held - Professional Organizations ]
[ Service ]
Last Revised: 1 August 2006
Education
- Ph.D. University of Connecticut, English Department ; defense held May 6, 2002
- Form, Function, Fiction: Text and Image in the Comics Narratives of Winsor McCay, Art Spiegelman, and Chris Ware; Tom Roberts, Director.
- M.A., Marquette University, 1990 - British and American Literature
- B.A., Marquette University, 1988 - Major: English; Minors: Medieval Studies, Theology
Editorial and Consulting Work
- Creator and maintainer, ComicsResearch.org, featuring the Comics Scholarship Annotated Bibliographies, a resource website for comics scholarship, 1995-present.
- Special contributing editor, Comic Book Artist magazine, 2005.
- Scholarly committee member, "Heroes, Heart-throbs and Horrors" [Connecticut Historical Society exhibition on comics], 2003.
- Editor, "Critical Closure" resource section, International Journal of Comic Art, Fall 1999-Spring 2005.
- Copy editor and contributing writer, Institute for Teaching and Learning Newsletter, University of Connecticut, Fall 1997-Spring 2001.
- Copy editor, Evaluating Educational Credentials from China by Shelley Feagles, published by Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., 1992
Employment
- Fall 2002-Fall 2005: Assistant Professor of English, University of Houston - Downtown, Houston TX
- Courses taught: ENG 3302 (Business and Professional Report Writing); ENG 3351 (Children's Literature); ENG 3355 (Young Adult Literature); ENG 4390 (Topics in Language and Literature: Comics and Visual Literature)
- Fall 1991-Spring 2002: Graduate Assistant, University of Connecticut, Department of English, Storrs CT
- Courses taught: include English 104 (Composition and Computers); English 105 (English Composition); English 109 (Introduction to Literature and Composition); English 127 (Masterworks of English Literature) - assistant; English 200 (Children's Literature) - taught 2 sections, assisted 1 (Samuel F. Pickering, professor); English 250 (Honors Introduction to Literature)
- UConn English Department Computer Lab Assistant, Web Manager - Fall 1994 - Summer 2001
- Guest Lecturer on Comic Books - Various Courses in the UConn English Department as well as Boston University
- Fall 1990-Summer 1991: Administrative Assistant, Educational Credential Evaluators, Milwaukee WI
- Prepared reports, dealt with correspondence
- Fall 1988-Spring 1990: Graduate Assistant, Marquette University, Department of English, Milwaukee WI
- Courses taught: English 001 (Modes of Discourse), English 002 (Introduction to Literature)
- Writing Center Consultant - one year
Publications
Articles
[Tribute to Will Eisner.] Comic Book Artist 2.6 (2005): 151.
Two brief articles in Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays! Sunday Press Books, 2005. n.p.
Entries on "Comic Books" and "Tintin/Hergé" for Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood: In History and Society. Macmillan Reference USA, October 2003.
"The Comics of Chris Ware: Text, Image, and Visual Narrative Strategies." The Language of Comics: Word and Image, ed. Robin Varnum and Christina Gibbons. Jacksonville: University Press of Mississippi, 2002. 174-97."Graphic Text, Graphic Context: Interpreting Custom Fonts and Hands in Contemporary Comics." Illuminating Letters: Typography and Literary Interpretation , ed. Paul Gutjahr and Megan Benton. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2001. 163-92. [read introduction]
"Virtuoso Cartooning." Historic Virtuoso Cartoonists, ed. Lucy Shelton Caswell. Catalog of the 2001 Festival of Cartoon Art, August 26 through September 30, 2001. Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library, 2001. pp. 31, 33.
"'I Looked Just Like Rudolph Valentino': Identity and Authority in Maus." The Graphic Novel . [Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the Graphic Novel, KU Leuven, Belgium, May 2000.] Symbolae Facultatis Litterarum Lovaniensis - Series D - Volume 13. Leuven: Leuven University Press, 2001. 79-89. [212 pp. ISBN 90-5867-109-7 (paper).]
"The Ad that Made an Icon Out of Mac." Hogan's Alley 7 (Winter 2000): 80-87. [on-line version]
"Proving 'Silas' an Artist: Winsor McCay's Formal Experiments in Comics and Animation." International Journal of Comic Art 1.1 (Spring/Summer 1999): 57-75.
"'One-of-a-Kind': The Ohio State University Festival of Cartoon Art: October 9-10, 1998. A Personal View by Gene Kannenberg, Jr." Comics Journal 209 (December 1998): 9-14.
"Veni, Vidi, BD: A First-Time Review of Angoulême, 1998." The Comics Journal 202 (March 1998): 24-26.
"Self-Indulgence." (Contributor to collection of critical essays on the "State of the Comics Artform and Industry, 1996.") The Comics Journal 188 (July 1996): 104.
"Devil Dinosaur #1." Comic Effect 8 (Winter 1994): 15-18.
"How I Was Bitten by the Radioactive Comics Bug: Amazing Spider-Man #160." Comic Effect 3 (Autumn 1993): 8-12.
Reviews
"Read All (or Some) About It." Review of X-Tra 3.3 (Spring 2000). Comics Journal 242 (April 2002): 68-69.Forthcoming
"What Lies Beneath?" Review of Daniel Clowes, David Boring (Pantheon, 2000). ebr: electronic book review 12 (Fall 2002)[review.] Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers, Mathew J. Pustz (UP Mississippi, 1999). Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing News 10.2 (Spring 2001): 13-14.
"Western Twist." Review of Red Range , Joe R. Lansdale, Sam Glanzman, and Douglas Potter. Comics Journal 217 (November 1999): 31.
Reviews for The Comics Journal's "Top 100 (English Language) Comics of the Century," The Comics Journal 210 (February 1999). "No. 66: Zippy, 1970-present, Bill Griffith," 53; "No. 36: Calvin & Hobbes, 1985-1996, Bill Watterson," 68; and "No. 4: Maus, 1986, 1991, Art Spiegelman," 100-101.
"In Good Company." Review of Castle Waiting: The Curse of Brambly Hedge and Castle Waiting 1-3, Linda Medley. The Comics Journal 201 (January 1998): 43-44.
"Read This Comic: RAW 2.3." The Comics Journal 200 (December 1997): 37.
"Looking at the Dots." Review of Zippy's House of Fun, Bill Griffith. The Comics Journal 194 (April 1997).
Review. Deceased Corpse, Ed Brubaker, Joe Chiappetta, Tom Hart, Sam Henderson, David Lasky, and Jon Lewis. The Comics Journal 189 (August 1996): 118.
"One Insider's Story." Review of The Golden Age of Comic Fandom, Bill Schelly. The Comics Journal 184 (February 1996): 57-59.
"Dark Knights Sheds Little Light." Review of Dark Knights: The New Comics in Context, Greg S. McCue with Clive Bloom (London: Pluto P, 1993). The Comics Journal 183 (January 1996): 44-45.
"Chips Off the Ol' Blockhead: Evidence of Influence in Peanuts Parody." Accepted for Studies in American Humor.Other Projects in Progress
Chris Ware: Conversations. Signed contract in Fall 2002 with University Press of Mississippi to edit collection of interviews with cartoonist Chris Ware. M. Thomas Inge, general series editor. In preparation.
Comix with an X: Critical Responses to American Underground Comics, co-edited with Charles Hatfield and Joseph Witek; in preparation.Comics: Form and Meaning -- an introductory anthology and textbook on the comics form, in preparation with Charles Hatfield.
"The Devil I Know: Jack Kirby's Infectious Devil Dinosaur." Forthcoming in an edition of S.R. Bissette's Tyrant; project in limbo at present.
Conference Participation
"'Whenever Possible, Be the Unexpected': Approaches to Lynda Barry's Cruddy." Popular Culture Association, 2006.
Round table moderator/organizer: "Academic Careers and Comics Studies." Popular Culture Association, 2005.
"Hey, Kids! Comics!: Reading the Paratext in Children's Comic Books." Popular Culture Association, 2004.
"Comic Books." Childhood: A World History Conference, University of California at Berkeley, October 9-10, 2003.
"Hey, Kids! Comics!: Reading the Paratext in American Comic Books." International Comic Arts Festival, Georgetown University, September 4-6, 2003.
"Journey Into a Strange Land: A Map in Several Parts." Presentation with Margaret Hundleby. First Annual In-House Conference on Writing Pedagogy. Department of English, University of Houston-Downtown, February 21, 2003.
“A Conversation with Art Spiegelman, Part Two.” Underground(s): 2003 Conference on Comics. Gainesville: University of Florida, February 7-8, 2003. - conversation scheduled but canceled due to blizzard in NYC; Spiegelman unable to attend
“Round table Discussion – A Virtual Preface to ComiX with an X: Critical Responses to American Underground Comics.” Underground(s): 2003 Conference on Comics. Gainesville: University of Florida, February 7-8, 2003.
“A Conversation with Art Spiegelman.” International Comic Arts Festival. Washington, D.C. and Bethesda: September 2002.
Area Chair, Comic Art & Comics Area , Popular Culture Association. 32nd Popular Culture/24th Annual American Culture Association Meeting. Toronto, Ontario: March 13-16, 2002.
"Mis-Reading Maus." 32nd Popular Culture/24th Annual American Culture Association Meeting. Toronto, Ontario: March 13-16, 2002.
Area Chair, Comic Art & Comics Area , Popular Culture Association. 31st Popular Culture/23rd Annual American Culture Association Meeting. Philadelphia, PA: April 11-14, 2001."The Comics of Chris Ware as Visual Literature." 31st Popular Culture/23rd Annual American Culture Association Meeting. Philadelphia, PA: April 11-14, 2001.
"Chips Off the Ol' Blockhead: Evidence of Influence in Peanuts Parody." Modern Language Association Conference. Washington, DC: Dec. 27-30, 2000.
Conference Chair, Sixth International Comic Arts Festival . Bethesda, MD: September 14-17, 2000.
"'I Looked Just Like Rudolf Valentino': Identity and Authority in Maus." Second International Conference on the Graphic Novel , KU Leuven, Belgium, May 2000.
Round table Participant: " Illustrations or Quotations?: Permissions and Rights for Publishing Comics Scholarship ." 30th Popular Culture/22nd American Culture Association Meeting. New Orleans, LA: April 22, 2000.
Conference Chair, Fifth International Comic Arts Festival . Bethesda, MD: September 19-20, 1999.
Panel participant, Round table on Teaching Viking Studies with Technology. International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo MI, May 1999.
"Graphic Text, Graphic Context: The Narrative and Aesthetic Contributions of Comics Lettering." The Graphic Novel: A 20 th Anniversary Conference. University of Massachusetts - Amherst: 14 November 1998.
Conference co-organizer. Fourth International Comics and Animation Festival . Bethesda, MD: September 1998.
"Mauses: The Unique Character of Art Spiegelman’s Maus II." 28th Popular Culture/20th American Culture Association Meeting. Orlando, FL: April 1998.
Moderator: "Comics and Technology, featuring special conference guest Will Eisner." 28th Popular Culture/20th American Culture Association Meeting. Orlando, FL: April 1998.
"On the Shoulders of Giants (And Superheroes, and Funny Animals): Comic Book Fantasy as Narrative Building Block in the Work of Chris Ware." Third International Comics and Animation Festival , Georgetown University, 20 September 1997.
"Proving 'Silas' as Artist (And the Camera a Liar): Winsor McCay's Experiments in Comics Form." 27th Popular Culture/19th American Culture Association Meeting. San Antonio, TX: March 1997.
"'Little Nemo in Shantytown and Beyond': The Social Commentary of Winsor McCay." Second International Comics and Animation Festival, Georgetown University, 28 September 1996.
"Perfect Manhoods: Irony, Empowerment, and Charles Atlas Parodies." 26th Popular Culture Association/18th American Culture Association Meeting. Las Vegas, NV: March 1996.
Panel Participant: "Teaching Comics in the Classroom." 4th Annual Comic Art Conference. Chicago, IL: June 1995.
"'I Beg Your Forgiveness--I Was Just Doing My JOB!': Beowulf in the Comics." 30th International Congress on Medieval Studies. Kalamazoo, MI: 4 May 1995.
"It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's the Super Men!: Reading the Variations in the Superman Mythos." 25th Popular Culture Association/1th American Culture Association Meeting. Philadelphia, PA: 12 April 1995.
"The 'Christ-Riddle' of Andreas." 29th International Congress on Medieval Studies. Kalamazoo, MI: May 1994.
"Chaucer's Plan of 'Gret Auctorite' in The House of Fame. 10th Annual Graduate Student Conference in Medieval Studies. Providence, RI: April 1992.
Invited Talks
"Splash / Balloon / Panel - Reading Comics Narratives." Gallery talk on exhibit entitled "Splat Boom Pow! The Influence of Cartoons in Contemporary Art." Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, June 27, 2003.
Workshop guest expert/instructor, “Children’s Comics Workshop,” in conjunction with exhibit on the 13th Century Morgan Picture Bible. Walters Art Museum, November 3, 2002.
"Comics, Journalism, and the Real Word." Panel participant at the Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art 's 2002 Art Festival. Puck Building, New York City, Sunday, June 23, 2002.
"Are Comics Subversive?" BBC World Service panel discussion radio program. Transmitted 11, 12, and 13 September 2000. Guest on this half-hour broadcast along with British cartoonist Ed Hilyer (Ilya)."Comics Scholarship." Manhattan Marymount College, 8 October 1999.
"Writing About Comics." Presentation/Discussion With Charles Hatfield. Writers' Conference '97: Naugatuck Valley Community Technical College, 23 October 1997.
Guest Lecturer on Comics, various University of Connecticut Department of English courses (for Professor Tom Roberts' ENG 217: The Graphic Novel as well as various ENG 109: Introduction to Literature and Composition sections), Fall 1994-present.
Offices Held
- 2000-2002, 2005-2006 : Chair, Comic Art & Comics Area , Popular Culture Association
- 1999-2000: Chair, International Comic Arts Festival
- 1999-present: Editorial Board Member, Image [&] Narrative (tri-lingual comics and graphic narrative studies journal; official launch early 2001)
- 1998-present: Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Comic Art
- 1997-2000: Executive Committee Member, International Comic Arts Festival (until 1999, known as the International Comics and Animation Festival)
- 1997-2000: Moderator, Comics Scholars' Discussion List
- 1996-present: Home Page Maintainer, Comic Art & Comics Area , Popular Culture Association
- 1993-1994: Secretary and Newsletter Editor, University of Connecticut English Graduate Student Association
- 1989-1990: Vice President, Marquette University Association of English Graduate Students
Professional Organizations
UHD University Service
Gene Kannenberg, Jr. - CV