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In this interview, Sean Michael Wilson delves into his multifaceted career as a graphic novel writer, revealing the intricacies of his creative process, the challenges of adapting complex subjects into visual narratives, and the evolving role of graphic novels in cultural discourse. With over 40 projects under his belt, Wilson shares his approach to beginning new works, whether they stem from original ideas or are adaptations of historical events and existing literature. He discusses the balance between authenticity and readability, the importance of research, and the collaborative dynamic between writer and artist in bringing graphic novels to life. Wilson also touches on the broader implications of graphic novels in education and social commentary, the economic realities of the industry, and the impact of digital platforms on publishing. His experiences across different cultures, particularly between the West and Japan, provide insight into the global reception of his work. Throughout the interview, Wilson emphasises the power of graphic novels as a medium for storytelling, education, and political engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life in a cosmopolitan space has the capacity to affect not only the outer but also the inner spheres of an individual's life, i.e. professional development, personal and familial life and psychosocial aspects are a few of them. Kari (2010) by Amruta Patil is one such work in the mode of graphic novel that depicts life in a metropolitan city of Mumbai through the eyes of the eponymous character Kari. However, it is not only the exploration of the city, but also an investigation and constant search of identity within this strange place where Kari has dropped in, to make her career. With her astounding graphic style, Patil brings up various issues in her debut work, including identity crisis. The present paper intends to explore the theme of identity with reference to both the said text by Amruta Patil and the form of the text, that is, graphic novels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The University of Washington Libraries conducted a Manga Records Enhancement Project to improve access to their Japanese manga collection. By adding new subject and genre headings to existing catalog records, the project aimed to make the collection more discoverable in the Library Catalog. The project utilized batch processing and individual record enhancements to update over 2,000 manga titles held by the Libraries. Challenges encountered included the need for manual enhancements for certain records and the complexity of the process. The project serves as a model for future metadata remediation projects and highlights the importance of allocating resources for both batch processing and manual enhancements. [Extracted from the article]

Since the mid-2010s, interest in Olympe de Gouges as a pioneer of feminism has consistently grown in the wake of fourth-wave feminism and international social movements such as #MeToo. After almost two centuries of oversight or representations of de Gouges as illiterate and a victim of her time, a number of historians and authors have been working to reinstate her legacy as a writer and actor of the French Revolution. In conjunction with this newfound interest in feminist figures like Olympe de Gouges, the literary field experienced a metamorphosis with the growing popularity of graphic novels, from both popular/mainstream and scholarly perspectives. This article proposes to analyze how the depiction of Olympe de Gouges in the eponymous graphic novel by Catel and José-Louis Bocquet in 2012 contributed to the mainstream recognition of de Gouges as well as subsequent feminist figures, and enabled the development of graphic biographies as a literary sub-genre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper seeks to address precarious lives and the politics of urban repair in the city of Mumbai, in Ram V and Anand Radhakrishnan's graphic novel Grafity's Wall (2020), a coming-of-age story about four youths in the city. Through waves of urban restructuring, this paper argues, precarity has emerged as a typical mode of Mumbai's urban life and living. The work investigates the urban underworld of crime, violence, and movements of urban solidarity in the form of care for fellow human beings as well as the city, to form a 'good city'. Since comics can record events that cannot be photographed, this paper aims to use insights from comics studies to understand the concept of precarity and care. Through the characters of four marginal urban youths, the comics show the regeneration of a dilapidated city through practising urban care in the form of youth subculture and urban solidarity movement. Drawing upon theoretical insights from the 'maximum city' and 'static/kinetic city', the paper shows how Grafity's Wall transcends the walled infrastructure of 21st-century urbanism, to advance a call for the right to the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into the complex ways in which children and adolescents subvert heteronormativity in/through comics. Situated at the intersection of Comics Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies, this research engages with queer theoretical contemplations by locating it within the impetus of queer theory's inquiry into the figure of the child, more specifically, the crisis of identity as experienced by queer children. It focuses on select contemporary Indian comics by platforms like Gaysi Family and Pratham Books, published both digitally and in print between 2018 and 2022, and employs a theoretical framework drawing from Butler's conception of the heterosexual matrix and interpellation, as well as Munoz's theory of disidentification. The article comprises three sections offering four different perspectives on the mechanism of subversion: the first section explores disidentification in characters and their subversion of heteronormative norms, the second delves into disidentification at the intersection of romantic/sexual desire and gender, and the final section examines the role of these comics in reshaping the heteronormative boundaries of 'children's literature' and their role in introducing subversion to comic readers through narratives of disidentification. The article illuminates the transformative potential of comics in challenging norms, fostering resistance, and envisioning alternative futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The editorial flourishing of graphic narratives in Spain provided memoirs and fictionalisations of the civil war and the dictatorship at the core of the phenomenon. I analyse the transmission of paternal memories in the works of Miguel Ángel Gallardo and Francisco Gallardo (Un largo silencio, 1997) and Antonio Altarriba and Kim (El arte de volar, 2009). While both Gallardo and Altarriba collect and (re)produce their father's memories, I point out their distinct approaches that echo two different zeitgeists of representation. The spirit of the Spanish transition – the so-called 'Pact of Silence' – that prevails in Gallardo's patrilineal account, was revisited throughout a sort of Lacanian père-version in Altarriba's narrative. The latter perverts, in form and substance, the Transition as a patrilineal norm, constituting a transgression from the symbolic status quo, from the silence that actually prevails in both Gallardo's story and the transition itself, although without abandoning the patriarchal lineage and scope. I argue that while that patrilineal account is symbolic, celebratory and literal in Un largo silencio, such patrilineality unfolds as imaginary, inquisitive and literary in Altarriba's narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research we aim to analyse the multimodal representations of the concepts of LOVE and PASSION in Lithuanian graphic novel 'Gertrūda', by Gerda Jord. The multimodal approach, that combines textual, visual, and semiotic analysis is applied in the research. In the work of these researchers, the analysis of the conceptualisation of emotions is based on the explorations by cognitive linguistics. The analysis of the multimodal nature of graphic novels particularly as it relates to the portrayal of complex emotions such as LOVE and PASSION, remains relatively undeveloped. The research revealed that the source domains for LOVE expose concepts of CLOSENESS, UNITY, MORAL VIRTUE and for PASSION source domains encompass PRESSURE IN THE CONTAINER, CREATIVITY, PHYSICAL POWER, and HEAT of the SUN. The investigation scrutinises the intertextual, visual, and narrative elements present in 'Gertruda.' We explore how the characters' interactions, visual symbolism, and narrative structure contribute to the representation of LOVE and PASSION within the context of a post-Soviet Lithuanian society. Additionally, we consider the socio-cultural and historical backdrop of Lithuania to provide a holistic understanding of how these emotions are intricately woven into the narrative fabric of the graphic novel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review an existing graphic novel collection in the curriculum materials center of an academic library. The review would result in a clear identity for the collection and guide the creation of revised collection development, management and cataloging processes. Design/methodology/approach: The physical and bibliographic identities of each individual graphic novel were reviewed and compared with collection development tools. Findings: The review revealed a mismatch between the physical and bibliographic markers applied to some graphic novels and inconsistencies in the assignment of items based on audience and literature type. At the completion of the project, 43% of the graphic novels were reassigned based on audience, literature type or both. Originality/value: There is limited research about the collection challenges and needs of graphic novels in juvenile and curriculum materials collections within academic libraries. This research details the process used to evaluate the collection and create a physical and bibliographic identity that fits the needs of the library's users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Art Vision is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Canaria de Estudios Ingleses is the property of Universidad de La Laguna and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With an increased number of multimodal texts being read, viewed, or designed by young adolescents ages 10–15 years, classroom instruction requires a focus on current research related to multimodal pedagogy. This integrative literature review sought to determine how instruction based on multimodality has been implemented in middle school classrooms. Educational databases were searched to locate empirical quantitative and qualitative studies describing instruction focusing on reading, viewing, or designing multimodal texts. The authors reviewed 37 research studies published between 2013 and 2023 to update the MLER Research Agenda. An analysis of the studies revealed three themes related to multimodal pedagogy: promoting language and literacy development; enhancing content learning; and providing opportunities for empowerment, personal expression, and identity development. Three gaps in the literature were also noted: no studies were conducted in mathematics classrooms, few studies examined multimodal pedagogy and students with learning or language differences, and few studies investigated the impact of multimodal pedagogy on students' learning. Based on our findings, we conclude with a series of questions for a research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pictures have always been one of the fundamental tools for storytelling that serve as a spigot for folk narratives and performances. Although in India, folk art styles feature stories from the traditional repertoire, increasing focus on use of folk and tribal art in graphic novels and innovation in esthetic strategies problematize the perceived fixity and primitivity associated with "folk." To accommodate different stories and audiences, Patachitra (folk) and Pardhan‐Gond (tribal) art forms undergo stylistic changes in storytelling. The paper explores the organic and reflexive nature of these two narrative art forms, focusing particularly on two contemporary manifestations: I See the Promised Land (2013) and Bhimayana (2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphic novels can be integral to enhancing curriculum standards. However, comic books, as educational material, still remain controversial in certain education systems, as this medium is regarded by some as sheer entertainment, thereby hindering students' motivation to seek out informal, picture-based literature to read. Graphic adaptation being of great interest to many students, this literary medium may well increase the motivation of young readers to engage in reading and literacy. This paper shows how graphic adaptation can prove to be an effective way to introduce students to classic works of literature, with an analysis of Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to understand the content and aesthetic of the graphic novel Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability, in determining if its nature could be understood as a work of the avant-garde. In order to do so, the article will closely examine the aesthetic style employed by the author, the essence of the story, the content and the nature of its publication. These aspects will then be linked to the various understandings of the avant-garde to find out whether the graphic novel resonates with the principles of questioning ideas, methodologies and power structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis paper explores how minoritized Computer Science (CS) students articulate their sense of critical agency to positively impact the world around them, both for today and the future, when participating in a Girls Who Code program focused on ethics, equity, and underrepresentation in computing. Observations, interviews, and surveys were conducted across five sites in which students read a graphic novel (entitled Power On!) about inequities in technology and CS education and experienced activities about computing for social good. Students described their agency through “educator,” “advocate,” and “creator” roles with computing, and described key curricular and pedagogical factors supporting their critical agency in CS for All. Implications for CS curricula, professional development, and policy efforts geared toward increasing equitable access and engagement with CS are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay studies the representation of the everyday of geopolitical conflicts in Vanni and Welcome to the New World. The graphic novels are situated in war-torn Sri Lanka and Syria, respectively, and document the everyday of their characters. The apparent ordinariness of everyday, especially in states of tension and conflict, has been a prominent trope in comics. The paper examines the properties of comics vis-à-vis their grammar, spatiotopia, and visual-verbal registers to decode a particular medium-specific import in the representation of everyday. Living in zones of conflict requires careful materialize a similar aesthetic of intentional navigation in their reading by creating palimpsestic cartographies, spatiotopic interventions, and image-text tensions of the comics form. These properties make a case for the medium in creating horizontal and non-hegemonic writings of geopolitical conflict. It finds that comics, as a medium, is able to function as a minoritarian intervention in majoritarian representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the specific example of Paco: Les Mains Rouges (2014; 2017) – a two-volumed sepia graphic novel by Fabien Vehlmann and Éric Sagot – this article explores the potential of the comic format to destabilize carceral histories via the trope of the convict tattoo. The creation of convict records (including the surveillance of tattoos) leaves a rich textual and visual archive that is steeped in power inequalities and absent voices, but also creative potential. By articulating the comic as a critical methodology, this article aims to explore the potential for the format to develop narratives that counter authorized archives and challenge dominant representations of incarceration whilst drawing creative inspiration from historical iconographies of punishment. In its consideration of creative interpretation and potential for engaging with new modes of collecting, it has applications for historical research, media, visual criminology and museum and heritage studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphic novels and reading lists play an important role in today's libraries. Graphic novels have continued to grow in stature and acceptance across all types of libraries. In 2007, the Young Adult Library Association highlighted their importance with the creation of a new list--Great Graphic Novels for Teens. This list joined the ranks of their other important lists for libraries and readers. Librarians utilize lists as collection development and reader's advisory tools. How are graphic novels being included in two of YALSA's important lists--Best Fiction for Young Adults and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers? Is that inclusion different post-creation of the Great Graphics Novels for Teens list? This study looked at the inclusion, exclusion, and over-lap of graphic novels on these three lists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian graphic narratives of the post-millennial era have increasingly addressed pressing social issues such as casteism, environmental degradation, and urbanisation among others. Comics about caste typically showcase the remarkable lives of anti-caste icons in the form of graphic biographies, such as Bhimayana: Incidents in the Life of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (Vyam et al. 2011) and A Gardener in the Wasteland: Jotiba Phule's Fight for Liberty (Natarajan 2011). Published in 2022, Samarth's Suit continues a post-millennial trend by depicting safai karamcharis (transl. sanitation workers in India), who have been historically forced to engage in manual scavenging, as salaried employees in a futuristic setting with protective suits while also confronting the persisting social issue of casteism. In particular, Suit expands the conversation about caste and comics by boldly depicting the inhumane treatment and illegal practice of manual scavenging (which is rampant in Mumbai) and its entanglements with casteism. In this context, Samarth in an email interview shares his views on caste and comics in India, emphasising the need for greater representation and discussion of marginalised communities, and highlighting the importance of shedding light on issues like manual scavenging, which continue to affect Dalits and other oppressed groups in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual narratives, such as graphic novels and comic books, are powerful forms of literature that use verbal and pictorial modes, in intersemiotic complementarity, making them an effective tool to tackle social issues, namely to explore hidden or sensitive topics in a thought-provoking, entertaining, and inspiring way. This is the case in the last graphic novel published by a young Portuguese writer and illustrator for children and young adults, Joana Estrela, the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. In this study, then, we intend to focus on Raquel, the protagonist in Pardalita, who takes her future into her hands and ventures to navigate the waters of self-discovery, crossing prejudice and challenging gender role stereotypes. Through her theatre group, she enters a third space that promotes inclusivity and empowers individuals regardless of gender. By analysing the multimodality that characterises this book, we come to realise the synergistic and transformative potential that visual narratives hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a practical and theoretical exploration of a (highly) specialised type of comics re-mediation, namely, audio described (AD) comics for the Blind and Partially Sighted (BPS). Building on relevant work in comics studies and translation studies, it is argued that translation activity, broadly seen to include interlingual as well as intersemiotic translation (Jakobson 1959), helps rewrite original works. Translation is defined as a blend, or a hybrid mental space combining characteristics of source and target contexts. As such, it entails the imbrication of personal memory, collective memory and the diffusion of a translator's memory in linguistic codes, social milieus, textual traditions and digital capabilities at play. AD exhibits the same blend logic in that it selectively contains visual source-text information in target-text audio performance. An exploratory comics AD pilot project at The Cartoon Museum (London) serves as an exemplar. The project consists of three phases: a focused interview with the creative team (describer, curator, comic artists); scripting and performance of three AD samples; and collecting feedback from BPS visitors. The project reveals how collective memory started to form in this dialogic process and, ultimately, which aspects of AD practice may be deemed to be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

That "grim jester with a twisted brain," Batman supervillain the Joker reflects shifting social constructions of mental difference in the US across eight decades. The article reads Batman serial comics, graphic novels, and film against four key moments in Mad History: eugenics, psychiatric survivor activism in the 1960s and 1970s, the trauma discourses of 1980s popular culture, and the criminalization of mental difference in the twenty-first century. Out of this complex conversation four models of madness are derived: toxic reproduction, liberation, mad genius, and the conflation of madness with violent crime. These models work intersectionally: Joker's madness, queerness, and exceptionally white masculinity engender each other. Because of his distinctive qualities as a visual icon, he makes Mad History more visible, too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores the idea of anthropomorphism, which asserts that there is a natural bond between humans and animals and highlighting their phenomenal similarities. The graphic novel Sergeant Reckless by Patricia McCormick, illustrated by Iacapo Bruno, provides a starting point for examining the anthropomorphic aspects that the animal protagonist embodies. Examining the interactions between humans and the animal character, this study illuminates the mutual benefits that each brings to the other. In the 'forgotten war' Sergeant Reckless played a crucial role and supported the US Marine Corps. By examining the storyline of the graphic novel, the research gathers proof supporting the claim that the horse, Sergeant Reckless, was sentient--that is, it had a deep awareness and consciousness. This information is meticulously tracked down and carefully examined in the study, adding to the larger conversation about animals' cognitive capacities. Essentially, the research aims to disentangle the complex dynamics of anthropomorphism as portrayed in Sergeant Reckless, promoting a more nuanced understanding of the shared phenomena between humans and animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a Semiotic Study of Sarnath Banerjee's Graphic Novels through the lens of Psychology. Sarnath Banerjee, an eminent graphic writer, is known for creating perplexing stories that investigate complex social and social topics. Using semiotic examination, this study analyzes the signs, symbols, and metaphors present in his attempts to unwind the mental elements of the characters and their connections. The investigation dives into the depiction of characters and their prototype portrayals, revealing insight into their inspirations, battles, and mental changes. Through the recognizable proof of repeating symbols and metaphors, the review plans to disclose the more profound implications and close to home effect they carry on perusers' minds. The account design of Banerjee's graphic novels is investigated to evaluate what it means for perusers' mental commitment. The utilization of flashbacks, dream arrangements, and nonlinear narrating is examined for reflecting mental states and feelings inside the narratives potential. Moreover, the examination investigates the social and social editorials inserted inside the novels, looking at their mental ramifications on perusers' points of view and feelings. The subjects of character, memory, injury, selfrevelation, and emotional wellness are broke down, trying to understand their depiction and effect on perusers' mental understanding. The profound commitment of perusers with the graphic novels is explored, taking into account how the fine art, character improvement, and narrating strategies inspire explicit close to home reactions. The review explores how the graphic novels' substance reverberates with perusers and how their mental foundations impact the translations of the works. Eventually, this semiotic investigation offers a more profound understanding of the mental elements of Sarnath Banerjee's graphic novels. By investigating the exchange of signs, symbols, and metaphors, and their mental ramifications on characters and perusers, this examination adds to a more extensive enthusiasm for the mental profundity of graphic stories and their effect on perusers' brains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay combines text and images in the style of a graphic novel to animate the lively and dynamic processes of a qualitative research approach that I call the collective creation of performed fiction. This is a form of projective storytelling in which participants draw on their own experiences to create and perform composite stories. Using fiction helps them avoid revealing sensitive details of their personal lives. The examples shared here are drawn from a long-term engagement with a group of youth in Old Havana, Cuba, where historic geopolitical tensions and emergent economic crises are interrupting the imagined futures of the young. This brief contribution documents key differences between three creative mediums used in this work (street theatre, film and animation), and addresses their varied capacities to mitigate the risks of self-disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes "graphic Capitaloscenes" – narrative moments in which graphic novels draw infrastructure as a material expression of capitalism's historical development. Drawing on work that has described graphic narrative as both an "infrastructural" and "scenographic" form, it contends that graphic novels are particularly adept at representing infrastructure as historical content while themselves materializing that historical infrastructure on the page. Bringing this to bear on visual texts concerned with capitalism's frontier zones, this article suggests that graphic novels are therefore not only able to stage extractive infrastructures as historical forms, but that they are also themselves formally conjoined to the current historical moment of the Capitalocene. The article offers two case studies in support of its argument, each of which revolves around the extraction of fossil fuels: Joe Sacco's Paying the Land (2020) and Pablo Fajardo's Crude, A Memoir (2021). In each of its readings, the article shows how these comics are able to stage infrastructure as historical form, while at the same time bringing into view anti-colonial and anti-capitalist relations that offer a counterpoint to the accumulative relationships of the Capitalocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Fabrica Litterarum Polono-Italica is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Slaskiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Tropelías: Revista de Teoría de la Literatura y Literatura Comparada is the property of Prensas Universitarias de Zaragoza and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Using survey data collected in 2023, this study explores issues around comics collections in academic libraries. In addition to gaining an understanding of the origins of several major academic library collections and current resource support for these collections and associated services, the study looks at the extent to which institutions are implementing measures for the long-term sustainability and preservation of these collections. The researchers found that the historic indifference to comics in an academic setting has resulted in the creation of hodgepodge collections with inconsistent approaches to collection development, staffing, outreach, and long-term growth. Considering the increased acceptance of comics in such settings, Flota, Thacker, and Larsen suggest that it is past time for institutions to be more intentional in planning and sustaining comics collections and services in academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Educación y Ciudad is the property of Instituto para la Investigacion Educativa y Desarrollo Pedagogico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)