{"id":309,"date":"2019-01-23T15:23:40","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T20:23:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/?p=309"},"modified":"2019-03-13T12:53:12","modified_gmt":"2019-03-13T16:53:12","slug":"309","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/2019\/01\/23\/309\/","title":{"rendered":"Comics Studies Reading Group Spring 2019 Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

We recently completed the first semester of our UNT Comics Studies Reading Group<\/a>, and held our first meeting of 2019. The group has readers from UNT and TCU, including faculty, staff, librarians, and students. We\u2019ve had a regular attendance of 4-6 people, plus occasional others who have contributed to the conversations about some really interesting comics, graphic novels, and web-comics. We\u2019re hoping to expand both our membership and our readings this semester, so come join us if you\u2019re interested!\u00a0 Just email john.martin@unt.edu<\/a> to get on the mailing list for upcoming meetings. Our next one is Saturday, March 23, 2019, from 1-2:30 p.m.<\/strong> at Denton Brewing Co<\/a><\/strong>. (Note: This was rescheduled from February!)<\/span><\/strong>
\r\n
\r\nIn the Fall, all of our gatherings were held on Saturdays at Harvest House in Denton, but we\u2019ve decided to mix it up a little for 2019.\u00a0 In January, we met at Caf\u00e9 Modern in the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art, for a brunch discussion of Eleanor Davis\u2019s Why Art?<\/em>. \u00a0In February, we\u2019ll check out the Denton Brewing Company. We\u2019re also open to trying other places that offer comfortable seating, drinks & food, and a convenient location for our members.<\/p>\r\n

For those who weren\u2019t able to join us before, but would like to know about what we\u2019ve been reading, here\u2019s a quick run-down of what we\u2019ve covered and links to the readings for our next meeting.<\/p>\r\n

Fall 2018<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

September:<\/strong> Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin, & \u00a0Muntsa Vicente\u2019s Barrier<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\"Cover<\/a>\r\n

This innovative webcomic offered us a look at both the technology and the unique reading experience of webcomics, as well as the themes addressed in the story, which includes \u201cbarriers\u201d of all kinds: physical, cultural, political, linguistic, and aesthetic.\u00a0 Technology itself, we discovered, could be both an aid and a barrier to understanding the visual language of comics.\u00a0 Considering the implications of various types of boundaries and divisions between readers and the art was a great starting point for the group in thinking about the value of comics in general.<\/p>\r\n

October:<\/strong> Victor Lavalle, Dietrich Smith, and Joana LaFuente, Victor Lavalle\u2019s Destroyer<\/a><\/em> (2018) and Jeff Lemire and Jose Villarrubia, Trillium<\/a> <\/em>(2014)<\/p>\r\n\"Cover<\/a>\"Cover<\/a>\r\n

Both of these comics examine the consequences of advanced knowledge, technologies, and new forms of life, not only on their creators, but on their larger social and environmental contexts. Both also address the themes of love and loss on a cosmic, yet deeply human scale. The group was particularly interested in Lavalle\u2019s examination of race and violence in the context of a modern re-visioning of Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein<\/em>. In fact, some of that conversation carried over into a panel discussion<\/a> held at the UNT Libraries in celebration of the 200th<\/sup> anniversary of Frankenstein<\/em>\u2019s publication, which featured several members of the reading group.<\/p>\r\n

November:<\/strong>\u00a0 Adrian Tomine, Killing and Dying\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\"Cover<\/a>\r\n

Tomine\u2019s highly literary, aesthetically varied, and emotionally realistic style of storytelling provided opportunities to talk about the different ways narrative can operate in graphic form. The subtlety and complexity of his stories is what struck us most as we discovered layers to the stories we hadn\u2019t noticed before during our conversation. It was enough to lead one of our group to assign the book in his Spring course on short fiction, so that he and his class could explore it further!<\/p>\r\n

December:<\/strong> Lauren Monger, Terrible Terrible Terrible<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\"Drawing<\/a>\r\n

A quirky, edgy, often poignant webcomic that received mixed reactions from the group, depending on our different degrees of identification or recognition of the world that Monger creates with her animal-headed punk teenagers navigating life in a small southern city.\u00a0 Each of us found individual moments that struck us as hilarious, sad, disturbing, or all-too-familiar. But we also each found bits of it hard to understand or contextualize without some knowledge of the cultural references and assumptions that it plays on.\u00a0 As a serialized webcomic meant to be read in installments, it also offered some unique challenges to our usual assumptions about narrative and storytelling, especially when trying to either \u201cread\u00a0 around\u201d or follow it all from beginning to end. But the art alone made it one of the more interesting and compelling comics that we’ve discussed.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

Spring 2019<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

January:<\/strong> Eleanor Davis, Why Art?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\"Cover<\/a>\r\n

In our first meeting away from Denton, we went for brunch, comics, and art talk at Caf\u00e9 Modern<\/a> in the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum. Davis\u2019s book proved provocative, engaging, and entertaining for all of us, and catalyzed a number of discussions about the purpose, value, effects, and definitions of art. More than some of our previous texts, it also sparked a lot of discussion about teaching and how we might go about introducing students to ideas about art, culture, reading, and \u201cvalue.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n

February:<\/strong> Emily Carroll, Through the Woods<\/a><\/em> and webcomics<\/a>; \u201cIntroduction\u201d to Aaron, Kashtan, Between Pen and Pixel: Comics, Materiality, and the Book of the Future<\/a> (2018), and Aaron Kashtan, \u201cAnd it Had Everything<\/em> in it<\/a>\u201d, Studies in the Novel<\/em>, 47:3, Fall 2015.<\/p>\r\n\"Emily<\/a>\r\n

Next up will be Emily Carroll\u2019s collection of dark fairy tales and webcomics, as well as a couple of articles on comics & the future of \u201cthe book\u201d.\u00a0 This will give us a chance to continue some of our theoretical and pedagogical discussions from our last meeting, while also introducing us to yet another genre of comics.\u00a0 Both the comic and the critical book will be available on reserve at the Willis Library Services Desk under the course reserves<\/a> for the Comics Studies Reading Group, but can also be purchased through Amazon.<\/p>\r\n

We look forward to new people and new recommendations for the group.\u00a0 Remember to follow this blog and our Facebook page<\/a>, and join the conversation in the comments below.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We recently completed the first semester of our UNT Comics Studies Reading Group, and held our first meeting of 2019. The group has readers from UNT and TCU, including faculty, staff, librarians, and students. We\u2019ve had a regular attendance of 4-6 people, plus occasional others who have contributed to the conversations about some really interesting… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[36],"tags":[37,19,38],"class_list":["post-309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-comics-reading-group","tag-comics-reading-group","tag-comics-studies","tag-webcomics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/01\/through-the-woods-3.jpg?fit=1399%2C601&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s9noXX-309","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":381,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/2019\/11\/27\/comics-studies-reading-group-fall-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":0},"title":"Comics Studies Reading Group, Fall 2019","author":"John","date":"November 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"After an interval this summer and a couple of postponements due to scheduling conflicts, the Comics Studies Reading Group started back up in November with a discussion of\u00a0Diary of a Teenage Girl by Phoebe Gloeckner.Our conversation\u00a0was pretty wide-ranging, but touched on issues of teenage sexuality, sexual abuse, diaries & confessional\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comics Reading Group"","block_context":{"text":"Comics Reading Group","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/category\/comics-reading-group\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover image of Diary of a Teenage Girl by Phoebe Gloeckner","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/diary-211x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":630,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/2021\/09\/02\/comics-studies-reading-group-fall-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":1},"title":"Comics Studies Reading Group-Fall 2021","author":"John","date":"September 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"For our first Comics Studies Reading Group meeting this Fall, we'll be reading Mariko Tamaki & Steve Pugh's multiple Eisner Award-winning graphic novel, Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (2019). For fans of Harley,\u00a0Birds of Prey, or the recent\u00a0Suicide Squad films, this book offers a unique take on the coming-of-age story and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comics Reading Group"","block_context":{"text":"Comics Reading Group","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/category\/comics-reading-group\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover of Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki & Steve Pugh. Show's Harley in skater-punk gear leaping in the air with a baseball bat.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2021\/09\/harley-e1630615447855.jpg?fit=1200%2C1085&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2021\/09\/harley-e1630615447855.jpg?fit=1200%2C1085&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2021\/09\/harley-e1630615447855.jpg?fit=1200%2C1085&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2021\/09\/harley-e1630615447855.jpg?fit=1200%2C1085&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2021\/09\/harley-e1630615447855.jpg?fit=1200%2C1085&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":413,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/2019\/12\/19\/comics-studies-happenings-fall-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":2},"title":"Comics Studies Happenings, Fall 2019","author":"John","date":"December 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This Fall has been a busy one for many of our Comics Studies Reading Group members, who have been reading, teaching, reviewing, and writing about comics and graphic novels, among other things. So I thought this would be a great time to share some of the interesting work they\u2019re doing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comics Reading Group"","block_context":{"text":"Comics Reading Group","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/category\/comics-reading-group\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover of We3 Trade Paperback","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/We3_Trade_Paperback-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":827,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/2024\/08\/15\/whats-happening-with-comics-studies-at-unt\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":3},"title":"What’s happening with Comics Studies at UNT?","author":"John","date":"August 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome back, everyone, to the Fall 2024 semester and a new year of school, work, and Comics Studies at UNT! We've got lots of updates on our Comics Studies initiative and other comics-related events and activities happening at UNT. Over the last two years, our Comics Studies community has grown\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comics Events"","block_context":{"text":"Comics Events","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/category\/comics-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2024\/08\/Comic-Studies-Blog_F17_Event-Banner.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2024\/08\/Comic-Studies-Blog_F17_Event-Banner.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2024\/08\/Comic-Studies-Blog_F17_Event-Banner.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2024\/08\/Comic-Studies-Blog_F17_Event-Banner.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":298,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/2018\/08\/29\/comics-studies-reading-group\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":4},"title":"Comics Studies Reading Group","author":"John","date":"August 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On Friday, August 17, 2018, we had the first organizational meeting for our new Comics Studies Reading Group\u00a0at UNT. This is a group devoted to reading and discussing comics & graphic novels, as well as interesting scholarship, popular media, or films related to comics studies.\u00a0\u00a0 Nine people attended the meeting,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comics in the library"","block_context":{"text":"Comics in the library","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/category\/libraries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cover of Barrier #1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2018\/08\/barrier_ce_small.jpg?fit=370%2C224&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":473,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/2020\/12\/08\/comics-studies-happenings-fall-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":5},"title":"Comics Studies Happenings Fall 2020","author":"John","date":"December 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Despite the world falling into chaos, a pandemic raging, social movements on the march, an election swirling, and all the hectic busy-ness of a most unusual semester, the Comics Studies community at UNT managed to squeeze in some welcome comics-related activities that kept us all somewhat grounded, connected, and nourished\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comics Events"","block_context":{"text":"Comics Events","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/category\/comics-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2020\/12\/My_Brothers_Husband_v1_cover.jpg?fit=281%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":355,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309\/revisions\/355"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/comics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}