comic book research paper topics

• University Libraries
• Comics Studies
• Researching Comics

Comics Studies: Researching Comics

• Introduction
• Collections & Exhibits
• Communities & Events

Thoughts on comics

These are just a few of the comics-related books in the UNT Library. Please try the "Suggested Subject Headings" in the right-hand column to search for other comics studies materials in our library.

Databases at UNT Libraries

Note: See a recent blog post about "Researching Comics at UNT Libraries" for more tips on using our resources.

A few of the more popular comics studies databases are linked below. View a complete list of research databases available through the UNT Libraries under the "Comics Studies" subject heading .

• Within each database, try starting with the "Advanced Search" option, if available.
• Start with broad subject terms like "comic books," "graphic novels," "cartoons," or "comic strips" to get a sense of the range of articles available on your topic. You can also try some of the subject headings listed in the right hand columng of this page.
• Use the filters (usually on the left hand side of the search page) to narrow your results by date, subject, language, or other search parameters
• Select any articles that seem to be relevant and view their records. Check their lists of Subject terms to identify other words or phrases that might be useful to use in your own searches, and add some of those to your original search query for even more relevant results.

Also check out the guide below for an overview of the contents of some of our Adam Matthew archival collections and links to search results for historic cartoons & comics in each of those databases.

• A Guide to Cartoon and Comic Sources (Adam Matthew) A short guide to finding historic cartoons and comics in the Adam Matthew databases that are part of the UNT Libraries collections.
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database The Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database is a freely available online resource designed to help students and researchers locate secondary sources for the study of the science fiction and fantasy and associated genres. These include: historical material; books; articles; news reports; interviews; film reviews; commentary; and fan writing.
• Underground and independent comics, comix, and graphic novels This resource is a scholarly, primary source database focusing on adult comic books and graphic novels. The collection contains over information on over 300 comic series and over 1,600 comic books, along with 25,000 pages of interviews, criticism, and journal articles that document the continual growth and evolution of this artform. Over 100,000 pages of comics and graphic novels are available.
• The World of Archie Comics Archive The World of Archie Comics Archive offers access to the runs of more than 100 publications from Archie Comics, spanning the early 1940s to 2020. NOTE: This collection is intended to include each issue from the first and to scan from cover to cover. Due to the rarity of this material, however, there will be some gaps (issues or pages).
• The World of Archie Comics Archive: A Resource Guide Compiled by Bart Beaty, Professor of English, University of Calgary
• Comics Studies: A Resource Guide (ProQuest) Compiled by Dawn Kaczmar, PhD Candidate, University of Michigan

Free Online Resources

You can also try some of these free online resources for more information:

• Comic Book+ : Offers downloadable digital, public domain copies of Golden and Silver Age comic books for reading or research.  

Comichron: A Resource for Comics Resarch: sales chards, market shares, industry analysis

• Comics Research Bibliography : This is an international bibliography of comic books, comic strips, animation, caricature, cartoons, bandes dessinees, and related topics.  
• ComicsResearch.org : Comics scholarship annotated bibliographies. primarily covers book-length works about comic books and comic strips, from "fannish" histories to academic monographs, providing detailed information and guidance on further research.  
• Digital Comic Museum --an online archive of public domain Golden Age comics  

Don Markstein's Toonopedia ​ ​ : An online encyclopedia of cartoon and comic characters, including those in comic books, newspaper strips, magazine cartoons, and animated cartoons.

• Grand Comics Database : The Grand Comics Database (GCD) a nonprofit, internet-based organization of international volunteers dedicated to building a database covering all printed comics throughout the world  
• The Internet Archive : a free online collection of digitized comics and graphic novels.  
• Lambiek Comiclopedia: Illustrated Artist Compendium : an illustrated compendium of over 14,000 comics artists from around the world.  
• Latin American Comics Archive:  The Latin American Comics Archive, hosted by the Modern Language Resource Center at Carnegie Mellon, is a curated exhibit of comic strips and comic books created in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico between the 1920s and the present.   
• Neil Cohn's Visual Language Lab : Research on visual language, cognitive science, and linguistics.  
• Stripper's Guide : Comic strip historian Allan Holtz's blog discusses the history of the American newspaper comic strip.  
• Derick Badman,  Comics studies: resources for scholarly research , College & Research Libraries News 70(10): 574-582.
• Cartoonists of Color Database The Cartoonists of Color, Queer Cartoonists, and Disabled Cartoonists databases were created and are maintained by cartoonist MariNaomi as a way to spotlight marginalized comics creators. The databases are used by booksellers, librarians, academics, editors, book publishers, event organizers, readers, and more.
• Disabled Cartoonists Database
• Queer Cartoonists Database
• Queer Comics Database A searchable database of comics by and about queer subjects. May be searched by audience, genre, tone, style, or representation.
• • ComicFXBook: The Comic Book Sound Effect Database A unique databases that lets you locate comics that use specific sound effects.
• Comicalités
• The Comics Grid
• The Comics Journal
• European comic art
• Geeked: Comics, Culture, Gender
• Image & narrative: online magazine of the visual narrative
• Imagetext: interdisciplinary comics studies
• Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society
• International journal of comic art
• Journal of graphic novels & comics
• Journal of graphic novels and comics (print)
• Prism comics: your LGBT guide to comics
• SANE journal: sequential art narrative in education
• Studies in comics

Other Comics Studies Resources

• Comics Studies Resources @UNT A convenient handout listing some places to get started on researching comics at the UNT Libraries
• Government Comics (by Bobby Griffith) An in-depth guide to government comics resources at UNT Libraries
• Queer Comics at UNT Libraries (by Julie Leuzinger) A guide to LGBTQ+ comics, graphic novels, and resources at the UNT Libraries
• Graphic Possibilities: A Comics Research Guide Resources for comics research at Michigan State University
• Comics as Data Project (MSU) An innovative digital humanities project utilizing data from the vast MSU Comics Collection.

Citing & Writing

• Comic Art in Scholarly Writing: A Citation Guide A bibliographic citation guide for comics & comic art
• List of Terms for Comics Studies (Andrei Molotiu) A helpful list of specialized terms related to comics stuide. May be helpful in developing search terms for your research

Subject Headings

Suggested Subject Headings 

(by Doug Campbell)

• Use these when searching library catalogs that utilize Library of Congress subject headings

Comic books, strips, etc.

Comic Books Strips Etc History And Criticism

Cartoons and comics

Comic strip characters

Comic strip characters in motion pictures

Comics (Graphic works)

Detective and mystery comic books, strips, etc.

Erotic comic books, strips, etc.

Fantasy comic books, strips, etc.

Graphic novels

Horror comic books, strips, etc.

Motion pictures and comic books

Romance comic books, strips, etc.

Science fiction comic books, strips, etc.

Underground comic books, strips, etc.

Western comic books, strips, etc.

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Comics and Graphic Novels

What are comics, what is comics studies, a graphic introduction to comics studies (free pdf).

• Citing Comics
• Databases and Journals
• Featured Books
• Special Collections
• Film Reviews and Industry Data
• Making Comics
• Comics Pedagogy

Attribution

This Guide was initially created by Christopher Lopez .

Comics Communities

Comic Books

Graphic Novels

Comic Strips

Garfield, peanuts, and calvin & hobbes: these are your classic single or double-strips of comic panels commonly associated with american newspapers. they are typically very brief, and, to some, very funny.

To start, comics studies does not refer to the study of comedians (people have actually asked me that). Comics studies basically refers to the scholarly, multidisciplinary analysis of comics in all of their formats. Most in the comics studies community trace the origin of the field to the fan correspondence through zines in the years following the Anti-Comics crusade and the adoption of the Comics Code Authority (CCA). These disgruntled readers use the communication outlet of zines to host thoughtful discussions on their favorite comics or bemoan the effects censorship had on the "serious" issues and themes once explored in their favorite pre-CCA.

It can be argued that comics studies became an identifiable scholarly field between the 1990s and 2000s with university presses creating book series on comics, the gaining popularity of pop culture studies, and academic journal devoting entire issues to art form and its fan community, not to mention academic journals devoted entirely to comics. The rise in success and popularity of comic book adaptations over the past two decades certainly didn't hurt!

As typical of all new academic fields, there is currently a flurry of conversations about the nature, scope, and audiences of comics studies. Here are a few resources that represent a unique angle on the question, "what is comics studies?" 

• Breaking the Frames: Populism and Prestige i n Comics Studies  by Marc Singer
• Comics Studies Here and Now edited by Fredrick Luis Aldama
• Empirical Comics Research: Digital, Multimodal, and Cognitive Methods edited by Alexander Dunst, Jochen Laubrock, & Janina Wildfeuer.
• Queer about Comics   edited by Ramzi Fawaz and Scott Darieck 

• Next: Citing Comics >>
• Last Updated: Mar 18, 2024 10:51 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.ucla.edu/comics-studies

• Learning Tips
• Exam Guides
• School Life

How to Write a Comic Essay or Research Paper and Book Topics

• by Joseph Kenas
• January 19, 2024

A comic research paper is one of the most interesting topics if you are looking for a topic to write on. This is because a comic essay is an excellent way to present information in a fun and engaging way.

Comic research papers provide us with an insight into what has happened in the past and also what will happen in the future without monotony.

Writing a comic research paper can be a lot of fun. It is a way to get published as well as a chance to get a good grade.

However, the process of writing a comic research paper is not a straightforward as it sounds, since many students find it challenging. This blog will look at everything you need to know about a research paper.

What is a Comic Essay or Research Paper?

A comic research paper is a research paper that uses a graphic novel or a comic as a reference or as a source of information. In a comic research paper, the comic is the actual research paper. It is a way to present a thesis or a topic in a fun and unique way.

This means that a comic research paper requires a lot of research on the comic book or the comic topic. This requires concentration and a lot of time to be put into it.

It is a great way to get your point across in a fun and interesting way. People remember things if they are presented in a visual way.

A comic research paper can help you present your ideas in a way that your audience will not only remember, but will enjoy. It can be a great way to get your point across when you are talking to your professor.

Although a comic research paper is written in comic book form, it still needs to follow the same guidelines that a regular research paper does. However, it allows the writer to use more creativity. 

When creating a comic research paper, you should start with the cover. The cover should give the reader an idea of the content of the paper.

The inside should have drawings, but it should also have the same elements as a regular research paper, which are an introduction, body, conclusion, and works cited.

How to write a Comic Essay or Research Paper

In the process of writing your comic research paper, you will need to select a topic, conduct research, learn about the research, and finally, write a comic book report.

Let’s go through the process in details

1. Come up with a Suitable Title

One of the most important parts of your comic research paper is choosing the right topic. In our guide on how to write a good research paper , we explained that coming up with a good topic is important for the whole process.

You want to pick something that is not only interesting to you but is also relevant to your topic and your audience.

You can choose to do a research paper on a comic book character, a comic book series, or a comic strip.

You can also choose to do a humorous cartoon, editorial cartoon, or comic book. 

To come up with a good topic start reading the comics books so that you can know the scope.

ou will gain a better understanding of the overarching themes and ideas that drive the comics industry as you read more. It’s crucial to study what other people have written about the same comics you’re writing about.

Remember, the topic should be something that is interesting to you. You will be spending a lot of time on this research paper, so you should make sure that you enjoy the topic.

2. Do full Research before Writing

Before you begin writing, assemble and organize your research. You’ll be able to write faster and effectively without stopping to obtain new facts if you take out essential quotes and formulate your ideas about what information you’ll need and how to use it.

new collections and materials are being generated and enhanced every day to address the requirements of fans, scholars, collectors, and researchers. Therefore it is easier to find many internet resources that can help you in gathering your information.

3. Create an Outline

The next step is to make an outline before you begin writing. An outline will assist you to keep on track and guarantee that you are equally spacing out the main issues of your essay across its length to maintain the reader’s interest.

You don’t want to run out of ideas before finishing.

Just like in a normal research paper, an outline consist of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

In the body, you include all the topic sentences in the different paragraphs that you are planning to talk about.

An outline makes the paper easier to write.

4. Writing the Body

The body of a comic research paper is the main section of the research paper. It is where you will describe the comic or graphic novel that you have chosen.

You will also need to analyze the comic and explain the author’s purpose in creating the comic. In this section, you will explain why you selected the comic and what your analysis is of the comic itself. 

In the body of your comic research paper, you will need to include a brief summary of the comic or graphic novel.

You will also need to explain the author’s purpose in creating the comic. In addition, you will need to explain the author’s message and what the comic is about.

5. Make use of a Citation Guide

When working with comic books, bibliographic references can be difficult. They combine elements of books and magazines. The main goal is to provide location information to help those looking for a cited source.

The inclusion of four essential aspects in a citation is critical: writer, artist, narrative title, and publication information. You can use an online style guide for citing comic books, which includes directions and examples.

6. Keep the Introduction Until Last

The introduction is typically the hardest element of a comic research paper to write, especially if you aren’t certain where your comic will lead.

You can write a more complete and appealing beginning if you reserve it till the end of the essay since you already know how the paper will end.

That approach will ensure you have an appealing introduction that will keep the readers hooked. 

7. Carefully Proofread Your Work

It’s usually a good idea to go through your work with rested to revise and proofread it numerous times. After just one check, you’re more likely to miss something significant especially if your essay is long.

To gain a new perspective and spot lingering problems, try reading sentences in reverse order.

Another proofreading tip is to take intervals between sections of the essay to allow yourself an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate. This will help you avoid tension and keep your mind fresh.

8. Seek Expert Assistance

If everything else fails and your lengthy essay isn’t pulling together, turn for expert essay writing aid available on the internet to get you over the hurdle.

There are several excellent professionals available online who are eager to assist you in making your essay the finest it can be.

Best Comic Research Paper Topics

Comic books have not only entertained and educated readers in a quickly changing culture, but they have also documented and analyzed many historical, social, and current events.

Therefore, it is not that hard to find a good topic. Here are some.

• Comic Books Influence Children
• Comic Strip Super Powers
• Cases Of Fraud In The Business Place
• Home From School Comic Strips
• Holocaust Survivors Comic Book
• Motion Pictures Comic Book
• Comic Book Artist Comic Book Artist And Writer Berg
• Iron Fist Golden Age

Common Comic Books for Research Paper

• Sweet Tooth
• This One Summer
• Through The Woods
• My Favorite Thing Is Monsters
• Jimmy Corrigan
• Children’s and Young Adult Comics by Gwen Athene Tarbox
• Best American Comics Criticism by Ben Schwartz
• The Art of Comics
• Autobiographical Comics by Elisabeth El Refaie

Joseph is a freelance journalist and a part-time writer with a particular interest in the gig economy. He writes about schooling, college life, and changing trends in education. When not writing, Joseph is hiking or playing chess.

Comics and Graphic Novels

• Intro to Comics and Graphic Novels
• How to Read Comics
• USC Resources
• Additional Resources
• Introductory Resources
• Comics Scholarship
• Comics from around the World

Introduction to Comics Scholarship

This section provides recommendations for nonfiction books on the study of comics as described below:

" Comic Studies represents a growing area of academic research with approaches ranging from the formal analysis of how graphic storytelling works to the industrial analysis of how comics get made, from the historical origins of the form to the study of the medium’s representation of race gender, and sexuality, from the study of individual creators to ethnographic attention to comic fans and their gatherings. Comic Studies exists alongside many other media-related films, such as Cinema Studies, Television Studies, Game Studies or Transmedia Studies, each asking questions about the centrality of popular culture to contemporary life."

-Professor Henry Jenkins

Students who are interested in pursuing research in comics will be provided recommendations that introduce the research field, studies centered around comics, history, and culture.

Important Notes:

Books with a blue title are available through USC electronic resources. The link can be accessed by hovering over the title.

Items that are held by USC have their location and call number listed at under the title.

Books on Comic Studies

• Introductions to Comic Studies
• Case Studies

• << Previous: Introductory Resources
• Next: Comics from around the World >>
• Last Updated: May 17, 2024 9:35 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/comicsandgraphicnovels

Graphic Novels and Comics

• Reference Sources
• Finding Books
• Finding Articles via databases
• Biographies
• Graphic Novels and Comics Reviews

Online Resources

• Citing Sources This link opens in a new window

Keeping up with journal literature is the best way to stay up-to-date on the current research trends in the field. 

Because the study of Graphic Novels and Comics encompasses other fields, such as art and film, you may want to target a few journals and set up RSS feeds or alerts for others.  Google Scholar is a great place to begin with alerts.  

Here are a few journals you may want to take a look at: 

• Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics The Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics is a peer reviewed journal covering all aspects of the graphic novel, comic strip and comic book, with the emphasis on comics in their cultural, institutional and creative contexts. Its scope is international, covering not only English language comics but also worldwide comic culture. The journal reflects interdisciplinary research in comics and aims to establish a dialogue between academics, historians, theoreticians and practitioners of comics. It ther
• Studies in Comics Studies in Comics aims to describe the nature of comics, to identify the medium as a distinct art form, and to address the medium’s formal properties. The emerging field of comics studies is a model for interdisciplinary research and in this spirit this journal welcomes all approaches. This journal is international in scope and provides an inclusive space in which researchers from all backgrounds can present new thinking on comics to a global audience.
• International Journal of Comic Art International and multidisciplinary in scope, IJOCA aims to publish scholarly and readable research on any aspect of comic art, defined as animation, comic books, newspaper and magazine strips, caricature, gag and political cartoons, humorous art, and humor or cartoon magazines.
• European Comic Art European Comic Art is the first English-language scholarly publication devoted to the study of European-language graphic novels, comic strips, comic books and caricature.
• Journal of Popular Culture The Journal of Popular Culture continues to break down the barriers between so-called "low" and "high" culture and focuses on filling in the gaps that a neglect of popular culture has left in our understanding of the workings of society.
• Image & Narrative Image & Narrative is a peer-reviewed e-journal on visual narratology and word and image studies in the broadest sense of the term. It does not focus on a narrowly defined corpus or theoretical framework, but questions the mutual shaping of literary and visual cultures.
• ImageTexT : Interdisciplinary Comics Studies ImageTexT is a peer-reviewed, open access journal dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of comics and related media.
• SANE Journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education SANE journal publishes peer-reviewed articles from researchers and practitioners from a variety of disciplines seeking to add significantly to the global knowledge associated with all aspects of graphica (comics, graphic novels, and its related forms) and education.
• Broken Pencil Broken Pencil is one of the few magazines in the world devoted exclusively to underground culture and the independent arts. Broken Pencil reviews the best zines, books, websites, videos and music from the underground and reprints the best articles from the alternative press.
• inkt/art Anthologies and scholarly treatments devoted to the work of women in the medium of comics are not new, yet women remain a minority in the field, and as a minority we have a presence that is less visible; a voice that is less heard; our work carries themes that are less critically explored, and we inherit and continue to shape a politics of representation that is weighted differently in the historically male-dominated field of image and text. This is not a journal whose goal is female empowerment; instead, its purpose is intellectual and aesthetic edification: we hope to expose comics creators, scholars, and readers of all genders to ideas and art, and ideas about art.
• The Comics Grid The Comics Grid is a collaborative, peer-edited online academic journal dedicated to comics scholarship. Its purpose is to make original contributions to the field of comics scholarship and to advance the appreciation of comic art within academia and the general cultural mediascape. This journal seeks to function as an online laboratory where different critical approaches to comics are publicly and collectively put to test. Though our scope wants to be as diverse as possible, our initial aim is to focus on the analysis of specific comics page layouts and panels.
• Society of Illustrators/Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art is incorporated into of the Society of Illustrators. The purpose of MoCCA is the collection, preservation, study, education, and display of comic and cartoon art. Every genre of the art is represented: animation, anime, cartoons, comic books, comic strips, gag cartoons, humorous illustration, illustration, political illustration, editorial cartoons, caricature, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and computer-generated art. Further, the museum's rigid collection policy ensures that the art collections are maintained in an environment of the highest integrity.
• Comics Forum Comics Forum aims to increase the visibility and accessibility of comics scholarship through an academic conference that brings together scholars, artists and fans in a spirit of mutual cooperation and development.
• Queer Cartoonists The Cartoonists of Color, Queer Cartoonists, and Disabled Cartoonists databases were created and are maintained by cartoonist MariNaomi as a way to spotlight marginalized comics creators.
• Comics Worth Reading Independent Opinions by Johanna Draper Carlson and friends. News and reviews of graphic novels, manga, comic books, and related subjects.
• Graphic Medicine Graphic Medicine is an online exhibition from the National Library of Medicine on who comics can tell personal stories of illness and health.
• Graphic Novel Resources Blog by Stergios Botzakis, Associate Professor of Adolescent Literacy at the University of Tennessee
• The Comics Reporter Tom Spurgeon's Web site of comics news, reviews, interviews and commentary.
• Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an ongoing international project to build a detailed comic-book database that will be easy to use and understand, and also easy for contributors to add information to it. This fully searchable and sortable database includes information on creator credits, story details, and other information useful to the comic-book reader, fan, collector, and scholar.
• Comics in the Curriculum Comics in the Curriculum is an online exhibition, curated by Karen Green from Columbia University, about how graphic novels can be incorporated into research and curricula.
• Comic Book Plus The goal of this Comic Book Plus is to provide a free resource where users can easily download copyright free golden age comics without the need to ask or worry about searching high and low for them.
• Bonn Online Bibliography for Comics Research The Bonn Online Bibliography for Comics Research is an international bibliographic database for scholarly literature about comics, graphic novels, manga and related fields. Not included so far (with a few exceptions) are articles from fan magazines, newspapers and blogs. The Bonn Online Bibliography for Comics Research sees itself as a complement and supplement to similar undertakings that have a different (wider or narrower) approach, such as ComicsResearch.org or the comics research bibliography.
• Swann Collection of Caricature and Cartoon The Caroline and Erwin Swann Collection of Caricature and Cartoon contains 2,085 drawings, prints, and paintings that span the years 1780 to 1977. Most of the images are cartoons, comic strips, and periodical illustrations drawn by American artists between 1890 and 1970. The Creator/Related Name Index provides a full list of the more than 500 represented artists and illustrators. A generous gift and bequest from Caroline and Erwin Swann brought their collection to the Library of Congress in 1974 and 1977.
• Comic Book Resources (CBR) Comic Book Resources (CBR) is the premier online comics magazine. Renowned for it's high quality and diverse content and active community, CBR draws the most loyal audience of users. Contains lots of resources including: blogs, reviews, videos and lots more.
• Visual Language Lab The Visual Language Lab is a site developed by Neil Cohen and is the home for his research on drawing and visual language. Lots of great resources!
• Wonderfully Vulgar The online exhibition "Wonderfully Vulgar" presents a selection of British comics from the 1870s (the Ally Sloper era) to the 1930s (knockabout comics). The phrase "wonderfully vulgar" used in the exhibition title is taken from an interview in which Charlie Chaplin recalled his pleasure in reading comics as a boy in 1890s London. The exhibition is based on a collection of around 5000 historical British comics housed in the Library (BIS) of the University of Oldenburg in Germany.
• Herblock Collection at the Library of Congress The Herblock Collection at the Library of Congress is a collection featuring the work of Herbert L. Block, one of the most influential political and editorial cartoonists in American history.
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• Next: Citing Sources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 3:28 PM
• URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/graphic-novels

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Comics & Graphic Novel Research Guide: Selected Journals

• Key Resources
• Finding Articles

Selected Journals

• And So: Graduate Journal of Graphic Design And So is a publication from North Carolina State University. The journal highlights scholarship that examines the cultural contexts of design and the influence of end users.
• Comics grid The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship is an open access, open peer review academic journal dedicated to comics scholarship. The journal aims to make original contributions to the field of comics studies and to advance the appreciation of graphic narrative.
• European Comic Art Devoted to the study of European-language graphic novels, comic strips, comic books and caricature.
• Film Criticism Film Criticism is a peer-reviewed, online publication whose aim is to bring together scholarship in the field of cinema and media studies in order to present the finest work in this area, foregrounding textual criticism as a primary value. Our readership is academic, although we strive to publish material that is both accessible to undergraduates and engaging to established scholars.
• ImageTexT The objective of ImageTexT is to advance the academic study of an emerging and diverse canon of imagetexts. Chief among these are comic books, comic strips, and animations, but also represented are illustrated fiction, children's picture books, digital-concrete poetic forms, visual rhetoric, etc.
• Image [&] Narrative Image [&] Narrative is a peer-reviewed e-journal on visual narratology and word and image studies in the broadest sense of the term. It does not focus on a narrowly defined corpus or theoretical framework, but questions the mutual shaping of literary and visual cultures.
• Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society Inks, the journal of the Comics Studies Society, features scholarly research on sequential art, graphic narrative, and cartooning. The journal seeks to bring together scholarly essays, archival materials, and insights and discoveries from leading comics professionals. Inks highlights scholarship from a variety of disciplines and invites essays on all periods of comic history, as well as considering both a US or an international comics focus.
• International Journal of Comic Art The International Journal of Comic Art aims to publish scholarly and readable research on any aspect of comic art, defined as animation, comic books, newspaper and magazine strips, caricature, gag and political cartoons, humorous art, and humor or cartoon magazines.
• Journal of fandom studies The Journal of Fandom Studies seeks to offer scholars a dedicated publication that promotes current scholarship into the fields of fan and audience studies across a variety of media. It focuses on the critical exploration, within a wide range of disciplines and fan cultures, of issues surrounding production and consumption of popular media (including film, music, television, sports and gaming),
• The Journal of Japanese Studies The Journal of Japanese Studies is the most influential journal dealing with research on Japan available in the English language. Since 1974, it has published the results of scholarly research on Japan in a wide variety of social science and humanities disciplines, as well as translations of articles from Japanese and substantive book reviews.
• Marvels & Tales Marvels & Tales is a peer-reviewed journal that is international and multidisciplinary in orientation. The journal publishes scholarly work dealing with the fairy tale in any of its diverse manifestations and contexts. Marvels & Tales provides a central forum for fairy-tale studies by scholars of psychology, gender studies, children's literature, social and cultural history, anthropology, film studies, ethnic studies, art and music history, and others.
• Mechademia Mechademia: An Annual Forum for Anime, Manga and the Fan Arts. Mechademia’s subject area extends from manga and anime to game design, fashion, graphics, packaging, and toy industries, as well as a broad range of fan practices related to popular culture in Japan.
• MFS Modern Fiction Studies MFS publishes theoretically engaged and historically informed articles on modernist and contemporary fiction. The journal's substantial book review section keeps readers informed about current scholarship in the field. MFS alternates general issues with special issues focused on individual novelists or topics that challenge and expand the concept of "modern fiction."
• SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education SANE journal publishes peer-reviewed articles from researchers and practitioners from a variety of disciplines seeking to add significantly to the global knowledge associated with all aspects of graphica (comics, graphic novels, and its related forms) and education. Reviews of sequential art narratives and their associated scholarship as it pertains to teaching or learning through them are also published, as are resources designed to help educators of all levels integrate comics texts into their classrooms and libraries.
• SubStance SubStance is a major interdisciplinary journal in publication continuously since 1971. SubStance is an international nexus for discourses converging upon literature from a variety of fields, including philosophy, the social science, science, and the arts.
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• Last Updated: Apr 29, 2024 9:29 PM
• URL: https://libguides.depaul.edu/c.php?g=967024

Graphic Novels & Comics

• What Is a Graphic Novel?
• Finding Graphic Novels
• Finding Research on Graphic Novels
• Comics Research Libraries and Online Resources

Reference Works on Comics & Graphic Novels

Using Subject Headings in WorldCat UMD

Use the Library of Congress Subject Headings (circled in red in the catalog record above) to quickly and easily locate the most relevant materials for your topic. Subject headings useful for locating information on graphic novels and comics include:

Graphic novels -- History and criticism

Comic books, strips, etc.  This heading can be subdivided, for example:

•    Comic books, strips, etc. -- Bibliography
•    Comic books, strips, etc. -- History and criticism
•    Comic books, strips, etc. -- In Education
•    Comic books, strips, etc. -- Moral and ethical aspects
•    Comic books, strips, etc. -- United States -- History

   It can also be used as a subdivider, added to other subject headings. For example:

•    Autobiographical comic books, strips, etc.
•    Biography -- Comic books, strips, etc.
•    Personal narratives -- Comic books, strips, etc.
•    Science fiction comic books, strips, etc. -- 
•    Superhero comic books, strips, etc.

You can also use writers and artists' names as subject headings, for example:

•    Bechdel, Alison
•    Eisner, Will
•    Miller, Frank
•    Pekar, Harvey

Finding Articles in Library Databases

The databases below may include scholarly articles on topics related to graphic novels, including their history, criticism, and uses in various setting (for example, schools and libraries.)

Useful keywords include: "Graphic novels," "Comic books, strips, etc.," "Narrative art," "Film adaptations," "Cartoons," "Cartoonists," and the names of specific comics and their creators.

• Art and Architecture Complete Provides indexing, abstracting, and/or full-text of the content, including images, of hundreds of periodicals and books in the areas of art, art history, architecture and architectural history including: archaeology, interior and landscape design, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, graphic arts, decorative arts, costume design and antiques. Replaces Art Abstracts (1984-present).
• ARTstor Repository of hundreds of thousands of digital images, from across many periods and cultures. Architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, design, and other forms of visual culture are represented. Provides tools to actively use images for scholarship, teaching, and learning.
• Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. The database will provide cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for more than 300 publications (and selected coverage of 301), as well as full text for more than 90 journals.
• Library & Information Science Source The definitive resource in the field of library and information science with more than 460 high-impact journals, nearly 30 full-text monographs and thesauri, and indexing for hundreds of journals as well as books, research reports, and proceedings. Subject coverage encompasses librarianship, classification, cataloging, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information management, and more.

Selected Scholarly Journals

The following journals are available electronically via Libraries' subscriptions.

• Animation Magazine
• Journal of Graphic Novels & Comics
• European Comic Art

Featured Titles

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• URL: https://lib.guides.umd.edu/comics

A list of book-length studies on the history and criticism of comics and a variety of categories. Individual book entries may include the book's Table of Contents, on-site reviews, printed review citations, links to on-line information, and more. Reviews and Additional Information:   If you'd like to suggest titles or contribute a review of one of these books, please contact us . Entries marked or   have been newly added or revised since September 1, 2010. Animals || Antecedents / Early Comics || Architecture and Comics || Art Censorship / Controversy / Regulation || Fandom   Film/Movies and Comics || History || Jews in / and Comics     Music / Recordings and Comics || Race / Ethnicity Religion || Science || Sex / Eroticism Typography / Lettering || War || Women and Comics   Animals / Funny Animals Eury, Michael. 2007. Comics Gone Ape! The Missing Link to Primates in Comics . TwoMorrows Publishing. 141pp. ISBN-10: 1893905624, ISBN-13: 978-1893905627 (paperback). Groensteen, Thierry. 1987. Animaux en Cases: une histoire de la bande dessinée animalière . Futuropolis. Whyte, Malcolm. 2001. Great Comic Cats . [Rev. & expanded ed.] San Francisco: Pomegranate. 168pp. ISBN 0764917374 (paper).  Buy It! Antecedents / Early Comics (Platinum Age, Etc.) WebLink:  Early Comics Architecture and Comics   Ciutat & Comic, Ciudad & Comic. ISBN 84-7794-539-X. Lef è vre, Pascal. 1996[?]. Architectuur in de negende kunst / Architecture dane le nuvieme art . Brussel: NBM-Amstelland Bouw BV. Box set (booklet + plates). ISBN 90-72745-08-6 (box). Art (Fine Art, Pop Art, Etc.) Shikes, Ralph E. and Steven Heller. 1984. The Art of Satire: Painters as Caricaturists and Cartoonists from Delacroix to Picasso .  Horizon P / Pratt Graphics Center. 125pp. ISBN 0-8180-0141-0 (cloth), 0-8180-0142-9 (paper). Splat Boom Pow! The Influence of Cartoons in Contemporary Art . 2003. Ed. Valerie Cassel. Houston TX: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.  127pp. ISBN 0936080787 (paper). Yoe, Craig. 2005. Modern Arf: Artists + Models: The Naked Truth . Seatle, WA: Fantagraphics. 120pp. ISBN 1560976292 (paper).  On-line information || Buy It! Caricature ( see Genres > Caricature )

Censorship / Controversy / Regulation Allison, Anne. 1996. Permitted and Prohibited Desires: Mothers, Comics, and Censorship in Japan . Boulder, CO: Westview Press,. 225 pp. ISBN 0813316987 (hardcover), 0813331277 (paperback). Barker, Martin. 1989. Comics: Ideology, Power, and the Critics . Manchester: Manchester University Press. Beaty, Bart. 2005. Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture . Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 157806810X (hardcover - Buy It! ), 1578068193 (paper - Buy It! ). Publisher's website Barker, Martin. 1992. A Haunt of Fears . London: Pluto Press, 1984.  Rpt. Jackson and London: University Press of Mississippi, 1992. The Fredric Wertham Collection . 1990. Contributions by James Reibman, Peter Nisbit, and Cristina Ashjian. Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University. 101pp. ISBN0916724751 (paper). Fulce, John. 1990. Seduction of the Innocent Revisited . Lafayette: Huntington House. 200pp. Goldwater, John L. 1974. Americana in Four Colors: Twenty Years of Self Regulation by the Comics Magzine Industry . New York: Comics Magazine Association of America. Hajdu, David. 2008. The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America . New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.  Jetté, Marc. Censure et bande dessinée Américaine . Montréal: Roussan Éditeur, 1997. ISBN 2-921212-26-9 (paper). Lent, John A., ed. 1999. Pulp Demons: International Dimensions of the Postwar Anti-Comics Campaign .  Madison and Teaneck: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press / London: Associated University Presses. 306 pp. ISBN 0838637841 (hc). Nyberg, Amy Kiste. 1998. Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code . Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. 208pp. ISBN 0878059741 (cloth), ISBN 087805975X (paper). Rubenstein, Ann. 1998. Bad Language, Naked Ladies, and Other Threats to the Nation: A Political History of Comic Books in Mexico . Durham and London: Duke UP. 210 pp. ISBN 0822321084 (cloth), ISBN 0-8223-2141-6 (paper). Schurman, Lydia Cushman and Deidre Johnson, eds. 2002. Scorned Literature: Essays on the History and Criticism of Popular Mass-Produced Fiction in America . Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture, Number 75. Westport, CT & London: Greenwood Press. 245pp. ISBN 0313320330 (hc). Springhall, John. 1998. Youth, Popular Culture, and Moral Panics: Penny Gaffs to Gangsta-Rap, 1830-1996 .  New York: St. Martin's Press. 218 pp. ISBN 0312213948 (cloth), 0312213956 (pb). Watson, Chris and Roy Shuker. 1998. In the Public Good? Censorship in New Zealand .   Palmerston North, NZ: Dunmore Press.  ISBN 0864693052. Wertham, Fredric. 1954. Seduction of the Innocent .  New York: Reinhart. 397pp.[?] WebLink: Cartoonist Rights Network : Featuring information on cartoonists in trouble around the world. WebLink: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund : Featuring a bibliography on comics censorship . WebLink:  The Dr. Fredric Wertham Memorial Funnybook Collection: The Comics Featured in Seduction of the Innocent .

Brown, Jeffrey A. 2001.  Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans .  Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.  Hills, Matthew. 2002. Fan Cultures . Sussex Studies in Culture and Communication. Routledge. Lupoff, Pat & Dick. 2004. The Best of Xero: Selections from the Hugo Award-Winning Magazine . Introduction by Roger Ebert. Tachyon Publications. 220pp. ISBN 1892391112 (hc - Buy It! ), 1892391171 (paper - Buy It! ). Pustz, Matthew J. 1999. Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers . Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.. Schelly, Bill. 1995. The Golden Age of Comic Fandom . Seattle: Hamster Press.  Schelly, Bill. 2001.  Sense of Wonder: A Life in Comic Fandom . Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishishing. Wertham, Fredric. 1973. The World of Fanzines: A Special Form of Communication . Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. WebLink: Transformative Works and Cultures : "the academic arm of the nonprofit fan advocacy group Organization for Transformative Works " Film / Movies and Comics (see also specific Titles/Characters ) Hughes, David. 2003. Comic Book Movies . (Virgin Film series). London: Virgin Books. Morrow, James and Murray Suid. [1974?]. Moviemaking Illustrated: The Comicbook Filmbook . Hayden Book Company. Schoell, William. Comic Book Heroes of the Screen . History Naepel, Oliver. Auschwitz im Comic - Die Abbildung unvorstellbarer Zeitgeschichte [Auschwitz in Comics - The Depiction of Unimaginable Contemporary History] . Muenster (Germany): LIT, 1998.ISBN 3825837033. Jews in / and Comics Fingeroth, Danny. 2007. Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero . Foreword by Stan Lee. Popular Culture and Television series. New York & London: Continuum. Kaplan, Arie. 2006. Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed! Will Eisner, Stan Lee, Neil Gaiman and More! Chicago Review Press, 2006. Kaplan, Arie. 2008. From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books . Foreword by Harvey Pekar and JT Waldman. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 2008. Weinstein, Simcha. 2006. Up, Up, and Oy Vey!: How Jewish History, Culture, and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero . Leviathan Press. ebLink: Jewish Comics: A Select Bibliography : Maintained by Steven M. Bergson. Annotated list of primarily American comics featuring Jewish characters or themes. Music / Recordings and Comics WebLink: Comic Art and Music : By Manfred Vogel & Michael Rhode (Comics Stuff #4); housed at Michigan State University. WebLink: Platenhoezen ontworpen door striptekenaars / Record Covers Drawn by Comics Artists Web site apparently no longer maintained; some information corrupt (Dec 2003). Race / Ethnicity Brown, Jeffrey A. 2001.  Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans .   Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. 232pp. ISBN 157806-2810 (cloth), 1578062829 (paper). Cartoons and Ethnicity . 1992. Catalog of the 1992 Festival of Cartoon Art. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Libraries. Foster, William H., III. 2005. Looking for a Face Like Mine . Waterbury, CT: Fine Tooth Press. 100pp. ISBN 0976665247 (paper). Rifas, Leonard. 2004. "Racial Imagery, Racism, Individualism, and Underground Comix." ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies 1.1 (2004).  on-line Strömberg, Frederik. 2003.  Black Images in the Comics: A Visual History .  Foreword by Charles R. Johnson. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics. 264 pp. ISBN 1560975466 (cloth). Buy It! WebLink: Brown, Jeffrey A. "Comic Book Masculinity and the New Black Superhero."   On-line version of article from African American Review (Spring 1999). WebLink: Comics and African Americans : A list based on the comics research bibliography . WebLink: Museum of Black Superheroes : Large and informative site, by Omar Bilal WebLink Pioneering Cartooonists of Color WebLink  Salute to Pioneering Cartooonists of Color Religion Garrett, Greg. 2005. Holy Superheroes: Exploring Faith and Spirituality in Comic Books . Navpress Publishing Group. 191pp. ISBN 1576835766 (paper). Strömberg, Frederik. 2005.  The Comics Go to Hell: A Visual History of the Devil in Comics .  Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics. 320 pp. ISBN 1560976160 (cloth). Science

WebLink: The Periodic Table of Comic Books : Maintained by John P. Selegue and F. James Holler.

Sex / Eroticism (see also Genres > Tijuana Bibles ) Bourgeois, Michel. 1978. Erotisme et pornographie dans la bande dessinée . Grenoble: Jacques Glénat. 160 p. ISBN 2-7234-00093 X Gilmore, Donald H. 1971. Sex in Comics: A History of the Eight Pagers. San Diego: Greenleaf Classics. Gluckson, Robert K. 1992. Sex Comics in the 1930s-1950s: A Genre History . Master's thesis, University of Washington. Horn, Maurice. 1985. Sex in the Comics .   New York: Chelsea House. ISBN 0877548501. Pilcher, Tim, with Gene Kannenberg, Jr. 2008. Erotic Comics: A Graphic History from Tijuana Bibles to Zap Comix .  Introduction by Aline Kominsky Crumb. NY: Abrams. also published as Erotic Comics: A Graphic History. Volume 1: From Birth to the 1970s . East Sussex, UK: ILEX. Pilcher, Tim, with Gene Kannenberg, Jr. 2009.  Erotic Comics 2: A Graphic History from the Liberated '70s to the Internet .  Introduction by Alan Moore. NY: Abrams. also published as Erotic Comics: A Graphic History. Volume 2: From the 1970s to the Present Day . East Sussex, UK: ILEX. Sidén, Hans. 1972. Sadomasochism in Comics: A History of Sex and Violence in Comic Books . Introduction by Donald H. Gilmore, Ph.D. Greenleaf Classics. Yoe, Craig. 2007. Clean Cartoonists' Dirty Drawings .  Last Gasp. Yoe, Craig [and Joe Shuster]. 2009. Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster . Introduction by Stan Lee. New York, NY: Abrams ComicArts. WebLink:  Tijuana Bibles :  Large archive of eight-pagers, with lots of extra info.  Adults-only site! Typography  /  Lettering (see also How-To > Lettering ) Gutjahr, Paul and Megan L. Benton, eds. 2001. Illuminating Letters: Typography and Literary Interpretation . Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2001. WebLink: Grawlixes Past and Present : Gwillim Law's expansion on Mort Walker's ideas from Backstage at the Strips and The Lexicon of Comicana . War

WebLink:  Four Color Combat: Since the 1930s, comic books have graphically depicted America at war :  By Don Vaughan; article from Military Officer .

WebLink:  World War II Periodicals [Collection] 1939-1946 : Housed in Columbia University's Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Women and Comics Franzen, Monika, and Nancy Ethie. 1988. Make Way!: 200 Years of American Women in Cartoons . Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1-55652-023-9 (paper). Horn, Maurice. Women in the Comics . 1980. New York and London: Chelsea House. Inness, Sherrie A., ed. 2004. Action Chicks: New Images of Tough Women in Popular Culture . New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 293pp. ISBN 1403964033 (cloth), 1403963967 (paper). Buy It! Robbins, Trina. 1996. The Great Women Superheroes . Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press, 1996. 210pp. ISBN 0878164820 (cloth - Buy It! ), 0878164812 (paper - Buy It! ). Robbins, Trina. 1993. A Century of Women Cartoonists . Northampton, MA: Kitchen Sink Press. Robbins, Trina. 1999. From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics From Teens to Zines .   San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0811821994 (paper).   Buy It! Robbins, Trina. 2001.  The Great Women Cartoonists .  New York: Watson-Guptill. ISBN 082302170X (pb). Buy It! Robbins, Trina, and Catherine Yronwode. 1985. Women and the Comics . No place of publication given: Eclipse Books. 127pp. ISBN 0-913035-01-7 (cloth), 0-913035-02-5 (paper). Wood, Susan. 1989. The Poison Maiden & the Great Bitch: Female Sterotypes in Marvel Superhero Comics . Baltimore, MD: T-K Graphics, 1974. Rpt.: Essays on Fantastic Literature no. 5. San Bernardino, CA: The Borgo Press. 28pp. ISBN 0893705373.  WebLink:   BD de femmes, femmes en BD : A site from Univers BD . Weblink: Girl-Wonder.org : " dedicated to females in mainstream [American] comics. " WebLink: Women in Refrigerators : A site about the mistreatment of female characters in (primarily) mainstream American comic books, by Gail Simone.

• University of Michigan Library
• Research Guides

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

• Themes/Subjects
• Comics & Graphic Novels
• Web Resources
• Academic Resources
• LGBTQ Themes
• Medicine and Health themes
• Feminism and Women's Studies
• Civil Rights
• Biography and Memoir
• Alison Bechdel
• Art Spiegelman
• Bill Watterson
• Charles Schulz
• Daniel Clowes
• Frank Miller
• Grant Morrison
• Harvey Pekar
• Jessica Abel
• Lynda Barry
• Neil Gaiman
• Osamu Tezuka
• Captain America
• Wonder Woman
• Horror Comics
• Romance Comics
• Super-Heroes

Theme/Subject Guides to Comics in the AAEL collection

• Biography & Memoirs
• LGBTQ Themes Comics and graphic novels with themes relating to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer people, communities and topics.
• Medicine & Health
• Superheroes Comics about super-heroes, classic and modern.

Comics - Essay Samples And Topic Ideas For Free

Comics are a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information, providing a unique way to tell stories or present ideas. Essays on comics could delve into the history of comics, the various genres and styles, the cultural impact and significance of comics, or the artistic and narrative techniques unique to the medium. They might also explore the representation of social, political, and cultural issues in comics, the reception and criticism of comics, or the evolution of the comics industry in the digital age. We have collected a large number of free essay examples about Comics you can find at PapersOwl Website. You can use our samples for inspiration to write your own essay, research paper, or just to explore a new topic for yourself.

Exploring History and Identity through ‘Persepolis’ Comics

Marjane Satrapi's graphic work, "Persepolis," is a moving memoir that details her early years in Iran both before and after the Islamic Revolution. First published in 2000, this ground-breaking book explores topics of identity, culture, and the intricacies of living in post-revolutionary Iran by fusing the storytelling potential of comics with graphic storytelling. This article explores the distinctive storytelling technique of "Persepolis," looking at its influence on the viewer, its thematic depth, and its historical background. "Persepolis" is a personal […]

Breaking the Mold: the Impact of Batman Killing the Joker on Comics Storytelling

The idea of Batman killing the Joker is a narrative concept that has sparked debates among comic book enthusiasts and scholars alike. It challenges the traditional ethos of one of the most iconic superheroes in comic book history, Batman, known for his strict moral code against killing. This essay delves into the implications of such a storyline, exploring how it would reshape the long-established dynamics between Batman and the Joker and its broader impact on comic book storytelling. Traditionally, Batman […]

Marvel Vs DC Compare and Contrast

The introduction of comics and graphic novels began in the 16th century in Japan, but their popularization in America took place in the 30s. From that moment on, the popularity of comics has grown in Europe and around the world. The two most famous comic book companies are, of course, Marvel and DC. While fans on both sides sometimes look to the other side with a belligerent stance, it is important to look at the similarities in both of these […]

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Female Comics and Social Justice

"In a similar vein, ideas expressed by women who identify as feminists are often dismissed under the idea that they are angry and unable to take a joke. Thus, the stand-up stage is a space where homophobic, sexist, and all together insensitive jokes not only occur, but thrive. The comedy business is hard and unforgiving to queer audiences, fueling anxiety and self-hatred, as has been pointed out by queer comedians such as Hannah Gatsby. In her standup special Nanette, Gatsby […]

Black Panther Film Review Essay

For my review essay, I chose to critique the movie Black Panther. This film was released on February 16, 2018, in Pinewood Studios, that is located in Atlanta, Georgia. The writer/director of this film goes by the name Ryan Coogler. He has co-written and directed the film Creed (2015) and Fruitvale Station (2013). The co-scriptwriter of this film goes by the name Joe Robert Cole, and the cinematographer, Rachel Morrison. A couple main characters of the cast are: Martin Freeman […]

Understanding Anime Culture: Distinguishing between True Fans and Pretenders

The True Essence of Anime Anime is for everybody, but a percentage has yet to get it. Those are fake anime fans. Those people seem to have problems when they like it, but they do not know what it is and what it stands for. Even after you try to teach them what is honest about it, they still do not know the difference between manga and a Harry Potter tale. Today, my guide to anime will describe how to […]

Development of the Image of Peter Parker

Peter Parker was brought up as an orphan by Ben and May who were his Uncle and Aunt respectively. He was introverted as he couldn't tell his neighbourhood friend Mary Jane that he had a crush on her, and he was also picked on by bullies in school. Peter alongside his friends, Harry Osborn and Mary Jane and schoolmates went on a school trip where they visited a genetics laboratory. Peter got bitten by a genetically engineered spider that had […]

Dynamic Duos and Complex Narratives: the Evolution of Character Relationships in Comics

In the kaleidoscopic universe of comic book narratives, the synergy between characters emerges as a vibrant tapestry, weaving intricate patterns of connection and evolution. The exploration of relationships, particularly within the dynamic duos that populate the pages of these graphic narratives, transcends the conventional boundaries of heroism and villainy. Instead, it unfolds as a nuanced interplay that injects layers of complexity into the vibrant landscape of comic book storytelling. Embarking on this exploration inevitably leads us to one of the […]

The Power of Panels: Analyzing the Role of Layout and Composition in Comics

Comics, often regarded as a form of sequential art, derive their narrative strength not only from the words that inhabit speech bubbles but also from the meticulously crafted layouts and compositions that guide the reader's visual journey. The power of panels, those individual frames that make up the tapestry of a comic, lies in their ability to shape the narrative, evoke emotions, and engage the audience in a dynamic dance between text and image. At the core of comic artistry […]

Exploring the Multifaceted World of Comics: a Scholarly Inquiry

This essay critically examines the complex and dynamic realm of comics, elucidating their diverse forms, cultural significance, and evolving role in shaping popular narratives. Through an interdisciplinary lens, it delves into the historical roots of comics, their artistic merits, and their enduring appeal across different cultures and demographics. Introduction: Comics have emerged as a potent medium for storytelling, blending visual artistry with narrative prowess to captivate audiences of all ages and backgrounds. From the whimsical world of superhero sagas to […]

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How to do a Comic Book Research Paper

Jun 16, 2021

Come up with a title

Within the context of a society that’s changing rapidly, comic books entertain and educate but they have also documented and interpreted many historical, social and current events. 

There are some unique and valuable insights that can be obtained from studying comic books.  

There is no shortage of stimulating topics for a comic book research paper. One law student wrote a thesis about whether comic book superheroes were good models of justice. 

Another wrote about how the image of the scientist in the Marvel comics evolved over the years, how the process was influenced by societal changes and what they are like now. One student wrote about the influence of Japanese Manga on North American pop culture, while another reflected on how digital media affected comics. 

Use online comic book resources

New collections and resources are being created and developed to meet the needs of fans, scholars, collectors, and researchers. With all the internet resources, it can be challenging to identify ones that are updated and maintained. They often lack organization, although they may contain authoritative content. There is a  research guide  for students that contains annotated online comic book resources. It includes organizations, associations, bibliographies, collections, online journals and magazines.  

Create an outline

An outline of a comic book assignment will show the thesis statements and main ideas. These are specifically the features that students will discuss and evaluate and the material they will use for support. Creating an outline makes a paper much easier to write. 

Use a research writing service

The research proposal writing service from Uk.EduBirdie is available to British students and offers them an opportunity to have a research proposal written by expert writers. They can explore the profiles of various professional writers before selecting the one they feel is most suitable. If they are not happy with the quality, they can request the writer for revisions and don’t have to pay until they are satisfied. This service is available to both U.K. and international students.  

Use a citation guide

Bibliographic citation can be problematic when dealing with comic books. They incorporate aspects of both books and periodicals. The primary aim is to provide location information to assist those who want to track down a cited source. Of basic importance is that citation should incorporate four basic elements: writer, artist, story title, and publication information. Students can use an  online style guide  that gives instructions and examples for citing comic books. 

Some difficulties  

Comics are easy to recognize but not so easy to define. Page layout, art style, text and images all contribute to the overall impression and without one element, the other does not work as well. There are few set rules for how to analyze comics and to determine how the different elements interplay with one another to create meaning. Not all comics feature the same degree of ironic interplay between the elements but they can still be difficult to interpret. 

Students are often diverse in their writing experience and academic writing can be a challenge to master. Assigning comic book research papers to students can help them to learn and evaluate different forms of evidence. Students often battle to distinguish between academic sources and anecdotal evidence.

Innovative and interesting  

Students often find a comic book research paper interesting and different to write despite the difficulties. Scott McCloud’s book  Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art  has become like a handbook for anyone interested in studying or analyzing comic books. It helps to establish a set of terms that convey information presented in comic books and is presented as a comic book itself.   

It can be difficult to analyze comic books. They are remarkably dynamic, detailed and textured. Students must approach comics as informed readers and approach a comic book assignment in the right way. They need to choose a suitable topic, formulate a good argument and acknowledge their sources. Using a less traditional medium, like comic books, may just give a student who enjoys more visual learning a chance of writing a winning comic book assignment. 

Author Bio:

Joshua Robinson works for a novel publishing company where he is the lead author and has written several high-selling novels in sci-fi, mystery, suspense and satire genres. He’s a brilliant academic writer as well and has done thousands of essays for college students, all of which have won high ratings from the students. His free time is for reading poetry, listening to classical music and playing table tennis.

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Articles on Comic books

Displaying 1 - 20 of 36 articles.

Jewish creators are a fundamental part of comic book history, from Superman to Maus – expert explains

Alex Fitch , University of Brighton

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – Marvel’s Multiverse Saga has changed the franchise’s stakes

Michael Starr , University of Northampton

What if the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol had succeeded? A graphic novel is uniquely placed to answer

Dominic Davies , City, University of London

Black Panther is a step in the right direction and a diverse audience is hungry for more inclusive roles and storylines

The Sandman: a masterclass in unfaithful adaptation

Joe Sutliff Sanders , University of Cambridge

Why Ms. Marvel matters so much to Muslim, South Asian fans

Safiyya Hosein , Toronto Metropolitan University

Five exciting additions to Marvel’s cinematic universes – according to a comics expert

The Batman: the Dark Knight on screen has always reflected contemporary tastes

Banning ‘Maus’ only exposes the significance of this searing graphic novel about the Holocaust

Biz Nijdam , University of British Columbia

When teachers in comic books get more than a thought bubble, watch out for an identity crisis

David Lewkowich , University of Alberta

The queer subtext of Superman comics has long been suppressed. Here’s to the original justice defender coming out

Jason Bainbridge , University of Canberra

‘Graphic medicine’: how autobiographical comics artists are changing our understanding of illness

Shannon Sandford , Flinders University

Kapow! Zap! Splat! How comics make sound on the page

Victor Araneda Jure , Monash University

Heroes, villains … biology: 3 reasons comic books are great science teachers

Caitlyn Forster , University of Sydney

Comics vs. coronavirus: Comics industry shut down for the first time in almost a century

Bart Beaty , University of Calgary

The Joker’s origin story comes at a perfect moment: clowns define our times

Ari Mattes , University of Notre Dame Australia

How Beano and Dandy artist Dudley D. Watkins made generations of comic fans roar with laughter

David Anderson , Swansea University

Higher, further, faster: Marvel’s first female cinematic superhero

Kenneth MacKendrick , University of Manitoba

Hidden women of history: Tarpe Mills, 1940s comic writer, and her feisty superhero Miss Fury

Camilla Nelson , University of Notre Dame Australia

How The Beano survived war and the web to reach its 80th birthday

Related topics.

• Graphic novels
• Superheroes

Top contributors

Lecturer and PhD Candidate in Comics and Architecture, University of Brighton

Senior Lecturer in Political and Cultural Studies, Swansea University

Adjunct Associate Professor of Learning and Instruction, University at Buffalo

Associate Professor and Cinema and Screen Studies Discipline Leader, Swinburne University of Technology

Professor of Bioethics, Clinical Ethics and Medical Law, St George's, University of London

Lecturer at the Forum for Critical Inquiry, Glasgow School of Art

Arts & Sciences Faculty Associate, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Adjunct Lecturer, Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences, University of Baltimore

Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Associate Professor in Human Factors, Heriot-Watt University

Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University

Professor of Graphic Fiction and Comic Art, Lancaster University

Graduate Tutor and Lecturer in Film, Northumbria University, Newcastle

Associate Professor in Media, University of Notre Dame Australia

Lecturer in Communications and Media, University of Notre Dame Australia

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Comic books'

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Day, Kenna Alise. "Crazier than Sack of Ferrets!: Deadpool as the Post-Watchmen Superhero." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/75308.

RAMOS, ANDRE DE FREITAS. "DIGITAL COMICS: THE VISUAL LANGUAGE OF THE COMIC BOOKS AND THE DIGITAL PARADIGM." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2017. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=30279@1.

Gabilliet, Jean-Paul. "Des comics et des hommes : histoire culturelle des comic books aux États-Unis /." Nantes : Éd. du Temps, 2004. http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb399717761.

Guarino, Jeffrey Mark. "Comix in the classroom: A resource guide for graphic novels and comic books." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1998. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1503.

Egelström, Christian. "Comic Books - Images, Words and Language Acquisition : Using comic books as an alternative material for teaching the English language." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Akademin för lärande, humaniora och samhälle, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-38159.

Meade, Alayna Naomi, and Alayna Naomi Meade. "Revitalizing the Stagnating U.S. Comic Book Industry: A Historic Analysis and Creative Fusion of American and Japanese Comic Books." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/625096.

Lorenz, Peter. "Maßnahmen zur Schaffung einer zukunftsfähigen Organisation der Comic-Spezialbibliothek "Bei Renate"." Berlin : Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2005. http://books.google.com/books?id=SYtQAAAAMAAJ.

VASCONCELLOS, PEDRO VICENTE F. "MANGA-DO: THE WAYS OF JAPANESE COMIC BOOKS." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2006. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=8973@1.

Lombard-Cook, Kathleen. "Interrogating and analysing narrative structure through comic books." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/23507.

Ehritz, Andrew A. "FROM INDOCTRINATION TO HETEROGLOSSIA: THE CHANGING RHETORICAL FUNCTION OF THE COMIC BOOK SUPERHERO." Oxford, Ohio : Miami University, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=miami1155044370.

Chenault, Wesley. "Working the Margins: Women in the Comic Book Industry." unrestricted, 2007. http://etd.gsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04232007-124907/.

Pevey, Aaron. "From Superman to superbland the Man of Steel's popular decline among postmodern youth /." unrestricted, 2007. http://etd.gsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04172007-133407/.

Kellerman, Aliza C. "Kvetching with Comics: How 20th Century American Comics Reflect the Ashkenazi Ethos of Pride and Shame." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2013. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/750.

Ayala, Zapata Fernando C. "Arquitectura, ciencia-ficción y comic-books : vanguardias, evolución y lenguaje." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/669551.

Yamane, Kumiko. "Female individuation and androgyny in girls' comic books in Japan." Thesis, University of Essex, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.422712.

Montanari, Alice <1990&gt. "Shakespeare is still alive... in the world of comic books." Master's Degree Thesis, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10579/7059.

Herman, Janique Luschan Vogl. "An interrogation of morality, power and plurality as evidenced in superhero comic books: a postmodernist perspective." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1005646.

Young, Hiu-tung. "Problems of translating contemporary Japanese comics into Chinese the case of Crayon Shinchan /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2008. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B39848863.

Gay, Stephanye Anne. "ShieldCross an exploration of sequential art ; an honors project /." [Jefferson City, Tenn. : Carson-Newman College], 2009. http://library.cn.edu/HonorsPDFs_2009/Gay_Stephanye_Anne.pdf.

Frail, James H. "Powers and abilities far behind those of mortal men an examination of the comic book industry and subculture through a feminist sociological perspective /." Huntington, WV : [Marshall University Libraries], 2004. http://www.marshall.edu/etd/descript.asp?ref=424.

Lewis, A. David. "The superhero afterlife subgenre and its hermeneutics for selfhood through character multiplicity." Thesis, Boston University, 2012. https://hdl.handle.net/2144/32028.

McCoy, Kuleen O. "The funnies are a serious business : how local newspaper editors make decisions concerning diverse and controversial comic strips /." Thesis, This resource online, 1992. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-08222009-040404/.

Avila, William Richard. "Representations of HIV/AIDS in Popular American Comic Books, 1981-1996." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1616593578624264.

Grixoni, Francesca Giusta. "The Evolution of Ms. Marvel." Bachelor's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2017.

Young, Hiu-tung, and 楊曉彤. "Problems of translating contemporary Japanese comics into Chinese: the case of Crayon Shinchan." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2008. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B39848863.

Brienza, Casey Elizabeth. "Domesticating Manga : Japanese comics, American publishing, and the transnational production of culture." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.648154.

Du, Plessis Carla (Carla Susan). "Reconsidering the conventions employed in comix and comix strips." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/21211.

Bliss, Courtney C. "Reframing Normal:The Inclusion of Deaf Culture in the X-Men Comic Books." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu149143787039966.

Lucas, Justin. "Beneath the cape and cowl: Batman and the revitalization of comic book films." Ohio University Honors Tutorial College / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouhonors1244074493.

Kondo, Tomoko. "The making of a corporate : elite adult targeted comic magazines of Japan." Thesis, McGill University, 1992. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=22450.

King, Zachary Harrison. "Comic book realism: sincerity, ethics, and the superhero in contemporary American literature." Diss., University of Iowa, 2016. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/6782.

McCullum, Yannick. "The visual representation of female masculinity in Marvel and DC comic books." University of the Western Cape, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/8134.

Stribling, Samuel Charles Stuart. "Dr. Manhattan's Pathos: Synchronic and Diachronic Experience in Comic Books and Architecture." Cincinnati, Ohio : University of Cincinnati, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view.cgi?acc_num=ucin1242836335.

Scherpenhuizen, Johannes. "Dutch Technique: Comic Books, Discourse and Vedanta/The Saga of the Atlantean." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/28060.

Little, Ben. "Comic books, politics and readers : the influence of the 2000AD group of comics creators on the formation of Anglo-American comics culture." Thesis, Middlesex University, 2011. http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/8089/.

Davies, Paul Fisher. "Making meanings with comics : a functional approach to graphic narrative." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2017. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/69049/.

Rosberg, Caitlin. "Capers: Would you rather we wear spandex?" Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1178290210.

Smith, Benjamin. "Spandex cinema : three approaches to comic book film adaptation /." Read thesis online, 2009. http://library.uco.edu/UCOthesis/SmithBP2009.pdf.

Leland, Jennie. "The Phoenix Always Rises: The Evolution of Superheroines in Feminist Culture." Fogler Library, University of Maine, 2007. http://www.library.umaine.edu/theses/pdf/LelandJ2007.pdf.

Ash, Evan Roberts. "Objectionable: The Cincinnati Committee for the Evaluation of Comics and the American Anti-Comics Movement, 1940-1957." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1554812440806166.

Plencner, Joshua. "Four-Color Political Visions: Origin, Affect, and Assemblage in American Superhero Comic Books." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/18748.

Broxson, Gene Marshall. "A comprehensive examination of the precode horror comic books of the 1950's." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2003. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2429.

Van, Staden Leonora. "Bitterkomix en Stripshow : pornografie en satire in Afrikaanse ondergrondse strippe." Thesis, Link to the online version, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10019/1330.

Lucchine, Dana P. "Beneath the mask and spandex reviewing, revising, and re-appropriating the superhero myth in Alan Moore's Watchmen /." Click here for download, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com.ps2.villanova.edu/pqdweb?did=1943369611&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=3260&RQT=309&VName=PQD.

Tembo, Kwasu David. "In the shadow of the cape : Superman and disruptivity." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/25511.

Salisbury, Derek. "Growing up with Vertigo: British Writers, DC, and the Maturation of American Comic Books." ScholarWorks @ UVM, 2013. http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/209.

Compton, Adam Delk. "The American comic book industry, 1936-1954 : creativity in an age of conformity /." View online, 2006. http://ecommons.txstate.edu/phystad/1/.

Foster, John E. "A critical, social and stylistic study of Australian children's comics /." Title page, contents and introduction only, 1989. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phf755.pdf.

Kowalczyk, Brian P. "EGANWO : the graphic novel's escape to digital media /." Online version of thesis, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1850/11652.

Bryant, Emi. ""I am Michi!" identity politics in Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis /." Diss., Connect to the thesis, 2006. http://thesis.haverford.edu/174/01/2006BryantE.pdf.