ABSTRACT

In The Secret Origins of Comics Studies, today’s leading comics scholars turn back a page to reveal the founding figures dedicated to understanding comics art. Edited by comics scholars Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan, this collection provides an in-depth study of the individuals and institutions that have created and shaped the field of Comics Studies over the past 75 years. From Coulton Waugh to Wolfgang Fuchs, these influential historians, educators, and theorists produced the foundational work and built the institutions that inspired the recent surge in scholarly work in this dynamic, interdisciplinary field. Sometimes scorned, often underappreciated, these visionaries established a path followed by subsequent generations of scholars in literary studies, communication, art history, the social sciences, and more. Giving not only credit where credit is due, this volume both offers an authoritative account of the history of Comics Studies and also helps move the field forward by being a valuable resource for creating graduate student reading lists and the first stop for anyone writing a comics-related literature review.

part 1|30 pages

The Educators

chapter 1|9 pages

Educating with Comics

chapter 2|19 pages

Educating about Comics

part 2|57 pages

The Historians

chapter 3|10 pages

The Historians of the Creators

chapter 5|15 pages

The Historians of the Art Form

chapter 6|17 pages

The Librarians and Archivists

part 3|113 pages

The Theorists

chapter 8|5 pages

Semiotics and Linguistics

chapter 10|15 pages

Ideological/Sociological

chapter 11|17 pages

Formalist Theory

The Cartoonists

chapter 12|14 pages

Formalist Theory

Academics

chapter 13|14 pages

Psychology/Psychiatry

chapter 14|12 pages

Gender Studies and Queer Studies

chapter 15|12 pages

Manga Studies, A History

part 4|81 pages

The Institutions

chapter 16|21 pages

The Organizations

chapter 17|20 pages

The Galleries

chapter 18|16 pages

The Conferences

chapter 19|10 pages

The Journals

chapter 20|11 pages

The Presses