Graphic Novels & Graphic Cultures

1/30/08

ARHU106: Practical Application in the Arts The Honors Humanities Program, Second Semester Colloquium (1 credit) University of Maryland

Spring 2007, Section 0201, Wednesdays 5:00pm - 5:50pm in QAN 0108 (Queen Anne’s Hall)

Instructors: Patrick Grzanka Teaching Assistant: Assistant Director, Honors Humanities Daniel Greene 1103 Wicomico Hall [email protected] (301) 405-6992 Office hours by appointment. [email protected] Office hours by appointment.

Course Description This course serves as an introduction to critical methods in popular culture studies, with a focus on the graphic novel as cultural product and practice. Together, we will explore the ways in which meanings emerge in several classic texts of the graphic novel genre, as well as some emerging classics. Our readings of these texts will be informed by a diversity of theoretical perspectives, including visual culture studies, postmodernism and intersectionality. We will interrogate the relationships between the concepts “graphic novel” or “comic book” and “popular culture,” with each of us bringing our lived experiences to our readings and discussions. In the context of contemporary U.S. society, we will see how critical studies of popular culture have a distinct place in the arts and humanities. We will consider the contradictory ways in which difference, power and knowledge are articulated in cultural production. Through in-depth studies of several primary texts, including Watchmen, Maus, Fun Home, and V for Vendetta, we will learn how graphic novelists use and manipulate historical and contemporary social issues as the building blocks for their art. Finally, we will apply these skills to create our own application of the art of graphic novel. By the end of this fifteen-week course, students should be able to: 1. Conceptualize graphic storytelling as a cultural and artistic process that is productive of (often) complex meanings within the “circuit of culture.” 2. Recognize social, metaphorical, and philosophical meanings/themes in graphic novels and be able to critically analyze these pieces as “texts.” 3. Produce a piece of graphic storytelling that deals with one or more contemporary social issues.

Despite the one-credit aspect of this course, however, it should be understood that ARHU106 is an Honors course and a critical component of the Honors Humanities curriculum. The reading load may be considered heavy at times, though this course strictly follows the University standard of three hours of out-of-class work per credit hour. Commitment to fulfilling the requirements of the course is essential to success in the class and will be reflected in students’ final grades. It should also be noted that many of the ideas presented in this course will be built upon in ARHU205: Modes of Knowing and Doing in the Arts and Humanities. Though graphic novels will serve as primary texts, no previous knowledge of any of these books is required (or even preferred). Every student, regardless of her familiarity with these books or the graphic novel genre in general, will have an equal opportunity to succeed in the course. Patrick Grzanka will be your primary instructor for this course, though your Honors Humanities Keystone Project progress may be evaluated by Peter Mallios, Justin Maher and/or Sarah Hamilton (depending on who you have been working with up to this point). Daniel Greene will serve as the teaching assistant. Dan has played an integral role in the development and implementation of this course, and you should use him as a resource for guidance on course material and Keystone development. 2

Evaluation

Grading for the course is as follows:

20%: Class participation. While attendance is not “mandatory,” thoughtful participation in class is a crucial part of succeeding in the course. The instructor will lead discussions, but it is each student’s responsibility to actively participate in class. Because summaries of the readings are not required every week, in-class participation is the main way for the instructor to know whether a student is doing the required reading. In-class participation is not limited to speaking in class -- short, written quizzes on the assigned material will be given throughout the semester (always emailed in advance of the section meeting). 5%: Assignments. All written assignments, not including your analytic essay and final project, are due in hard copy form at the start of class for which they are due. Late assignments will not be accepted. 20%: Analytic essay. During the semester, you will develop a 4-7 page essay analyzing at least one graphic novel using the analytical tools and frameworks we learn in class. This essay will be due toward the end of the semester, but you will work on it throughout the course. This is your only major writing assignment. 35%: Final project. This course is about practical applications in the arts. Thus, the practical application – development of a piece of graphic storytelling – is the most important part of this course. Students may work individually or in groups (of up to 4 people) for the final project. More details will be provided during the first half of the course. 20%: Annotated bibliography for the Honors Humanities Keystone Project. All HonHum students are required to maintain satisfactory progress toward completion of their Keystone Project throughout ARHU106. By the end of the semester, students will have expanded and annotated their bibliography to 20 sources.

The grading will be on a traditional scale of 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, etc.

Required Texts: Moore, A. & Gibbons, D. (1995/1986-7). Watchmen. DC Comics. Moore, A. & Lloyd, D. (1995/1981). V for Vendetta. Reissue edition. Vertigo. Bechdel, A. (2006). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Houghton Mifflin ***These books can be purchased from Liberty Books and Comics, 7315 Baltimore Ave (Rt. 1) in College Park opposite the CVS shopping center. We encourage you to patronize this local establishment. Phone: 301.699.0498*** Course readings, available via Blackboard (www.elms.umd.edu) or provided in photocopy format. To view electronic versions of any graphic novels we read in class, you must download a free, digital comic book viewer, such as Comical. More information will be provided during class time.

Keystone Project Annotated Bibliography: Students are required to maintain satisfactory progress toward completion of their Keystone project during the spring semester in ARHU106. This semester, you will read the sources you identified in your bibliography during the fall semester, you will expand your bibliography from 5-10 to at least 20 sources, and you will annotate all of your sources in MLA style (Chicago style is also acceptable; other research/documentation styles, such as APA, must be approved). Guidelines for annotation are available on Blackboard. To access your Blackboard space, go to http://www.elms.umd.edu.

Analytic Essay: For your analytic essay, you may write on any of the graphic novels we read in the course, or you may select from other substantive texts. Below is a list of suggested sources:

Uncanny X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Marvel Comics. Astonishing X-Men: Gifted or Dangerous or Torn, by Joss Whedon. Marvel Comics. 3

In the Shadow of No Towers, by Art Spiegelman. New York: Pantheon. Maus, Book 2, by Art Spiegelman. New York: Pantheon. Perspepolis: The Story of a Childhood or The Story of a Return, by Marjane Satrapi. New York: Pantheon. Death: The High Cost of Living, by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo. DC Comics: Vertigo. Death: The Time of Your Life, by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo. DC Comics: Vertigo. Michael Turner’s Fathom, Vol. 1, by Michael Turner. Image Comics: Top Cow Productions. 300, by Frank Miller. Dark Horse Comics. Ghost World, by Daniel Clowes. Fantagraphic Books (4th Ed. 2001). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller. DC Comics. Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, by Frank Miller. DC Comics. Rising Stars, by J. Michael Straczynski, Image Comics: Top Cow Productions. Y: The Last Man, by Brian K. Vaughn. DC Comics: Vertigo. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill. DC Comics: America’s Best Comics. Pride of Baghdad (2006), by Brian K. Vaughn and Niko Henrichon. DC Comics: Vertigo. Lucifer, by Mike Carey. DC Comics: Vertigo. Dykes to Watch Out For (1986) and Invasion of the Dykes to Watch Out For (2005), by Allison Bechdel. The Sandman (1989) by Neil Gaiman with pencillers Kelly Jones, Charles Vess and Colleen Doran. DC Comics: Vertigo. American Way (2006) by John Ridley with penciller Georges Jenty. Wildstorm. Blankets (2003) written and drawn by Craig Thompson. Top Shelf. Akira (2000) written and drawn by Katsuhiro Otomo. Dark Horse 2000. [Note: this is arguably the best English version, and certainly the easiest one to get a hold of.] Love and Rockets. Written and drawn by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez. Originally self-published 25 years ago, many of the most popular character arcs ('Maggie the mechanic') and storylines (the town of Palomar) have been re-collected in relatively self- contained volumes by Fantagraphics in 2007. Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm. Written by Percy Carey with penciller Ronald Wimberly. Vertigo 2007. X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills. Written by Chris Claremont with penciller Brent Anderson. Marvel 1982. Planetary. Written by Warren Ellis with penciller John Cassaday. Wildstorm 2000. The Swamp Thing. Any of Moore's collected Volumes 1-9. Written by Alan Moore, art by various. Vertigo 1984. Malcolm X: A Graphic Biography. Written by Andrew Helfer with penciller Randy DuBurke. Hill and Wang 2006.

In addition to these texts or one of your choosing, you may want to write an essay that compares an original graphic novel to its cinematic adaptation (e.g. Persepolis, 300, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Though such an essay might be daunting (especially if your goal is not simply to highlight what is “different” about the film), we will be discussing adaptation in class.

Final Project – An Original Piece of Graphic Storytelling For the course’s final project, students may work individually or in groups of up to four members to create a piece of original graphic storytelling. This may take the form of an issue of a series, an outline of a story with character sketches, a complete storyboard with script, a series outline, or an outline of a complete graphic novel. This may be a completely original story, or use characters already existing in a graphic universe/series/continuity. The plot of the outline must deal with one or more contemporary social issues (loosely construed). The extensiveness of the project will depend on the format chosen by the student and group size. For example, if working alone, the student will be expected to demonstrate that they have developed both a plot and some graphic storytelling for at least one issue (20 pages or so, depending on what visual medium is being used). If four students work together, they must submit a more thorough outline of a complete issue or series with a substantial graphic component. I am extremely flexible with 4 the form this final project takes, and I encourage all students to be creative and draw from their strengths (e.g. if visual art isn’t your forte, then team up with someone who might be stronger in this area). More details about the final project will be provided later in the course.

Reading Groups Depending on student interest, Dan Greene may host several reading groups during the semester in which students will have the opportunity to collectively discuss course materials outside of class time or take in a cultural event (i.e. movie or exhibit) about graphic novels and/or visual culture. Attendance at these reading group meetings has traditionally earned extra credit. We can discuss the possibility of having reading groups as the semester progresses.

Documented Disabilities Students who have documented disabilities and who wish to discuss academic accommodations within this course should contact the instructor as soon as possible after the beginning of the course.

Incompletes In this course, the mark of "I" will be granted only to a student who meets both of the following criteria: (1) the student has satisfactorily completed a major portion of the work of the course and (2) the student has been unable to complete some small portion of the work of the course because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control. Examples of reasons for the inability to complete course work that will not qualify a student for an "I" mark include the following: employment or volunteer commitments, social responsibilities, travel plans, and unexpected difficulties in satisfying course requirements.

Academic Integrity The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit http://www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/whatis.html

Assignments and Course Schedule *All assignments, including readings, will be due the week they are listed unless otherwise noted.*

Week One (1/30/08) – Image Matters ! Visual culture studies and the arts and humanities, introduction to the course.

Week Two (2/6) – Representation & The Circuit of Culture (Grounding the theory, part I) ! What is representation? Using readings by Stuart Hall, Nicholas Mirzoeff and Roland Barthes, we will discuss how representations work in popular culture. ! Assignment: What is your favorite graphic novel/comic book and why? If you’ve never read one, say more about that… ! Read: o Hall, S. (1997). Introduction. In S. Hall (Ed.), Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices (p. 1-13). London: Sage Publications & Open University. o Mirzoeff, N. (1998). What is visual culture? In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), The Visual Culture Reader (selected pages). New York: Routledge. o Barthes, R. (1998). Rhetoric of the image. In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.), The Visual Culture Reader (p. 70-73). New York: Routledge.

Week Three (2/13) – Graphic Novels as Marginalized Genre and Marginalized Subjects (Grounding the theory, part II) ! What is a graphic novel? Where are graphic novels situated (in popular culture, in critical media studies)? How do they work? ! Read: o Lopes, P. (2006). Culture and stigma: Popular culture and the case of comic books. Socioogical Forum, 21, 387-414. o Selections from Eisner’s Graphic Storytelling and Comics and Sequential Art

Week Four (2/20) – History, Biography, Memoir: Maus ! Discussion of Spiegelman’s Maus ! Read: ! Spiegelman, A. Maus: Book 1. New York: Pantheon. Available online at Blackboard or at Liberty Books and Comics on Rt 1. See “Required Texts” for more information.

Week Five (2/27) – Future History: DMZ ! Discussion of Wood and Burchielli’s DMZ ! Read: o Wood, B. & Burchielli, R. (2007). DMZ. DC Comics: Vertigo. Issues 12; 18-22. Available online at Blackboard.

Week Six (3/5) – Re-envisioning the Superhero Genre: Watchmen, Part I ! Discussion of the first half of Moore’s Watchmen ! Read: o First six issues of Moore’s Watchmen o Selections from Eisner’s Graphic Storytelling/Comics and Sequential Art

Week Seven (3/12) – Postmodern Visions: Watchmen, Part II ! Discussion of the second half of Watchmen, through the lens of postmodernism. ! Read: o Second half of Watchmen

Week Eight (3/19) – Spring Break, no class.

Week Nine (3/26) – Brave New Worlds: V for Vendetta ! Discussion of Moore’s V for Vendetta ! Assignment: Analytic Essay proposal (<1 page) ! Read: o First half of V for Vendetta o Selections from Eisner’s Graphic Storytelling/Comics and Sequential Art

Week Ten (4/2) – Adaptation: V for Vendetta ! Discussion of adaptation, with an emphasis on comic book to the movie screen. ! Read (and have watched): o Second half of V for Vendetta o V for Vendetta (2006). Starring Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman. Directed by James McTeigue. Written by the Wachowski Brothers.

Week Eleven (4/9) – A “Different” World: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic ! Discussion of Bechdel’s Fun Home ! Read: o First half of Fun Home o Buckley, S. (1998). ‘Penguin in bondage’: A graphic tale of Japanese comic books. In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.) Visual culture reader. New York: Routledge.

Week Twelve (4/16) – Queer Gazes: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic ! Discussion of Bechdel’s Fun Home ! Assignment: Final Project proposals due in class TODAY. ! Read: o Second half of Fun Home o Haraway, D. (1998). The persistence of vision. In N. Mirzoeff (Ed.) Visual culture reader. New York: Routledge.

Week Thirteen (4/23) – Presentations ! Assignment: Final Project proposal presentations in class.

Week Fourteen (4/30) – Reading/Editing ! Assignment: Prepare rough draft of final project AND/OR analytic essay for reading/editing in class.

Week Fifteen (5/7) – Conclusions: Image Matters?

Exam Week ! Turn in analytic essay to the Honors Humanities office in Wicomico Hall by 5:00 p.m. on May 14th. ! Turn in final project to the Honors Humanities office in Wicomico Hall by 5:00 p.m. on May 21st. ! Turn in annotated bibliography for Honors Humanities Keystone Project by 5:00 p.m. on May 21st.