Banned! (Survey Course)

Jay Olinger, Spring 2019

Portland Community College

Texts:

• A Contract with God by Will Eisner, ISBN: 978-0393328042
• Barefoot Gen Volume 1 by Keiji Nakazawa, ISBN 978-0867196023
• This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, ISBN: 978-1596437746
• Black Hole by Charles Burns, ISBN: 978-0375714726
• Ice Haven by Daniel Clowes, ISBN: 978-0375714696
• Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, ISBN: 978-0375714573
• Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, ISBN: 978-1607066019

Overview:

• Week 1:
  • What are comics? Exploring definitions, brief history, and introducing terminology.
  • Why are comics banned? Exploring censorship, introduce CBLDF.
• Week 2
  • Comics History Part 1
  • A Contract with God discussion; emphasis on page layout and panel composition.
• Week 3
  • Comics History Part 2
  • Manga Overview
  • Barefoot Gen discussion; emphasis on manga traits (compare to A Contract with God)
  • Importance of bold and italics in comics (hand-lettering versus comics sans in Barefoot Gen)
• Week 4 (Guest Lecture from CBLDF)
  • Visual, or Formal Analysis Overview
  • This One Summer discussion; emphasis on visual motifs, meaning in panel composition, and the use of double-page spreads.
• Week 5 (Midterm Visual Analysis Essay Due)
  • Production Overview
  • In-class materials exploration
• Week 6
  • Black Hole discussion; emphasis on feathering, visual weight, and page layouts in relation to the horror genre.
• Week 7
  • Ice Haven discussion; emphasis on the use of style in storytelling.
• Week 8 (In-class presentations on a banned or censored creator)
  • Presentation Bingo
• Week 9
  • Persepolis discussion; emphasis on autobiographical comics and international comics.
• Week 10
  • Saga discussion; emphasis on genre, loose adaptations, modern censorship, and Comicsgate.
• Finals Week (Final Mini-Comic Due)
  • In-class peer assessment of final comics.

Auteur Creators (Survey Course)

Jay Olinger, Spring 2018, Portland Community College

Texts:

• The Adventures of Superhero Girl - Faith Erin Hicks 978-1616550844
• The Arrival - Shaun Tan 978-0439895293
• Asterios Polyp - David Mazzuchelli 978-0307377326
• By Chance or Providence - Becky Cloonan 978-1534301863
• Contract with God - Will Eisner 978-0393328042
• The Making Of - Brecht Evens 978-1770460737
• Nimona - Noelle Stevenson 978-0062278227
• Stitches - David Small 978-0393338966
• Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud 978-0060976255

Overview:

• Week 1
  • Comics definitions, comics studies, and terminology introduction
• Week 2
  • McCloud paired with visual analysis
• Week 3
  • A Contract With God
  • Gesture, encapsulation, and panel composition
• Week 4
  • Asterios Polyp
  • Use of color, typography, and hermeneutic images
• Week 5
  • The Making Of
  • International Comics Cultures
  • Intersection of Art History and Comics
• Week 6
  • The Arrival
  • International Comics Cultures
  • Memory and silent comics
• Week 7
  • Stitches
  • Memory and autobiography in comics
• Week 8
  • Superhero Girl
  • Superhero genre introduction
  • Mission, Powers, Identity convention (from Dr Peeter Coogan)
• Week 9
  • By Chance or Providence
  • Genre and world-building in comics
  • Emphasis on page layouts as narrative device
• Week 10
  • Nimona
  • Webcomics and self-publishing to publisher
  • Subverting genre expectations
• Finals Week
  • Mini-comic peer assessment