A selection of texts
Aching, smiling, never really there: on Lore Smolder's Touch Response
A long essay on the artist's book by Lore Smolders, and it's relevancy in the context of contemporary autobiographical visual storytelling and artistic publication at large. I focus on the relative 'muteness' that is speakingly at stake in this publication.
How a UCO led tot Cocos, Collateral 2023
A long essay on the conceptual comics work of Ilan Manouach, and what is at stake within his oeuvre, assessing his Estranging Comics (PhD in the Arts, 2022). Here, 'estrangement' is one of Manouach's own key words to revisit and revivify the undead medium of comics.
How and why, du9 2022
A written interview by Jan Baetens on post-comics in general and more specifically 'fo(u)r watt', dealing with questions relating to the graphic novel, the attraction of literature, the radicality of the minimal book.
When it becomes art, Stripgids #9 2021
A short essay on the major 'turns' in the brief history of comics, from Outcault to Leinhos, Manouach e.a.
With a 7 pp. semi-abstract comics made in the first covid19-wave (2020).
Retour sur Formes et Politiques, du9 2021
A long written interview on du9.org with Jan Baetens on his Formes et Politiques de la Bande Dessinée (Vrin/Peeters, 1998), reassessing the precise and valuable topics discussed two decades before: the different uses of colour, text and image interplays, formal aspects of graphic storytelling, and the political dimensions of comics and graphic novels.
Comics, realism, neoteny; DW B 2021/1
A short essay on the inherent immaturity in/of comics and its possibilities toward a new réelism. Proposed in the co-edited issue of DW B on the Great Flemish Graphic Novel (question mark!).
Post-Comics, boeks & het balanseer 2020
Set-up, coordination and editing the post-comics project @ KASK Ghent School of Arts with a collective publication in collaboration with het balanseer, and exhibition and an ongoing online mapping by BOEKS and the Kunstenbibliotheek.
The book, deployed; Littératures 2020
A concise review for the 'Carnets de Visites' of Littératures, Mode d'Emploi of the transmedial exhibition Wrek not Work by Olivier Deprez, Jan Baetens and Géraldine David, exploring the possibilities of the narrative picture book (woodcut novel) within the exhibition space of the Bibliotheca Wittockiana.
Noise, silence, song; De Witte Raaf 2019
An extensive essay around the second edition of Olivier Deprez's Le Château d'après Kafka (Frémok, 2018), focusing on aspects of materiality, figuration and figurability, graphic narrative and painterly traditions, adaptation and withdrawal strategies.
Images of phantasm, Aambacht 2016
An essay in the collective issue of Aambacht #3 (Imprimitiv, 2016) exploring the pitfalls, limits and strenghts of Victor Burgin's 'Diderot, Barthes, Vertigo' in: Formations of Fantasy, edited by Burgin, Donald & Kaplan (Methuen, 1986).
Deserting comics, Pulp de Luxe 2016
A short article on the Dutch edition of Desertør (Fahrenheit, 2013) by Halfdan Pisket, dealing with the reoccurences of black and white marks, especially circles, the interplays between facial figurations and the lack thereof, and their narrative effects.
PhD in the Arts, LUCA-KULeuven 2016
How do words and images interact? And what defines a graphic narrative? An elaborate dissertation of almost 300 pages tackling the history of comics and the graphic novel from the viewpoint of poetical questions and the comparison with similar traditions.
Lively letters, Image[&]Narrative 2016
Lively letters and the graphic narrative. Revisiting comics theory on word and image through the lens of two avant- garde children’s books.
An article on the interaction of words and images in About 2 Squares by El Lissitzky and Die Scheuche by Kurt Schwitters, Käte Steinitz and Theo Van Doesburg, compared to comics and graphic novels by Chris Ware and Pierre Duba amongst others.
The Great War, nY 2013
Herinnering en de horizon van het infotainment. Over Joe Sacco's The Great War.
An article on Sacco's leporello book on the First World War, questioning the horizon of collective trauma and memory within the comics medium.
Manga modernism, Aambacht 2012
An essay in Aambacht #2 (Imprimitiv, 2012) on the metamodern manga books by Yūichi Yokoyama, dealing with topics as neo-futurism, graphic velocity, estranging faciality, autistic characters, genderlessness and the zero degree of comics making.
Duration in Comics, European Comic Art 2012
An article with Tom Lambeens on Time, Rhythm and Duration in Comics and Graphic Novels.
Published in European Comic Art, Winter 2012, Vol.5 (2).
Half Claire, Stripgids 2012
A short article in Stripgids # 32 on Pierre Duba's Portrait de moitié Claire (6 Pieds sous Terre, 2012), discussing the subtle interplay between graphic novelism and children's book aesthetics, documentary and fiction, sexuality, loneliness and femininity.
Comics criticism, Rekto:Verso 2011-2020
Critical essays concerning comics and graphic novels by Tim Enthoven, Yvan Alagbé, Olivier Schrauwen, Brecht Evens, Brecht Vandenbroucke, Céline Hudréaux & Geert Ooms, Jan & Piet Pollet, Dominique Goblet & Kai Pfeffer, Daniel Clowes, Evangelos Androtsopoulos, and the state politics of Flemish graphic storytelling.
Historical comics, 2009-2010 (?)
Set-up of a blog with history teacher Peter Ponjaert and providing multiple entries to propose pedagogical material voor teaching history with comics.
Abstract comics, Plots 2009
An early article introducing abstract comics in the Flemish comics magazine Plots, issue 8.
From Martin Vaughn-James to Lewis Trondheim, Andreas Kündig, Ibn Al Rabin, Andrei Molotiu and others.
Pretty pictures? VUB, 2006
Betere beelden? Kritische elementen van het Vlaams, alternatief beeldverhaal 1995-2005.
My dissertation for a specialized master's degree in Cultural Studies - Film and Visual Culture.
