ENGL321

Comics has become one of the most globally popular art forms of the twenty-first century, but it also has a rich history that stretches back to the eighteenth century, and arguably much earlier. This course will introduce students to the unique formal properties of comics and will survey the history of comics across national traditions, including texts drawn from the American, Franco-Belgian, and Japanese traditions. We will read across a range of genres and cultural registers--including newspaper strips, superhero comics, Underground comix, manga, the graphic memoir, and alternative comics. You will learn to analyze and write about the form and history of the medium.