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The comic book pamphlet developed as an independent literary form in the 1930s and early 1940s and has been a favorite of adolescent enthusiasts and cult devotees ever since. Recently, it has entered into a process of transformation, moving from a speciesof pulp fiction on the margins of children’s literature to an autonomous genre, one Will Eisner labeled the graphic novel. This transformation has been noted in such literary venues as the New York Times and the New Yorker, as well as in an increasingnumber of university classrooms and bookstore shelves.
“Comic Books and Graphic Novels” presents a survey of the history of American comics and a review of major graphic novels circulating in the U. S. today. It is focused on three main points. First, it argues that as comics develop in concert with, andparticipate in literary culture, they should be considered literature. Second, it reasons that such a designation forces us to redefine our concept of literature itself. Finally, it explores this transformative literary world by arguing that comics havemuch to teach us about ourselves.
Get started by enrolling in an upcoming session, then print out the official course playset and get started!
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Syllabus
Comic ooks and Graphic Novels
Professo William Kuskin
University of Colorado BoulderThis is the final schedule. A final syllabus will be available when the course opens.
SCHEDULE
WEEK ONE: WELCOME TO THE COURSE(RA)
Video 1: Welcome to the Course
Video 2: The Syllabus (Overview)
Video 3: The Syllabus (Logistics)
Video 4: What is a Comic?
Video 5: Teaching Comics (w/Barry Barrows)
Video 6: Collecting (w/Jim Vacca)
WEEK TWO: TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Lecture 1a: Reading the Grid
Lecture 1b: Two Comics MastersLecture 2a: The Golden Age
Lecture 2b: Golden Age Maste
Lecture 2c: Gender in the Golden AgeLecture 3a: The Virulent Art
Lecture 3b: The Possibilities of ChangeWEEK THREE: CRASH AND REBIRTH
Lecture 4a: Big Brother Steps I
Lecture 4b: The Comics Code AuthorityVideo 7: Fredric Wertham and the Atomic Age (w/Jim Vacca)
Lecture 5a: The Silver Ages Rises
Lecture 5b: Silver Age Maste
Lecture 6a: Underground Comi
Lecture 6b: Black and White
Video 8: Comics Economics (w/Wayne Winsett)
WEEK FOUR: PATERNITY AND CREATIVITY
Lecture 7a: The Death of the Fathe
Lecture 7b: The Birth of the Childre
Lecture 8: Art Spiegelman’s Maus
a: An American Artis
b: How to Read a
Book 9: Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home
a: Finding Yourself in a Book
b: What Defines AWEEK FIVE: GENRE
Lecture 10: Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns
a: Innovation and Originality
b: The Rules of Genre
c: Who is The Batman?
Lecture 11: Warren Ellis and John Cassady's Planetary
a: The Possibilities of Genre
b: The Limits of the Page
Lecture 12: Neil Gaiman, Bill Willingham, Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Stables, and the Vernacular Canon of Fantasy
WEEK SIX: MEDIA Lecture 13: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen
a: The Media
b: The Poetics of the Page
c: GraphiaLecture 14: Joe Sacco’s Palestine
a: Faces Tell Stories
b: Dead EndsLecture 15: Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s The Ultimates
a: War Machine
b: Star PoweWEEK SEVEN: CONCLUSION
Lecture 16: Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan and Building Stories
a: The Aesthetics of Loneliness
b: The Book of HonestyLecture 17: Comics Energy
Video 8: The Community of Comics (w/Chris Angel)
