WAUGH and On and On #2: Duck Naked

What do Disney and “decency” campaigns have in common? The blandification of culture. Covering Howard the Duck #21.

Reachin’ Not Drowning: Songs in Conversation About Abortion

The personal is political and sometimes – as in the case of abortion – the political is personal.

Epic Disasters: Revisiting Marvel & DC’s 1980s Famine Relief Comics

How well do Marvel and DC’s 1985 comics meant to raise aid for famine relief in Africa tackle the tragic events they are addressing? Short answer? Not well.

Brief Comics Reviews (June 12 through July 3, 2019)

Brief reviews of comics released between June 12 and July 3, 2019, including Monstress #23, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #44, and Wonder Twins #5

WAUGH and On and On #1: Neither Fish Nor Fowl

A return to Howard the Duck after a nearly three-year hiatus from the If It WAUGHs Like a Duck series. . .

The (re)Collection Agency #11: A Conversation with Marc Singer

In the 11th installment of our series of talks with comics scholars and teachers, we talk with Dr. Marc Singer about his new book Breaking the Frames, the state of comics studies, and which is worse, recommending someone watch Aquaman or read Kingdom Come.

Where Everybody Knows You’re Men: NBC’s Cheers & White American Masculinity

When manhood and nation are synonymous women just become a way for men measure patriotism.

Brief Comic Book Reviews (Dec 19, 2018 to Jan 16, 2019)

Brief review of comics released between (mostly) December 19, 2018 to January 16 – including Runaways #16, Bitter Root #3, and Fantastic Four #5.

“I AM (not) FROM BEYOND!” – Situating Scholarship & the Writing “I”

Our 2018 Year-End Meta Post considers the role of the personal – both identificatory perception and the labor of writing itself – in scholarship.

Guess Who’s Coming Home for the Holidays: Intergenerational Conflict in Bitch Planet

Everyone’s Grandma is a Little Bit Feminist” from Bitch Planet: Triple Feature #5 asks us to imagine what makes an older relative inappropriate in a dystopic society.

The (re)Collection Agency #10: A Conversation with Margaret Galvan

In the 10th installment of our series of talks with comics scholars and teachers, we talk to Dr. Margaret Galvan about comics archives, keeping a spreadsheet of a comics collection, and the importance of research into grassroots periodicals in the study of queer comics.

YA = Young Avengers: Asserting Maturity on the Threshold of Adulthood

Young Avengers provides a fun and thoughtful exploration of the contradictions inherent to the transformation from adolescence to adulthood.

Brief Comic Book Reviews (August 22 to Sept 5, 2018)

Brief reviews of recent comics released August 22 to September 5, 2018; including Border Town #1, Black Hammer: Age of Doom #4, and Paper Girls #24.

Alpha & Omega #11: An Evolutionary Dead-End

The final installment of our reading series examining both version of Omega the Unknown, this time examining The Defenders #76 and #77, in which the original series was wrapped up after being cancelled.

Mind the Gaps 2018! The First Annual CSS Conference

An overview of Mind the Gaps 2018 – the first annual conference of the Comics Studies Society.

The (re)Collection Agency #9: A Conversation with Michael Sharp

In the 9th installment of our series of talks with comics scholars and teachers, we talk to Dr. Michael Sharp about what crossword puzzles and comic strips have in common, being a late comer to Marvel Comics, and the 1980s through the prism of Bloom County.