George O. Frink: A Pioneer in Queer Cartooning (part two)

In Part Two, Dr. Kevin Cooley examines Frink’s life and other comic strips to provide evidence and context for Lucy and Sophie Say Goodbye queer imagination.

George O. Frink: A Pioneer in Queer Cartooning (part one)

The forgotten cartoonist George O. Frink (1874-1932) laid the groundwork for over a century of queer cartooning, created the comics’ first lesbian couple in 1905, and shared their tragic fate of death in an asylum 27 years later.

“Don’t Call Me Xombi” – Milestone’s Representation of Korean American Characters after the L.A. Uprising

In his fourth guest post for The Middle Spaces in two years, Dr. Vincent Haddad explores a less-examined series where issues of Asian-American representation exist at the margins of the Dakotaverse.

Making Refugee Stories Visible: Matt Huynh’s Adaptation of “The Boat”

How can digital comics help to tell refugee stories without erasing the actual refugees in the process?

One Moment in Time: Designer Willi Smith and Mary Jane’s Wedding Dress

In this guest post, Monica Gerrafo examines the designing of Mary Jane Watson’s dress for her 1987 wedding to Spider-Man and the implications of both’s live-action and on-the-page presence.

“The Question” of Revision; Or the Difficult Case of Renee Montoya

Dr. Vincent Haddad examines both an issue of the brilliant new The Other History of the DC Universe series and O’Neil and Cowyn’s classic 1980s run on The Question, considering both the limits and promise of revision.

“I Think They Know Me Too Well:” Growing Against Expectation in Journey into Mystery: The Manchester Gods

In this essay, guest writer, Tiffany Babb uses the changeable figure of Loki in 2011’s Journey into Mystery to consider the liminality of identity and how it is shaped by expectations

“Beaten By the Wind: The Forgotten Mystery Movie at the Heart of Bob Seger’s ‘American Storm’”

In a guest essay, Ty Matejowsky examines the once ubiquitous and now mostly forgotten movie tie-in music video format through the example of one for a movie that never existed.

Blue Becomings: Revisiting Excalibur #4

Dr. Anna Peppard re-examines a favorite scene from Excalibur #4 a decade after first reading it to consider how its meanings may have changed for her.

“That Wingnut is Insane”: Reality vs. Fictionality in Conspiracy Comics

Guest writer, Vincent Haddad examines three different comics exploring conspiracies to consider how they represent the hybridity of truth and fiction.

Not So Fast! The Case for Revisiting the Costume Designs of 1990’s The Flash TV Show

Considering how 1990’s The Flash on CBS was a pivotal development to the television superhero genre through fashion.

Reading Comics at the Threshold: A Round Table on Letter Columns & Other Comics Paratexts (Part 3)

The third and final part of our round table on comics paratexts, looking at digital comics and representations of the digital in comics.

Reading Comics at the Threshold: A Round Table on Letter Columns & Other Comics Paratexts (Part 2)

Part two of our round table on comics paratexts looks at ads, peritexts, and disruptive backmatter.

Reading Comics at the Threshold: A Round Table on Letter Columns & Other Comics Paratexts (Part 1)

Part One in our three part roundtable on comics paratexts focuses on letter columns.

(Behold?) The Vision’s Penis: The Presence of Absence in Mutant Romance Tales

Guest writer Anna Peppard’s meditation on presence and absence of the Vision’s penis – and if it even matters.

Don’t Wait for a White Knight to Abolish the Police

Batman: White Knight demonstrates the limitation of the white imaginary regarding a post-police society by simply not being be able to envision one.

Harley Quinn’s Sexuality: A Tale of Three Lusts

Laura Grafton and Andew Deman examine the intersection of Harley Quinn’s three central relationships, with the Joker, Poison Ivy, and her audience.

“Jimmy Olsen—SUPER Freak!” – Disability and Superman’s Pal

How the limitations of Jimmy Olsen’s transformations limn the dynamics of superhuman embodiment.

Unstable Masks; Or, The Whiteness of the Superhero (a preview)

A guest post in the form of a preview of the forthcoming anthology, Unstable Masks: Whiteness and American Superhero Comics.

“These Stories Are Out There” – Reclaiming Queer and Trans Histories with Melanie Gillman

Guest contributor, Tiffany Babb, interviews cartoonist Melanie Gillman about their work and the importance of envisioning queer and trans histories.

On Exoskeletons and Assimilation: Revisiting the Latinidad of Marvel’s Araña

Considering the role of Latinidad in Araña’s comics despite a decreasing representation of of its so-called “authentic” markers.