Art Spiegelman to Speak at UW-Milwaukee (Comix Scholars’ Discussion List)
Comments(0) Comix 101 will be the topic of the lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning illustrator Art Spiegelman, the author of Maus, who has almost single-handedly turned comic books into works of literature. […] In his lecture, he will discuss the evolution of comics, explaining the value of this medium and how, in our post-literate culture, “comics echo the way the brain works.”
[Naturally, I am feeling jealous about this amazing opportunity that UW-Milwaukee students will have a chance to experience! Notice that this blurb credits Spiegelman for having “turned comic books into works of literature,” which is a reminder that comics is an area of research worthy of academic scholarship.
For at least a decade now, comic scholars such as myself crusade for this cause, which we may think is over but it is sadly not. I managed to find a niche in my English department that is receptive and encouraging toward comics, but there are some colleagues who refuse to entertain such an idea. BK]
category: Comics, Popular Culture