Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Comic books, strips, etc. – Political aspects”

Techronomicon Techronomicon is a science fiction novel that examines far-future military actions from several different perspectives. Human beings have colonized several planets with help from the enigmatic and more technologically advanced Zhir, who gave spaceships and habitable worlds to those they deemed suitable and their descendants. The Joint Expeditionary Force is the military arm of the Universal Faith, called in when conflicts arise that the Faith decides are beyond the local government and militia and require their intervention. Leneveldt and Roader are JEF officers assigned to Operation Techronomicon, investigating what seems to be a Zhir-built defence shield around the planet Lassana. Another JEF company sent to Kalaabhavan after the murder of the planets Confessor-General loses its CO to a land-mine, and Lieutenant Hellerman reluctantly accepts command. Chevalier, a civilian pilot, takes refugees fleeing military-run detention camps on Ararat to a biological research station on otherwise uninhabited Lila. The biologists on Lila discover a symbiote that enables humans to photosynthesize, which comes to the attention of Operation Techronomicon and the JEF's Weapons Research Division. Leneveldt and Roeder, frustrated by the lack of progress on Lassana, are sent to Lila to detain the biologists, who flee into the swamps. Hellerman's efforts to restore peace on Kalaabhavan are frustrated by the Confessors, and his company finds itself besieged by insurgents. The novel explores individuals' motives for choosing or rejecting violence and/or military service; the lessons they learn about themselves and their enemies; and the possible results of attempts to forcibly suppress ideas.

The desire for heroes is a global and cultural phenomenon that gives a view into society’s very heart. There is no better example of this truism than that of the superhero. Typically, Superheroes, with their affiliation to values and morality, and the notion of the grand narratives, should not fit well into postmodernist theory. However, at the very core of the superhero narrative is the ideal of an individual creating his/her own form of morality, and thus dispensing justice as the individual sees fit in resistance to metanarrative’s authoritarian and restrictive paradigms. This research will explore Superhero comic books, films, videogames and the characters Superman, Spider-Man and Batman through the postmodernist conceptions of power, plurality, and morality.

The 21st century has seen an unprecedented rise in the volume of comics and graphic novels being produced and consumed and in scholarly interest in the form, with the interdisciplinary field of Comics Studies rising to become a vibrant global community with a significant body of work and an established academic infrastructure. Alternative comics and graphic novels - those outside of the superhero genre-dominated corporate publishing structures of Marvel and DC - have driven this rise and the ensuing legitimation of the form. What defines the specific nature of alternative comics and what they are is the particular work and labour of alternative cartoonists. This work is, in turn, characterized and defined by specific tensions between auteurism (driven by neoliberalism and late capitalism's veneration of the individual and the entrepreneur) and collective production (driven by the sociological perspective of works of art always being the product of many hands). This thesis is an attempt to present specific examples of where these tensions are exhibited and, as a result, to offer new accounts of the specific nature of comics work. It is also an attempt to move away from the formalism that has dominated the field of comics studies and to move towards an understanding of comics as cultural work, informed by an understanding of comics through their creators and an approach that allows comics practice to inform comics theory. Each chapter of this thesis examines a specific aspect of the culture of working in contemporary comics, contextualised within neoliberal political economy and consistently bridging the gap between auteurism and collective production. These include the portrayal of art school and comics' engagement with institutions; the direct portrayal of work itself in alternative comics; the use of colour in comics, which here facilitates a reading of the effects of the technical conditions of production on the content and construction of comics; and finally, the effects of digital culture and new disruptive technologies on the production, distribution and consumption of comics, and how this contributes to a present and future understanding of the figure of the auteur cartoonist. Drawing these chapters together, the thesis concludes with a presentation of the auteur cartoonist as one who drives the contemporary culture of comics and graphic novels in the emerging dialectic of comics work. Comics work is thus situated as a political act and a site of resistance and rebellion through collective production.

Thesis (MA (Visual Arts)) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1997
168 leaves printed single pages,preliminary pages and numberd pages 1-70.Includes bibliography and 115 illustrations.Digitized at 600 dpi grayscale to pdf format (OCR),using an Bizhub 250 Konica Minolta Scanner.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study considers the history and problematics of the contemporary comic strip, particularly in regard to issues of controversy and iconoclasm. Special attention is paid to the local magazine, Bitterkomix as an example. In Chapter One, the comic medium is identified and discussed as a homogeneous art form. Its independence from both fine arts and literature is explained and the identifying, intrinsic characteristics of the medium are used as a basis for the analysis of form and meaning in selected contemporary comics. Chapter Two provides a brief history of iconoclasm, subversion and controversy surrounding selected comics from the 1950's up to the present. The emphasis is placed on pivotal developments in the medium, particularly in the United States. A link is suggested between the post-war affluence of the American society and the conservative values which underpin it. Because of the many similarities which exist between the value systems of white South Africa and those of the more conservative states of the U.S., a contextual parallel is mooted which identifies the development and impact of controversial comics abroad and the reception which Bitterkomix encountered in South Africa. Chapter Three outlines and analyses this connection, emphasising that Bitterkomix has to be seen in the wider historical context and not simply as an expression of a parochial, "alternative"culture among young Afrikaners. In the final two chapters, satire and the use of stereotypes in the comic form is considered. The study pays particular attention to the publications, Gif, Afrikaner Sekskomix and Loslyf(an Afrikaans skin magazine) in order to establish connections between deviant sexual behaviour in a repressive society.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:In hierdie werkstuk word die geskiedenis en problematiek van die hedendaagse strip, veral die kontroversieIe en ikonoklastiese aspekte daarvan, aangespreek. As 'n voorbeeld word die aandag veral toegespits op die plaaslike tydskrif, Bitterkomix. In Hoofstuk Een word die stripmedium geidentifiseer en as homogene kunsvorm bespreek. Die medium se onafhanklikheid van beide die Skone Kunste en die Letterkunde word verduidelik en die identifiserende, intrinsieke kenmerke word basies toegepas vir die ontleding van vorm en betekenis in gekose, hedendaagse strips. Hoofstuk Twee bestaan uit 'n kort oorsig van die geskiedenis van ikonoklasme, ondermyning en kontroverse rondom geselekteerde strips vanaf 1950 tot die hede. Die k1em word geplaas op deurslaggewende ontwikkelings in die medium, veral in die Verenigde State. 'n Skakel word voorgestel tussen die na-oorlogse welvaart van die Amerikaanse gemeenskap en die konserwatiewe waardes onderliggend daaraan. As gevolg van die baie ooreenkomste tussen die waarde-sisteme van wit Suid-Afrika en die van die meer konserwatiewe state van die V.S., word 'n kontekstuele parallel vasgestel wat die ontwikkeling en impak van kontroversieIe strips in die buiteland en die reaksie op Bitterkomix in Suid-Afrika, identifiseer. Hoofstuk Drie skets en ontleed hierdie verbintenis en beklemtoon dat Bitterkomix in 'n wyer historiese konteks beskou moet word en nie slegs as 'n uitdrukking van 'n parogiale, "altematiewe" kuItuur onder jong Afrikaners nie. In die laaste twee hoofstukke word satire en die gebruik van stereotipes in die stripvorm oorweeg. Aandag word veral gegee aan die publikasies Gif: Afrikoner Sekskomix, en Loslyf( 'n Afrikaanse sekstydskrif) om kwessies van abnormale seksuele gedrag in 'n repressiewe gemeenskap aan te raak.

The figure of the cyborg, or more latterly, the posthuman body has been an increasingly familiar presence in a number of academic disciplines. The majority of such studies have focused on popular culture, particularly the depiction of the posthuman in science-fiction, fantasy and horror. To date however, few studies have focused on the posthuman and the comic book superhero, despite their evident corporeality, and none have questioned comics’ readers about their responses to the posthuman body. This thesis presents a cultural history of the posthuman body in superhero comics along with the findings from twenty-five, two-hour interviews with readers. By way of literature reviews this thesis first provides a new typography of the posthuman, presenting it not as a stable bounded subject but as what Deleuze and Guattari (1987) describe as a ‘rhizome’. Within the rhizome of the posthuman body are several discursive plateaus that this thesis names Superhumanism (the representation of posthuman bodies in popular culture), Post/Humanism (a critical-theoretical stance that questions the assumptions of Humanism) and Transhumanism (the philosophy and practice of human enhancement with technology). With these categories in mind the thesis explores the development of the posthuman in body in the Superhuman realm of comic books. Exploring the body-types most prominent during the Golden (1938-1945), Silver (1958-1974) and contemporary Ages of superheroes it presents three explorations of what I term the Perfect Body, Cosmic Body and Military-Industrial Body respectively. These body types are presented as ‘assemblages’ (Delueze and Guattari, 1987) that display rhizomatic connections to the other discursive realms of the Post/Human and Transhuman. This investigation reveals how the depiction of the Superhuman body developed and diverged from, and sometimes back into, these realms as each attempted to territorialise the meaning and function of the posthuman body. Ultimately it describes how, in spite of attempts by nationalistic or economic interests to control Transhuman enhancement in real-world practices, the realms of Post/Humanism and Superhumanism share a more critical approach. The final section builds upon this cultural history of the posthuman body by addressing reader’s relationship with these images. This begins by refuting some of the common assumptions in comics studies about superheroes and bodily representations. Readers stated that they viewed such imagery as iconographic rather than representational, whether it was the depiction of bodies or technology. Moreover, regular or committed readers of superhero comics were generally suspicious of the notion of human enhancement, displaying a belief in the same binary categories -artificial/natural, human/non-human - that critical Post/Humanism seeks to problematize. The thesis concludes that while superhero comics remain ultimately too human to be truly Post/Humanist texts, it is never the less possible to conceptualise the relationship between reader, text, producer and so on in Post/Humanist terms as reading-assemblage, and that such a cyborgian fusing of human and comic book allow both bodies to ‘become other’, to move in new directions and form new assemblages not otherwise possible when considered separately.

Kobayashi Takiji's (1903-1933) Kanikōsen (The Crab Cannery Ship, 1929), the outstanding work from the proletarian literary movement, experienced an influx of new adaptations into various mediums during the years that preceded and followed the "Kanikōsen boom" of 2008. This thesis focuses on two manga adaptations that provide readers with starkly different takes on the original story. Using theories by Scott McCloud and Azuma Hiroki, I first attempt to draw parallels between the form of manga and that of the novel. Then, I examine the manner in which the most explicitly political content of the novel is adapted into the manga versions. Through this examination of form and content, it becomes apparent that, despite their differences, both adaptations reinforce a vague, individualist-humanist ideology that undermines the notions of class consciousness and class struggle that are central to the narrative of Kanikōsen. This diminishing of the explicitly "Red" aspects of the original reflects the Japanese public's general aversion to politics that has persisted since the early 1970's until this day.

CAPES
O objetivo principal desta pesquisa é analisar como a tecnologia inserida nos quadrinhos causa mudanças e adaptações na sua linguagem e na interação com seus leitores. Para tanto, foi escolhida a webcomic de José Aguiar, A infância do Brasil, publicada completamente online e que apresenta recursos digitais que influem na leitura e ampliam a mensagem pretendida por meio de hipertextos e da mobilidade possibilitada pelo website de layout responsivo. Em um primeiro momento, é considerado como a tecnologia foi inserida na produção de quadrinhos e como os profissionais desta atividade se relacionam com as alterações causadas pelos usos de novas ferramentas e técnicas. Em seguida, é traçado um breve histórico da carreira e da obra de José Aguiar, delineando um perfil do autor e sua identidade artística, manifestada através de seus trabalhos com os quadrinhos. Posteriormente, o foco recai sobre a webcomic selecionada, examinando os capítulos, seus aspectos visuais, temáticas e contextos envolvidos, além dos recursos digitais de que faz uso. Por fim, a relevância de uma história em quadrinhos digital que trata de um tema bastante delicado é abordada, poderando sobre seu legado como arte e como crítica social.
The main objective of this research is to analyze how the technology inserted in the comics causes changes and adaptations in its language and in the interaction with its readers. In order to do so, José Aguiar’s webcomic, “The Childhood of Brazil”, was chosen, for it was published completely online and presents digital resources that influence the reading and amplify the intended message through hypertexts and the mobility made possible by the responsive layout website. At first, it is considered how the technology was inserted in the production of comics and how the professionals of this activity relate to the changes caused by the uses of new tools and techniques. The following is a brief history of the career and work of José Aguiar, outlining a profile of the author and his artistic identity, manifested through his work with comics. Subsequently, the focus is on the selected webcomic, examining the chapters, their visual aspects, thematic and contexts involved, in addition to the digital resources that it makes use of. Finally, the relevance of a digital comic that deals with a rather delicate subject is approached, contemplating its legacy as art and as social criticism.

Acompanha: Entendendo a radioatividade com a ajuda do Watchmen
Esta pesquisa utiliza as histórias em quadrinhos das séries “Watchmen” e “Before Watchmen - Dr. Manhattan” como base para ensinar física com enfoque CTS, levando em consideração a interdisciplinaridade da linguagem da arte sequencial. As revistas selecionadas inter-relacionam conteúdos referentes a física, história, sociologia, filosofia e arte em uma narrativa que gira em torno da física atômica, fazendo assim com que possam ser utilizadas como ferramenta para fazer um primeiro contato entre alunos e conteúdo e assim aumentar o engajamento. Esta pesquisa objetiva buscar informações para a elaboração de um material didático na forma de histórias em quadrinhos para o ensino de física, para isso utiliza-se de textos de diversos autores como Kakalios e Will Eisner, além de questionários e da matriz dialógica problematizadora.
This research uses the comics from the series “Watchmen” and “Before Watchmen Dr. Manhattan” as a base to teach physics with and enphasis on STS, considering the interdisciplinarity of the sequential arts, which on the selected comics interrelates subjects referring to physics, history, sociology, philosophy and art in a narrative that revolves around atomic physics, making it possible to use it as a tool for a first contact between the students and the subject as a way to increase the students engagement when studying physics with an enphasis on STS, specially on subjects concerning modern physcis. This research presents an history of the uses of comic books in teaching, historic reports concerning the dangers that a lack of information and the scarcity of a education focused on STS can cause when populations interact with radioactive technological artifacts.

Esse estudo busca realizar reflexões sobre os significados, sentidos, tensões e contradições relacionados ao termo “independente” e sua contraparte, o termo “mainstream”, ligados ao processo de desenvolvimento das histórias em quadrinhos enquanto formação cultural. Essas reflexões são orientadas pelo conjunto de ideias de Raymond Williams, especialmente os conceitos de tecnologia, hegemonia e culturas alternativas, opositoras, residuais e emergentes. O trabalho está estruturado em cinco momentos. Primeiro as histórias em quadrinhos são abordadas como forma cultural e observamos as relações entre cultura e tecnologia no seu processo de formação. A seguir observamos particularidades desse processo dentro do contexto brasileiro. O terceiro momento apresenta os conceitos de Williams sobre culturas alternativas e antecipa a parte voltada para as intensas manifestações culturais da década de 1960 e seus desdobramentos. Finalmente, busca-se traçar uma visão geral do cenário de mudanças que se desenvolve a partir da década de 1980, enfatizando as histórias em quadrinhos publicadas no Brasil. A partir da observação do surgimento e consolidação de eventos como o Troféu HQ Mix e as feiras e bienais de quadrinhos, relacionados a novos processos de publicação e distribuição, buscamos analisar as obras e perfis de quatro autores contemporâneos de quadrinhos e compreender melhor os significados de termos como “independente”, “autoral”, “comercial”, “mainstream”, “alternativo” e outros, de uso comum nas diversas práticas das histórias em quadrinhos. Entre os resultados obtidos, notamos que: muitas das produções “independentes” contemporâneas apresentam características temáticas, estilísticas e materiais praticamente indistinguíveis das produções “mainstream”; algumas produções “mainstream” incorporam temas e propostas de culturas alternativas à hegemonia; o uso termo “independente” muitas vezes encobre as condições desfavoráveis de produção e sustento de diversos profissionais; considerando rigorosamente as culturas opositoras como um conjunto de ações de dimensão revolucionária, é difícil encontrar obras que efetivamente atendam a essa condição.
This study seeks to reflect on the meanings, senses, tensions and contradictions related to the term “independent” and its counterpart, the term “mainstream”, connected to the process of development of comics as a cultural formation. These reflections are guided by Raymond William’s set of ideas, especially the concepts of technology, hegemony and alternative, oppositional, residual, and emerging cultures. We structured the work in five moments. First, we approach comics as a cultural form and observe the relations between culture and technology in its process of formation. Next, we observe particularities of this process within the Brazilian context. In a third moment, we present Williams’ concepts on alternative cultures and anticipate the part devoted to the intense cultural manifestations of the 1960s and their unfolding. Finally, we attempt to give an overview of the scenario of changes that develops from the 1980s, emphasizing the comics published in Brazil. From the observation of the emergence and consolidation of events such as the HQ Mix Trophy and the comics fairs and biennials related to new publication and distribution processes, we sought to analyze the works and profiles of four contemporary comic authors and to better understand the meanings of terms such as "independent", "authorial", "commercial", "mainstream", "alternative" and others, commonly used in various comic book practices. Among the results obtained, we noticed that: many contemporary "independent" productions present thematic, stylistic and material characteristics practically indistinguishable from "mainstream" productions; some "mainstream" productions incorporate themes and proposals of cultures that are alternatives to hegemony; the use of the term “independent” often covers the unfavorable conditions of production and livelihood of several professionals; rigorously considering the opposing cultures as a set of actions of a revolutionary dimension, it is difficult to find works that effectively meet this condition.

In response to the events on September the Eleventh, various media attempted to make sense of the seemingly radical altered political landscape. Comic books, though traditionally framed as low brow pulp, were no exception. This thesis is a work of rhetorical criticism. It applies Walter Fisher's Narrative Paradigm to a specific set of artifacts: John Ney Rieber and John Cassaday's six-part comic series, collectively titled Captain America: The New Deal (2010). The question that is the focus of this thesis is: Does The New Deal, framed as a response to the events surrounding September the Eleventh, form a rhetorically effective narrative? The analysis that follows demonstrates the importance of meeting audience expectations when presenting them with controversial viewpoints.
Graduation date: 2012

Yang, Jing.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-135).
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.p.1
Chapter Chapter 2: --- Literature Review --- p.p.14
Bodies --- p.p.15
Spaces --- p.p.19
Bodies-Spaces --- p.p.23
"Fantasy, Organization & Gender" --- p.p.28
Chapter Chapter 3: --- Methodology --- p.p.36
Data Collection --- p.p.36
Date Analysis --- p.p.41
Chapter Chapter 4: --- Fantastic Bodies-Spaces
The ACG Fantasy of Maid --- p.p.43
Geographical Location & Imaginary Location --- p.p.46
Inventing Names & Dressing Up --- p.p.50
"Home, Sweet Home" --- p.p.57
Fantastic Bodies-Spaces --- p.p.61
Chapter Chapter 5: --- Organizational Bodies-Spaces
"Maid Date, A Profit-Organization" --- p.p.66
White Maid Date & Black Maid Date --- p.p.67
Redrawing the Boundaries Between Home and Work --- p.p.70
Working as Professionals --- p.p.74
Supervision --- p.p.79
Organizational Bodies-Spaces --- p.p.82
Chapter Chapter 6: --- Gendered Bodies-Spaces
Display of Femininity & Male Gaze --- p.p.87
Butler's Day --- p.p.93
Gendered Bodies-Spaces --- p.p. 100
Chapter Chapter 7: --- Conclusion --- p.p.103
Appendix --- p.p.117
Reference --- p.p.122

This dissertation engages in a longitudinal study of the method of grassroots comics (Packalen & Sharma, 2007) amongst the Khwe people in the community of Platfontein, which is situated outside of Kimberley, South Africa. The study is largely informed by contemporary shifts in development theory, particularly that of participatory communication, which values individuals who live in the community as active participants in the research process. The use of grassroots comics (Packalen & Sharma, 2007) is largely based on theoretical concepts surfacing in current literature regarding the field development communication, which is somewhat critical of older, more dominant theories of development. Instead of applying a predetermined, uniform model of communication to multiple different settings in which varying development issues exist, this study is driven by the active involvement of community stakeholders throughout every stage of the research process. This includes the identification of community issues, the utilization of grassroots comics in the context of adapting and communicating about those issues on a community-wide scale, and the overall analysis of the process once research has been carried out. This particular study focuses on general health issues and how these might affect the Khwe community from a development perspective. However, what is of central importance is how the comics created by certain stakeholders in the community might serve as a means of promoting participatory communication amongst the local population, for the sake of alleviating certain health issues prevalent in the community itself. The practical nature of grassroots comics as a forum for health communication is what is of particular interest in this study. Purposive sampling techniques are employed in order to identify key participants and informants in the research process, to present a case-specific analysis of grassroots comics in use, and for purposes of limiting this study. Data collection methods applied to the research setting and research findings are conducted using various qualitative research techniques including participant observation, interviews, discussions and a participatory grassroots comics workshop.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.