Universal Comics Resources

Comics Forum: Bodies & Embodiement - Call for Papers
2024-08-31
The thirteenth Comics Forum will focus on themes of embodiment within comics and Comics Studies across cultures, disciplines, and forms.
Embodiment is the process through which both individual and cultural ideas and beliefs become material. Embodiment generates an emerging challenge to and within Comics Studies that scholars such as Eszter Szép and Scott Jeffery have begun to explore within the field. Through themes of embodiment, we hope to call attention to how comics are a deeply embodied medium. Comics become embodied when they are made, through the movement of the body to draw, write, and make comics; when they are read through the readers’ bodily responses; when they become bodies of work or story. Comics themselves embody ideas and narratives through their lines, colours, layouts, speech balloons, visual and narrative styles, publishing formats, and sizes.
As an embodied medium, comics can re-affirm or unsettle the boundaries of dichotomies, such as the embodied Self/Other; the individual/collective; the objective/subjective; the fictional/real; the powerful/powerless. We are particularly interested in work that moves away from or challenges Western hegemonic forms and practices of embodiment in comics and graphic narratives.
Comics Studies attempts to situate itself between these cultures, bodies of work, creators, and readers. We are therefore also interested in how Comics Studies is embodied in the academy. What might Comics Studies, as an embodied methodology, bring to other disciplines or fields? Comics Forum 2024 therefore invites participants to consider embodiment through or within any new, developing, or previous work in the field. Subjects for discussion may include, but are not limited to:

Comics as archival bodies

Embodiment in comics industries

Embodiment of Comics Studies in the academy

Embodiment in Comics Studies’ research methodologies

Possibilities of disembodiment in comics

Embodiment in/of/through comics forms

Embodiment and biopolitics in comics

Embodied identities and positions in comics

Negotiations of embodied boundaries in comics

Interaction between comics and bodies of comics creators/readers/scholars

Comics Forum welcomes speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds, ranging from students to senior academics, practitioners and beyond. No particular academic disciplines are preferred, and we are open to proposals on comics and related forms from any part of the world. Proposals of up to 250 words for papers of 20 minutes in length are now being accepted at: comicsforum@hotmail.co.uk. Alternative formats of presentation, such as workshops or roundtable discussions, are welcome but must fit within the same 20-minute time limit. If you are proposing an alternative format, please indicate this in your proposal.
The deadline for submissions is the 31st of August, and you will be notified of acceptance by or before the 13th of September 2024. Please include a short (100 word) biography with your proposal. We look forward to seeing you in Leeds!

Small Press Expo 2024
2024-09-14 - 2024-09-15 | Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, Rockville, MD, 20852, United States
The Small Press Expo (SPX) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit created in 1994 to promote artists and publishers who produce independent comics. SPX hosts an annual festival that provides a forum for artists, writers and publishers of comic art in its various forms to present to the public comic art not accessible through normal commercial channels. SPX sponsors a number of events and charitable initiatives, including:
The Expo
The annual SPX comics and graphic arts festival presents the best and brightest established creators in independent comics. In addition to the opportunity for public exposure and potential revenue the festival provides to attending artists, the event also allows less established to network with publishers and prominent creators, providing unique opportunities for the comic artist/writer that is just starting out.
SPX prides itself on maintaining an open (rather than curated) registration policy and open access between attendees, exhibitors and volunteers. SPX is unique amongst the various comic book exhibitions, as it does not allow retailers to have a formal presence at the festival. Only creators and publishers are allowed to exhibit. The festival includes:

A public exhibition where artists, creators and publishers and the public interact in an informal setting. Graphic novels, comics and related merchandise are for sale and SPX attendees can interact with the attending creators/publishers.
A series of symposium held during the festival, where creators of comics engage in formal panel discussions and/or interviews open to SPX attendees.
SPX often sponsors off-site events the week of the convention, including academic seminars, book signings and school outreach programs.

The SPX Mission
The SPX non-profit charter defines the following goals for the organization:

To provide a forum to showcase new and emerging talent in the fields of comics, graphic novels and political cartooning.
Enable participants in the comics field to learn from more experienced people in the various aspects of the creation, publishing, marketing and distribution of comics related content.
To educate the public and members of the comics field in the areas of comic history, current trends in the comics field, the impact of comics on popular culture and other analytical topics.
To further the art form of independent comics by identifying organizations and partnerships where independent comics can be exposed to a broad audience

SPX Program Areas

The Annual Festival
The Ignatz Awards
The Library of Congress
Graphic Novel Gift Program
Librarian Outreach

THE LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL
2024-09-27 - 2024-09-29 | Bowness-on-Windermere, LA23, United Kingdom
A comic art spectacular is coming to the Lake District from 27 – 29 September 2024!

This year’s festival promises to be better than ever, with the best comic artists, writers and creators heading to the Lake District for a packed comic art weekend spectacular.
A WORLD OF COMIC ART WILL RETURN TO THE LAKE DISTRICT FOR THE LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL, 27 – 28TH SEPTEMBER – 2024!
Kick-ass superheroes, future worlds, fantastical creatures, zombies, crime fighters, politics, satire, documentary, comedy, manga and much more. The world of comic art is a diverse and spectacular place, bursting with creations that transport us to other dimensions and stories that explore the world and our place within it.
The family-friendly festival will see a weekend of wonderful events, activities and workshops for all ages.
So, whether you’re a comic art addict, new to the world of comics or just love exceptional art and storytelling – get a date in your diary for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival.

19TH ANNUAL COMFOR CONFERENCE 2024 IN GRONINGEN: “GRAPHIC MEDICINE”
2024-10-23 - 2024-10-25 | University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
9th annual ComFor conference 2024:
“Graphic Medicine: Communicating Illness and Health Through Comics”
23-25 October 2024 at the University of Groningen,the Netherlands
Organizers: Janina Wildfeuer and Barbara Postema (University of Groningen)
We are very pleased to announce that the keynote speakers for the conference will be:
Irmela Krüger-Fürhoff (Freie Universität Berlin),
Lisa El Refaie (Cardiff University), and
Erin La Cour (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam).
In addition, we will be joined by guest artists Mark Hektor and Mo Qasem.
Initiated in 2007, the area of study called “Graphic Medicine” has developed into an impressive field of research that is today broadly understood as “the intersection of the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare” (Czerwiec et al. 2015). As a discipline, it understands itself as an “emerging area of interdisciplinary academic study” including both theoretical and methodological developments from several disciplines connected to comics studies as well as practical insights and applications from medical practitioners in the healthcare context. As Squier notes, many different areas of academic scholarship prove to be relevant to the field: “While graphic medicine may seem most closely tied to the medical humanities, a closer look will reveal its relevance to fields of engaged scholarship beyond the medical or health humanities. This category includes women’s studies, environmental studies, disability studies, and science and technology studies, as well as critical race studies, queer studies, and animal studies. Each of these areas has a mandate for real-world commitment and engagement that comics can serve well” (Squier 2015: 43).
Furthermore, in public health, good communication skills are key for effectively mediating between professionals and laypeople. Conveying information clearly is a strong pillar of support and trust. Health and science communication therefore can be major considerations in the scientific as well as practical contexts of complex graphic narratives that combine the visual elements of comic art with narrative and informative aspects of medicine. Multiple formats of comics can be put to work in this endeavor, since they “could include graphic memoirs of illness, educational comics for both students and patients, academic papers and books, gag strips about healthcare, graphic reportage, and therapeutic workshops involving comic making, as well as many other practices and source material, both fictional and non-fictional” (https://www.graphicmedicine.org/why-graphic-medicine/). Thus, Graphic Medicine is described as being remarkably accessible and engaging, in part because it can capture individuals’ emotional experiences, as a patient or caregiver, and clarify processes and
sensations related to the clinical side of (mental) illness and health. In fact, comics in particular have not only proven to strengthen the comprehension and retention of health education information (Leiner et al. 2018), but also show themselves to be particularly approachable in comparison with other media due to their ability to structure information in manageable steps (Kearns et al. 2021).
This conference will bring together theoretical and methodological developments on Graphic Medicine, as well as practical insights and applications, and hopes to offer a fruitful place for discussion
and critical evaluation of the field and its most recent developments and insights.
Guiding questions and topics:
● What are the benefits of Graphic Medicine for patients, healthcare professionals, creators, and
the general reading public? What are the challenges?
● Does Graphic Medicine need special ethical considerations?
● Can Graphic Medicine be fictional? Are there genre or format limitations for Graphic Medicine?
● Which media specific components of comics and graphic narratives are particularly suited for
health-related information to be conveyed?
● Which semiotic modes, (multimodal) metaphors, frames or other aspects of Graphic Medicine
provide ways of effectively relaxing health messages?
● Which methods of creating and drawing comics are needed to implement Graphic
Medicine as practice in science learning and health promotion?
● Graphic Medicine for Scholarship, Graphic Storytelling and Medical Narrative
● Graphic Pathography
● Iconography of Illness
● Practical applications of Graphic Medicine

Thought Bubble
2024-11-11 - 2024-11-17
Thought Bubble is the Yorkshire Comic Art Festival! A week long celebration of comics, illustration and more spread across the whole of Yorkshire, finishing in a huge two day comic convention in Harrogate. We use our festival week to promote the power of comics! We believe they can inspire, educate and bring people together like no other medium, so whether you’re a long-time fan of comic art or have never picked up a graphic novel before, you’ll find something for you.
Thought Bubble is not for profit with our chosen charity being Barnardo’s!

Comics Forum 2024: Between Bodies: Embodiment and Comics
2024-11-14 - 2024-11-15 | Leeds Central Library, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 3AB, United Kingdom

Studies in Comics: General Call for Papers information
2024-11-30
Papers are welcomed for Studies in Comics, a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary academic journal that aims to describe the nature of comics, to identify the medium as a distinct art form and to address its formal properties. We invite submissions exploring the formal properties of comics, advancing their own theory of comics or responding to an established theoretical model. We also welcome reviews of new comics, scholarship and criticism, conferences and exhibitions, as well as unpublished creative work.
We invite submissions of articles of 4000–8000 words from any discipline. These should have a strong critical focus and seek to apply hitherto unexplored theoretical approaches to the medium of comics or respond to published theories about the medium’s formal properties. Possible areas include:

comics and visual language in the context of communications theory;
the grammar of comics;
narrative structure;
the relationship between panel, page and the multiframe;
composition and panel transitions;
the treatment of time and space;
responses to published theorists such as Scott McCloud, Will Eisner, Thierry Groensteen, etc.

We also welcome reviews of new publications and exhibits and short creative pieces of 1-8 pages in length. Creative work should be relevant to some aspect of comics, although there are no other thematic or stylistic restrictions. Metafictional submissions that deal with the processes and theories of comics creation are encouraged.
Article submissions
Please send your completed article and a metadata document (see ‘Notes for Contributors’, available for download below) by email. Please include the word ARTICLE in the email subject heading and indicate the word count of the article in your covering email. Papers must be submitted in English. All submissions will be peer-reviewed.
Reviews of publications and conferences and exhibitions
Please send expressions of interest by email include the words REVIEW PUBLICATION or REVIEW CONFERENCE or REVIEW EXHIBITION in the subject heading. There is no set length for reviews, however we would expect them to be around 1,000-3,000 words.
Creative submissions
Please include the word CREATIVE in the subject heading. All articles submitted should be original work and must not be under consideration by other publications. Studies in Comics is published twice yearly, however some issues may be guest-edited or themed – where applicable, submissions will be carried over for the next issue.
Submissions are welcomed from both scholars and enthusiasts. Contributors are encouraged to approach comics from any discipline and to turn their attention to comics from all countries and in all languages. So, whether you’re a semiotician, philosopher, scientist, historian, enthusiast or cultural, literary or film critic, Studies in Comics welcomes you!
Submissions should be sent to studiesincomics@gmail.com by either 1 June or 1 December for consideration for the next issue.

Modern Language Association Annual Convention
2025-01-09 - 2025-01-12

Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême
2025-01-30 - 2025-02-02 | Angoulême, Angoulême, 16000, France
Festival international de la bande dessinée d’Angoulême est le plus grand événement consacré à la bande dessinée de France. Doté d’un programme chargé mêlant expositions, dédicaces, spectacles ou encore concours, le Festival de la BD d’Angoulême fait chaque année, en janvier, le bonheur de 200 000 visiteurs environ. Dates, tarifs, programme… Découvrez ici tout ce qu’il faut savoir sur cet événement unique.

Programme du Festival de la BD d’Angoulême : auteurs, expositions, spectacles…
Partout en France, de nombreux festivals artistiques abordant des sujets et thèmes variés sont à dénombrer, tels que le Festival d’Automne de Paris, consacré à l’art contemporain, ou encore les Rencontres d’Arles pour les amateurs de photographie.
Tous les ans, la commune d’Angoulême en Charentes, située à 1h20 de route au nord de la ville de Bordeaux, accueille le plus important événement français consacré à la BD : le Festival de la BD d’Angoulême.
Ce rendez-vous immanquable des amateurs de planches rassemble tous les ans environ 200 000 personnes venant prendre part aux nombreuses animations proposées par l’événement.
Au programme, de quoi satisfaire tous les goûts et tous les âges avec :

des expositions consacrées à des artistes ou des œuvres diverses (BD jeunesse, mangas, parcours des artistes…)
des spectacles musicaux et théâtrales tout public
des dédicaces et rencontres avec des auteurs, scénaristes, dessinateurs et bien d’autres
des débats et conférences sur des thèmes d’actualité liés notamment à la littérature
des ateliers d’initiation à la BD.

Le programme complet du festival sera à retrouver ici-même prochainement.
© 9eArt+, Antoine GuilbertConférence au Festival de la BD d’Angoulême
Prix et concours du Festival de la BD d’Angoulême
Le Festival de la BD d’Angoulême est également réputé à travers la remise de prix aux meilleurs artistes de BD de la compétition. Parmi les récompenses les plus prestigieuses et célèbres de la compétition se trouvent :

Grand Prix de la ville d’Angoulême, décerné par des auteurs internationaux
Prix de la bande dessinée alternative, destiné à l’ensemble des magazines, revues et autres traitant de la BD
Prix Goscinny, primant à la fois un scénariste confirmé et un autre en devenir.

Il est également possible de participer à des concours ouverts à tous : le Concours Jeunes Talents pour les jeunes adultes et le Concours de la BD scolaire pour les collégiens et lycéens.
Les formulaires et conditions d’inscription sont à retrouver sur le site de l’événement (lien ci-dessous).

Joint International Bande Dessinée Society conference and International Graphic Novels And Comics Conference
2025-06-30 - 2025-07-04

Testevent
2025-10-01 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Paris) | Angoulême, Angoulême, 16000, France
Test
