From: Peter M Coogan <[c--ga--e] at [student.msu.edu]> Subject: CAS #52 Date: Thu, 9 Dec 1993 19:10:18 -0500 (EST) Comic Art Studies A newsletter from the Russel B. Nye Popular Culture Collection, no. 52 ISSN: 1062-6964 This newsletter is published to facilitate communication about the Comic Art Collection at Michigan State University, and communication about public comics collecting and scholarship in general. MSU now has over 70,000 comics items in its special collection, including 500 scrapbooks containing more than 300,000 daily comic strips, plus over 2,000 Golden Age comic books on microfilm. Donations continue at a rapid rate, and a catalog of the collection is available from Greenwood Press. Contents: Comics Scholars Directory Form (p.2) -- Third Annual Comic Arts Conference Preregistration Form (p.2) -- Calls For Papers (p.3) -- Comics Scholars Directory Update (p.4) -- Art Spiegelman Coming to MSU! (p.5) -- Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory (p.5) -- The MLA rejects a panel on comics (p.5) -- Cartoon Stamp (p.5) -- Steve Beery Batman Collection (p.5) -- Ray Browne on Russel Nye (p.6) -- The Comic Art Collection Bookshelf (p.6) -- Comic Art Studies Over E-Mail (p.7) -- MSU Online Catalog (p.7) -- First Price Guide (p.7) -- INKS Title Page (p.8) --Jim Drew reports on the Second Annual Comic Arts Conference (p.8) -- The Second Annual Comic Arts Conference Report (p.9-10) Newsletter back issues Back issues of this newsletter are almost all available. However, unless you are requesting them for a research library, please don't ask for a complete run. It is most economical for all involved if we can select the issues that have the information you particularly need. Some highlights of the back issues are a list of the comic books in the Library of Congress (issues 13-16), and a list of books in the Harry "A" Chesler Collection at Fairleigh Dickinson University (issues 8-10) ____________________________________________________________ COMIC ART STUDIES, no. 52, November 20, 1993. Quarterly. Randall W. Scott and Peter M. Coogan, editors. Address: MSU Libraries, East Lansing, MI 48824-1048. Phone (517) 355-3770. Fax: (517) 336-1445. Available in exchange for materials in any area of popular culture or fandom. BLB Collectors Club of America Member 219. Comic Art Studies, no. 52 MSU Libraries East Lansing, MI 48824-1048 USA MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution! Comics Scholars Directory Form: Name: Address: Phone(s): ( ) - Fax: ( ) - E-Mail: Publications: Areas of Interest: Associations/Memberships: Third Annual Comic Arts Conference Preregistration Form: Name: Address, Phone, and E-Mail: Position (Academic, Publisher, Writer, Artist, Journalist, etc.): Institution/Company: Comics Research Interests: Audio-Visual needs: _____ Check here if you have submitted a paper or program. Abstract submission deadline: April 1 Paper deadline: June 3 Registration fee is $20.00 ($10.00) for students. Make check or money order payable to Comic Arts Conference. Preregistration forms may be submitted electronically, although checks may not. Return these forms to: Peter Coogan, Comic Art Studies, MSU Libraries, East Lansing MI 48824-1048 E-mail: [C--ga--e] at [student.msu.edu.] (517) 485-8039 (h), (517) 353-4858 (o), (517) 336-1445 (f); The Chicago Comicon can be reached at 6830 Camden Rd, Downers Grove, IL 60516 (708) 852-2514; (708) 852-2899 (f). Calls For Papers: (please post). MAUS: Peter Coogan and Solomon Davidoff are planning a book on Maus titled: Here Our Reflections Begin: Commentary and Criticism on (and of) Art Spiegelman's Maus Articles and proposals from a wide range of theoretical, methodological and disciplinary approaches, including previously published material, will be considered for inclusion. In general, abstracts should be between 200-250 words and articles from 20-30 double spaced pages, including notes and appendices. Manuscripts may be submitted on paper, through electronic mail (ASCII text), or on computer diskette (Macintosh format, ASCII text or Microsoft (TM) Word). Please enclose a SASE with all correspondence. Midwest Popular Culture Association and the Midwest American Culture Association: The Comic Art & Comics Area of the MPCA/MACA is soliciting papers for presentation at the 21st Annual Conference of the Midwest Popular Culture Association and the Midwest American Culture Association to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Friday October 7 to Saturday October 8, 1994. Deadline: June 1, 1994; Format: 75 word abstract The Comic Art & Comics Area welcomes presentations from all academic disciplines. Submissions from scholars unaffiliated with a college or university, as well as graduate students and undergraduates are encouraged. Proposal sheets should include all the following information: Name, Home and Work addresses, Home and Work Phones, E-Mail address and Fax number if you have these, Presentation title, 75 word abstract, Audio-Visual equipment needs, Day/Time preference For information on other areas, or on the MPCA/MACA please write: Carl B. Holmburg, Executive Secretary MPCA/MACA, Popular Culture Department, BGSU, Bowling Green OH 43403, (419) 372-8172, [c--l--e] at [andy.bgsu.edu] Comic Arts Conference (see reports elsewhere in this issue for information on the last Conference): The Third Annual Comic Arts Conference is accepting papers to be presented at a joint meeting of comics scholars and professionals at the Chicago Comicon on Saturday July 2, 1994. Papers may be on any area of comics research including, but not limited to: Comics Scholarship, Teaching Comics and Teaching with Comics, History of the Medium, Creator Biographies, Comics Theory and Aesthetics, Audience Studies/Fan Culture, Industrial/Economic Analysis, Gender Studies, Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. Faculty, students, and those outside the university community are encouraged to make submissions. Professionals interested in making slide (or other) presentations and/or serving as respondents for papers are encouraged to make submissions as well. A 50 to 100 word abstract must be submitted no later than April 1. Notification of acceptance will be sent on April 10. For citation and bibliography, use a style recognized by your academic discipline. Each completed paper should include a one paragraph biographical sketch of the author(s). Completed papers should be to the program coordinator by June 3. Inquiries, abstracts, articles and registration forms for these three calls should be sent to Peter Coogan, Comic Art Studies, MSU Libraries, East Lansing MI 48824-1048. (517) 485-8039 (h), (517) 353-4858 (o). E-mail: [C--ga--e] at [student.msu.edu.] Please specify which call you are responding to. Comics Scholars Directory update November 1993: Jerry G.Bails: 21101 E. 11 Mile, St.Clair Shores MI 48081, (313) 779-0886 Publications: Who's Who of American Comic Books; Collector's Guide: First Heroic Age Areas of Interest: Comic book personnel--all types of comics. Associations/Memberships: APA-I Gregory S. Baisden: 339 - 23rd Avenue East, Seattle WA 98112; (206) 324-6040; Fax: (206) 328-6319 Publications: Numerous articles in The ComicsJournal 124-133; "Pool of Tears" in Real War Stories 2; "All Off-Color For A Time" in The Tijuana Bible 1; "Ransacking the Ocean for Orient Pearl" in Faust 1; editorials and locs for numerous comic books, graphic albums, and graphic novels; scripts for several titles in the Heavy Metal/Tundra European Album line; co-script adaptation Hemp For Victory (Starhead Comix, 1993). American Funnies: A Century of the Comics Arts in America (in progress). Lecture Seminars: "Comics: Newspaper Origins to the Contemporary Comic Book" (U of Southern Maine, 3/13/92), "American Funnies, An Idiosyncratic Orthodox History of Comics" (San Diego Comicon 1992), "Honing Your Comics Masterpieces" (Discover U, Seattle 10/14/93). Areas of Interest: Critical and social history of the comic strip and comic book, emphasizing comics as codifiers/reflectors/shapers of social/philosophical paradigms; the shop system; comic book fandom; "The Renegade Tradition" in the comics arts (origins to present); the MAD/Zap!/RAW continuum. Associations/Memberships: Shoptalk APA Norman L. Barber: 334 Hawthorn Street, New Bedford MA 02740; Phones: (508) 997-4236 (h), (508) 999-8640 (w) Publications: College Norms: A Comical Essay on the Realities of College Life Areas of Interest: Comic strips for college students. Daniel W. Chaney: Social Sciences Division, Edmon Low Library, OSUStillwater, OK 74078 524 S. Walnut St #3, Stillwater, OK 74074 Phones: (405) 744-6540; (405) 744-5183 (f) E-mail: [D W COSU] at [OKWAY.OKSTATE.EDU], [D W COSU] at [MVS.UCC.OKSTATE.EDU] Pubs: (in progress) "The Portrayal of Adult Themes in Comics Published By DC Comics" Areas of Interest: Superhero genre (especially Golden/Silver Age Superman and Batman), adult (mature) themes in comics, teaching people to read via comics. Associations/Memberships: American Library Association, Oklahoma Library Association Jim Drew: Box 61775, Sunnyvale CA 94088-1775 Phone:(415) 694-4746; E-Mail: [j r d] at [frame.com] Publications: Ciao! ("Socially conscious" comics zine), OutNow! (gay/lesbian newspaper) Areas of Interest: Gay/lesbian studies, general minority studies (race, gender, religion), small press comics, fan press, legion of super-heroes Associations/Memberships: Wildlife (APA), Omnicom (APA), Cartoon Museum of Art Jay Kennedy: PO Box 1190, Candl Street Station, New York NY 10013-1190 Publications: The Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide Ar.of Int: Underground and alternative comic books Assns/Memberships: National Cartoonist Society Luca Somigli: Dept of Comparative Studies, SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY 11794-3355 Phones: (516) 632-7460 (o), (516) 331-5506 (h); E-mail: [L--MI--I] at [IC.SUNYSB.EDU] Publications: None (yet!) in the comics area Areas of Interest: Relation between comics and current cultural theory; the superhero genre; the 'institutionalization' of comics and it's attending discourses Associations/Memberships: MLA, American Association for Italian Studies; Society for Cinema Studies; Am. Comp. Lit. Assn., International Association for Philosophy and Lit. Brent Swanson: 335 S. Bellin Rd., Idaho Falls ID 83402; (208) 523-3119 Publications: The Duckburg Times Areas of Interest: Funny humans/animals by Outcault, Harriman, Segar, McCay, Walt Kelly, Carl Barks, and others. Gary Usher: 205 N Vine St, Glenwood IA 51534; Phone: (712) 527-3281 Publications: "Comix Wave Index", "Cascade Comix Monthly Index", "Comics Journal Small Press Index", "Bibliography of Underground and Obscuro Comics", etc. in City Limits Gazette, forthcoming:"Dale Luciano's Newave Comics Survey" (on disc) , "Comix World Index" Areas of Interest: Underground and small press comics research, classic newspaper and magazine cartoonists Art Spiegelman is coming to MSU on Thursday April 14. There will be an exhibit in the MSU Library from Decemer 1 to January 15. Details to follow next issue. Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory (from Luca Somigli): "The journal "Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory" has a special issue coming out in 1994 on "The Illustrated Book, encompassing everything from illuminated manuscripts to the graphic novel" (I'm quoting from the letter the editor sent me). You may want to spread the word that they're looking for solid work on comics. The address is: Tamarah Kohanski, Managing Editor, Department of English, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06268." The MLA's rejection of a panel on comics (also from Luca): "Just a brief note to let you know that my proposed MLA panel was rejected by the organization committee. Once again, academia shows comics the door (hey, I didn't call the panel "Comics: The Final Frontier of Academia?" for nothing...). Once again, thanks for helping spread the word about it. By the way, the MLA wrote to me explaining (very concisely) the reasons for their rejection. According to one of the committee members, my proposal (and I quote) 'academicizes this subject in just the wrong way'!!!!!! It's good to know that there are right and wrong ways to "academicize": maybe the MLA will market a handbook on the subject. Dogmatism, anyone?" Cartoon Stamp: "On July 24, 1992 the Cartoon Stamp Committee (Lucy Caswell, Ohio State; Mell Lasarus, National Cartoonist Society; Mort Walker, International Museum of Cartoon Art; Catherine Walker, Newspaper Features Council; Malcolm Whyte, Cartoon Art Museum) submitted the original stamp proposal to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the American newspaper comic strip." "To keep up the momentum, all those who support the importance of a stamp commemorating the centennial of the American comic strip are asked to draw or write letters to: Marvin Runyon, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington DC 20260-0010." From Inklings Summer 1993, p. 6. Steve Beery Batman Collection: The Comic Art Collection in the Michigan State University Libraries has received an enormous collection of books and comics from Batman collector and gay rights activist Steve Beery, of San Francisco. Mr. Beery grew up in Alma, Michigan, and during his undergraduate years at Alma College did his comic book shopping here in East Lansing. He moved to San Francisco in 1975, continued collecting comic books, and became a writer for gay rights and a member of ACT-UP. His Batman collection covers the period from 1966 to early 1993. Readers will enjoy a sample of his writing that brings together the two worlds: "Holy Hormones! Batman and Robin Made Me Gay!" in Gay Comix number 8 (Summer 1986). Steve Beery called the MSU Library from a hospital in San Francisco in November, 1992, to arrange the donation of his collection. He had known about the Comic Art Collection for years, and he wanted to be sure his collection would be welcome. It certainly is. Steve died of AIDS-related causes in July 1993. His parents loaded the 4,500-item collection in their van soon after, and drove it straight to our library. Our collection of Batman materials will henceforth be referred to as the Steve Beery Batman Collection. We plan to complete the earlier years of Batman by purchasing microfilm and by publishing wantlists, but this is already the best public collection of Batman on record. Ray Browne on Russel Nye: I first met Russ Nye in 1962 when I was at Purdue University and he came down to talk to the people in English and American Studies on children's literature. I began thinking and working with him then and began a warm and profitable relationship that lasted thirty years. Russ was one of those marvelous people who constantly kept an open and curious mind and the energy to try to satisfy his curiosity. With him the operative words were "Why not?" Trying to answer that question was an undying pleasure with him and me. I remember one cold and snowy Sunday morning in February in 1975 I decided that what the world needed was an American Culture Association and a Journal of American Culture to support it. I thought I would check with my world for substantiation of my idea. I called one colleague, who said it was one of my dumbest ideas. Not discouraged I called Russel Nye. Russ' answer was characteristic: "Sounds good to me. Why not try it?" With a two-third majority vote, I did go ahead--successfully. That was the formula of my association with Russ. Imagination mixed with daring and a lot of hard work. Russ never gave up. Just before his stroke he had attended the national convention of the PCA/ACA in Louisville and was planning more ventures. He was especially saddened by the fact that just after his stroke he was offered a chair at Notre Dame University, where his work would have had especially beneficial results. In Russ' stroke and death, academia lost a stalwart and great force. I personally lost a great and unforgettable friend. The Comic Art Collection Bookshelf: The effort to document the Comic Art Collection at Michigan State University began with the present newsletter (then called "Comic Art Collection") in 1979. The list of the MSU collection that was serialized in these pages is so out-of-date as to be no longer of interest, but lists of the collections at the Library of Congress and at Fairleigh Dickenson University are still reasonably useful. These back issues are available. The reference and reprint book collection was documented in 1988: Scott, Randall W. Comic Books and Strips, an Information Sourcebook (Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1988) 152 pages. Collection scope, acquisitions, cataloging, reference, and preservation were documented in 1990: Scott, Randall W. Comics Librarianship, a Handbook (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1990) 188 pages. A list of the whole collection as of the end of 1990 appeared this year: Scott, Randall W. The Comic Art Collection Catalog, an Author, Artist, Title, and Subject Catalog of the Comic Art Collection, Special Collections Division, Michigan State University Libraries (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1993) 1435 pages. The three items above are commercially published and are not available from the MSU Libraries. The two items below will be photocopied as requested: Topics in MSU Comic Strip Collection as of January 1993 (Comic Art List and Index Series, no. 1).30 pages. (Lists over 10,000 topics in a sorted collection of over 100,000 strips). Comics Research Libraries as of July 1993 (Comic Art List and Index Series, no. 2) 10 pages. (Lists 50 libraries that have contact with the MSU collection, with surmmaries of their interest in comics). Comic Art Studies Over E-Mail : We will be sending this and future issues of Comic Art Studies over e-mail. Please feel free to forward it to interested parties. If you would prefer to receive CAS in only one format, please send a reply indicating your preferred format. The Parallel Publications should be also be available over e-mail by December. All such publications will be archived on the Beelzebub ftp site at Teetot.acusd.edu, in /pub/Beelzebub/Comics/About_Comics. The site can be accessed via 'ftp', 'gopher', or by 'e-mail-ftp'. Direct questions about this site to Jerry Stratton, '[j--r--y] at [teetot.acusd.edu]'. The easiest way to use this site is using gopher. To connect via ftp: type 'ftp teetot.acusd.edu', and give the username 'anonymous'. You might have to type 'user anonymous'. Use 'help' to get help on using your version of ftp. Use 'man ftp' or 'help ftp' outside of the 'ftp' program to get help. To connect via gopher: type 'gopher -p 'ftp:teetot.acusd.edu@/pub/Beelzebub/Comics/ About_Comics/'. This will probably only work on Unix versions of gopher. To connect via e-mail: send to either [f t pmail] at [sunsite.unc.edu] or any other ftpmail site you know about, but their commands may be different. To get a directory listing of the 'About_Comics' directory, send the following message (the semi-colons are for clarity. They are not e-mail punctuation): connect teetot.acusd.edu ; cd /pub/Beelzebub/Comics/About_Comics ; dir ; quit Then send the message. Use the subject "Comic Art Studies". The directory listing will be sent back to you via e-mail. To get the file "Libraries with Comics", and a list of the files in the directory "Essays", send the following message to the 'ftpmail' address (the semi-colons in bold are for clarity. They are not e-mail punctuation): connect teetot.acusd.edu ; cd /pub/Beelzebub/Comics/About_Comics ; get "Libraries with Comics" ; dir Essays ; quit Then send the message. You'll be sent the file "Libraries with Comics", and a directory listing of "Essays" as separate e-mail messages. MSU Online Catalog: The Michigan State University Libraries' Online Catalog is accessible by modem: To access: 1. Type TN3270 MAGIC.LIB.MSU.EDU. 2. At the VM370 screen, type DIAL MAGIC. 3. At the Terminal Emulator screen, enter VT100. OR: Connect to MERIT: 1. Type TELNET HERMES.MERIT.EDU. 2. At the Which Host? prompt, enter MAGIC. 3. At the terminal id, enter VT100. To exit: use the TELNET or TN3270 escape key. For more information, contact: Carl Lee, (517) 336-2361, [20676 cl] at [msu], [20676 cl] at [ibm.cl.msu.edu], IP address: 35.8.2.99 First Price Guide: This announcement appeared in Dateline:Comicdom 8 (March 1964). The library would very much appreciate a copy, if anyone has one to donate. Additionally we'd very much appreciate a copy of the Guide Book to Comics Fandom that came out in 1965 or thenabouts. "Jerry Hanson brought the following to comic fandom's attention: Dealer William Ostfeld of Chicago, who 2 years ago wanted $15 per for old comics, now has published a CATALOG OF COLLECTED MAGAZINES AND THEIR VALUES. This 300 page, hard-bound book lists: '-magazines that are collected by the majority. Thousands of people collect ROAD & TRACK, but few are interested in THE YOUTH'S COMPANION, - comic magazines: SUPERMAN, ALL STAR, MAD, MICKEY MOUSE, TARZAN, etc. All known DC, EC, and Dell comics will be listed' price $7.50'" INKS 1:1 Title Page: Most of you have probably already recieved a note from INKS about subscriptions. Here is a look at the contents of the first issue, which will be released on February 1, 1994. Cover by Bill Watterson Editorial Articles: "Guilt and the Unconscious in Arkham Asylum " by Lucy Rollin. "Bud Fisher and the Daily Comic Strip" by R.C. Harvey. "View from the Back Stairs" by Oliver Harrington. Resources: The Ohio State Cartoon, Graphic, and Photographic Arts Research Library.. Book Reviews: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud; reviewed by Joseph Witek Never Underestimate: The Life and Career of Margaret Chase Smith Through the Eyes of the Political Cartoonists by Margaret F. Viens; reviewed by Bruce Wheltle. The Savage Mirror by Steven Heller and Gail Anderson; reviewed by John J. Appel. Exhibition Review: Lines of the Times: 50 Years of Great American Cartoons ; reviewed by Bruce Wheltle. Bibliography: "Ethnicity and Cartoon Art: A Selected Bibliography." Contributors Guidelines for authors The publication of INKS is made possible in part through the generous support of Jean and Charles Schulz. For more information please call: (614) 292-3666, or write: INKS: Cartoon and Comic Art Studies. The Ohio State University, 1070 Carmac Road, Columbus OH 43210. Jim Drew's report on the Second Annual Comic Arts Conference: After checking in, I headed to the convention center, hoping to register (but I couldn't do that until Thursday), and to go to the Comic Art Studies Conference. I couldn't remember where it was, and the convention staff had no idea what I was talking about. (Take note, Peter: make sure the convention folks know about it next year.) So I decided to take the shuttle to the various hotels, and see if one rang a bell; the second one, the Horton Grand, did. At the Horton Grand, I arrived in time to talk with Scott McCloud before the panel discussion on his Understanding Comics started. The panel was Mike Friedrich (Star*Reach), Will Eisner (Comics and Sequential Art), and I don't recall who else. I had the opportunity to present some of the thoughts on the single-panel cartoon (McCloud declared single-panels to not be comics in Understanding Comics ) that were developed on the comix list, including "virtual gutters," "a sequence of one," and "deliberate juxtaposition of a panel and caption." Following a break, Peter Coogan gave an excerpted reading of his paper on The Novel, Jazz, and Comics. While I notice Jerry [Stratton in a discussion on Comics-L, an electronic discussion list] has mentioned the end conclusion, that there comes a point in the study of an art where "boring ceases to be a bad thing," he didn't mention Peter's midway conclusion. When the novel came along, it was embraced by the common people but pooh-poohed by the literati as the lowest form of art; practitioners of the novel went so far as to call the form "historical romance" and the like to avoid use of the negative term. When Jazz first came along, it was embraced by many of the common people, but pooh-poohed by serious music queens as the lowest form of art; eventually Rock'n'Roll came along and took the "lowest" slot, bumping Jazz into acceptance. Comics are generally deemed the lowest form of art, and some practitioners tend to try and disassociate themselves from the form via terms like "graphic novel"; will it take another, "lower" art form to bump comics into respectability? The Second Annual Comic Arts Conference--A Report by Peter M. Coogan For the second year in a row scholars and professionals gathered in San Diego to discuss and debate issues of comics scholarship at the Second Annual Comic Arts Conference. Founded by Communications professor Randy Duncan and American Studies graduate student Peter M. Coogan in an effort to build bridges between academia and the comics industry, the Comic Arts Conference brought together a half dozen professionals, a dozen scholars, and two dozen audience members in an intimate setting, which promoted a serious, vigorous, and friendly investigation of topics ranging over the world of comics. Held on Wednesday, August 18, the day before the 24th Annual San Diego Comicon, the Conference (CAC) ran from 9 AM to 5:30 PM in the beautiful Horton Grand Hotel. Cartoonists Clayton Moore (Monty Monkey ), Donna Barr (The Desert Peach ), and Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics ) served as respondents to panels of paper, while Marvel editor Carl Potts provided a slide presentation on "Visual Storytelling." The heart of the CAC was the panel discussion, "Responses to Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics " featuring commentary by comics legend Will Eisner, Star*Reach publisher and president Mike Friedrich, Henderson State University Communications Chair Randy Duncan, and the Director of the Symposium on Comics, Literature and Film, James P. Pascoe. Moderator Duncan began the panel with a discussion of McCloud's definition of art, "Art. . .is any human activity which doesn't grow out of either of our species two basic instincts: survival and reproduction!" Pascoe stressed the importance of finding a definition of art that would necessarily include comics, and Friedrich responded that we should take art as a given and move on to discuss comics themselves. Speaking of McCloud's great pyramid of art, which places language, the picture plane, reality, and meaning at the corners in order to establish a visual vocabulary of the universe of art, Eisner believed that this view would help establish a raison d'etre for the medium in a country which tends to view comics from afar. As the discussion moved into the realm of real world comics production, audience member Carl Potts brought up the point that prior to Understanding Comics only Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art had been readily available as tool to move aspiring comics artists beyond submitting big splash pages that had no connection with storytelling. For some time the panelists and audience members, joined by Dave McKean (Cages ) who quietly slipped into the room, branched off into considering the ways intention, form, content, and style relate, and how each shapes the effectiveness of the others. Eisner uttered the ultimate judgment on the issue of style when he said, "Style is a result of your inability to achieve perfection." Two papers on comic strips, "Love and Marriage: Gender Roles and Expectations in the Funny Pages of the 1950s" from Anthony Harkins of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and "Touching an American Nerve: Shmoos, Al Capp, and Postwar American Culture" from Robert Pfeffer of St. Cloud State University, explored the ways comic strips reflected American culture following the Second World War. Harkins found that the strips both reinforced and overturned gender norms, and he called into question the conventional vision of a 1950's consensus about the flawlessness of marriage. Pfeffer's examination of the remarkable popularity of Al Capp's Shmoo and Shmoo merchandise pointed to major shifts in the political, economic, and consumer culture of post-war America. Solomon Davidoff, of the Bowling Green State University's Popular Culture Department, presented "Homosexual Relationstrips: The Everpresent Theme of Relationships and Ideology in Gay Adult Comic Strips" and brought the discussion up to the present day. In his response Clayt Moore, from his perspective as working cartoonist, reminded the authors and audience of the importance of deadline pressures and editorial influence on the production of comic strips. The three papers in the comics as educational tools panel examined widely divergent efforts to use the comics medium to teach. Jackson Miller's "Comic Books for Marketing Social Causes" looked at how comic books can be effective social marketing tools and why educational comics have been less successful in the United States than they have been in other countries. Ivan Kalmar, Professor of Anthropology at University of Toronto, reported the results of a pilot study on teaching early reading skills using a specially prepared comic book designed by Marvel Comics. Molly Rhodes discussed William Moulton Marston's attempt to use the Wonder Woman character as a cure for the "blood-curdling masculinity" of 1940s comic books. The international panel informed the attendants about the less well known worlds of Asian comics and British undergrounds. John Lent, Professor of Journalism at Temple University, just in from his tour of the East, reported on the comics situation in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and several other east Asian nations. Asian comics history ranges from decades old in the Philippines, with the work of the cartoonist Kenkoi, who has worked on the same feature since 1928, to Singapore, where indigenous comics are only a few years old. The industrial organization offers the same variety, from the Philippines where half the countries films take their plots and characters from comics to Miamar (Burma) where comics depend upon overnight rentals from lending libraries for financial survival. Coming literally from the other side of the world, the Department of the History of Art and Design at the Manchester Metropolitan University, Dr. David Huxley presented the history of the British undergrounds and alternative comics, stressing the great influence America undergrounds played on the development of their British counterparts. In her response Donna Barr set up a fantastic, humorous, and insightful metaphor imagining the two underground movements as two small juvenile primate bands, found living on the opposite sides of a large watering hole. In the closing panel of the day, Comic Art Studies editor Peter M. Coogan spoke on "The Effects of Academic Attention on Popular Art Forms: The Novel, Jazz, Film, and Comics," and attempted to project on to the future of comics scholarship the lessons learned from past scholarship on other popular art forms. He concluded that while academia promotes preservation of old texts and can provide a certain cultural legitimacy to popular art forms, the development of comics studies departments and a comics studies discipline would lead to the institutional inertia and sterility that characterizes literary theory and criticism today. Scott McCloud, in his response, differed with Coogan, stating that the symbolic value of such a department would outweigh any damage it might otherwise do, by giving comics a symbolic equality with other art forms that have such departments. Three slide presentations were featured at the Conference. Freelance writer Gary Vargas provided a visual examination of the origins of contemporary heroic fantasy art in the 19th century romantic and realist movements. Marvel/Epic Comics Executive Editor Carl Potts presented a detailed analysis of visual storytelling. Arlen Schumer, of Dynamic Duo Studios, finished the Conference with a short slide show on "The Superman Crisis," his personal reflection on the death of Superman and Joe Shuster, and the irony of the two events' timing. Schumer's talk also concluded the very first panel of the Comicon, "Death of a Superhero--Yeah Right," on which James Pascoe appeared with Marv Wolfman, R.A. Jones and other comics professionals. The Comicon also featured a panel on the CAC itself, featuring a report by several of the participants and attended by those unable to attend the Conference itself. Conference proceedings of this year and last will make up a special issue of Daryl F. Mallett's SFRA Review , and will include a guest editorial from CAC organizers Duncan and Coogan on their goals, philosophy, and plans. A transcription of the Understanding Comics panel has been done for that issue. The organizers plan to move the Conference to the Chicago Comicon for the next two years. Such a move will allow them to continue to provide a balance between scholars and professionals and will bring new attendants and participants. Additionally, the organizers seek to keep the Conference fairly small, in order to promote the informal, intimate, serious discussion that such a scale engenders. The San Diego Comicon has been a fantastic home for the CAC, especially due to the organizational efforts of the Expo's David Scroggy last year and the Comicon's Fae Desmond this year. Moving the Conference is the first step in Duncan and Coogan's ultimate goal of having a regional Comic Arts Conference at four of the major comics conventions, San Diego, New York, Chicago, and either Atlanta or Dallas, to make the CAC more accessible and to keep the scale of attendance manageable and comfortable. Plans are underway for the Third Annual Comic Arts Conference with commitments from both scholars and professionals. For more information contact Peter Coogan at the address on page 3.