# Week 1: Comics, Readers, and the Course --- How did you first encounter comics *or* another fan culture you care about (TV, gaming, music, sports)? Where, when, and with whom? --- ## Agenda & Structure **Today’s class is split into two sessions** with a short break. We will: - get oriented to the course and assignments - discuss comics and comics readers - connect readings to examples of participatory culture Expect a mix of **short lectures**, **discussion**, and **small-group activities**. --- ## What This Course Is About This course examines: - comic books as a **medium and cultural form** - readers and fans as **active participants**, not just audiences - the methods scholars use to study comics readership and fandom We will focus on **evidence, process, and interpretation**, not mastery of trivia. --- ## Assignments in This Course This course emphasizes **engagement, research, and creative inquiry** rather than exams or quizzes. Most assignments build toward a **final research project**. --- ## Types of Work You’ll Do You will complete three kinds of work this semester: - **Creative & participatory work** - e.g., making a fanzine, participating in fandom - **Research & analysis** - working with documents, data, archives, or communities - **Discussion & engagement** - in-class discussion, online discussion, participation There are **no exams** in this course. --- # Major Assignments (Overview) - **Fanzine** - Create a single-issue fan publication - **Tales from the Crypt** - Research a real person found in a historical comics-related document - **Fan Activity & Reflection** - Participate in a fan activity and reflect on the experience - **Final Project** - An independent research project on comics readers or fandom - Includes a written project and a short video presentation Details, examples, and rubrics will be introduced **when we get closer** to each assignment. --- # How to Think About These Assignments - You do **not** need prior comics expertise - You have a great deal of flexibility in choosing your topic and methods - Assignments emphasize: - evidence - process - reflection --- ## Defining Comics (Big Picture) In the readings for this week, comics are framed as: - a **medium** with distinctive formal features - a **cultural form** shaped by history and industry - an object of study that includes **readers**, not just texts Focus on *how* these authors define comics and *why* those definitions matter. --- ## Comics Readers and Evidence The readings approach comics readers using different kinds of evidence: - letters and fan contributions - surveys and interviews - historical and cultural discourse As we move forward, we will ask: - What kinds of evidence are used? - Whose voices are present—or absent? - What methods are appropriate for different questions? --- ## Discussion / Group Prompts — Week 1 (Synthesis) <div class="fittext"> **Small groups or partners (10–15 minutes):** 1. All three readings challenge the idea that comics are “just” texts. - According to these authors, what forces most strongly shape comics culture: **industry, readers, childhood, or fandom**? Why? 2. Where do **boundaries** matter most? - boundaries between comics and non-comics - between children and adults - between readers and fans 3. What kinds of **evidence** do these authors rely on to talk about readers? - What voices are easiest to see? - What voices might still be missing? **Whole-class follow-up:** - Based on this discussion, what kinds of research questions about comics readers seem possible—or difficult—to pursue? </div> --- ## Hatfield: Defining Comics (High-Level) <div class="fittext"> Hatfield argues that a “comic book” is not just a neutral format. Instead, it is: - a **material object** (a specific magazine format, the “floppy”) - a **historical product** (shaped by industry, distribution, and censorship) - a **cultural construct** (defined and maintained by fandom) Key idea: > What counts as a “comic book” is shaped as much by **ideology and nostalgia** > as by form or content. This means that, among different communities (e.g., some collector communities): - some comics are **included** in the category despite formal differences - others are **excluded** despite fitting the format (e.g., underground comix) </div> --- ## Nel: Children, Comics, and Cultural Anxiety (High-Level) <div classs="fittext"> **Big idea:** Comics have always been deeply entangled with childhood, education, and moral regulation. **Key claims:** - Comics and childhood are historically inseparable, even when comics seek adult legitimacy. - Children’s comics are **not a genre**, but a medium encompassing many genres. - Anxiety about comics is often anxiety about **unsupervised reading**. - Censorship regimes (e.g., the Comics Code) reflect fears about youth autonomy. - “All-ages” comics function as a **borderland** between childhood and adulthood. - Comics often serve as children’s **first sustained encounter** with visual narrative literacy. **Why this matters:** - Challenges the idea that “serious” comics are separate from children’s comics. - Positions children’s comics as foundational rather than marginal. - Connects comics to debates about literacy, education, and cultural value. </div> --- ## Duncan, Smith, & Levitz: Readers, Fans, and Participation (High-Level) <div class="fittext"> **Big idea:** Comic book readers become fans when they move from consumption to participation. **Key claims:** - Fans are defined by **participation and dialogue**, not just reading. - Comics fandom predates the internet (letters pages, fanzines, conventions). - Fandom forms an **imagined community**. - Continuity functions as a shared language and social glue. - Fan practices exist in tension with copyright and publishing industries. - Not all readers are fans — and that distinction matters. **Why this matters:** - Centers readers as active agents rather than passive consumers. - Explains how fan cultures shape comics production and history. - Provides a framework for studying letters pages, fanzines, and conventions. </div> --- ## Week 1 Takeaway: What Are Comics *and* Who Are Comics Readers? <div class="fittext"> Across this week’s readings, comics are not treated as neutral texts or simple entertainment. Instead, comics are shaped by: - **Definitions and boundaries** What counts as a “comic book” is historically and culturally constructed (Hatfield). - **Childhood and regulation** Comics’ close association with children has produced anxiety, censorship, and moral oversight (Nel). - **Readers and participation** Readers and fans actively shape comics culture through participation, dialogue, and community (Duncan et al.). **Big idea:** To study comics seriously, we must study **readers, contexts, and practices**—not just stories or artwork. This course moves from: > **What comics and comics readers are** > to > **How scholars study readers, fans, and participatory cultures.** </div> --- ## [Case Study](https://scholarworks.iu.edu/iuswrrest/api/core/bitstreams/6a9df169-1505-40cd-a85d-2d0be24a7d73/content) [Teen humor and fashion comics (Katy Keene, Millie the Model, Misty) and reader participation](https://scholarworks.iu.edu/iuswrrest/api/core/bitstreams/6a9df169-1505-40cd-a85d-2d0be24a7d73/content) --- ## Research Approaches in This Course (Overview) <div class="fittext"> Over the semester, we will encounter multiple ways scholars study comics readers, fandom, and participation. These include: - **Ethnography / autoethnography** - **Critical making** - **Archival research** - **Content analysis** (e.g., NVivo) - **Corpus building and text analysis** - **Visualization** You will not be expected to use *all* of these. Different questions call for different approaches. We will return to these later, after we establish shared concepts and cases. </div> --- ## Looking Ahead: Week 2 — Fandom Studies Next week, we shift from *framing comics and readers* to *studying fandom as an object of research*. We will: - introduce **fan studies** as an academic field - explore key ideas such as **participatory culture** and **acafandom** - examine fandom in and beyond comics culture In class, you will: - interview a classmate about a fandom experience - reflect on fandom as **practice, community, and evidence** **Note**: Online discussion prompt due evening before class.