MRU Library Website: English: Comics Studies

Find Scholarly Books and Journals about Comics Studies

Use MRU’s LibrarySearch (main search box, library homepage).

Try this basic search for "graphic novels" OR comic books
Add terms to the search that describe your topic/character/comic

E.g., women -- wimmen's -- superhero -- criticism -- 1970s etc.

Not all characters/comics/themes/issues will have been studied, you may need to improvise. Be prepared to broaden and narrow your search terms as needed.

Use one of the subject-specific journal databases below, focused on literary studies or education

MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
An index of journals, books and dissertations covering literature, language and linguistics, folklore, dramatic arts, printing and publishing, rhetoric, and composition.
Educational Resource Information Centre This link opens in a new window
The Educational Resource Information Centre provides full text for digests and indexes and educational journals.
Education Research Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Offers indexes and abstracts and select full text access for journals and books.

Find Credible, Non-Scholarly Sources

Use MRU Library's discovery tool, limiting to only newspapers and articles

- Good for content from higher quality magazines and news sources, and for film and comic reviews

Look for reputable popular publications freely available online.

- NY Times: Graphic Novel Section: articles and columns from a well respected print/online news source

- The Comics Journal: reviews, stories, interviews, and columns on comics, includes less traditional comic books and themes; published by non-traditional comic and graphic novel publisher, Fantagraphic Books

Google using advanced techniques

- comics morality site:edu

- allintitle:superhero psychology

Evaluating Information Sources

A few things to ask yourself as you evaluate information sources.

Author - Who wrote it? What qualifications does he/she have - academic? journalist? expert within the industry? comic fan? Who sponsors the site? Are they reputable?
Audience - Who is the source intended for - academics? other experts? comic fans? general public?
Purpose - What is the source intended to do - educate or inform you? entertain? sell you something (are there lots of advertisements)? persuade you?
Process - What generated the information - opinion? reporting? research?) and how can you tell? What steps has the information gone through - a spell check? editors? academic peer review? Is the information laid out professionally and free of errors?

Background Information

Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels by M. Keith Booker (Editor)
ISBN: 9780313357473
Publication Date: 2010-05-11
The most comprehensive reference ever compiled about the rich and enduring genre of comic books and graphic novels, from their emergence in the 1930s to their late-century breakout into the mainstream. * Includes over 330 entries on comic books and their creators * Presents the work of 80 contributors--accomplished academics and librarians who are also fans of comic books and graphic novels * Offers selected bibliographic listings with the entries * Provides a comprehensive index of artists, writers, works, characters, genres, and themes
Studying Comics and Graphic Novels by Karin Kukkonen
ISBN: 1118499875
Publication Date: 2013-06-25
This introduction to studying comics and graphic novels is a structured guide to a popular topic. It deploys new cognitive methods of textual analysis and features activities and exercises throughout. Deploys novel cognitive approaches to analyze the importance of psychological and physical aspects of reader experience Carefully structured to build a sequenced, rounded introduction to the subject Includes study activities, writing exercises, and essay topics throughout Dedicated chapters cover popular sub-genres such as autobiography and literary adaptation

Comic Book Research Journals

Search within a specific scholarly journal from the field of comic books studies:

Cite Sources

Cite Sources: MRU guides for MLA and APA style

Citing Comics in MLA Style

See graphic novel examples A7 and A8 on page 10 of the MLA handout above.
See Academy of Art University's advice on graphic novels and comic strips.
See MLA's advice for citing specific panels in a comic.

Citing Comics in APA Style

The APA manual does not give specific guidelines for comics or graphic novels
See the APA Style Blog for this helpful advice (look for the Watchmen example)

Chris Thomas

Contact:

Email: cmthomas@mtroyal.ca
Phone: 403.440.8501
Office: EL4423E