Course detail

Comics – History and Present - winter

FaVU-KOHISO-ZAcad. year: 2020/2021

The lectures follow the history of the comic from the second half of the 19th century to the present. They represent important realizations in economic conditions, social circumstances and the political context of their origin, along with critical and theoretical reflection. Lectures are accompanied by examples in digital form and examples of printed periodicals.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

MgA. Pavel Ryška, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Art History and Theory (KTDU)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Students acquire basic knowledge about the development of comics from the first comic strips in humorous magazines to contemporary graphic novels. They will be able to recognize significant realizations, understand the context and links between sequential stories, animated film, literature, and visual arts.

Prerequisites

Students should have general knowledge of visual arts history.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Lectures accompanied by projections of digitized comics, examples of original prints (newspapers, albums, books etc.) and reading key passages from important theoretical and critical texts.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

Exam - written test.

Course curriculum

1. Cartoon, illustration and narration
19th century readers, spectators and graphic arts. George Cruikshank: Comic Almanacs. Rodolphe Töppfer: La littérature en estampes. Wilhelm Busch: Bilderbogen. Problems of searching for "comics predecessors". Visual humor and satire in albums and illustrated magazines. E. H. Gombrich: Cartoon Experiment.

2. Yellow journalism
W. R. Hearst vs. Joseph Pulitzer. Humorous newspapers, advertising and comic strip at the end of the 19th century. Phonographic paradigm. Phonography (shorthand), phonographs and speech balloons. R. F. Outcault. Rudolph Dirks. F. B. Opper. Bud Fischer.

3. Nightmares and day dreams
American comics from the 20's and 30's. Winsor McCay. George Herriman. Lyonel Feininger. Comics as a model of film animations.

4. From the newspaper strip to the album
Collection of newspaper strips. Funnies on Parade. European comic books. Georges Remi (Hergé): The Adventures of Tintin.

5. Seduction of innocents
Superheroes, detective and horror comics of the 40's and 50's. Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster: Superman. Bob Cane: Batman. Superhuman and non-human characters in modern mythology. Critical responses in the American press. Comics Code: establishment of censorship in USA. The practice of censorship in Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc.

6. The Silver Age of Comic Books (American comics of the 1960s)
Marvel Comics: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko. Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man. X-Men. Consequences of censorship.

7. Comix
Parody and paraphrase of newspaper strips. Tijuana Bibles. American Comic Underground of the 1960s and 1970s. MAD. Harvey Kurtzman, Basil Wolverton. Robert Crumb.

8. Manga
Narrative images in Japan. Japanese Modernists: Rakuten Kitazawa, Saseo Ono. Japanese comics after 1945. Mangaka Osama Tezuka. Entertainment industry of the 1980s. Katsuhiro Otomo: Akira. Reflections of Japanese Popular Culture: Takeshi Murakami and Superflat.

9. Semiotics and System of Comics
Will Eisner. Comics and Sequential Art. Film metaphors in Comics theory. Umberto Eco: Apocalypse Postponed. Scott McCloud: Understanding Comics. Thierry Groensteen: The System of Comics.

10. Graphic novels
From narrative picture series to "graphic novels". W. Hogarth: Harlot's Progress. Rodolphe Töpffer: Histoire de M. Vieux Bois. Frans Masereel: Mon livre d'heures.
Will Eisner. Art Spiegelman. Osamu Tezuka. David B. Frank Miller. Alan Moore.

11. Comics in Czechoslovakia
Cartoons and pictorial stories. Kája Saudek. Vlastislav Toman. Václav Šorel, František Kobík: Vzpoura mozků (The rebellion of Brains).

12. Unpopular culture
Comics albums and books in the 1990s. L'Association, Small Press, La Nouvelle Bande Dessinée. Fantagraphics. Chris Ware: Acme Novelty Library. Comics without recitatives and dialogues. Jean Giraud (Moebius). Jim Wodring: The Frank Book.

13. Infinite Canvas
Online comics. Realization, publishing and distribution of digital formats. Scott McCloud: Reinventing Comics.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The aim of theseries of lectures is to acquaint students with the history and the contemporary form of sequential narratives – comic strips, albums or graphic novels.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Lectures are optional.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Not applicable.

Type of course unit

Lecture

26 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

MgA. Pavel Ryška, Ph.D.

VUT

Faculties

University Institutes

Parts

Comics – History and Present - winter

Type of course unit