Capes and Tights, Caps and Gowns

 

panel by Travis Langley & Randy Duncan

with respondent Danny Fingeroth

 

Abstract

 

Drs. Travis Langley and Randy Duncan (Henderson State University) present their students' work in comics creation and fan research, with Superman on the Couch author and former Spider-Man editor Danny Fingeroth providing response. Part I: Comics Creation. In "The Workday Comic: Not Just One Third of a 24-Hour Comic," Nick Langley describes how students adapted Scott McCloud's 24-Hour Comics challenge to an academic setting. Cover artist Nicole Smith and other student creators elaborate. Part II: The ERIICA Project. Justin Poole introduces their line of empirical research on the interpretation and influence of the comic arts. (1) "Who Wants to Analyze a Superhero?" by Mark Head, Robert O'Nale, and Erica Ash: Personality tests correlate how fans view themselves, their favorite characters, and their fellow human beings. (2) "Home Is Where the Hulk Is": Thomas Sepe, Tommy Cash, and Katrina Hill review findings that convention attendance bolsters fans' self-esteem. (3) "Desperately Seeking Blair Butler": Carly L. Cate, Alex Langley, and Justin Poole report on a year-long series of interviews with industry professionals, fans, and professional fans regarding changes in fan behavior.

 

Capes and Tights, Caps and Gowns

 

Henderson State University, a public liberal arts university in southern Arkansas, offers a variety of courses, resources, and experiences for students interested in studying comics.

 

Courses

 

Offered bi-annually, the university's Comics as Communication course engages students in historical examination and critical analysis of the unique blend of verbal and visual communication elements juxtaposed in sequence. The course is designed to help students appreciate the diversity and potential of the comic book/graphic novel medium, understand, comic books/graphic novels as a unique medium of communication, discover the governing principles of comic books/graphic novels as an art form, apply knowledge of the medium to the creation of comic books/graphic novels, analyze the role of comic books/graphic novels in American society and culture, and evaluate works of the comic book/graphic novel medium.

 

Part classroom seminar and part field research, the course Comics and Psychology introduces students to both subjective and objective methods for exploring the structure, function, and psychological value of comic books and graphic novels. Students construct detailed character analyses which include examination of archetypes, development, personality, mental illness, social interaction, conflicts, and motivation, and present these analyses at one or more academic conferences (e.g., Leach, 2008; Schimenti, 2008; Vincent, 2008).

 

Students have earned special topics course credit for Comics Research and Fan Research by collecting interview and survey data at Wizard World, WonderCon, and Comic-Con International. Other courses of interest to comics studies students include Vampire Literature, Movie Appreciation, Psychology in Film, The Big Idea, and a variety of relevant art courses.

 

Resources

 

The university's Huie Library houses a graphic novel collection in its Eisner Reading Room, named for the acclaimed comics innovator Will Eisner, also houses a graphic novel collection. The library also holds the Stephen R. Bissette Collection, an archive with personal letters, communications, scripts, comics, and other artifacts from Stephen Bissette. The collection charts Bissette's independent publishing ventures, his work drawing Swamp Thing during writer Alan Moore's run on the series, his experiences as an educator for the Center for Cartoon Studies.

 

Comics industry professional like Steve Bissette, Scott McCloud and others have visited Henderson, meeting with students and making presentations for the community. McCloud's visit inspired the student's most ambitious comics creation project, The Workday Comic. In addition to providing funds to support visits by professionals such as David Mack, Henderson also has an Undergraduate Research Fund which has provided supplies for special projects and supported students' travel to comic book conventions and academic conferences.

 

Other Opportunities

 

Students have conducted research at numerous comic book conventions like Wizard World Texas and presented their work at Comics Arts Conference meetings at WonderCon in San Francisco (Cate & Shurtleff, 2008; Langley & Hill, 2008; Langley & Poole, 2008; O'Nale, 2008; Sepe & Head, 2008) and Comic-Con International in San Diego. HSU communication professor Randy Duncan originally co-founded the Comics Arts Conference with then-graduate student Peter Coogan, who now directs the Institute for Comics Studies, and is co-authoring a scholarly book in comics studies with Wittenberg University professor Matthew Smith (Duncan & Smith, in press).

 

Henderson students also get opportunities to present their comics research and analyses at academic convention unrelated to comics conventions, such as the annual meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association. Each year, the university hosts the Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference where students get experience making panel and poster presentations. This undergraduate meeting has also convened jointly with the Arkansas Academy of Science, providing additional chances for students to present their work (Cate, Langley, Poole, & Langley, 2008; O'Nale, Ash, Poole, Sepe, Muasau, & Langley, 2008).

 

In 2006, a group of Henderson students toured DC Comics and met for some time with Paul Levitz, DC's president and publisher. One Henderson student journeyed to one end of the country and then to the other for comics studies in July of 2007 by going to White River Junction, Vermont, to participate in a summer workshop at the Center for Cartoon Studies and then heading to San Diego for Comic-Con where he conducted ethnographic research in conjunction with a Wittenberg University field study in popular culture (Langley, Andrada, Catalfu, Combs, Geranios, Moran, & Stover, 2007).

 

At this year's Comic-Con, the Henderson comics studies students have continued collecting data and present a panel on their work in both comics creation and fan research.

 

Part I. Comics Creation

 

The Workday Comic: Not Just One Third of a 24-Hour Comic

presented by Nick Langley and Nicole Smith

 

Renowned comics theorist Scott McCloud's 24-Hour Comics project has challenged both professional creators and interested amateurs each to create a 24-page sequential art story, scripted, drawn, lettered, and inked all within 24 continuous hours. Beginning with A Day's Work (McCloud, 1990) and A Life in Black and White (Bissette, 1990), the challenge grew and transformed, inspiring 24-Hour Plays, Animation, and Website projects, as well as 48-Hours Films. Hundreds of cartoonists have contributed efforts during years since. Collections of the best began with the eventual publication, 24 Hour Comics (McCloud, 2004), which McCloud discussed in a session at Henderson State University (McCloud, 2007).

 

Inspired by McCloud's visit, our students developed their own spin-off project by adapting the 24-Hour Comics challenge to an academic setting as The Workday Comic. Faculty in Art, English, Communication and Theatre Arts, Psychology, and the Huie Library contributed assistance with input, facilities, and other resources. In this project, participating Henderson State University student writers and artists, working individually or in pairs, each created 8-page or longer comics in 8 hours. For our panel presentation, the project editor and cover artist outline the challenges involved in organizing the Workday Comic Project and discusses examples of the final products, while addressing both practical and creative issues in terms of collaboration, diversity of perspectives, and innovation through mutual appropriation. Emerging from this enterprise, four of the students have evolved their creations into webcomics and created their own website featuring their cartoons along with a line of merchandise at Cafe Press.

 

The students have now completed the Workday Comic for a second year in a row. The first anthology is available through the printer, comixpress.com, and the second year's collection is in press. For more information, see Nick Langley's separate report, "The Workday Comic: Not Just One Third of a 24-Hour Comic."

 

Part II. Comics Research

 

The ERIICA Project:

Empirical Research on the Interpretation and Influence of the Comic Arts

introduced by Justin Poole

 

In Superman on the Couch (2004), former Marvel Comics writer and editor Danny Fingeroth observed that despite decades of discussion and public concern over how comics influence people, mental health professionals have written very little on the topic – a notable exception being psychiatrist Fredric Wertham (1954) whose book Seduction of the Innocent warned that comic books caused juvenile delinquency despite the lack of empirical evidence to back him up. Empirical research on comics' influence can be difficult to perform, perhaps impossible at the societal level due to the complexity and multitude of variables influencing people's lives. Due to the dearth of empirical evidence, the ERIICA Project (Empirical Research on the Interpretation and Influence of the Comic Arts) has embarked upon a series of studies aimed at filling the scientific void.

 

Prison inmates, university graduate and undergraduate students, respondents recruited online, and individuals attending science fiction and comic book conventions provided information through interviews, surveys, personality inventories, and observation. Structured interviews with fans and professionals explored the personal rewards derived from fan activities and how fan behavior has changed over time. More than 500 volunteers rated themselves and their perceptions of others by completing previously validated and standardized inventories which measure five orthogonal trait clusters known as the "Big Five" personality factors. Numerous significant findings were obtained, including results showing that individuals with greater emotional stability rated real people as well as fictional characters more realistically, especially when they received the version of the forms in which they also indicated how they expected someone with ideal mental health to answer.

 

Who Wants to Analyze a Superhero?

presented by Mark Head, Robert O'Nale, & Erica Ash

 

In one of studies, we examine correlations between comics fans' and non-fans' views of their own personalities, how they perceive fictional characters, and what they think their fellow human beings are really like. Participants included volunteers recruited from populations of university students, online message board respondents, and people waiting in convention lines. Depending on research condition, each rated themselves and others by filling out the BAP! (Batman Assessment of Personality), the OCEAN 8, or both, each of which measures personality according to five universal personality factors.

 

Various significant findings were obtained, including results showing that individuals with greater emotional stability rated their favorite characters and other people more realistically, especially when they received the version of the forms in which they also indicated how they expected someone with ideal mental health to answer. Data analysis is ongoing, however, as we continue to gather information. We previously gathered data from people attending WonderCon in February and the Slayage Conference of the Whedonverses in June, and are collecting more this month at Comic-Con.

 

Home Is Where the Hulk Is: Comic Book Convention Bolsters Fans' Self-Esteem

presented by Thomas Sepe, Thomas Cash, and Katrina Hill

 

Through reinforcing consumer behaviors and interactions with individuals who share similar interests, conventions can facilitate feelings of self-worth among fans of comics, fantasy, science fiction, and other specialized genres. Convention experiences can prove especially beneficial for those who may feel isolated or outcast in many areas of their lives. A fan convention should bolster their self-esteem by providing an environment where they feel less stigmatized, an environment that not only accepts their interests but actually celebrates them. Our team of researchers assessed 332 volunteers' positive life views by administering the 30-item Personal/Intrapersonal Experience Report (PIER), a previously validated and standardized measure of optimism, life satisfaction, assertiveness, self-esteem, extraversion, and emotional stability. We recruited volunteers from university students, online message board respondents, inmates at a medium security prison, and people waiting in convention lines.

 

We make comparisons between groups and over time, particularly noting how positive outlook varies before, during, and after attending a convention. We consider these findings in terms of relative deprivation, cognitive dissonance, schedules of reinforcement, escalation of commitment, and social equity theory. Data analysis is in progress. So far, some surprises have emerged, such as the fact that prison inmates rated Batman, a fictional crimefighter, as being more emotionally stable than college students or comics fans rated him (Muasau, 2008).

 

Desperately Seeking Blair Butler:

Findings from Interviews with Professionals, Fans, & Professional Fans

by Carly L. Cate, Alex Langley, & Justin Poole

 

In a year-long series of interviews, members of our research team spoke with industry professionals, fans, and professional fans at Comic-Con International and Wizard World Texas in 2007, followed by WonderCon and the Slayage Conference on the Whedonverses in 2008 and bookending the year with another round of interviews throughout the 2008 Comic-Con.

 

When interviewing the professionals and the professional fans, we ask 2-6 questions, depending on how much time the individual seems ready to spare.

 

• What surprises you about fan behavior?
• How has fan behavior changed over time?
• What would you like to see fans do more of?
• What would you like to see them do less of?
• Sometimes some fans can be rude. How do you deal with that?
• At this point in your career, when do you find yourself acting or feeling like a fan?

 

Fans answered questions about their own behavior and provided observations of their fellow fans, discussing the personal rewards that they derive from fan activities. We also examine professional fans, those individuals who make their living from fan activities such as interviewing the kind of people of whom they are fans.

 

Future

 

Comics creation at HSU will continue. Having done the Workday Comic project twice and produced three issues of material, the students plan to continue this as an annual activity. They hope to involve additional universities and, in 2010, produce a trade paperback collection.

 

The research program should only grow larger. The need is great. New studies include examining ingroup salience because even though attending a fan convention should bolster fans' self-esteem, it should also increase consciousness of the qualities which make them fans and therefore the qualities which may alienate some from non-fans.

 

Clearly this is not a report of our completed research findings. Rather, it is a report of our work in progress. Data collection continues. Data entry may prove more time consuming than its collection. Analysis and writeup of each separate study's results will follow. In the upcoming year, we will submit these studies for professional journal publication, after which we will apply for a grant from outside our university to support the project's growth.
 

References

 

Bissette, S. (1990). A life in black and white. In S. McCloud (ed.) (2004), 24 Hour Comics, pp. 1-26.

 

Cate, C. L, Langley, N., Poole, J, & Langley, T. (2008, April). Home is where the Hulk is: Comic book convention bolsters fans’ self esteem. Presented at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Academy of Science. Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

 

Cate, C. L., & Shurtleff, J. (2008, February). Waiting for no one, part 2: Temporal distortion and goal devaluation. Presented at the Comics Arts Conference, WonderCon. San Francisco, California.

 

Duncan, R., & Smith, M. (in press). The power of comics: An introduction to graphic storytelling. New York: Continuum Books.

 

Langley, A., & Hill, K. (2008, February). Waiting for no one, part 1: Identifying the rewards. Presented at the Comics Arts Conference, WonderCon. San Francisco, California.

 

Langley, N., Andrada, M., Catalfu, C., Combs, W. S., Geranios, P., Moran, J. K., & Stover, K. (2007, July). The culture of popular things: Ethnographic examinations of Comic-Con 2007, panel discussion led by M. J. Smith with respondent M. Pustz. Presented at the Comics Arts Conference, Comic-Con International. San Diego, California.

 

Langley, N., & Poole. (2008, February). Who wants to analyze a superhero? Presented at the Comics Arts Conference, WonderCon. San Francisco, California.

 

Leach, A. (2008, April). This cat has two lives – that's all she needs: A psychological analysis of Catwoman. Presented at the Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference. Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

 

McCloud, S. (1990). A day's work. Retrieved March 1, 2007, from http://www.scottmccloud.com/inventions/24hr/first/00-cover.html.

 

McCloud (2007, February). An informal evening with Scott McCloud. Presentation at Henderson State University. Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

 

Muasau, S. (2008, April). Batman behind bars: Simultaneous vs. sequential assessment of inmates' and students' life views. Presented at the Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference. Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

 

O'Nale, R. O. (2008, February). Eisner, Kirby, Barks . . . Al Hartley? Presented at the Comics Arts Conference, WonderCon. San Francisco, California.

 

O’Nale, R., Ash, E., Head, M., Sepe, T., Muasau, S., & Langley, T. (2008, April). The ERIICA Project: Empirical Research on the Interpretation & Influence of the Comic Arts. Presented at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Academy of Science. Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

 

Schimenti, D. (2008, April). Forged in hellfire: An analysis of Todd McFarlane's Spawn. Presented at the Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference. Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

 

Sepe, T., & Head, M. (2008, February). There's no place like Oz: Comic book convention bolsters fans' self-esteem. Presented at the Comics Arts Conference, WonderCon. San Francisco, California.

 

Vincent, B. (2008, February). The Punisher's war: With them or himself? Presented at the Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference. Arkadelphia, Arkansas.