Comics Arts Conference
Encyclopedia
The Comics Arts Conference (CAC), also known as the Comic Arts Conference, is an academic conference held in conjunction with both the annual Comic-Con International
in San Diego, California
, and WonderCon
in San Francisco. Founded in 1992
by Henderson State University
communications professor Randy Duncan and Michigan State University
graduate student Peter Coogan
(author of the book Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre), the Comic(s) Arts Conference brings together scholars, professionals, critics, industry professionals, and historians who study comics
seriously as a medium.
in San Diego as part of that year's Comic-Con International. CAC's inaugural programming featured presentations on Tijuana bible
s, The Role of the Indian in the Western Comic Book, and Coogan's opinion of The Present State of Comics Scholarship. Highlights included Duncan's lecture on Applying Rhetorical Methodologies to the Study of Comics with highly-acclaimed comics professional Will Eisner
and noted comics scholar Scott McCloud
as respondents. Comics creator Leonard Rifas presented a talk on Fredric Wertham
, to which Steve Bissette and Robert C. Harvey responded.
Over time, CAC has evolved and expanded, introducing seminars, poster sessions, and roundtable discussions on topics ranging from the superhero
genre as a whole to specific stories or characters. CAC's location originally alternated between San Diego's Comic-Con
International (1992, 1993, and 1996) and the Chicago Comicon (now known as Wizardworld Chicago) in 1994 and 1995 before a 1997 hiatus, then becoming permanently attached to the San Diego Comic-Con as an official part of the international convention in 1998. The Comics Arts Conference expanded in 2007 when it began to meet twice annually, adding sessions at February's WonderCon in San Francisco in addition to July's Comic-Con. The WonderCon conference was repeated in February, 2008, and is intended as a move toward permanently running the conference semi-annually.
Presentations include academic papers as well as less formal panels, poster sessions, and slide talks. CAC encourages professional debate by inviting scholars and professionals to participate as respondents to presentations. Papers and respondents come from a range of backgrounds, perspectives, and disciplines taking either a critical or historical perspective on any aspects of comics. Even university students, both undergraduates and graduate students supervised by their professors, have collected data on Comic-Con and WonderCon fan behaviors in order to present their findings at CAC and presented their efforts in comics creation.
and a presentation by noted professional Steve Bissette entitled Journey into Fear: The History and Heritage of the Horror Comic. It also saw a preview by Scott McCloud
of his then-up-coming masterwork Understanding Comics
.
Eisner and McCloud became semi-regular attendees in subsequent years, including 2002 when they joined Robert C. Harvey for the tenth-anniversary Comic Arts Conference in a wide-ranging discussion entitled Eisner, Harvey, and McCloud Ten Years Later: The Dialogue Continues. Over the years, other noted industry professionals who have taken part include Jessica Abel
, Donna Barr
, Kurt Busiek
, Adrianne Curry, Steve Englehart
, Michael Eury, Danny Fingeroth
, Rick Geary
, Katrina Hill, Phil Jiminez, Michael William Kaluta
, Arie Kaplan
, Barbara Kesel
, Chip Kidd
, Clare Kramer
, Alex Langley, Nick Langley, Hope Larson
, Paul Levitz
, Steve Lieber
, Marjorie Liu
, Jean-Marc Lofficier
, Jay Lynch
, Heidi MacDonald, Lee Meriwether
, Cindy Morgan
, Dennis O'Neil
, David Peterson
, Jerry Robinson
, Trina Robbins
, Peter Sanderson
, J. Michael Straczynski
, Michael Uslan
, Rick Veitch
, Mark Waid
, Len Wein
, Adam West
, and E. Paul Zehr
. The conference is held concurrently with the international comic book convention in order to facilitate comic book professionals' involvement.
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and WonderCon
WonderCon
WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and motion picture convention, held in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1987.The convention was conceived by retailer John Barrett and originally held in the Oakland Convention Center, where it remained until 2003, when it moved to San...
in San Francisco. Founded in 1992
1992 in comics
-Year overall:* Image Comics explodes onto the scene, releasing eight ongoing and limited series, starting with Youngblood in April; followed by Spawn in May; Savage Dragon in July; and Brigade, Shadowhawk, and WildC.A.T.S. in August....
by Henderson State University
Henderson State University
Henderson State University, founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, is a four-year public liberal arts university located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, United States. It is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges...
communications professor Randy Duncan and Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
graduate student Peter Coogan
Peter Coogan
Dr. Peter M. Coogan is the director of the Institute for Comics Studies and co-founder and co-chair of the Comic Arts Conference, which runs during the San Diego Comic-Con International and San Francisco WonderCon.-Biography:...
(author of the book Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre), the Comic(s) Arts Conference brings together scholars, professionals, critics, industry professionals, and historians who study comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
seriously as a medium.
History
The Comic(s) Arts Conference first convened on August 12, 1992, at the Marriott Hotel and MarinaMarriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
in San Diego as part of that year's Comic-Con International. CAC's inaugural programming featured presentations on Tijuana bible
Tijuana bible
Tijuana bibles were pornographic comic books produced in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1960s. Their popularity peaked during the Great Depression era...
s, The Role of the Indian in the Western Comic Book, and Coogan's opinion of The Present State of Comics Scholarship. Highlights included Duncan's lecture on Applying Rhetorical Methodologies to the Study of Comics with highly-acclaimed comics professional Will Eisner
Will Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
and noted comics scholar Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud is an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium...
as respondents. Comics creator Leonard Rifas presented a talk on Fredric Wertham
Fredric Wertham
Fredric Wertham was a Jewish German-American psychiatrist and crusading author who protested the purportedly harmful effects of violent imagery in mass media and comic books on the development of children. His best-known book was Seduction of the Innocent , which purported that comic books are...
, to which Steve Bissette and Robert C. Harvey responded.
Over time, CAC has evolved and expanded, introducing seminars, poster sessions, and roundtable discussions on topics ranging from the superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
genre as a whole to specific stories or characters. CAC's location originally alternated between San Diego's Comic-Con
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
International (1992, 1993, and 1996) and the Chicago Comicon (now known as Wizardworld Chicago) in 1994 and 1995 before a 1997 hiatus, then becoming permanently attached to the San Diego Comic-Con as an official part of the international convention in 1998. The Comics Arts Conference expanded in 2007 when it began to meet twice annually, adding sessions at February's WonderCon in San Francisco in addition to July's Comic-Con. The WonderCon conference was repeated in February, 2008, and is intended as a move toward permanently running the conference semi-annually.
Presentations
To addition to invited speakers, the conference accepts submissions from anyone in the form of on a wide variety of topics. CAC organizers seek proposals from a broad range of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives, welcoming the participation of academic, independent, and fan scholars. They welcome professionals from all areas of the comics industry, including creators, editors, publishers, retailers, distributors, and journalists.Presentations include academic papers as well as less formal panels, poster sessions, and slide talks. CAC encourages professional debate by inviting scholars and professionals to participate as respondents to presentations. Papers and respondents come from a range of backgrounds, perspectives, and disciplines taking either a critical or historical perspective on any aspects of comics. Even university students, both undergraduates and graduate students supervised by their professors, have collected data on Comic-Con and WonderCon fan behaviors in order to present their findings at CAC and presented their efforts in comics creation.
Past participants
The open conference includes academically minded historians and chroniclers as well as noted writers, artists and other professionals from within the comics industry. In The first conference, in 1992, featured contributions from the Will EisnerWill Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
and a presentation by noted professional Steve Bissette entitled Journey into Fear: The History and Heritage of the Horror Comic. It also saw a preview by Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud is an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium...
of his then-up-coming masterwork Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art is a 215-page non-fiction comic book, written and drawn by Scott McCloud and originally published in 1993. It explores the definition of comics, the historical development of the medium, its fundamental vocabulary, and various ways in which these elements...
.
Eisner and McCloud became semi-regular attendees in subsequent years, including 2002 when they joined Robert C. Harvey for the tenth-anniversary Comic Arts Conference in a wide-ranging discussion entitled Eisner, Harvey, and McCloud Ten Years Later: The Dialogue Continues. Over the years, other noted industry professionals who have taken part include Jessica Abel
Jessica Abel
Jessica Abel is an American comic book writer and artist, known as the creator of such works as Life Sucks, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, Soundtrack, La Perdida, Mirror, Window, Radio: An Illustrated Guide , and the omnibus series Artbabe.Abel has stated that her major work is not...
, Donna Barr
Donna Barr
Donna Barr is an American comic book author and cartoonist.She was born in Everett, Washington, the second child in a family of six siblings....
, Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
, Adrianne Curry, Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American novelist. In his earlier career he was a comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s...
, Michael Eury, Danny Fingeroth
Danny Fingeroth
Daniel "Danny" Fingeroth is an American comic book writer and editor, better known for a long stint as group editor of the Spider-Man books at Marvel Comics.-Career:...
, Rick Geary
Rick Geary
Rick Geary is an American cartoonist and illustrator.-Biography:Rick Geary was born on February 25, 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri. Geary was initially introduced to comics readers with his contributions to the Heavy Metal and National Lampoon magazines...
, Katrina Hill, Phil Jiminez, Michael William Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta
Michael William Kaluta, sometimes credited as Mike Kaluta or Michael Wm. Kaluta , is an American comic book artist and writer.-Early life:Born in Guatemala to U.S...
, Arie Kaplan
Arie Kaplan
Arie Kaplan is a writer and comedian. He is the author of the book Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed!, and a writer for MAD Magazine. He lives in New York City.-Early life:Kaplan attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University...
, Barbara Kesel
Barbara Kesel
Barbara Randall Kesel is an American writer and editor of comic books; her bibliography includes work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Crossgen, Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics.-Biography:...
, Chip Kidd
Chip Kidd
Chip Kidd is an American author, editor, and graphic designer, best known for his book covers.- Early life :Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up in the Reading suburb of Shillington, strongly influenced by American popular culture...
, Clare Kramer
Clare Kramer
Clare Elizabeth Kramer is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Glory, the main villain in Season 5 of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.-Early life:...
, Alex Langley, Nick Langley, Hope Larson
Hope Larson
Hope Raue Larson is an American illustrator and cartoonist. Her main field is graphic novels.-Biography:Larson is of German and Swedish descent. She grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and attendedCarolina Day School...
, Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he has worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles...
, Steve Lieber
Steve Lieber
Steve Lieber is a comic-book illustrator. His best known work includes runs on Detective Comics and Hawkman, the graphic novel Whiteout and its Eisner Award-winning sequel, Whiteout: Melt. He is also the co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel.-Early life:Lieber was...
, Marjorie Liu
Marjorie Liu
Marjorie M. Liu is a New York Times best-selling author of paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels and comic books. Her novels include the 2005 paranormal romance Tiger Eye. Her comics work includes a number Marvel Comics series related to the X-Men and Wolverine, including NYX, X-23 and Dark...
, Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier .-Biography:Jean-Marc Lofficier was born in Toulon, France in 1954...
, Jay Lynch
Jay Lynch
Jay Lynch is an American cartoonist who played a key role in the underground comix movement with his Bijou Funnies and other titles. His work is sometimes signed Jayzey Lynch. He has contributed to Mad, and in 2008, he expanded into the children's book field.-Early life and career:Born in Orange,...
, Heidi MacDonald, Lee Meriwether
Lee Meriwether
Lee Ann Meriwether is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the 1955 Miss America pageant. She is perhaps best known for her role as Betty Jones, the crime-solving partner in the long-running 1970s crime drama, Barnaby Jones. The role earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations in...
, Cindy Morgan
Cindy Morgan
Cindy Morgan is an American actress best known for her appearances as Lora/Yori in Tron and Lacey Underall in Caddyshack.-Biography:...
, Dennis O'Neil
Dennis O'Neil
Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil is an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement....
, David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
, Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson is an American comic book artist best known for his work on DC Comics' Batman line of comics during the 1940s.He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004.-Career:...
, Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins
Trina Robbins is an American comics artist and writer. She was an early and influential participant in the underground comix movement, and one of the few female artists in underground comix when she started. Both as a cartoonist and historian, Robbins has long been involved in creating outlets for...
, Peter Sanderson
Peter Sanderson
Peter John Sanderson, Jr. is a comic book critic and historian, as well as an instructor/lecturer in the New York area concerning the study of graphic novels/comic books as literature....
, J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
, Michael Uslan
Michael Uslan
Michael E. Uslan is the originator of the Batman movies and was the first instructor to teach "Comic Book Folklore" at an accredited university...
, Rick Veitch
Rick Veitch
Richard "Rick" Veitch is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked in mainstream, underground, and alternative comics.-Early career:...
, Mark Waid
Mark Waid
Mark Waid is an American comic book writer. He is well known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America...
, Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
, Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
, and E. Paul Zehr
E. Paul Zehr
E. Paul Zehr is a Canadian professor of kinesiology and neuroscience at the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada. He is well known for his work in the neural control of human locomotion—particularly how the arms and legs interact during walking—and neural plasticity associated with...
. The conference is held concurrently with the international comic book convention in order to facilitate comic book professionals' involvement.