Social Sciences/Literature Comics in Social Context 2/7/22

Comics: Thinking Beyond the Inking

Comics have captured the hearts and minds (and funny bones) of people across the world. From Captain America to underground comix, writers and illustrators have used comics to inspire readers and set their minds thinking. But what stories do they really tell? What kicked off the American love of superheroes? What do we notice in the world around us that we see in the Sunday funnies? And what do they teach us about each other? Join cartoonist Claire Tomasi as she explores the comic’s social impact and public reception in America across the ages from the comic strips of the 1910s to the comics Golden Age in the 1930s and ’40s, followed by the rise of the 1980s underground comics, and finally to modern comic marvels and where they go from here. Discover how imagination with a touch of reality inspires generations of writers to build the comics we love. Plus, learn to read between the brush strokes in an exploration of color symbolism, character design, writing style and story content in relation to the comic’s place in history. Tomasi says, “As comic creators hold a mirror to humanity in doodles and ink spots, we as readers look on these works and are shown not just a superhero tale, but a story of the human experience.”

Three Zoom sessions

Mon., Feb. 7, 14, 21, 2021, 6:30–8:30 pm MT ENRICH 0587 / $105

Claire Tomasi is a writer, cartoonist and educator from Columbia Teachers College. She holds an MFA in comics and an MA in the teaching of English. She is scheduled to present lectures on comics at several colleges including Kenyon College, the California College of the Arts and Waseda University. Her graphic novel Rugby Queen is anticipated in 2022.