Editors: Stephen Connor (Nipissing University, Canada) and Harriet E.H. Earle (Sheffield Hallam University, UK)
This collection seeks chapters that explore the diverse history of war comics, with special focus on comics that deal with storylines about war and conflict from the First World War to the present. Though serialized war comics in a US American context have diminished in popularity since their ‘golden age’ in the late 1940s and early 1950s, narratives of war in comics form remain prevalent internationally and continue to intervene into both historiographies and popular culture representations of conflict. The rise of long-form comics, as well as the opening of the form to emerging creators and genres, has created a new space to engage with war and conflict on the comics page.
This edited collection will explore the ways in which war comics, popular culture, history, and historiography intersect: how is comics representing historical conflict events and to what end? To what extent can we use comics texts as historiography? What are the limitations of the comics form for discussing historical war and conflict events?
This collection looks to deepen our understanding of war comics and the ways in which warfare is represented and reflected on with this form. To this end, chapters exploring global conflicts and total war are particularly welcomed.
Chapter topics could include, but are not limited to:
- Methodologies for war comics and conflict representation
- Patriotism, heroism, and propaganda in war comics
- Moral dilemmas in war comics
- Combatants, veterans, and civilians in war comics
- Homecoming
- Post-war trauma, including PTSD and PTS
- Marginalized communities and perspectives in war comics
- Political ideologies and global conflicts
- War comics and public perception of armed conflicts
- Controversies and debates surrounding war comics
- Underground, alternative, and indie war comics
- War comics and diversity, identity, and social justice
All authors are welcome to submit abstracts: from PhD candidates and early career researchers to established academics.
Chapters should be 7000 words, inclusive of all notes and bibliography. All references should be presented in Chicago style.
Deadlines:
Abstracts of up to 300 words, with a biographical note of 150 words: 8th January 2024
Notification of abstract acceptance: 1st February 2024
Draft chapters due to editors: 1st June 2024
All documents should be submitted to the editors in Word Doc format by e-mail via BattlesLinesCollection@gmail.com.