Although research has previously connected comic books and national ideology, there has yet to be a study examining the role of villains in this relationship. By analyzing representations of evil and villainy in the long-running series Captain America and understanding them in light of the model of the circuit of culture, the transforming imaginary space of the American nation can be traced.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the international political events and commentary presented in five comic strips from 1940 to 1970. The investigation focused on the narratives, individual episodes and characterizations presented in the strips. The research was taken from approximately 51,000 strips over the thirty year period. Four of the strips used in the study covered the entire period, and included: Li'l Abner - Al Capp, Little Orphan Annie - Harold Gray, Smilin' Jack - Zack Mosley, and Terr and the Pirates - Milton Caniff (1940-47) and George Wunder (1947-1970). One strip, Pogo, drawn by Walt Kelly, was available only from 1950-70.The three decade period was utilized in order to study a sufficient number of strips so the cartoonists' ideas and attitudes could be understood. The time period selected was a volatile period in international affairs in which the United States played a major role. The investigation concentrates on two major areas of international politics: World War II and the cold war era. The study reveals that the cartoonists in portraying these two major found events used their medium not only for entertainment but to support the United States in its international activities.In addition they used international political affairs and events as sources of information to draw action stories and make political statements. In this vein, World War II offered a great opportunity for the cartoonists. The narratives presented in the strips offered constant reminders of the war in Europe and Asia, and engendered American support for the war effort. The authors pushed American values and democratic principles while formulating a negative image of the Axis leaders and military. In this way, the cartoonists used their medium to propagandize their readers into full support for the war.During the cold war era, the cartoonists again in international affairs a rich source of information for their stories. The strips portrayed the intense rivalry of the cold war conflict initially focusing on the Soviet Union. Narratives were included which depicted the Soviet leaders negatively, especially Premier Nikita Khrushchev. The Russian people, Soviet life and Communism in general were also represented in the strips in a disreputable fashion. In addition, the vigorous competition of the arms and space races were depicted in the strips.The other major nation of the cold war, which the cartoonists characterized in their strips, was China. The authors wrote stories about the civil war in China and obviously supported the Nationalists. After the Nationalists were exiled to Formosa, the narratives focused on the People's Republic of China. The stories depicted the Chinese Communists' methods of governing and their leadership, especially Mao Tse-tung. The propaganda efforts of the Chinese Communists were frequently represented in the strips as well as the attempts to expand their influence in the Pacific area. In addition, the Sino-Soviet split was included, with the cartoonists' portraying the Chinese attempting to take over the leadership of the Communist world from the Soviets.The cartoonists also used their strips to convey information, ideas, and opinions about the third world areas of Vietnam, Latin America and the Middle East. With Vietnam, the stories centered on the war, while the authors represented the Vietcong and North Vietnamese as evil and detestable people. The influence of the Vietnamese war on the American political scene was also considered. In their narratives about Latin America, the cartoonists illustrated the area in terms of revolution, corruption and smuggling. Communism and Fidel Castro's Cuba were frequently used in the strips. Communism and oil were the two major themes the cartoonists used in the strips that dealt with the Middle East.This study presents a narrative of the strips with an analysis of the cartoonists' aims, objectives, and opinions. The work also contains an annotated bibliography.

The purpose of this study is to analyze how and why Kelly initially began interjecting political satire into his comic strip Pogo and how he was able to avoid being blacklisted during the time of the Red Scare. The scope of this study includes a history of the medium, a biography of the author, and a discussion of humor as a means of dissent and personal artistry. The methodology uses both historical documentation and semiotic analysis of Kelly’s work from high school, the Disney studios, The New York Star and Pogo. Case studies include gender racial, and political analysis. The findings resulted from an analysis of the archive. Conclusions reached were that Kelly’s work created a new form of political dissent that was less satirical than editorial cartoons of the day and more directed toward the enjoyment of the reader rather than at any political affiliation, a form of comedic writing that continues to be used today in such forms as the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Saturday Night Live. This new form of political satire is important to journalistic studies since it reveals a theme of parrhesia, a Socratic term for speaking truth to power, that was further developed in the twentieth century by Star columnist I. F. Stone and French philosopher Michel Foucault. The primary limitation of this study was that Pogo was an extremely personal work, one that could not be duplicated by others successfully after the author died.

Mitt arbetes syfte är att på kronologiskt och tematiskt vis presentera och analysera de olikasätt på vilka politiska åsikter och samhällsmässiga problem har presenterats och beartbetats i amerikanska serietidningar under tiden mellan 1950 och år 2000, samt att undersöka hur serietidningen i sig har utvecklats som medium under samma tidsperiod. Mitt arbete är först uppdelat i tidsperioder om tio år och sedan inom olika tematiska underrubriker som avser att behandla viktiga politiska eller branschrelaterade aspekter. Den tidigare forskningen jag tagit del av är uteslutande engelskspråkig och innefattar bl.a Bradford W. Wrights Comic Book Nation, Paul Lopes Demanding Respect och Fredrik Strömbergs Comic Art Propaganda som alla behandlar den amerikanska serietidningens utveckling och delvis deras politiska innehåll. De källor jag använt mig av är en hel uppsjö avamerikanska seriepublikationer från de tre största förlagen i USA, Marvel Comics, DC Comics och Image Comics med inledande fokus på de två förstnämnda. Jag kommer i mitt arbete fram till att serietidningarna gått från att vara ett politiskt drivetmedie under 50-talet, till att vara ett som lägger mer fokus på de enskilda individerna och karaktärsutveckling. Utvecklingen har också medfört att serietidningarna överlag blivit alltmörkare och hårdare, inte nödvändigtvis med ett större fokus på våld, men i alla fall en större acceptans för det våldsamma. 50-talet har fokus på den allmäna kommunistskräcken och den produktionskod som begränsade och censurerade serietidningarnas innehåll. 60-talet visar på en uppenbar rädsla och osäkerhet för mängden ny teknologi som kom under den här tiden samtidigt som man också lägger stor fokus på medborgarrätt och jämställdhet. Under 70-talet börjar mediets resa mot det mörkare och den produktionskod man hittils följt faller allt mer bort när våld och droger tillåts ta allt större plats samtidigt som de flesta politiska kommentarer försvinner. Under den moderna eran, från mitten av 80-talet och frammåt består den mörka tematikenfrån 70-talet och tar nya intensiva vändningar framförallt med nya religiösa och okulta anspelningar.

The comic book superhero film has become a mainstay amongst Hollywood blockbuster films. However, despite their popularity and financial success, the genre has only recently begun to receive scholarly attention. In particular, there has been little research on what traits distinguish and define the genre, and even less on the music which accompanies the films. This scope of this dissertation can be divided into three parts. First, it is a study of the superhero film genre. I provide a historical overview both of the superhero comic, as well as its filmic adaptations -- delineating the semantic and syntactic traits of the superhero film genre and the ways in which it adheres to and differs from its encompassing genre of the action film. Second, it is a study of the music for superhero films. By examining the musical themes of superhero films over time, I establish what musical parameters are held in common amongst superhero films -- namely, what contributes to the comic book sound. Finally, it is a study of topic theory, and in particular, how topical analysis can function within, and enrich the study of film music. By expanding on topical theories established for the study of classical music, I further systematize the topical study of film music, using superhero films as a model for demonstrating the potential for new musical topics to be uncovered through the topical analysis of film music. / text

Boys‘love (BL) is originated from the Japanese comics. The phrase ―”boy‘s love” first appeared as a proper noun in the comics at an approximate time of 1966 in Japan. Most BL comics depicted hopeless love of boys. Then, the 1990s saw the emergence of new type of BL comics, namely 耽美 (Tanbi). Tanbi is a Japanese word, it can be attributed the same meaning as aestheticism. Tanbi comics showed a perfect scene to audiences within beautiful boys’ love, pleasure stories also end up with a comedy. The boys‘ love or nature love between boys is different from the circle of gay. BL is a kind of emotion always can only be seen in literary output due to its strict conditions. BL ought to be explained like this, a beautiful boy is falling love with somebody else, by coincidence, it is a beautiful boy. BL is more like a Platonic love, BL always give a picture of spiritual experiences of boys‘love but fewer sex. In other word, BL is just a kind of comic form. The researchers in Japanese comics always concentrated on its social influences, characteristics, conditions, etc. There is scarce any research touching on the comic forms. BL comics are a special component of the comics, and this form demonstrates a series of phenomenon in sociology. With an informal research, BL comics is now turning into a common fashionable comic form among the Asia regions. However, with great exchanges with other areas, there also exists a large number of BL comic fans in Mainland China, and most of them are young ladies. Given this background, BL is treated as an exclusive form to the young ladies, and it largely reflects values and tastes of these ladies. The findings of this thesis might provide insights into a desire understanding males and an expectation of a fathfully lover. Undeniably, Japanese people attain amazing achievements in many fields, the success of circulating BL products is one of them. To some extent, researching the circulation and consumption patterns of BL comics may reveal the great achievement of Japan in culture transmission. / published_or_final_version / Modern Languages and Cultures / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

Thesis (MA--Art and Design) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2004. / Also held in print (37 leaves, col. ill., 30 cm.) in Wellesley Theses Collection. (T 709.93 LEE)

Dissertation (BA (Hons)--Bachelor of Art and Design) -- AUT University, 2005. / Print copy accompanied by CD. Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (99 p. : col. ill. ; 20 cm. + CD (3 in.)) in City Campus Theses Collection (T 707 WIL)

Thesis (M.A. Screen and Media)--University of Waikato, 2008. / Title from PDF cover (viewed September 30, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-151)