Destacando em Fantomas contra los vampiros multinacionales, de Julio Cortázar, os aspectos relativos à arte e a literatura, torna-se essencial chamar a atenção para a presença dos quadrinhos como parte constituinte da obra, que juntamente com ilustrações de outras naturezas, além da presença de discursos pertencentes a outras esferas das áreas humanas, conferem ao texto o status de híbrido. A partir disso, este estudo objetiva estudar a importância de palavras e imagens, e de sua imbricação, para a construção do sentido heterogêneo do texto, além de fazer um cotejo entre diferentes versões da obra, em meio impresso e eletrônico, considerando as diferenças entre as suas versões. Um olhar literário sobre Fantomas, especialmente através de uma aproximação intertextual e interdisciplinar, permite que se reflita sobre os diversos aspectos da personagem Fantomas ao longo das publicações e dos media, assim como sobre a presença de elementos fantásticos, surrealistas, metaficcionais e autobiográficos. Neste estudo, pretende-se demonstrar que esse hibridismo, tanto em nível formal como em termos discursivos, mostra-se representativo da heterogeneidade da América Latina, considerando sua formação cultural e sua diversidade de manifestações lingüísticas e literárias. / We point out in Fantomas contra los vampiros multinacionales, by Julio Cortázar, the aspects relating to art and literature. We should call the attention to the presence of comics as a constituent part of this work, which together with illustrations of various natures, and the presence of discourse which belongs to other spheres of human areas, give the text the status of hybrid. From this, this study aims to study the importance of words and images, and their overlapping, for the construction of the heterogeneous sense of the text, and make a comparison between different versions of the work in print and electronically, considering the differences between their versions. A literary view on Fantomas, especially through an intertextual and interdisciplinary approach, allows us to reflect on the various aspects of the character Fantomas along the publications and media, beyond the presence of fantastic surreal, autobiographical and metafictional elements. In this study, we intend to show that the hybrid, both in formal and in discursive terms, proves to be representative of the heterogeneity of Latin America, considering their cultural formation and the linguistic and literary diversity of expression that features Latin America. / Destacando en Fantomas contra los vampiros multinacionales, de Julio Cortázar, los aspectos relativos al arte y la literatura, se vuelve esencial subrayar la presencia de la historieta como parte constituyente de la obra, que juntamente con ilustraciones de otras naturalezas, además de la presencia de discursos pertenecientes a otras esferas de las áreas humanas, dan al texto el status de híbrido. A partir de eso, este estudio tiene el objetivo de estudiar la importancia de palabras e imágenes, y de su imbricación, para la construcción del sentido heterogéneo del texto, además de hacer una comparación entre diferentes versiones de la obra, en medio impreso y electrónico, considerando las diferencias entre sus versiones. Una mirada literaria sobre Fantomas, especialmente a través de un acercamiento intertextual e interdisciplinario, permite una reflexión sobre los diversos aspectos del personaje Fantomas a lo largo de las publicaciones y de los media, así como la presencia de elementos fantásticos, surrealistas, metaficcionales y autobiográficos. En este estudio, pretende demostrar que ese hibridismo, tanto en nivel formal como en términos discursivos, se muestra representativo de la heterogeneidad de la América Latina, considerando su formación cultural y su diversidad de manifestaciones lingüísticas y literarias.

Mit dem Begriff Comic wird eine kontingente und veränderbare künstlerisch-mediale Form bezeichnet, in der u. a. die Kombination von Bild und Text sowie eine sequentielle Bildfolge als zentrale formal-ästhetische Charakteristika gelten können. Die Kategorie Gender besitzt in Comics eine grundlegende strukturierende Funktion, die sich sowohl in der Produktion und Rezeption als auch in den Inhalten von und der wissenschaftlichen Auseinandersetzung mit Comics niederschlägt.

The genre of comics has had a tumultuous career throughout the twentieth century: it has careened from wildly popular to being perceived as the source of society’s ills. Despite having been relegated to the lowest rung of the artistic ladder for the better part of the twentieth century, comics has been gaining in quality and respectability over the last couple of decades. My introductory chapter provides a broad, basic introduction to the genre of comics––its historical development, its different forms, and a survey of comics criticism over the last thirty years. In chapter two I clarify the nature of comics by comparing it to literature, film, and pictorial art, thereby highlighting its hybrid nature. It has elements in common with all of these, and yet it is a distinct genre. My primary focus is on Chris Ware, whom I introduce in chapter three, a brilliant creator who has garnered widespread recognition and respect. His magnum opus is Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, the story of four generations of Corrigan men, most of whom have been negligent in raising their children. Jimmy Corrigan, as a result, is an introverted, insecure thirty–something–year–old man. Among comics creators Ware is unusual in that his story does not address socio–political issues, like most of his peers, which I discuss in chapter four. Jimmy Corrigan is an isolated tale with a very specific focus. Ware’s narrative is somewhat like those of William Faulkner, whose stories have a narrow focus, revolving around the lives of the inhabitants of Yoknapatawpha county, rather than encompassing the vast landscape of national socio–political concerns. Also, in chapter five I explore the intriguing combination of realist and Gothic elements––normally at opposite ends of the generic continuum––that Ware merges in Jimmy Corrigan. This feature is especially interesting because it is another way that his work explores aspects of hybridity. Finally, in my conclusion I examine the current state of comics in American culture and its future prospects for development and success, as well as the potential for future comics criticism.

Mirrors and Vanities is a multi-modal collection which showcases the diversity of working in long and short storytelling forms. Featured in this thesis are fiction, nonfiction, graphic narrative, and screenplay. Using unconventional approaches to storytelling in order to achieve emotional resonance with the audience while maintaining high standards for craft, these stories and essays explore the costs inherent to the subtle nuances of interpersonal relationships. The fiction focuses on the complications of characters keeping secrets. A husband discovers the truth behind his wife’s miscarriage. A girl visits her fiancé in purgatory. A boy crosses a line and loses his best friend. Meanwhile, the nonfiction centers on self-discovery and gender roles associated with power struggles. A schizophrenic threatens to ruin my mother’s wedding. I rediscover my relationship with my father through food writing. Sword-work teaches me to fail and succeed at making martial art. The title work of the thesis is a collaged story highlighting the tribulations of a physicist fixated on recovering his lost love by manipulating the multiverse. The multi-modal format implicates the nebulosity of physics theories and how different aspects of the narrative can be presented in various formats to best suit the nature of the storytelling. Through the interactions of characters in mundane and extraordinary circumstances, the works in this thesis examine the consequences of choice, the contrast between reality and expectation, coming of age, and the Truth of narrative.