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I aim to move the viewer through a system that consists of science fiction, of world building, with themes of nature, technology, and a subtle allusion to comic book aesthetics. Removing customary sci-fi and comic book narrative in favor of concept, self-awareness, and open-ended exploration, the outcome creates a complex setting. The report herein documents the various methods used to create this multifaceted installation space, which was the focus of my selected project.

The licensed character of DC Comics known as Superman has been a beloved pop-culture icon for nearly seven decades. This research examines the cultural and historical relevance of the character of Superman, as well as analyzes the character himself as he is portrayed in various comic books and graphic novels since 1938. Ten comic books featuring Superman as a central character have been examined from each decade starting from the l 930s through the 2000s for a total of 70 comics. The comics were read and analyzed to find possible changes in the character of Superman over time, as well as the roles of Lois Lane, alter-ego Clark Kent, members of Superman's family, emerging enemies, and other interesting aspects of Superman culture. The data collected showed that Superman remains relevant despite significant cultural and historical changes over the past seven decades. Further, much of his popularity lies in his ability to be retooled to meet the needs of the current culture while remaining true to his traditional values. Reviewed research also shows that Superman has educational value as a tool to be used by elementary school teachers.

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Many people assume that editorial cartoons are easily understood by the bulk of the population. For this reason, editorial cartoons are often used as teaching materials in the classroom. Recent research, however, raises doubts as to the effectiveness of this practice. Investigations by Bedient (1971) and DeSousa & Medhurst (1982) determined that the majority of students (grade 5 through college) could not interpret editorial cartoons. These investigators went on to suggest that a logical next step would be to determine if editorial cartoon literacy can be taught. The cognitive style of the participants was examined to determine if the different teaching strategies were differentially effective vis-a-vis field dependence and field independence. Two presentations (treatments) were designed to model methods of reading editorial cartoons. The Whole Cartoon Analysis presented 25 editorial cartoons along with a 100-200 word interpretation of each cartoon. The Parse Analysis Treatment was accomplished in three steps rather than the one for the Whole method. In step one, the whole cartoon is presented with a short gloss of the meaning. In step two all of the cartoon is visually suppressed except for one visual meaning element. This element of the cartoon is discussed and then the next element of the cartoon is added, and so on until the entire cartoon is back on the screen at which point the overall meaning is discussed. The dependent variable of the investigation was the two-part Editorial Cartoon Interpretation Task. Part A asked each participant to enumerate the symbols in the cartoon and define them as to meaning. Part B asked the participant to write a short thematic interpretation of the cartoon. A two-way Analysis of Variance on the data revealed no significant differences in either the main effects or the interaction. / Ed. D.

The mass media have been widely studied because of their pervasiveness and effect on society. The comic strips, as part of the newspaper, are widely read. By their very existence and pervasiveness they mold our culture. The purpose of this study was to examine marriage and the family and how it is portrayed in the comic strips. A historical overview of significant family comic strips was done using comic strip texts. A content analysis of contemporary family strips was also done. The strips were analyzed to determine how often demonstrated affection and/or abuse occurred. In addition, the strips were analyzed to determine the quality and quantity of parent-child, sibling, and husband-wife relationships. Two month samples of 15 different comic strips were analyzed. The comic strip family emerged as a stereotyped group that was white, lower-middle class, with a father who worked at a white collar job and a mother who was a housewife. The family included several school-aged or teen-aged children. Neither demonstrated affection nor abuse was found to occur often in comic strip families. Parent-child interactions and interactions among siblings were judged to be more positive than negative. Husband-wife interactions were more often negative than positive, although there was a wide variance among individual strips. Interactions about leisure time and its use occurred more often than any other category. Household tasks, food, finances, in-laws or parents, dress and health comprised the other major categories of interactions. / Master of Science

Thesis (MA (Visual Arts)) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1997 / 168 leaves printed single pages,preliminary pages and numberd pages 1-70.Includes bibliography and 115 illustrations.Digitized at 600 dpi grayscale to pdf format (OCR),using an Bizhub 250 Konica Minolta Scanner. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study considers the history and problematics of the contemporary comic strip, particularly in regard to issues of controversy and iconoclasm. Special attention is paid to the local magazine, Bitterkomix as an example. In Chapter One, the comic medium is identified and discussed as a homogeneous art form. Its independence from both fine arts and literature is explained and the identifying, intrinsic characteristics of the medium are used as a basis for the analysis of form and meaning in selected contemporary comics. Chapter Two provides a brief history of iconoclasm, subversion and controversy surrounding selected comics from the 1950's up to the present. The emphasis is placed on pivotal developments in the medium, particularly in the United States. A link is suggested between the post-war affluence of the American society and the conservative values which underpin it. Because of the many similarities which exist between the value systems of white South Africa and those of the more conservative states of the U.S., a contextual parallel is mooted which identifies the development and impact of controversial comics abroad and the reception which Bitterkomix encountered in South Africa. Chapter Three outlines and analyses this connection, emphasising that Bitterkomix has to be seen in the wider historical context and not simply as an expression of a parochial, "alternative"culture among young Afrikaners. In the final two chapters, satire and the use of stereotypes in the comic form is considered. The study pays particular attention to the publications, Gif, Afrikaner Sekskomix and Loslyf(an Afrikaans skin magazine) in order to establish connections between deviant sexual behaviour in a repressive society. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:In hierdie werkstuk word die geskiedenis en problematiek van die hedendaagse strip, veral die kontroversieIe en ikonoklastiese aspekte daarvan, aangespreek. As 'n voorbeeld word die aandag veral toegespits op die plaaslike tydskrif, Bitterkomix. In Hoofstuk Een word die stripmedium geidentifiseer en as homogene kunsvorm bespreek. Die medium se onafhanklikheid van beide die Skone Kunste en die Letterkunde word verduidelik en die identifiserende, intrinsieke kenmerke word basies toegepas vir die ontleding van vorm en betekenis in gekose, hedendaagse strips. Hoofstuk Twee bestaan uit 'n kort oorsig van die geskiedenis van ikonoklasme, ondermyning en kontroverse rondom geselekteerde strips vanaf 1950 tot die hede. Die k1em word geplaas op deurslaggewende ontwikkelings in die medium, veral in die Verenigde State. 'n Skakel word voorgestel tussen die na-oorlogse welvaart van die Amerikaanse gemeenskap en die konserwatiewe waardes onderliggend daaraan. As gevolg van die baie ooreenkomste tussen die waarde-sisteme van wit Suid-Afrika en die van die meer konserwatiewe state van die V.S., word 'n kontekstuele parallel vasgestel wat die ontwikkeling en impak van kontroversieIe strips in die buiteland en die reaksie op Bitterkomix in Suid-Afrika, identifiseer. Hoofstuk Drie skets en ontleed hierdie verbintenis en beklemtoon dat Bitterkomix in 'n wyer historiese konteks beskou moet word en nie slegs as 'n uitdrukking van 'n parogiale, "altematiewe" kuItuur onder jong Afrikaners nie. In die laaste twee hoofstukke word satire en die gebruik van stereotipes in die stripvorm oorweeg. Aandag word veral gegee aan die publikasies Gif: Afrikoner Sekskomix, en Loslyf( 'n Afrikaanse sekstydskrif) om kwessies van abnormale seksuele gedrag in 'n repressiewe gemeenskap aan te raak.

This thesis focuses primarily on homophobia and how it plays a role in the construction of queer identities, specifically in graphic novels and comic books. The primary texts being analyzed are Alan Moore's Lost Girls, Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and Michael Chabon's prose novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Throughout these and many other comics, queer identities reflect homophobic stereotypes rather than resisting them. However, this thesis argues that, despite the homophobic tendencies of these texts, the very nature of comics (their visual aspects, panel structures, and blank gutters) allows for an alternative space for positive queer identities. / by Michael Buso. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.