International Journal of Comic Art

International Journal of Comic Art is a biannual scholarly periodical devoted to the study of comics, graphic novels, cartooning, and sequential art. The journal publishes peer-reviewed research on creators, movements, publications, and legal and cultural controversies, drawing contributions from scholars associated with institutions such as Yale University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Oxford, and University of Toronto. It features work on anglophone, francophone, manga, bande dessinée, and comics traditions connected to venues like San Diego Comic-Con International, Angoulême International Comics Festival, MoCCA Festival, Small Press Expo, and Lightbox Film Center.

History

The journal was founded in 1999 by scholars and practitioners linked to Temple University and cultural organizations including the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, with early editorial involvement by figures associated with The Comic Journal, The Comics Journal, Cartoon Art Museum, British Library, and Library of Congress. Its establishment coincided with academic initiatives at University of Chicago and University of Florida focusing on popular culture and visual studies, paralleling conferences at Modern Language Association, Association of American Geographers, American Comparative Literature Association, and International Comic Arts Forum. Over time the journal published work on creators such as Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Osamu Tezuka, Hergé, Chris Ware, Art Spiegelman, Garth Ennis, and Alan Moore, and on publications like Action Comics, Detective Comics, The Adventures of Tintin, Maus, and Persepolis.

Scope and Content

The journal's remit spans historical analysis, formalist study, bibliographic description, and industry history, addressing creators including Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Frank Miller, Neal Adams, Floyd Gottfredson, Bill Watterson, Charles Schulz, and R. Crumb alongside international figures like Katsuhiro Otomo, Naoki Urasawa, Moebius, Enki Bilal, Corto Maltese, and Lynda Barry. Articles examine seriality in periodicals such as Detective Comics, The Beano, Spirou, Shonen Jump, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, and Métal Hurlant; they explore adaptation and intermediality across Hollywood, Toei Animation, Studio Ghibli, Disney, and Netflix. The journal includes reviews of scholarship from presses including Oxford University Press, Princeton University Press, University of California Press, Rutgers University Press, and Bloomsbury, and covers archival collections held at Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, British Cartoon Archive, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and Smithsonian Institution.

Editorial and Publication Details

Editorial boards have featured academics from University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of British Columbia, King's College London, University of Edinburgh, and Colgate University with guest editors affiliated to Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, California College of the Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design, and New York University. The journal operates a peer review process aligned with standards practiced at American Historical Association, Modern Language Association, and Association of American Universities, and publishes special issues curated in collaboration with organizations such as Society for the Study of American Women Writers, American Library Association, Cartoonists Rights Network International, and International Cartoonists Hall of Fame. Print runs and distribution have proceeded through university presses, independent distributors, and partnerships with institutions like Temple University Press, McFarland & Company, and festival vendors at Comic-Con International.

Indexing and Reception

The journal is indexed in bibliographies and databases used by scholars at EBSCOhost, ProQuest, JSTOR (selected content), and subject indexes maintained by Bowker, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, and the Modern Language Association International Bibliography. It has been cited in monographs and theses from Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and University of British Columbia and discussed in media outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, NPR, and The Washington Post. Reviews and critical reception have connected the journal's items to debates involving copyright law cases heard in courts like the United States Supreme Court (contextualized via creators' rights), industry shifts tied to DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Image Comics, and corporate mergers involving Time Warner, News Corporation, and Comcast.

Notable Contributions and Special Issues

Notable articles have treated topics such as the cultural impact of Maus and Persepolis, historiography of Underground Comix and Silver Age of Comic Books, and formal analyses of layout innovations by Hergé, Will Eisner, and Chris Ware. Special issues have focused on themes connected to manga studies, gender and representation referencing scholars linked to GLAAD, race and ethnicity with contributors from African American Studies Association circles, and legal/publishing aspects intersecting with cases involving Marvel Entertainment and creators' estates like Jack Kirby Estate. Guest edited volumes have drawn contributions from researchers associated with University of California, Los Angeles, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Leeds, and the Comic Studies Society, and have been showcased at symposia hosted by Bibliothèque Nationale, Angoulême International Comics Festival, and San Diego State University.

Category:Academic journals