Reading Graphic Novels at the Cambridge Center
Course Handouts
Below are links to download the various class handouts and other links you might find useful. Some files are PDFs. You will need the free Adobe Reader to view and print these files.
Below are links to download the various class handouts and other links you might find useful. Some files are PDFs. You will need the free Adobe Reader to view and print these files.
- Course Outline
(updated 7-22-06) (144k) - Course Flyer/Poster
(updated 9-1-06) (833k)
Blankets
- Excerpt from Interview with Craig Thompson
(updated 9-2-06) (12Mb)
Buddha, Vol 1
- Excerpt from "The World of Manga Comics" (updated 9-11-06)
- Two links on the life and philosophy of the Buddha (Siddhartha) Washington State University, Wikipedia
(updated 9-3-06) - Undergraduate Thesis - "The Sage of the Sakyas Meets the God of Manga: Tezuka Osamu's Interpretation of the Buddha Biography" (updated 9-30-06)
Palestine
- Interview with Joe Sacco - January Magazine (updated 9-30-06)
- Presentation by Sacco - 2002 UF Comics Conference (updated 9-30-06)
Watchmen
- Excerpt from The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore (updated 10-07-06)
- Tales of the Black Freighter
(updated 9-2-06) - Watching the Detectives: In Internet Companion for Readers of Watchmen
(updated 10-07-06)
Reading Graphic Novels
September 27 - October 18, 2006
Graphic novels have seen a resurgence in popularity with adults due to recent adaptations into film, attention from mainstream bookstores and an increased openness to the art form. In this course we will read and discuss seminal graphic novels including Watchmen by Alan Moore, Buddha by Osamu Tezuka and Palestine by Joe Sacco. Along the way we will discuss each artist's unique approach to storytelling and find out how this unique melding of words and pictures differs from poetry, literature and film. We'll also touch on the history of the medium from newspaper strips through comic books to underground comix.
Required Books
- Read For Week One: Blankets. Craig Thompson. 2003, Top Shelf Productions. ISBN: 1891830430.
- Read For Week Two: Buddha, Vol 1: Kapilavastu. Osamu Tezuka. 2003, Vertical. ISBN: 193223456X.
- Read For Week Three: Palestine. Joe Sacco. 2002, Fantagraphics Books. ISBN: 156097432X
- Read For Week Four: Watchmen. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. 1995, DC Comics. ISBN: 0930289234.
Optional Books
The following optional books cover the language and history of comics and expand on many of the ideas we will cover in class. They are not required, but you may want to read or consult these books as you take the course.
- Comics and Sequential Art. Will Eisner. 1985, Poorhouse Press. ISBN: 0961472812
- Understanding Comics. Scott McCloud. 1994, Perennial Currents. ISBN: 006097625X
- Making Comics. Scott McCloud. 2006, Perennial Currents. ISBN: 0060780940
- Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean. Douglas Wolk. 2007, Da Capo Press. ISBN: 978-0306815096