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.
- Course Flyer/Poster
(updated 8-21-07) (800k)
Ordinary Victories
- Eddie Campbell's Graphic Novel Manifesto & Interview (PDF, 196k)
- Some links with background on Manu Larcenet - Lambiek.net - Wikipedia - bibliography and artwork (in French)
American Splendor
- 1984 interview with Harvey Pekar (PDF, 28Mb)
- Two stories by Harvey Pekar (PDF, 10Mb)
- A recent interview with Harvey Pekar
- Harvey Pekar on Late Night With David Letterman depicted in the American Splendor story "The Grande Finale"
- The Big Shill - Article written by Harvey Pekar after appearing on Letterman
Black Hole
- The Dark Pages Podcast interview with Charles Burns and Chris Ware
- I am not normal on the inside Interview with Charles Burns
- The Five Obstructions - An exercise by Tom Hart and Matt Madden
Curses
- Interview with Kevin Huizenga From The Comics Journal #259
Last Class Handout
Reading Graphic Novels
September 25 - October 16, 2007
Adults reading comics? Who would have thought it? The growing literary graphic novel movement is giving us an unprecedented number of new works of biography, journalism and fiction targeted at serious readers. In this course we will explore seminal graphic novels by Harvey Pekar and Charles Burns among others. Along the way we will discuss each artist's unique approach to visual storytelling and find out how this melding of words and pictures differs from poetry, literature and film. We'll also touch on the 150 year history of the medium.
Required Books
- Read For Week One: Ordinary Victories. Manu Larcenet. 2005, ComicsLit. ISBN: 978-1561634231.
- Read For Week Two: The New American Splendor Anthology: From Off the Streets of Cleveland. Harvey Pekar. 1993, Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN: 978-0941423649.
- Read For Week Three: Black Hole. Charles Burns. 2005, Pantheon. ISBN: 978-0375423802.
- Read For Week Four: Curses. Kevin Huizenga. 2006, Drawn and Quarterly. ISBN: 978-1894937863.
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