Comic Book Culture
This course will consider the transformation of the comic-book as it has evolved over half a century from from a simple outlet for preadolescent childhood fantasy to a (more) mature art form that incorporates self-conscious social engagement, psychological realism, and cultural parody. As we progress, through the decades from the late 1930s to the present, we will focus primarily on DC and Marvel superheroes while taking occasional detours through crime, horror, jungle and underground comics. Along the way, we will critically engage the genre using as a starting point Dr. Frederic Wertham’s controversial attack on comic books, Seduction of the Innocent, to conduct our own examination of issues including the function in comic books of violence, race, gender, sexuality, verisimilitude, and moral authority. Finally, we will spend some time thinking about the ways that comic books have infiltrated our cultural more generally through other media including art, television, literature, and movies.
Note: Please check the schedule of classes for the most up-to-date information about meeting times, locations, and availability.
About the professor
Thomas P. Balazs teaches creative writing, Western Humanities, and literature in the English Department. He is a fiction writer with a longtime love of comics.
Email: thomas-balazs@utc.edu
Phone: 425-4660
