Abstract
This paper reports on a study which examined the charge that superhero comic books are invariably sexist in their production and speak to deep-seated and traditional gender stereotypes. The paper argues that this has been almost exclusively the case, with some notable, if controversial, exceptions such as Wonder Woman. The paper also cites content analysis of three works by Alan Moore--Watchmen, Tom Strong, and Top 10 which illustrate that it is possible to appropriate the traditionally sexist imagery of the superhero genre and utilize it to call attention to the gender stereotypes that permeate much of the comic book industry.

From the Paper
"Comic books have often been charged as little more than the sexist fantasies of drooling fanboys. At first brush, it's hard to disagree with this assessment. While male characters run a wide gamut of appearances (though most are ridiculously chiseled and good-looking), the portrayal of women in comic books--particularly of the superhero genre--are almost monolithically improbable. More attention is paid to making sure that representations of women in the comics appeal to an idealized aesthetic..."

Tags:comic, books, analysis

Abstract
This paper analyzes and critiques several literary techniques used by Edmund Spenser in his work "The Faerie Queene," emphasizing the comic effects. First, the paper describes Spenser's background in a modest London family, and as a student and scholar at Cambridge. It also considers the impact of the Reformation on his works. The paper states that "The Faerie Queene" is Protestant propaganda in a most elaborate allegor,y but for Spenser, human nature was forever in the works, the symbols and beliefs of people most variable or the integrity of what persons undertook.

From the Paper
"The first four books of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene offer insight into the author's philosophical and religious observations of the society of his day, in ways that are sometimes comic. Much Renaissance literature was allegorical as The Faerie Queene is most definitely. However, much is missed if the comic in Spenser's work is not appreciated in relation to the personality of a most remarkable author whose biography gave him a perhaps broader social and political view than many of the educated or..."

Tags:spenser, comic effects, orientation

Abstract
This essay compares the views of Scott McCloud and David Kunzel, specifically regarding the merit of the comic strip as an art form. The paper first outlines the views expressed by McCloud in "Understanding Comics," namely that the comic is a true art form, worthy of serious consideration in its own right. Next the paper outlines the views expressed by Kunzel in "The Early Comic Strip," namely that the comic is a disposable albeit amusing art devoid of depth and meaning. The paper finds that McCloud's argument for comics as an art form is more sound than Kunzel's argument that the comic should not be regarded as a true art form, both despite and because of the fact that it is enjoyed by the masses.

From the Paper
"At times, McCloud's and Kunzle's attitudes are so different, it seems as if they are talking about two distinct art forms, and to some degree this is true--Kunzle's political cartoons, other than their graphic and narrative nature bear little resemblance to some of the examples discussed by McCloud. McCloud attempts to take a wide-ranging focus in contrast to Kunzle's more scholarly study. But despite their different orientations, ultimately McCloud's use of the graphic novel itself is an argument for the comics educational potential as a form, and perhaps some of the limits perceived by Kunzle in the medium are less due to the comic's visual and temporal quality, and more to the particular nature of the broadside and partisan newspaper media the artists were attempting to serve."

Tags:art theory, print media, mass media

Abstract
This paper fondly recalls that, when the author was only four years old, having torn off his toe nail and having to stay in bed for several days, his father kept him occupied by reading to him from a stack of 50 used comic books. Next, the author observes that, from the symbols on the comic book pages in the balloon captions, he was able to learn to read the comic books before ever beginning his formal schooling. The paper bemoans that some present day comic books are really only pornographic works, which prevent many parents from introducing their young children to the wonderful world of some of the better comics, especially Donald Duck and miserly Uncle Scrooge.

From the Paper
"Although dubious at first, I untied the cord and looked at what he had brought me. There were Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge and Superman comics by the dozen, as well as numerous Little Lulu, Baby Huey, Dennis the Menace and L'il Dot. After quickly scanning the pictures and relishing the lavish artwork and coloring of Carl Barks in the Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck comics, I was hooked. "Read me, read me," I insisted to my parents and was treated to their rather poor renditions of duck and superhero voices, but it was all just great stuff. Indeed, I forgot all about my toe and relished every one of the comic books over the next several days."

Tags:screams entertainment, carl barks, heros pornographic

Abstract
This paper analyzes Anne Rubenstein's book "Bad Language, Naked Ladies, and other Threats to the Nation: A Political History of Comic Books in Mexico". It discusses the impact that comics have had in shaping the Mexican political scene, as well as showing how the comics themselves served as a stage for the playing out of political and cultural battles, as Mexico grew from a very Catholic, sustenance-agrarian culture, to a modern industrial one. It shows how in the 1930s there was for the first time in Mexico, a literate or at least semi-literate force with a growing amount of spending cash for entertainment and while the new government may not have directly encouraged the reading of comic books, by promoting civil freedoms and providing economic support for independent publishers, it created an atmosphere that allowed comic books to proliferate.

From the Paper
"In regarding this study it might be best to consider that the story of comic books in Mexico was but a microcosm that when studied gives one an idea of what was happening in Mexico from the 1930s to the 1970s, rather than something that truly shaped Mexican culture and politics into the 21st century. Rubenstein is aware of this concern and says as much, "Comic books and related periodicals were not the only forms of mass media and popular culture that were part of this process in postrevolutionary mexico. Similar stories could be told about many entertainments: shopping, television, recorded music, dance, cinema, cooking, fashion, and holidays, to name only a few."

Tags:economy, culture, periodicals, mass, media, postrevolutionary, entertainment

Abstract
The paper examines the horror comic's relationship with the reader to provide a better understanding of the interest in horror comics as a source of personal entertainment. The paper identifies what specific consumer traits the horror comic industry is targeting in its readers and shows how while the horror comic does not meet the needs of many readers, it does have a place in our society.

From the Paper
"This is perhaps the most succinct definition of the horror comic book reader. If we look at the horror comic book enthusiast as a mutation, in comparison to the romance or even the super hero reader, we find that indeed the horror comic book reader is select reading audience - perhaps a mutation of the thrill enthusiast whose need rests in the rush of adrenaline as the action and prospect of danger heightens. The horror comic book is a violent jolt in the fashion of entertainment, because it does not just rely on the images created for the audience by the comic depictions, but causes the reader to suspend their own disbelief, their own value system, and to look past their own perhaps socially dignified position to venture into a realm in which they must in part create for their selves based on the comic book image triggers in their emotional and mental realms. In other words, the reader must be willing to venture beyond his or her self into a realm of not just tension and surprise that is the basis of the thriller, but even further in order to participate in the physical danger of physical destruction."

Tags:thriller, danger, vampires, escapism

Abstract
The paper examines two comic books which rely heavily on visual elements and religious allusions and argues that they demonstrate the complexity of criticizing comics as subversive, since both actually portray moral heroes who triumph over evil.

Tags:Hellboy, Moloch, Solomon Kane

Abstract
This paper conducted research related to gender stereotyping in one form of media, namely superhero comic books. Findings indicated that this form of media contained a great many of sexist stereotypes.

From the Paper
"The purpose of this study was to conduct observational research defined as a form of non-experimental research involving researcher observation of the phenomena of interest. (Abrams) In the conducted research, the topic of interest was whether superhero comic books contains sexist stereotyping. Although the investigator examined other types of media advertising, tv series and radio broadcasts, superhero comics were selected for their inherent interest and the fact that they were a form of under-researched media. Sexist stereotyping..."

Tags:gendr stereotyping, sexism

Abstract
This paper analyzes the mechanicals within the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream," focusing on the play-within-the-play. The paper afinds that the play itself is a comical distortion of the Pyramus and Thisbe story that the mechanicals will act out. It also finds tht the players show aspects which the other characters do not, including an awareness on at least some level that they are dealing with emotions that can lead to ends that are tragic rather than comical.

From the Paper
"In A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare presents a remarkably complicated plot. It involves stories of four couples: Theseus and Hippolyta, Athenian nobles; Lysander and Hermia, and Helena and Demetrius, upper class Athenians; and Oberon and Titania, the fairy king and queen. Caught amid them is the tale of the mechanicals or craftsmen. The mechanics have retreated to the woods outside Athens to rehearse the play that they intend to present at the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. The play is the classical story of Pyramus and Thisbe. These were two young lovers, living in houses that shared a common wall, whose parents ..."

Tags:Ovid, Oberon, Titania, Theseus, Greek

Abstract
This paper depicts the comic language, style and the features of the play "Tartuffe" as shown in Moilere's play. It analyzes and describes the manner in which comedy is employed to show social commentary and problems.

Tags:comic, features, tartuffe