Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks Gotham Central and cultural capital! #Batman #GothamCentral #ComicsStudies

As a cult classic that eschewed commercial success in favour of grounded storytelling, Gotham Central’s successes and failures provide a potent case study for the concept of cultural capital in the comics industry and the variant ways that we might define “success” as a concept. #gothamcentral 1/12

Greatly enhancing this normalizing potential is Ranma’s acceptance of these sex changes and his/her willingness to integrate gender norms into their persona and life quite casually at times and without questioning the authenticity of their new gender identity.

Our latest @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks possibilities for storytelling subversion in Gotham Central. #Batman #GothamCentral #Spiderman #ComicsStudies

Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi is a beloved manga that uses a supernatural premise to empower its protagonist to explore and comment upon the idea of transgenderism within the Japanese culture of the 1980s and 1990s. #ranma #manga

The first story arc of “Gotham Central,” titled “In the Line of Duty,” knowingly subverts expectations of a “traditional” superhero story. A comparison with a more traditional story arc, in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #6, underscores this subversion. 1/10 #Batman #GothamCentral #ComicsStudies

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks revisionism in Gotham Central! #Batman #ComicsStudies #GothamCentral

Tezuka’s Princess Knight [3 of 3] The visual style of Princess Knight is most obviously influenced by Walt Disney, a company known for its conservative approach to gender roles. Seeing gender exploration in a Disney style is thus somewhat subversive in its own right.

In the introduction to “The Amazing Transforming Superhero,” Terrence R. Wandtke argues that superhero comics employ 4 common types of revisionism: additive, fundamental, conceptual, and critical. These categories can help us define the revisionism of “Gotham Central.” 1/11 #Batman #GothamCentral

Our latest @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks Gotham Central and the age of multiplicity! #Batman #GothamCentral #ComicsStudies

TBT: In the beginning, Golden Age superheroes fought corrupt capitalists & gangsters. But it soon became clear this new type of hero needed a new type of foe—the supervillain. The Joker, introduced in Batman #1 (1940), is emblematic of this new character type. 1/12

Brubaker, Rucka, and Lark’s “Gotham Central” is set in a superhero universe but doesn’t star superheroes. Raising the question: is it a superhero comic? We can address this question by historically situating Gotham Central within the “ages of comics.” 1/13 #ComicsStudies #Batman #GothamCentral

Tezuka’s Princess Knight [2 of 3] Princess Knight may represent the most direct surfacing of one of Tezuka’s most famous inspirations: The Takarazuka Revue, in which all roles (male and female) were played by women. Tezuka was frequently brought to the Osaka-based theatre by his mother.

Tezuka’s Princess Knight [1 of 3] As most things in manga owe a debt to Tezuka Sensei (Osamu Tezuka), it is not surprising that scholars have isolated Tezuka’s 1953 series “Princess Knight” as a deeply important touchstone for the evolution of trans representation in manga as a whole.

“Gotham Central” (2002-06) by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka with art by Michael Lark was a police procedural set in Batman’s Gotham City. It was an innovative and influential revisionist story, underscoring and reframing the human costs of the superheroism. 1/7 #GothamCentral #Batman #ComicsStudies

Announcing our next unit: Gotham Central

We're on a holiday break! Returning December 27. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Our collection of thread on trans representation in manga is over but not forgotten! Here's a snapshot of what we covered, starting with: An Introduction to Trans Representation in Manga #Manga #ComicsStudies #QueerComics 1/7 bsky.app/profile/sequ...

Last Gender is a series of short stories revolving around the lives of multiple queer characters of varying identities and sexualities. The characters converge and congregate in a single place, known as Bar California, and as such, this space becomes a queer space. 1/13 #lastgender #manga

The Monstrous Feminine in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [3 of 3] In Ito’s version, it is the male Creature who is most dramatically fearful of & disgusted by the female Creature. Initially, the male Creature weathers the female Creature’s rejection (a manifestation of her own existential horror).

Magne

The Monstrous Feminine in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [2 of 3] Jack Halberstam argues that in Shelley’s novel, the female Creature is especially threatening because she represents "[...] a monstrosity linked to femininity, female sexuality, and female powers of reproduction….”

Though not canonically trans, the character of Mitsuba from Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun can be read as trans-coded, a process that enables him to serve a broader interrogation of gender that presses the reader into a post-gender perspective. #mitsuba #hanako 1/10

The Monstrous Feminine in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [1 of 3] In some ways, Junji Ito’s adaptation of #Frankenstein is slavishly faithful. Unlike most adaptations, it maintains the bulk of the novel’s plot & the Creature’s eloquence

The wildly popular manga “My Hero Academia” features an interesting portrayal of a trans-feminine character. Magne is a B-rank villain whose life, and death, gives the series a mouthpiece to discuss some key trans issues. #mha 1/8

Togashi's Trans Characters

Terrific Horrific Perspectives in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [3 of 3] Because comics are static and make multiple moments visible at once, horror comics are, in some ways, at a disadvantage in terms of pacing. Compared to horror movies, it's more difficult to produce “jump scares.

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social explores trans families in Hunter x Hunter. #Manga #ComicsStudies

Terrific Horrific Perspectives in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [2 of 3] Symbolism contributes to this horrific atmosphere. In this opening sequence, close-ups on the Creature's monstrously gooey eyes are juxtaposed with views of the lonely Arctic where Victor will die.

The introduction of Alluka Zoldyck in Hunter x Hunter gives one of manga’s most beloved franchises a vessel through which to explore the concept familial support (or lack thereof) for trans family members. #HunterHunter 1/12

Hey that's me! Proud of these @sequentialscholars.bsky.social videos we did for our unit on Junji Ito's Frankenstein. Check it out--if you dare!! #Frankenstein #JunjiIto #ComicsStudies

Our latest at @sequentialscholars.bsky.social explores trans representation in Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi! #manga #ComicsStudies

Terrific Horrific Perspectives in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [1 of 3] In any medium, creating effective horror stories requires more than visualizing scary monsters. In his adaptation of #Frankenstein, Junji Ito showcases his mastery of horror within the comics form.

Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi is a beloved manga that uses a supernatural premise to empower its protagonist to explore and comment upon the idea of transgenderism within the Japanese culture of the 1980s and 1990s. #ranma #manga 1/12

Latest @sequentialscholars.bsky.social thread talks Tezuka's Princess Knight! #Tezuka #PrincessKnight #Manga #ComicsStudies

Takarazuka Revue video

As most things in manga owe a debt to Tezuka Sensei (Osamu Tezuka), it is not surprising that scholars have isolated Tezuka’s 1953 series “Princess Knight” as a deeply important touchstone for the evolution of trans representation in manga as a whole. #princessknight #tezuka 1/11

Haptic Visuality in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [3 of 3] The visual assertion of the character’s monstrous body pushes the reader to other the creature more, and, by extension, to become more conscious of their own body in all of its monstrous imperfections.

Haptic Visuality in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [2 of 3] Simply put, the visual spectacle of violence that we see in Ito’s Frankenstein forces a sort of hyperawareness of the body onto the reader.

Ouran High School Host Club is known for its complex approach to gender performance. One way to explore this is through the concept of fujoshi, a subgenre of manga that articulates the disruptive potential of a “rotten girl” within otaku culture. #ouran 1/9

Where trans representation in North American comics has struggled to find firm footing at times, trans representation in manga has been there since very nearly the beginning and encompasses a variety of iconic characters, creators, and titles. #manga #transgender 1/7

Haptic Visuality in Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein” [1 of 3] Junji Ito’s Frankenstein raises the obvious question of “what does this new adaptation (and new medium) offer to this old story?” One possible answer is “haptic visuality”. #Ito #frankenstein

Our unit of threads on Junji Ito's "Frankenstein" is over but not forgotten! Here's a snapshot of what we covered, starting with: An Introduction to Junji Ito’s “Frankenstein." 1/5 #Frankenstein #ComicsStudies #JunjiIto bsky.app/profile/sequ...

Dr J. Andrew Deman Talks "Chris Claremont"! [3 of 3]

Dr J. Andrew Deman Talks "Chris Claremont"! [2 of 3]

Horror stories often literalize “the return of the repressed,” and “Afterlife with #Archie,” wherein zombie hordes rise in Riverdale to threaten the world, does the same. But in “Afterlife,” this return is both narrative & metatextual, evoking histories of comics censorship. 1/11

Dr J. Andrew Deman Talks "Chris Claremont"! [1 of 3]

Our latest for @sequentialscholars.bsky.social talks gendered monsters in Junji Ito's Frankenstein. #ComicsStudies #Frankenstein #JunjiIto

In some ways, Junji Ito’s adaptation of #Frankenstein is slavishly faithful. Unlike most adaptations, it maintains the bulk of the novel’s plot & the Creature’s eloquence. Its major digression is the animation of a female Creature, with implications for intersections of gender & monstrosity. 1/12