On April 14th-16th, UF will be hosting its 19th annual Conference on Comics and Graphic Novels, “Comics in Conflict,” in a hybrid digital format.
Friday, April 14th
6:30-7:45pm: Keynote Address and Discussion: Bruna Martini
Location: Matherly Hall 0108 on the University of Florida campus. Here is a map to Matherly Hall.
- This panel will be a pre-recorded lecture delivered by Italian Comics artist Bruna Martini, who was unable to join us remotely. We will be screening Bruna’s lecture and hosting a roundtable discussion of her keynote. Dinner will be provided.
Saturday, April 15th
All Panels will take place in Matherly Hall 0107 on the University of Florida campus.
A break room will be available in Matherly Hall 0108 with beverages and refreshments, open for the duration of the day. Here is a map to Matherly Hall.
10am-11:15am: Gender and Sexuality Moderated by Fi Stewart-Taylor
- Karen Libby – “Comix and Community: The Queer Women’s Underground”
- Charlotte Smart – “I Believe in Gilda Dent: Exploring the Unassuming Feminine Rage of The Long Halloween,” Charlotte Smart”
- Anastasia Bojanowski – “Conflicts Abound: Assault of the Dominant Characters in Alan Moore’s Watchmen, Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, and Neil Gaiman’s Snow, Glass, Apples”
11:30am-12:45pm: Historical Events Moderated by Kaylee Lamb
- John Schell – “Structure, Time, and the Failure of Superhero Comics to Face Tragedy”
- Jack Jacob – “Sleepy Towns: Rural America as Horror in James Tynion IV’s Something is Killing the Children”
- Sean McKee – “Watchmen and Game Theory”
12:45-2pm: Lunch Break
If you are looking for lunch options nearby, there are plenty of on- and off-campus options available that are walking distance from Matherly Hall. Off-campus options are near or along University Avenue. Here are a few suggestions:
- CAVA: 1404 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603 (Healthy and vegan options)
- Just Salad: 1404 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603 (Healthy and vegan options)
- Tijuana Flats: 1720 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32602 (Quick Mexican food)
- Bento: 150 NW 13th St Suite 60, Gainesville, FL 32601 (Japanese food)
- The Reitz Union Food Court on campus (Subway, Shake Smart, Starbucks, The Market, Panda Express): 118 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611
2:00-3:15pm Cultural Studies Moderated by Sophia Pan
- Geo Sipp – “Eroding the Boundaries – Frêmok and the Experimental in Comics Narratives”
- Brandon Murakami – “Japanese Settler Colonial (In)Tensions: Golden Kamuy (2014-2022) and the Dialectics of Ainu Representation”
- Matt Crotts – “Mise en place storytelling in the historical fiction of KYRIE”
3:30-4:15pm: Health Moderated by Erika Rothberg
- Jennie Law – “HIV + Me: Comics from the Front Lines”
- Emma Webster – “Curses and Conflict: Fantastical Depictions of Disability in LambCat’s Cursed Princess Club”
4:30-6:00pm: Dinner break
6:00-7:15pm: Keynote Address with Justin Hall (Moderated by Margaret Galvan)
Sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography at Rare Book School
- Join comics artist, educator, and historian Justin Hall as he discusses his work promoting the history and artistry of queer comics, as well as his own recent comics blending San Francisco LGBTQ history with memoir. How have queer comics been able to survive and even thrive outside of the mainstream comics world? Why are comics such a powerful medium for marginalized creators and how have they been used to disseminate queer culture, safeguard its history, and now fight back against the current tide of anti-LGBTQ bigotry? And most importantly: How are queer cartoonists so damn fabulous? Join Hall for a discussion of all this and more!
Sunday, April 16th
10am-10:45am: Conflicts and War (conducted remotely) Moderated by Emily Hunsaker
Link to the Zoom meeting: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/6255310696 (Meeting ID: 625 531 0696)
- Ramprasad Dutta – “Sajad’s Graphic Memoir Munnu: A Boy From Kashmir”
- Ritwik Balo – “Illustrating Conflict: Depictions of Kashmir in Indian Comic Books”
11:00-12:30pm: Religion (conducted remotely) Moderated by Judy Colindres
Link to the Zoom meeting: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/6255310696 (Meeting ID: 625 531 0696)
- Janie Marino – “Anne Frank: ‘Holocaust Princess'”
- Grace Boulanger – “A Cleft in the Rock: Miriam Katin’s Metonyms for Grief in We Are On Our Own“
- Ilana Goldstein – “Plagiarism and The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: Visually Debunking Antisemitic Propaganda in Will Eisner’s The Plot and Beyond”
- James Willetts – “I Will Judge All The Nations” – Jack Chick’s Tracts and Cold War Christianity
1-3:00pm: Lunch Break
The members of the GCO board (Erika, Sophia, and Kaylee) will be eating lunch at Tinker Latin Restaurant: 502 S Main St, Gainesville, FL 32601. Please feel free to join us! We will all be going to the SAW workshop together after lunch.
3:00-4:30pm: SAW Workshop
This event will be held at SAW (Sequential Artists Workshop) at 1314 S Main St #2, Gainesville, FL 32601.
- This workshop is Skillshare – Drawing Meditation with Mort Robertson. Explore meditation through Drawing with this guided meditation and automatic drawing session lead by SAW Emerging Artist in Residence, Mort Robertson. Bring your own favorite art making tools. Paper and pencils provided on the day.