cfp.english.upenn.edu

Recent tragedies, including the Aurora shooting that struck close to the heart of the ROMOCOCO and Denver Comic Con family, have turned the national conversation towards the roots and consequences of violence. Though there are many sociological and psychological areas of study that theorize about the relationship between violence in the media and “real world” violence, it is also important to examine this pervasive topic through literary analysis. For ROMOCOCO 2013, we are particularly interested in essays that investigate the role, purpose and representation of violence in comic books and graphic novels and/or their subsequent film versions. Some possible topics include, but are not limited to:

The Dark Knight Rises specifically; Batman generally
Gender and violence
Formal violence—how the medium itself encourages a visual assault on the eye and page
Violence and ethics—how is violence justified?
Postapocalyptic violence
Rebuilding from catastrophe
Verbal violence
Critiques of violence in story or theme
Cartoonish vs. realistic representations of violence
Girard’s Violence and the Sacred and comics
Violence and psychology/psychoanalysis (Freudian, Jungian, etc.)
Resisting violence
War and peace
Violence and the environment/environmental violence
Trauma Theory

Though we are looking to focus on this theme, any essays or panels on other topics current in comics scholarship are also welcomed. ROMOCOCO strongly encourages multimedia presentations, and will provide basic A/V equipment for all panels.

Deadline for submission is March 1, 2013. Abstracts of up to 500 words and a brief personal bio should be emailed to cfp@romococo.com.