by BK Munn
The men behind the Mississippi University Press book on Dave Sim are editing a new anthology of academic essays on Canadian alternative cartoonists. They are casting a pretty big net but it is great to see this kind of attention from scholars directed at our favourite corner of the art world. Here is the full CFP:
CFP: The Canadian Alternative: Canadian Cartoonists, Comics, and Graphic Novels
We seek previously unpublished essays addressing Canadian cartoonists/comics. Our primary interest is in “alternative” cartoonists and cartooning, narrowly defined; that is, figures associated with the underground, independent, and/or ground-level comics movements. Figures of key interest might include but are not limited to
Marc Bell David Boswell Chester Brown Scott Chantler David Collier Julie Doucet
Rand Holmes Jeff Lemire (especially his independent work) Bernie Mireault
Bryan Lee O’Malley Dave Sim Seth
However, and as the inclusion of Lemire above indicates, we are also interested in papers dealing with the Canadian “alternative” more broadly-defined, whether represented by the visions of specific creators who have worked in mainstream comics (Byrne, Dan and Gene Day, Lemire, McFarland, etc.) or by Canadian alternatives to mainstream US comics publishing (e.g. the Canadian “whites” of World War Two), the various attempts to create a Canadian market/national hero (perhaps best represented by Richard Comely and Comely Comics’s Captain Canuck), and other distinctly Canadian takes on the graphic medium (e.g. Martin Vaughan-James’s The Cages, or BP Nicholls’s use of comics/cartooning). Substantial essays (5,000-8,000 words) focusing on specific creators, comparing/contrasting the work of a few creators, or addressing Canadian movements in comics are welcome.
Submit completed papers by April 30 2015 to Dominick Grace (dgrace2@uwo.ca) and/or Eric Hoffman (diamondjoecity@gmail.com). Dominick Grace and Eric Hoffman are also the editors of Dave Sim: Conversations, Chester Brown: Conversations, and Seth: Conversations for the University Press of Mississippi. Inquiries/proposals are also welcome.
Though a publisher has yet to be determined, the University Press of Mississippi has expressed interest in publishing this collection.
Dominick Grace
Brescia University College
1285 Western Rd
London ON
N6G 1H2
CANADA
Email: dgrace2@uwo.ca

Image by Marc Bell, one of the "alternative" cartoonists mentioned above.
Image by Marc Bell, one of the “alternative” cartoonists mentioned above.