Comic art and the study of its content, methods, distribution, and pedagogical value have become increasingly visible in higher education. Comics are an important medium for knowledge creation and have been established as an essential format for reaching diverse audiences and tackling difficult subject matter. However, as a field, it lacks an institutional centre that might offer the structure and support for the collaborative work necessary to advance rigorous academic study. With UBC comics researchers, practitioners, and teachers in disciplines as varied as Education, German Studies, Classical Studies, Creative Writing, English, and the Romance Languages, comics studies at UBC are present but diffuse. Moreover, many UBC faculty members are interested in learning more about what comics and graphic novels might offer to their teaching and research, but they don’t know where to turn with their questions and potential projects for collaboration. The UBC Comics Studies Cluster supports academic and public-facing scholarships in Comics Studies at UBC. We connect with artist practitioners in Vancouver (Cloudscape Comics Collective, Vancouver Comic Arts Festival, etc.) to support the work of comics creators locally while developing a network of Canadian comics scholars with UBC as an important centre for the study of comic art.
Comics at UBC
The UBC Comics Studies Cluster partners with academic, non-profit, Indigenous, and community partners to support them in the production of comics and graphic novels. We help our partners find funding and support them in participating in comics co-creation through project facilitation and management. If you’re interested in partnering for the UBC Comics Studies Cluster, email comics.studies@ubc.ca.
Comics-to-Research Program
The UBC Comics Studies Cluster hosts two types of Comics-to-Research opportunities. Our Graduate Awards are for UBC graduate students in transforming their research into compelling short comics and graphic narratives by collaborating with local cartoonists, comic artists, and graphic illustrators on knowledge mobilization projects. Our Special Calls are posted whenever there is an active research project recruiting for graphic artists.
Comic Book Club
The UBC Comic Book Club is a student-run reading group that meets during the academic year to discuss pre-selected comics or graphic novels. Students are invited to register in advance to receive a free copy of the comic book.
Collaborative Comics Showcase
Remember Comics Project with the Homalco First Nation
The “Remember” Comics Project is a collaboration between Education without Borders, the UBC Comics Studies Cluster (CSC), Homalco journalist and media personality Tchadas Leo, and the Homalco First Nation.
The project seeks to present the Homalco language, ayʔaǰuθɛm (Ayajuthem), and culture in a modern format that will resonate with younger generations and brought together Indigenous cartoonists Alina Pete (Nehiyaw from Little Pine First Nation in Saskatchewan), Valen Onstine (Nehiyaw and Dane-zaa) and Gord Hill (Kwakwaka’wakw) to visually interpret archival audio recordings of Homalco Elders.
Exams Under Anaesthesia
EUA Graphics is co-led by UBC Comics Studies Cluster Director, Dr. Elizabeth “Biz” Nijdam and community-based pediatrician Dr. Anamaria Richardson and focuses on the often challenging and complex interactions that neurodiverse children, including those with autism, intellectual impairments, and limited verbal capacity, face within medical settings. Specifically, it addresses their experiences with Exams Under Anaesthesia (EUA) at BC Children’s Hospital. These procedures, necessary for children with complex behavioral needs, can be traumatic for children, families, and clinicians alike. The EUA process involves using sedation to facilitate necessary medical interventions that might otherwise be extremely difficult.