News


Turtle Island Cluster Wraps Up Filming for Documentary Short

  On Monday, June 2nd, the UBC Turtle Island Cluster of the SSHRC Partnership Grant, Visual Storytelling and Graphic Art in Genocide and Human Rights Education, completed filming the short documentary film associated with the project with director Andy Rutter.     “We Can Still Sing and Dance: Kokum Dorothy’s Story” is a 50-page graphic novel co-created by award-winning […]


Rain City Comic Con and Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories (2024) Featured on Global News

On May 24th, 2025, Vancouver’s newest comics event, Rain City Comic Con, was featured on Gobal News. Reporter Safeeya Pirani interviewed co-organizer John Anders of Soaring Penguin Press about supporting the local comics and cartooning community and Alina Pete (Cree), collaborator on the Comics Studies Cluster’s “Remember Comics” Project and artist in Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories […]


Rain City Comicon Starts Next Weekend!

Join the UBC Comics Studies Cluster next Saturday, May 24th from 10 AM-5 PM to celebrate local comics creators and art at Rain City Comic Con!     Rain City Comic Con is Vancouver’s newest comics event dedicated to showcasing the work of comic artists in the Greater Vancouver Area. Started by a coalition of […]


Comics Conference: Beyond the Two Solitudes (May 8th @ Harbour Centre)

Join the UBC Comics Studies Cluster for an exciting opportunity to learn about comics and comics studies from a distinctly Canadian perspective! For more information, see the conference website.


Re-Cap: Games and Social Justice Public Lecture Series (Winter 2025)

This winter, UBC’s Pop Culture Cluster hosted the Games and Social Justice Public Lecture Series, a series of weekly talks and workshops that brought together scholars, game designers, artists, and community organizers to explore how games—from digital video games to analog tabletop systems and tarot—can both reinforce and challenge systems of power. Spanning ten sessions […]


UBC Pop Culture & Comics Studies Clusters Launch the Pop Pedagogies Program & Research-to-Comics Graduate Awards!

The UBC Pop Culture & Comics Studies Clusters are excited to announce the launch of two new funding opportunities for UBC graduate students, contingent faculty, and junior scholars. Pop Pedagogies Award Program: Call for Applications The Popular Media for Social Change Research Excellence Cluster is excited to announce the launch of the Pop Pedagogies Award […]


CSC Member V. Rahbar speaks on “Life as a comics-focused PhD student” at the CSS’s Frederick Luis Aldama Award Talk (Mon., April 28 @ 3 PM PST)

As part of Rahbar’s recent award the 2024 Frederick Luis Aldama Emerging BIPOC Comics Studies Leadership Award, graduate student and CSC member V Rahbar (she/they) will participate in an event that focuses on graduate studies on comics, graphic novels, and manga. Please join us virtually on April 28 at 3 p.m. PST for the CSS’s second […]


Dr. Nijdam Receives AMS UBC OER Champion Award

Dr. Elizabeth “Biz” Nijdam is among the recipients of this year’s AMS UBC OER Champion Award! This year’s awards recognize faculty who champion equitable, inclusive, and innovative education, including those advancing affordable access through Open Educational Resources (OERs) and fostering inclusive learning through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Please join her in celebrating this accomplishment […]


CSC Member V. Rahbar Receives Frederick Luis Aldama Emerging BIPOC Comics Studies Leadership Award & Strategic Equity & Anti-Racism (StEAR) Enhancement Funding!

Comics Studies Cluster member and iSchool PhD student V Rahbar (she/they) was featured in an iSchool news item congratulating her on various awards and recognitions they’ve received over this academic year, including the 2024 Frederick Luis Aldama Emerging BIPOC Comics Studies Leadership Award.   The article also mentions her upcoming project, “Understanding Through Comics: A Comics […]


Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories (2024): Comic Book Launch & Artist Roundtable

Join the UBC Comics Studies Cluster during UBC’s third annual Arts Multilingual Week for the comic book launch of Xwémalhkwu Hero Stories (2024), a groundbreaking graphic novel that brings to life the traditional stories and language of the Homalco Nation through comic art. Date: Wednesday, March 12th @ 3 pm Location: Peña Room, IKBLC Register here to […]