February 23, 2012

OUTSIDE THE LINES:
Reconfiguring Race in American Comics, Animation and Graphic Novels

A colloquium concerning issues of diversity, commerce, artistic control, stereotypes, discrimination, aesthetics and pressing debates over the role and responsibility of artists and the comic art and narratives they create.

Panel A: Questions of Racial Authenticity in Comics and Graphic Novels: 9:30-10:45am
Panel B: Racial & Gender Intersectionality in Comics and Graphic Novels: 11:00-12:15pm
Panel C: Radical Racial Discourse and Imagery in Comics and Graphic Novels: 12:15-1:30pm
Panel D: Film and Television Adaptations of Comics/Graphic Novels: 2-3:30pm

Participants:
LeSean Thomas, Character Designer & Co-Director of "The Boondocks"
Lalo Alcaraz, Creator of the nationally syndicated Latino daily strip, "La Cucaracha"
Eric Battle, freelance artist, DC and Marvel Comics
Nnedi Okorafor, award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist
Brandon M. Easton, screenwriter on Warner Bros. new ThunderCats TV series
Stanford Carpenter, Assistant Professor, Visual and Critical Studies-SAIC
Qiana Whitted, Associate Professor, African-American Studies-Univ. of South Carolina
John Jennings, Associate Professor, Visual Studies-SUNY Buffalo

Ahamanson Auditorium/University Hall 1000

Sponsored by African American Studies and the Office of Black Student Services 

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OUTSIDE THE LINES: RECONFIGURING RACE IN AMERICAN COMICS, ANIMATION AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Morning Mixer: 9-9:30am

Welcome and Opening Remarks -- Dr. Adilifu Nama

Panel A: 9:30-10:45am
Questions of Genre, Canon and Racial Authenticity in Comics and Graphic Novels

Speaker 1. Stanford Carpenter -- Assistant Professor, ethnographic studies, Visual and Critical Studies.
Speaker 2. Eric Battle -- has worked with both DC and Marvel Comics, creating pencils for Spiderman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and other comics.
Speaker 3. Linh Hua - LMU Lecturer, Women's Studies, Afrofuturism, Asian & African American Literature

Panel B: 11:00-12:15pm
Racial and Gender Intersectionality, Chicano/Asian-ness as Exotic Blackness in Comics

Speaker 1. Ashley Woods -- Independent illustrator and writer of several popular Manga styled comics.
Speaker 2. Qiana Whitted -- Associate Professor of English & African American Studies University of South Carolina
Speaker 3. Stella Oh -- Associate Professor / Chair Women's Studies, LMU
Speaker 4. Frances Gateward - Assistant Professor, Co-editor of the Journal of Japanese & Korean Cinema, CSUN

Panel C: 12:15-1:30pm
Radical Racial Discourse and Imagery in Comics, Animation and Graphic Novels

LeSean Thomas, Character Designer & Co-Director of "The Boondocks"
Lalo Alcaraz, Creator of the nationally syndicated Latino daily strip, "La Cucaracha"
Arie Monroe - Freelance illustrator.
Juan Mah y Busch -- Assoc. Prof / Interim Director of the Institute of Bio Ethics LMU

Panel D: 2-3:30pm
Film and Television Adaptations of Comics/Graphic Novels
 

Nnedi Okorafor, award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist
Brandon M. Easton, screenwriter on Warner Bros. new ThunderCats TV series
Stanford Carpenter, Assistant Professor, Visual andCritical Studies-SAIC

Panel Moderator: John Jennings -- Associate Professor of Visual Studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Panel Moderator: Adilifu Nama - -Chair and Associate Professor African American Studies Department

Closing mixer at the end of the conference in the atrium outside the auditorium

Ahmanson Auditorium/University Hall 1000/LMU/1 LMU Drive, Los Angels, CA 90045