Comic-Con 2012

Antonio S. Thompson (Austin Peay State University) delves into the meaning of Captain America and his books, discussing whether the character is a "court jester" or an iconic symbol encompassing what it means it to be American. Matthias Harbeck (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) looks at the evolution of Germany and Germans in comic books from 1945 onward to discuss how, through their combination of visual and textual elements, comic books can influence the composition of stereotypes on many levels and to determine if there such a thing as a coherent developing image of German-ness embedded in the historical, cultural, and political context of its time. Amanda Murphyao (Carleton University) looks at fan responses in letter columns and online forums to Alpha Flight and the debate over the Canadian-ness of the series to demonstrate how Canadian patriotism and anti-Americanism are expressed in subtle and direct ways through the comic books themselves as well as by the fan community.
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