In this talk, Professor Jon Holt of Portland State University will explore two fundamental frameworks for parsing the visual grammar of comics: Scott McCloud’s formalist analysis and Natsume Fusanosuke’s culturally grounded approach to manga expression. McCloud and Natsume constructed their theories of visual language separately but simultaneously in the 1990s, and their discourses remain powerful and helpful to comics studies scholars as well as instructors teaching manga and comics in the American classroom. By placing these perspectives in dialogue, Holt will show how these flexible frameworks can still help us interpret manga not just as a visual narrative form, but as a distinct cultural medium.

The lecture is open to the public.

The event is sponsored by:

• Yoko McClain Lecture Series in Japanese Studies
• The Sally Claire Haseltine Endowment in Art History
• Comics and Cartoon Studies Program
• Center for Asian and Pacific Studies