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Newcastle University venue for next Comics & Research: Applied Comics Network event

By John Freeman on February 28, 2019

Newcastle University is to be the venue for a free Comics & Research: Applied Comics Network event next month.

Speakers will be Lydia Wysocki (School of Education Communication and Language Sciences, Newcastle University), archaeological illustrator John Swogger, Florence Okoye (of the Natural History Museum).

The presentation title is From the Woman who Walked to the Gilded Canopy: decentering the collections of natural history through comics, presented by Pen Mendonça from the University of the Arts London, Ian Horton (London College of Communication) and Liz Todd (Newcastle University)

Applied comics are comics with a specific job to do. Making, using, and sharing comics can offer fun ways to take part in research, and accessible ways to communicate the complexity of research. This also explores ethical issues of whose stories are told, by whom, and in what ways.

This free one-day event includes sessions on what is an applied comic (and how do you know if you’ve got a good one); comics and the communication of research; comics used as a method within research; and comics and user experience design as a process of de-centring.

Organiser Lydia Wysocki tells us this event is open to everyone.

“It focuses on the doing and communication of university research,” she says, “but as with all Applied Comics Network events we welcome researchers, comics creators, and anyone who is interested in making or using comics in communication, education, and training.

Areas of interest include visual and multimodal methods, research engagement and communication, user experience design in heritage and cultural institutions, comics in classrooms, libraries, and educational settings and healthcare and patient information

• Comics & Research: Applied Comics Network event (10am-4pm Thursday 28th March, Newcastle University campus. Free to attend thanks to funding from ECLS School Research Committee – but is required so head here and sign up!

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.