Comics have been well received in the science community and by publishers as a form of science communication. Recent publications demonstrate that comics have the potential of becoming academic outputs in their own right.
(In October 2017, for example, Myriad Editions will launch Graphic Science by Darryl Cunningham at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival).
Various webcomics as well as the growing trend of having illustrators document proceedings live at academic events (in the form of so-called ‘scribing’, ‘sketchnoting’ or ‘graphic facilitation’) provide evidence of the blurring of genre/medium distinctions between infographics, data visualisation, and comics. Likewise, there is evidence of researchers and educators working with illustrators to develop comics about their practice, research data and insights for dissemination and impact. (For more references and context, see Priego 2016 on Comics Grid).
In recognition of the ascendency of graphic representations of science, The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship is calling for submissions on ‘science’ in graphic form. Submissions can be on any scientific field, topic or methodology, and can be the result of (but not limited to):
- Scientific research or research data
- A collaboration between scientists and comics artists
- The work of artists who are also scientists
As the journal’s domain is comics scholarship specifically, all graphic submissions will be peer reviewed. Authors of graphic submissions are required to provide two contact details of two specialists in the specific scientific discipline/approach that the submission belongs to who could serve as potential peer reviewers and to declare any conflicts of interest. Submissions without contact details of relevant peer reviewers for the science component will not be considered.
The graphic submissions lead editor is Dr Nicolas Labarre, Nicolas.labarre@u-bordeaux-montaigne.fr
The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship is a peer-reviewed Open Access journal completely managed by academics. The journal is non-profit and does not have any paid editorial members of staff.
The Comics Grid provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Authors of articles published in The Comics Grid remain the copyright holders and grant third parties the right to use, reproduce, and share the original contents of the article according to the Creative Commons-Attribution license agreement.
The Comics Grid is published by the Open Library of Humanities (OLH). Unlike many Open Access publishers, the OLH does not charge any author fees. This does not mean The Comics Grid does not have costs. Instead, publishing costs are paid by an international library consortium.
Key Dates
- Deadline for expressions of interest: 31st October 2017
- Deadline for accepted final submissions: 1st March 2018
- Expected publication, depending on editorial processes: September 2018
• For full details on how to submit expressions of interest, visit this page The Comics Grid. Graphic research is a time-consuming process, even compared to traditional forms of scholarly publication. The Comics Grid therefore encourage scholars wishing to submit graphic pieces to first contact the graphic submissions editor, Dr Nicolas Labarre, with their project, presenting the subject of the piece as well as the graphic strategies they intend to use. This collaborative approach is meant to generate useful feedback and to refine the submissions, but it does not guarantee that they will go through the peer-review process successfully.
• To find out more about how The Comics Grid and the Open Library of Humanities are funded and supported by libraries worldwide, see https://about.openlibhums.org/libraries | Read their editorial policies here.
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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.
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