in the Feld. Qlana White, Brannon Costello, Charles atl {who also providec a lente image assis), Craig Fischer, ‘Gorey Creches, Bran Creins, Mare Singer Carl Ty, Jared Gardney lan Gorden, Fredenk Byrn Kahler, Michael Chaney, ‘Aaron Kashean, and others may not be awace ofthe help and suppore they provide, even fe was just listen come kvetch over beers ata conferees, Comics Studies aso lucky to have wo amaring Ulbraies with extraordinary sources for condacting reach: Obio State Universty® Bly Ueland Careoon Library and. Museum, and “Michigan State University Lilrary’s Special Collesions. My tal fratinde goes out to everyone at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and. Mascim, icing Jenny Robb, Caitlin McGurk, and especially Susan Liberator, who regalasly checked on me Goring my research visits and offered very helpfl suggetions ‘They also gave me ces tothe Jay Kennedy Colleton of under around sod independent comics which at tha point had been ‘nly patalycatslged. This help fell well ouside my expecta tions, and everyone there turned my research tip into 3 pensine il vacation Men, Tom Sprg ta nt for heer he ‘was in Columbus, which was relly nce of hie, Randy Seo is 2 ‘ational eessure whose generosity, Kindness, and knowledge made the week I spent 2" Michigan Seare Univesity Library's Special Collections please Finally, and mos important, my undying love and gratide s0es ou to eae Licthea Kunka, Your love and suppor: during this process went beyond anything [cold expect or as fo. This ook is dedicated to you ‘And {promise cha I wll ever ever make an autobiographical comic boot out eerige 1 Introduction: What are Autobiographical Comics? ‘The centrality of autobiography In recent years, autobiographicsl comics have drawn an enormous amount of eral atti. Many comics scholars identify aut biography a centeal genre in contemporary comics Tn Alternative Gomis, Charles Hated (2005) summarizes both the centrality of sutobiogrphcl comics andthe ert ees the gene rate Autobiography, especially, has been central to alternative comier whether, in picaresgue shagaydog. stores or in ‘istmingly, somecimes bartowingy, frank sprootings ofthe poyche—and this has raised Knowty questions about truth and Satvenes, realism and fantasy, and the relationship between sthor and sien. (x) Blsabech EL Refsie (2012s) reterates Hatfield poin “Autobiography hat become the genre that most defines the alkenatve smalLpress comics prodaction in North America and Western Enrope today” (36). Thieery Geoensteen (2007) also comments that “the proliferation of autobiographical comics i a ‘emarkable phenomenon of cer years, stemming from America, wheze the works of Rober Crimb, Art Spiegelman, and Harvey Pekan notably, have opened the door” (19) Como scholars have Aieced mich of their cecal stention a three ey works: AreSpiegelman Maus (1986, 1991), Mayjane Satesp's Persepolis (2008, 2005), and Alon Bachdey Baw Home (2006), Te autobiographical comics that ge the most cecal and scholarly ‘tention often del with tauna (the Holocaust the Iraa-leaq ‘ar, father’ sii), so scholire have theo! how comics can ‘medium for commnicating traumatic experiences, re (2010) states ofthe works dicutsed in Graphic omer, though aplzale 8 wide rings of stobogphial comics in general, cach. insins on the imporance of innovative textual practice offered by the rch vsual-vebal form of comics to be able co ‘epresent Wauina productively and ethically. For this reason, raphe narrate, invested isthe ethics of testimony, assumes Whar I cinke of the risk of epresenztion. (3) ‘Whereas much ofthe eral dscusion of trauma narratives has traditionally octed on the unpeaable or unrepresenabl ature the auntie experenes th sombination of sal and vera tlements of comics can male such expenences visible tothe rade Thus fo Chu, comes ofr Few ways of aking bout trum, Howeven, many autobiographical comis also ade the mundane, qvoudan, often humorous exposes of diy While i diffu ro quently how ifrent media measure up in diver comparison (i comics beer than other median ‘dressing tesuma oe the @uctdinn?), comics does seem wll Suited to capaure the charms ofcreryday expeneatn ach inthe ‘way that comics can be ta elise comumunator of seumate xpriencs. The inercie nature of comic, a deuibed by ‘Scott McCloud (1993) in Understanding Comics, can help develop 2 sympathetic connecon bere reer aad subject, eeencing the intense experience ofan othe humor ofthe mundane: AS McCloud explain, the borders r“gurs”berween panels equre reader to perform ao act of selowre™ to fil inthe narave span ct that ceuiessgfcane active patipaton on the reser part (669) ln adios, MeCloud segues that the sk of figural drawing, which hele ut in 8 “plete plane” that overs resi asta and tai sil cam pac a readers ogagient with the marae (1-3). The more aac fare the more the reader “pull the naa To synpathe with charactes? experiences (29-31). This sense of connection as beon convertase one cou argos varity of eeeptions (tac carcaturs that fall ow the abstract side of the spectrums fur dont pull the reader ing realistic art styles thar stl allow for reader sympathy ard engagement, ct). Howeve, autobi- taphical comics can exercise a power to universalize the creators alviduel experience, whether i through ar style, patel layous, fr other naratvetechaiques, Comics ean be unfibching in the ct of hstrcal trauma, #8 Chute (20082, 2016) argues, but they nals be snlinching in the face of overwhelming cuenes, ike 2 guitky date or the common experiences shared by new parents, Ge we sc in comics by Liz Prince Jefrey Brown, and others. I fact quotidian, slice-of-life sores have served some ofthe most populis autbiogeaphicsl comic including the work of Harvey Petar, Gabrielle Bell oe Matt, uli Wert, and a slew of diary and web comics. ‘Both Hatt (2005) and El Refaie (20123) reste centaliy of sucabiogaphy to “alternative” comics: tharis comics that followed fat ofthe underground comix movement of the 1960s and 1970s ‘hough the small press and DIY (do-it-yourself) movements ofthe 1980s and 1990s to offer eaders altecnaivs tothe limited genres {mainly superheroes and science ftion) ofeeed by mainsieam ‘comics publishers {mainly DC and Marvel), However, ar at a Doin in comics history where the erm “alternative” can be erased {tors Hately and £1 Relais quotes above the astobiogeaphical ‘genre is cetralto comics, fll stop. Superheroes sill dominate the Iaistream comics industry, expecially the comies put out by DC tnd Marvel and sold trough speciale comic book Sop, but that fences stranglehold on the upper echelon of eomice publishing hasbeen challenged in reent years by horror and siene fiction, specially series published by Image Comics (ee, most notably, Robert Kiran, Tony Moore, aad Chasis Adlatds maltimedia iuggernau, The Walking Dead) This focus on publishers like Marvel, DG, and Image, howeves, fs a rather myopic view of the comics industry, limited t0 the marketplace eatablshed by comic book stores, where loyal fans have fellowed the same genres, series, publishers, and creators foe decades, Step outside the comic book shop and look ito the worlds of book sores, libraries, and classrooms, and a diferent Story comes to light, The aforementoned Maus, Persepolis,aad Fue Home appeae frequently in K-12 sanders facing Conon Core and on elle mlb Young adult scons of book store are dominated By Uiplaye of Rana Telnet rormouly sco graptic 4oblogaphics, Ste 610) and Sisters (2014), cach of which has wld hundreds of thoasends of copies elgcmeiers works have spent years occupying what looked tobe permanent pos on the Naw York Timers besles i for fraphie novels, unl she Taner donsinned the graphic novels Ibein early 2017; Major ade pub such a Rendom Howse, Foltrinek, an other fer graphic noel opens that incu many of tie most scent auobogrphicl comes, While {aphic novels may hae thei own unig ection n book tore the major bookstore chaos regularly inde sutcepraphice amici heir “Biography” and other gonftion genre secon These academic nd commercial moves in eet years demonstrate 2 das mainream accpanc of sabre comic even ‘har aceptance snot eclted in mot conic book sors "The cna of aurobiography becomes een tote ePPBCat when we a nto consideration the word of web comice whee Tanycretors have sought out and found wide audiences for ther dary comic ed ches peso procs, wih the bene of being able o reach thc reader iey snd with am immediogy unavailable im wadidonal plat plication, The” democratic Dovental of web coms is mar viable inthe snrmowsy popular ‘Phenomenon ofthe “rage coms" mere, which began i 2008. ‘Those eruliy drawn eomicr by anonymous cero follow 4 sinlar ap and foil, where the sje often expe nes common indi that oucdes wih & close-up of @ {heen pao of sage (known a6 “ragepuy") seaming SHEFFEFFUUUUUUUUL” Amateur ciate hie been able cauly produce thee own work through cage comics generates” (sso own at “rage taker") tat vicually aelomate he creation process. These comics have been produced by counts Smonymous crests and viewed by mille of readers trough platforms nach av 4chan td sede, making thet, isp, the mowt popular comics produced in desder Re the meme progressed more common images and faces were produced that lowed creator to expand the pes of stoi they told i thi Sore With rage comis and rage maker, anyone can eso a9 Stobiogahialcatoonine ‘0f couse with l of this new stenson and wider dissemination comes aldional pubic seri. Underground and alerative Comics n previous decades could ofen thoogh not sways) escape So scrutiny becasse thelr targinalzed status allowed them to fy under the radar, Now, autobiographical coms in schools land branes reglary face ealls for censorship and outright tanning. Public bares bave sen works by Phoebe Gloeckes, ‘Alison Beehdl, Marine Satrapi, and others frequently challenged Bechde' Fun Home seems co be a particularly common target ‘of conservative ervtaders who object to the book's depicion of homosexuality: colleges in South Carolina and North Caralina have rectved ational attention foe the we of Fan Home in First Year Reading Experience programs. The South Carolina leglature even theeatened to cut the Collegeof Charleston’ funding for using the book in sch a program.! While autobiography does ell dominate the world of smal press and sel- published comics that define the “skernative,” iis now femly established st 2 maiastream genre, withallof ce atendant beac and dangers hat she sats ental The study of autobiography AAs is obvious fom che geaz's mame, the study of autobio- rapa! comics is infoomed by two areas: Autabiographial or Life Writing Studies and Comics Studies. Comics Studies focuses fo the mediam, a form of communication that encompasses ruiple modes and genes, Autobiographical Saudis centers on 2 genre without speiping «particular medium, Cough most schol- ‘chip has wadiionally dale wih prose. A standard definition for aurobiography" comes from Philip Lejeune On Autobiography (1989): “Retospecive peose aaeative writen by areal person ‘concerning hi own experienc, swhere the focus his individ lie in parsealar the story of his personaly” (4), Through ‘his definition comes Leeane’s concert of the “autobiographical et": an understanding onthe part ofthe reader thatthe author, arrator, and protagonist of an sutobiography are all the same Deeion (22). Asa pare of this pac, the reader algo understands thatthe autobiography references a extemal reality that can be Veried. This lends a kind of esimonial nature to autobiography,