Appel à com: Transdisciplinary approaches to the work of Alan Moore

[Madeleine L.]

Magus: Transdisciplinary Approaches to the Work of Alan Moore

28th and 29th May 2010
Avenue Campus
The University of Northampton
United Kingdom

Alan Moore has consistently been at the forefront of the graphic
novel medium for almost thirty years, being the iconic figure behind
such pioneering works as Marvelman and V for Vendetta, the
revolutionary Watchmen, to From Hell, Promethea and, most recently,
Lost Girls to name but a few. Alongside his work in the comic medium
he has written one novel, Voices from the Fire, and is subsequently
working on the ambitious Jerusalem project. He has also worked as a
graphic artist, performed and recorded a series of musical
collaborations largely related to site-specific events, and in recent
years has become a magician.

While Moore's contribution to the comic medium is undisputed,
academic appraisals of his work have been fragmentary and there have
been no dedicated scholarly events to date that seek to give an
overview of his oeuvre. As such The University of Northampton is
pleased to announce Magus: Transdisciplinary Approaches to the Work
of Alan Moore, an interdisciplinary conference that will bring
together not only appraisals of Moore's comic works, but also his
wider cultural manifestations and their significance at the start of
the 21st century. Given his burgeoning literary and cultural
importance, Moore's significant profile in the wake of several recent
Hollywood adaptations of his work (despite his own antipathy towards
those adaptations and their place within the culture industries), and
the relationship to Northampton's cultural landscape (both physical
and psychic) that recurs throughout his work, both the time and
location are fitting for a dedicated appraisal of his cultural legacy
thus far.

The review panel are seeking papers for the conference, or proposals
for potential panels on a particular subject. We invite presentations
from the perspective of any discipline; literary studies, cultural
studies, film studies, art, philosophy, linguistics, politics,
sociology and others.
Potential topics for papers or panels might include, but are not restricted to:

* Comic revisionism and the graphic novel
* Comics and literature
* The political philosophy of Moore's canon
* Moore's relationship to the mainstream comic industry
* Adaptations of Moore's work to screen and other media
* Psychogeography and place in Moore's work
* Magick and spirituality
* Site-specific events
* Pornography and erotica in Moore's work
* Fandom and reception
* The underground press
* Collaborations and networks
* Music and musical collaborations
* Intertextuality and referentiality

We are pleased to announce that the keynote speech will be given by
Paul Gravett, author of Great British Comics, Cult Fiction: Art and
Comics, Graphic Novels: Everything you Need to Know and a lynchpin
of the British comics scene.

Abstracts of no more than 300 words, accompanied by a short biography
of no more than 100 words should be submitted to the conference
review panel by 4th December 2009.

For more information on the conference or to submit an abstract email
Nathan Wiseman-Trowse at nathan.wiseman-trowse@northampton.ac.uk.

Full details of registration, plenary speakers and accommodation will
be announced shortly.

Dr Nathan Wiseman-Trowse
Senior Lecturer in Popular Culture
The School of the Arts
The University of Northampton
Avenue Campus
St George's Avenue
Northampton
NN2 6JD
United Kingdom