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Library research tutorial
If you are new to TCNJ or research, why not spend some time working through the library research tutorial? Each module takes only about 15 minutes, but it could save you hours in the long term!
Quick Reference - Finding Articles On Comics and Superheros
For more detailed information please see the "Scholarly Journals Article" tab.
Articles are most easily found in "databases" or "electronic indexes" or "research database."
Each of these contains articles about superheros and comics. (The question is whether your more specific topic is covered.) So you might need to look in multiple places:
- Google Scholar (customized with TCNJ links)
- Mendeley
- PsycInfo
- MLA Bibliography
- Humanities Full Text
- Communication and Mass Media Complete
- Academic Search Premier
- Genderwatch (for projects discussing female superhero characters)
If you do not know the name of a relevant database, take a look at the list of subjects under the Articles tab.
Now search the database by keyword or by subject (example: superheroes and psychology). Taking time to think about your keywords will help improve your results.
Time-saver: Some databases permit you to limit your search to scholarly/peer reviewed journals.
Books of Interest
Classics and Comics by Call Number: PN6725 .C57 2011"Classics and Comics is the first book to explore the engagement of classics with the epitome of modern popular literature, the comic book. This volume collects sixteen articles, all specially commissioned for this volume, that look at how classical content is deployed in comics and reconfigured for a modern audience."
For suggestions about looking more comprehensively for books, check out the "Books" tab in this guide.
But here are some suggestions that jumped out when prepping for this class:
Comics as Philosophy by Call Number: PN6712 .C58 2005"The essays in this collection focus on a wide variety of genres, from mainstream superhero comics, to graphic novels that exercise social realism, to European adventure classics."--BOOK JACKET.
The Psychology of Superheroes by Call Number: BF637.C5 P83 2008"Twenty four psychologists examine the minds of popular culture's superheroes."
The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Call Number: PN6728.W6 L48 2014"A riveting work of historical detection revealing that the origin of one of the world's most iconic superheroes hides within it a fascinating family story--and a crucial history of twentieth-century feminism."
Supergods by Call Number: PN6725 .M67 2011"From one of the most acclaimed and profound writers in the world of comics comes a thrilling and provocative exploration of humankind's great modern myth: the superhero"
Superman on the Couch by Call Number: PN6714 .F54 2004Explores the following themes: " Why are so many of the superhero myths tied up with loss, often violent, of parents or parental figures? What is the significance of the dual identity? What makes some superhuman figures "good" and others "evil"? Why are so many of the prime superheroes white and male? How has the superhero evolved over the course of the 20th and early 21st centuries? And how might the myths be changing? Why is it that the key superhero archetypes - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the X-Men - touch primal needs and experiences in everyone? Why has the superhero moved beyond the pages of comics into other media? All these topics, and more, are covered in this lively and original exploration of the reasons why the superhero - in comic books, films, and TV - is such a potent myth for our times and culture"
War, Politics and Superheroes by Call Number: PN6714 .D53 2011"Examines the seventy-year history of comic book superheroes on film and in comic books and how they reflect the politics of their time. Includes super heroes such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Superman, the Fantastic Four and the X-Me. Topics covered include American wars, conflicts, and public policy and 9/11."
A few websites on comics and superheros
Below are a few selected websites that seem to discuss comics and superheros with a somewhat academic approach.
- http://www.nypl.org/collections/nypl-recommendations/guides/comics
- http://homepages.rpi.edu/~bulloj/comxbib.html
- http://www.comicsresearch.org/libraries.html
- http://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=282879&p=1884963
- http://library.columbia.edu/subject-guides/graphic_novels.html
Time-saver:
Here's how I found these (an advanced Google Ninja trick): Google search library comics|superhero|superheroes site:.edu (the | symbol allows you to use "OR" combination like we talked about, the "site:.edu" limits your search to sites from academic organizations, and the "library" part helps because librarians are the kinds of folks who post helpful sites like this.)
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