The International Journal of Comic Art was founded by Dr. John A. Lent, Professor of Mass Media & Communication at Temple University. Published bi-annually since 1999, IJOCA has grown to the point where, starting in 2009, it is now put out thrice-yearly.
Dr. Lent remains Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, but for the past few years, the journal has been assistant-edited by Jae-Woong Kwon and Xu Ying. Though IJOCA is only a print publication, its website has been recently updated to include bibliographic tables for all back issues, as well as other information.
IJOCA is Global and Inclusive in Scope
IJOCA prints authors from around the world, and has published articles on comics coming from over fifty countries. Its interdisciplinary scope means that it covers comic art in all its forms including, as IJOCA itself lists, "animation, comic books, newspaper and magazine strips, caricature, gag and political cartoons, humorous art, and humor or cartoon magazines."
Topics over the years have included – as a random sampling – Korean Girls' Comics, Croation Animation, "The Brazilian X-Men," and Gustave Doré's comics. Issues of IJOCA since the early 2000s have also had symposia, or sections based around a theme, such as Pioneers of Comic Art Scholarship, or Women's Comics.
IJOCA Provides a Wide Range of Scholarship
IJOCA's primary focus is as an academic journal, so many articles are scholarly works by university professors. The journal also publishes pieces by comics professionals and practitioners, especially those with an international or otherwise unique point of view – such as exiled Iranian political cartoonists. IJOCA provides a forum for graduate students in a variety of disciplines, too.
IJOCA's broad scope being what it is, the journal gives contributors significant leeway in the subjects and approaches they use. The downside is that not all articles published in IJOCA are equally informed or intellectually rigorous. Nevertheless, the journal's editorial freedom never results in an unprofessional text, and most articles are appropriately illustrated.
Journalism and Resources in IJOCA
But IJOCA isn't just about academic debate. Issues of the journal also feature fascinating interviews with comics creators, notes on international conferences and conventions, and reviews of comics-related books and exhibitions.
IJOCA also publishes niche resources – exhaustive bibliographies of comics sub-genres, for instance. While these may not interest the average reader (or even the average academic), they are invaluable for those who may need an esoteric set of facts.
The International Journal of Comic Art's Next Decade
In continuous publication for over a decade, IJOCA keeps getting bigger. Its first issues were two or three hundred pages, and each is now twice that length. Unfortunately, IJOCA's rather high subscription rate ($45 annually, $70 for institutions) must defray the journal's costs.
Nevertheless, considering IJOCA's ambitious scope, global perspective, and sheer size, it's worth reading and supporting. Even students – not known for being flush with cash – should at least encourage their schools' libraries to subscribe.
Luke Arnott - Luke Arnott has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where he is currently enrolled in the ...
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