Genre and Discourse (and Zombies), an Introduction in Pictures

Abstract

This five-page comic, contextualised with a research note, provides an introduction to discursive approaches to genre, inspired by Rick Altman's Film/Genre (1999). It seeks to demonstrate the necessity to go beyond textual or prescriptive approaches, using the example of zombie films. The comic is arguing that some films that contain zombies are not usually seen as being part of the zombie film genre. The work proposes that our perception of genre in those cases relies on various discourses that frame our reading of the texts themselves. This framing operation is at once the function and the nature of genre.

Comics as Research, Comics for Impact: The Case of Higher Fees, Higher Debts

“…Researchers have turned to comics as valid outputs for displaying research findings in print and online publications that can lead to the wider adoption of such research and can influence public policy. By arguing that comics creation is a 'way of thinking', comics have also become academic outputs in their own right (Sousanis 2015a(Sousanis , 2015bLabarre 2015). According to Erin Polgreen, ' comic book narratives can work across platforms, engage younger, more visually oriented readers, and transcend cultural borders, ' (2014: 12).…”