Book and Paper Commons^™

Welcome To My Mind Palace: The Power Of Fantastical Thinking, Sadie Levine

Masters Theses

What follows is a record of my efforts to make the magic and horrors of my internal world tangible and shareable. The brain constructs hyper-specific fictional realities from childhood to adulthood, yet the scientific study of the mind often forgoes the subjective and the visual. I offer a complementary exploration of the mind - one that is highly visual and based on my own experiences, yet still contextualized in psychological research. Finding the magic in everyday life, and by extension, retreating into alternate realities, is a conscious choice I make, but I have not always had the option to choose. …

Inner Bonds, Caitlin M. Maltbie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist, Cait Maltbie, discusses their Master of Fine Arts exhibition, Inner Bonds, which was installed at Slocumb Galleries in Johnson City, TN, from March 24, 2025, through April 4, 2025, with a public reception held on March 27, 2025. The exhibition consisted of multi-disciplinary work: zines, screenprints, and a sculptural installation mimicking the scenery and emotional environment of the imaginary Inner Bonds world. Inner Bonds refers to their comic series about feelings and how they are handled, from which all the content for this exhibition is derived. The work is focused on deconstructing the artist’s feelings so that they …

Dragon's Lair, Julie Cheung

Student Sequential Art and Comics

An 8 page zine that goes through two characters exploring a cave that is the dragon's lair.

From Panels To Shelves: The Evolving Intersection Of Comics And Italian Libraries. History, Issues, Perspectives, Andrea Tosti

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

Despite comics' popularity and cultural significance in Italy, its integration into Italian libraries has been slow, problematic, and uneven. This is reflected in the scarcity of academic research on the topic, which demands further in-depth exploration.

In the context of Italian libraries, characterized by chronic underfunding and staffing shortages, comics might be perceived as a low priority. However, as essential cultural institutions, libraries must strive to reflect both the contemporary era and the evolving reading habits of their audience. Comics, in this regard, could prove to be – and in part already are – a critical resource, a 'booster' for …

Archi-Comics, Timothy Gatto

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Humor in architecture is not at the forefront of architect’s minds, this comes from architects need to be deemed serious. This way of thinking is what has backed architects up into a corner banal and stagnant architecture. Architecture is the art of context, everything in architecture is referential. Humor is foundationally the exact same way, the incongruity theory makes humor possible by putting a concept into context with things and finding contradictions in the process, thus developing a joke. Each of these arts, humor and architecture, are that of context and when architecture is delivered like humor, it points out …

A Perfect Escape: Fantasy, Place And Narrative In Adolescence, Cydney Cherepak

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay explores the realms of special places, the literary genre of fantasy, narrative, and comics. These topics are traversed alongside subjects of adolescence and the creation of stories for middle-grade readers. Framed with personal stories, as well as peaks into my process, I investigate these subjects through the lens of my own life and work, specifically my thesis project, a comic for middle-grade readers titled Beyond the Castle Walls. Beginning with adolescence in association with special places, I consider the work of developmental psychologists David Sobel and Edith Cobb as they pin-point the role of secret forts, nature, …

The Infinite Crisis: How The American Comic Book Has Been Shaped By War, Winston Andrus

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

This thesis project argues that war has been the greatest catalyst for the American comic book medium to become a socio-political change agent within western society. Comic books have become one of the most pervasive influences to global popular culture, with superheroes dominating nearly every popular art form. Yet, the academic world has often ignored the comic book medium as a niche market instead of integrated into the broader discussions on cultural production and conflict studies. This paper intends to bridge the gap between what has been classified as comic book studies and the greater academic world to demonstrate the …

Cathy G. Johnson, Cathy G. Johnson

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

Cathy G. Johnson is a printmaker, book-maker, illustrator and arts educator. Her silkscreen work is produced at the feminist art collective studio Dirt Palace in Providence, and deals with the themes of rebellion and opulence. She has been making art books and zines for over a decade, which contain comics, poetry, journals and drawings. She makes local community prints for clients such as Southside Community Land Trust and Gather Glass, and teaches art classes throughout New England. Cathy is also an author and illustrator, her published graphic novels include JEREMIAH (One Percent Press, 2015), GORGEOUS (Koyama Press, 2016) and THE …

Akadori Studios | Aya Rothwell, Aya Rothwell

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

My name is Aya (they/them or xe/xir). I'm involved in science communication, natural resource management, and independent comics. I have a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Management (Conservation Biology) from the University of Rhode Island. I have worked for various government and non profit organizations in the U.S. and internationally. I've lived in Atlanta, Boston, Rhode Island and in Japan. My work has included representing the U.S. in Japan; banding birds; capturing and identifying bees and insects; writing reports; drawing cartoons for labs and science journals; and managing social media for science resource centers. I self publish books …

Betsey Swardlick, Betsey Swardlick

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

Betsey Swardlick is a Providence cartoonist making short & medium wild fiction comics. Big feelings, wiggly lines, explosive combination of text and image! www.bsward.com shop: Radiator Comics

Curtis Parvin, Curtis Parvin, Drew Kelly

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

Curtis Parvin and Drew Kelly ran Splash Page Comics (2016 -2020), their New England-based independent comic book company. As business partners, they published their award-winning creator-owned series, “The Legend of Beard Fist,” with Curtis supplying the scripts and Drew the visuals.

Julia Illana, Julia Illana

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

I’m a Providence-area illustrator and comic artist! I’m a recent Brown grad and I currently work as a TA in the art department at Brown and as a teaching artist at CityArts. juliaillana.com

Casey Roonan, Casey Roonan

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

Casey Roonan is a Providence-based art educator and cartoonist who males risograph print illustration zines and comics. caseyroonan.com

The Providence (Sunday) Wipeout / Comics Consortium, Walker Mettling

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

The Providence (Sunday) Wipeout has been an experimental comics anthology since 2016, always a different size with a variety of printing techniques! It overlaps with the Providence Comics Consortium, the kid-centric micro-publishing comics project that celebrates its 10th anniversary this year (2020)! walkermettling.tumblr.com, wipeoutwipeoutwipeout instagram

Game Over Books, Game Over Books

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

Game Over Books is a small publisher run collaboratively by a group of nerdy artists. Our goal is to amplify diverse voices in writing and bring high-quality publications to all people. We are working to accomplish this by focusing on emerging writers and giving guidance and support as they continue to grow their craft. www.gameoverbooks.com

Iris Xie, Iris Xie

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

I am an illustrator with emphasis on a thorough design process. I was raised in an Asian-American family and have a background in the disabled community. I have done work for Artists for Humanity, the Guild for Human Services, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute to name a few. irisxie.com

Birdenvy, Karen Knighton, Skip Wrightson

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

Karen Knighton & Skip Wrightson are both animators and make handmade, hand-bound mini-comics. Some comics are limited editions printed at home layered with vellum, some are GOCCO, some are RISO. www.birdenvy.com

Czap Books, K Czap

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

Czap Books is a Providence-based micropress publisher dedicated to celebrating the poetic, personal, and weird in a rich ecosystem of comics and zines. They champion cross-pollination of genre and influences, a mission embodied by the Ley Lines series that explores the relationship between comics and other artforms. charmgardens.com

Ryan Alves, Ryan Alves

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

I have been endeavoring to push myself to make more comics, more often, using diverse media. I’ve been self publishing for about 4 years. livinginmethan.weebly.com

Risd Graphic Design | Ramon Tejada, Ramon Tejada

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

RISD Graphic Design offers BFA and MFA programs that push on the boundaries of the discipline, where students learn to communicate ideas visually, frame points of view and messages, build community, and embrace a fluid, networked culture. risd.gd

Risd Graphic Design | Erica Silver, Erica Silver

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

RISD Graphic Design offers BFA and MFA programs that push on the boundaries of the discipline, where students learn to communicate ideas visually, frame points of view and messages, build community, and embrace a fluid, networked culture. risd.gd

Risd Graphic Design | Utkan Dora Öncül, Uktan Dora Öncül

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

RISD Graphic Design offers BFA and MFA programs that push on the boundaries of the discipline, where students learn to communicate ideas visually, frame points of view and messages, build community, and embrace a fluid, networked culture. risd.gd

Erik Gould, Erik Gould

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

I am a photographer and a bookmaker. I am interested in the ways that groups of images can work together and how those groups join with text, with sound and with pages, both physical and digital, held within the container of a book. The unique encounter of a reader with a book is where I wish the work to meet an audience. – Erik Gould, Senior Photographer, RISD Museum erikgouldprojects.com

Yiqun Zhou, Yiqun Zhou

UNBOUND 2020 Archive (Virtual)

I've been working on a 32 pages comic about humor for over a year now (2020). It’s a story about a super power comedian interviewing another super power comedian. It has very interesting paneling (said by my professor and my classmates) and it’s a nice story.

Leila Abdelrazaq Interview, Quest Sawyer

Asian American Art Oral History Project

Artist Bio: Leila Abdelrazaq is a Palestinian author/artist, who was born in Chicago. Her work combines art and activism, addressing topics such as diaspora, refugees, history, memory, and borders. In 2015, she graduated from DePaul University with a BFA in Theatre and BA in Arabic Studies. She is best known for her graphic novel Baddawi (April 2015)- a story about her father’s refugee experience. Her website (https://lalaleila.com) also contains comics and zines, illustrations, and prints she’s created based on self- expression and her love of activism. Leila is also the founder of a blog called Bigmouth Press and Comix, …

Analysis Of The Female Presence In The Male-Dominated Comic Book Industry, Nicole Choy

Honors Papers and Posters

This poster examines the female presence in the male-dominated world of comics, both in terms of representation of female characters and creation by female artists and writers.

Wesley Sun Interview, Chad Novotny

Asian American Art Oral History Project

Bio: BA, 2004, Stetson University, DeLand, Florida; M.Div, 2008, The University of Chicago. Both Wesley Sun and his brother (Brad Sun) were born and raised in Orlando, Florida, by their parents who are Chinese immigrants from Malaysia. Wesley serves as the Director of Field Education and Community Engagement at the University of Chicago Divinity School and is a volunteer chaplain at Cook County Jail. He also does creative writing for graphic novels that both he and his brother have collaborated on. His completed graphic novels include: Chinatown, Apocalypse Man, and Monkey Fist. Eisegesis: Kings + Queens is expected to be …

Oronyms, Arianna Cozart

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There are many ways of creating understanding; art is one of them. When there are misunderstandings created through a combination of art and oronyms, however, that is where the real fun begins. Oronyms are similar to homonyms however, instead of the same word being spelled in different ways, oronyms are usually composed of multiple words used together that cause confusion in the brain.[1]

An example would be the phrase, “Have you seen me at my darkest,” being misconstrued as, “Have you seen me in my carcass.” This creates an oronym which could be illustrated as two individuals, one envisioning …

Naughty Bits, No. 27, Roberta Gregory, Special Collections, Fleet Library

Underground Comix

Volumes : illustrations. Two no. a year, March-July 2004. Frequency varies, March 1991-July 2003. Publication dates: No. 1 (Mar. 1991) - #40 (July 2004). Title from indicia. "Mature Readers" #40 (July 2004). Color cover illustrations, b&w interiors. Library has nos. 26 (June 1998), 27 (Oct. 1998). The Adler Archive of Underground Comix, Gift of Bill Adler.

Naughty Bits, No. 26, Roberta Gregory, Special Collections, Fleet Library

Underground Comix

Volumes : illustrations. Two no. a year, March-July 2004. Frequency varies, March 1991-July 2003. Publication dates: No. 1 (Mar. 1991) - #40 (July 2004). Title from indicia. "Mature Readers" #40 (July 2004). Color cover illustrations, b&w interiors. Library has nos. 26 (June 1998), 27 (Oct. 1998). The Adler Archive of Underground Comix, Gift of Bill Adler.