Conference 2010

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This one-day interdisciplinary conference aims to explore medical narrative in graphic novels and comics. Although the first comic book was invented in 1837 the long-format graphic narrative has only become a distinct and unique body of literary work relatively recently. Thanks in part to the growing Medical Humanities movement, many medical schools now encourage the reading of literature and the study of art to gain insights into the human condition. A serious content for comics is not new but representation of illness in graphic novels is an increasing trend. The melding of text and visuals in graphic fiction and non-fiction has much to offer medical professionals, students and, indeed, patients. Among the growing number of graphic novels, a sub-genre exploring the patients' and the carers' experiences of illness or disability has emerged.

Presentations will examine the development and trends evident in medically themed graphic fiction and manga, the relative strengths of the medium and the motivation behind its creation, whether by healthcare professionals, service users or carers. The use of 'comics' in medical and public education, and their role in health communication and scholarship will also be discussed.

The conference will be of interest to humanities scholars, comics scholars, healthcare professionals, comics enthusiasts, writers and cartoonists. The day will finish with an evening panel discussion lead by Paul Gravett, who will be talking to graphic novelists Darryl Cunningham, Philippa Perry and Brian Fies, followed by a wine reception, sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, with opportunity for informal discussion and socialising. There will be opportunities for book signing.

is a London-based freelance journalist, curator, lecturer, writer and

broadcaster, who has worked in comics publishing and promotion since 1981.

He has curated numerous exhibitions of comic art in Britain and in Europe and since 2003 has been the director of Comica, London's International Comics Festival at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts.

Paul is the co-author, with Peter Stanbury, of the books Manga: 60 Years Of Japanese Comics (2004), Graphic Novels: Stories To Change Your Life (2005), Great British Comics: Celebrating A Century Of Ripping Yarns & Wizard Wheezes (2006), The Leather Nun & Other Incredibly Strange Comics (2008) and he is the editor of The Mammoth Book Of Best Crime Comics (2008).

On television he has been a consultant and interview subject on The South Bank Show's programme Manga Mania (2006) and BBC4's documentary series Comics Britannia (2007). Also, he appeared as interview subject in the DVD documentary The Mindscape Of Alan Moore (2007).

He continues to write about comics for various periodicals.

is a French-born Family Physician and a writer (under the pen name Martin WInckler). He is currently a researcher at the University of Montreal. He has written forty books including novels and essays on patient doctor relationship, the ethics of healthcare and the reprentation of Doctors in mass-media fiction including pulp novels, television drama and comic-books. He is currently studying the works of a French doctor and comic-book artist, Charles Masson. 

Brian Fies is a graphic novelist from San Francisco who won a prestigious Eisner Award for best digital comic in 2005 after publishing Mom's Cancer on the internet. The tale of his mothers battle with metastatic lung cancer, the story described how a serious illness affects the patient and family, both practically and emotionally. Many readers wrote to tell Fies how suprised and relieved they were to learn that they were not alone. In early 2006, publisher Harry N Abrams released a hardcover edition of Mom's Cancer, to widespread critical acclaim.

His latest book, Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?, is a unique graphic novel that tells the story of a young boy and his relationship with his father. Interspersed with the comic book adventures of Commander Cap Crater (created by Fies to mirror the styles of the comics and the time periods he is depicting), and mixing art and historical photographs, this groundbreaking graphic novel is a lively trip through a half century of technological evolution. It is also a perceptive look at the changing moods of a nation and the enduring promise of the future.