Peter Coogan

Dr. Peter M. Coogan writes about comics, is the director of the Institute for Comics Studies and co-founder and co-chair of the Comic Arts Conference, which runs during the San Diego Comic-Con International and San Francisco WonderCon. [ [http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/rri/crri/coo.htm Partial listing of Peter Coogan's works in the Comic Art Collection, Michigan State University] . Accessed January 26, 2008] [ [http://www.ahcca.unimelb.edu.au/Superheroes/abstracts-full-A-E.html#coogan Brief biography at the School of Art History, Cinema, Classics & Archaeology] . Accessed January 26, 2008]

Biography

Peter Coogan gained a doctorate in American Studies from Michigan State University, with his dissertation “The Secret Origin of the Superhero: The Emergence of the Superhero Genre in America from Daniel Boone to Batman” (2002), which he revised for wider publication in 2006 "(see below)". [ [http://www.ahcca.unimelb.edu.au/Superheroes/abstracts-full-A-E.html#coogan Brief biography at the School of Art History, Cinema, Classics & Archaeology] . Accessed January 26, 2008] [ [http://www.monkeybrainbooks.com/Superhero.html "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre" at MonkeyBrain] . Accessed January 26, 2008]

He coined the term Wold-Newtonry in a paper titled "Wold-Newtonry: Theory and Methodology for the Literary Archeology of the Wold Newton Universe." In it, he talks about "literary archaeology", a term which he says was inspired (for him) by Warren Ellis's term "mystery archeologists" in Ellis and Cassaday's Planetary comics. The paper is [http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Woldnewtonry.pdf available online] at Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton pages, and as a chapter in Win Scott Eckert's (Ed.) "Myths for the Modern Age" book, published by MonkeyBrain Books. [http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Woldnewtonry.pdf] [ [http://thepulp.net/PulpFAQ/farmer.html FAQs about Wold Newtonry] . Accessed January 26, 2008]

Coogan co-edited (with Randall William Scott) the "Comic Art Studies" newsletter and also set up the Comics Studies Email service to "coordinate communication about comic scholarship." [ [http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Coogan_Peter_76337729.aspx ZoomInfo on Peter Coogan] . Accessed January 26, 2008] The newsletter's motto was "Comica Amica Nobicum" ("Comics Are Our Friends!") and originated from the Russel B. Nye Popular Culture Collection, to "facilitate communication about the Comic Art Collection at Michigan State University, and communication about public comics collecting and scholarship in general." [ [http://www.hoboes.com/pub/Comics/About%20Comics/Comic%20Art%20Studies/Introduction "Comic Art Studies Introduction" at "Negative Space"] . Accessed January 26, 2008]

In 2005, Coogan presented a paper titled "The Definition of the Superhero" [http://www.ahcca.unimelb.edu.au/Superheroes/abstracts-full-A-E.html#coogan] at the interdisciplinary "Holy Men in Tights" Superheroes Conference at the School of Art History, Cinema, Classics & Archaeology (AHCCA), University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia. [ [http://www.ahcca.unimelb.edu.au/Superheroes/about.html "Holy Men in Tights" Conference at AHCCA] . Accessed January 26, 2008]

Institute for Comics Studies

Coogan is the founder of the Institute for Comics Studies. The mission of the Institute for Comics Studies is to promote the study, understanding, recognition, and cultural legitimacy of comics. [ [http://www.instituteforcomicsstudies.org Institute for Comics Studies] ]

Comics Arts Conference

Coogan is co-founder (with Randy Duncan), co-chair and co-organizer of the Comics Arts Conference [ [http://fac.hsu.edu/duncanr/cac_page.htm Comics Arts Conference homepage] . Accessed January 26th, 2008] (an academic conference dealing with comics) which is held annually at the San Diego Comic Con. The purpose of the conference is stated as being designed to "bring together comics scholars, practitioners, critics, and historians who want to be involved in the dynamic process of evolving an aesthetic and a criticism of the comics art form." [ [http://fac.hsu.edu/duncanr/cac_past_presentations.htm CAC Past Presentations List] . Accessed January 26th, 2008]

Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre

In 2006, MonkeyBrain Books published a much revised and expanded form of his dissertation as "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre" (MonkeyBrain Press, 2006), with a forward by Batman-legend Dennis O'Neil. The book's main purpose is to define the superhero genre, and produce a standard definition for the term itself. Coogan writes::“The term superhero is often applied to all sorts of characters and people from Beowulf and Luke Skywalker to Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. These applications come out of a metaphoric use of the term to describe characters and people who seem a step above others in their class, whether epic, science fiction, or sports.” He draws a distinction between terms used as metaphors and terms used literally, concluding that - at least part of - the problem is a lack of scholarly definition of the superhero genre. [cite news
last = Coogan
first = Peter
title = "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre"
page =259
language = English
publisher = MonkeyBrain Books
date = 2006]

Comics writer and critic Peter Sanderson, in his "Comics in Context" columns dealing with Coogan's "Superhero", summarizes the contention over the term "superhero" by noting that some fictional characters not "explicitly portrayed as superhuman... nonetheless perform feats that real people would be unlikely to duplicate," citing Luke Skywalker and Jack Bauer as two examples. Coogan's remit, therefore, is to clarify these issues and::“provide a basis for the study of superheroes and help to make more studies possible in the future.” [cite news
last = Coogan
first = Peter
title = "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre"
page =60
language = English
publisher = MonkeyBrain Books
date = 2006] Sanderson also notes that Coogan - and his publisher, MonkeyBrain, who also publish Jess Nevins' annotations on Alan Moore's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" - are not following the common trend in academic circles to largely ignore the superhero genre when comics are discussed.

Coogan seeks to define not merely the superhero as a character, but also the genre itself, thereby discussing not just individual attributes, but types of story, noting that the Superhero::“is generically distinct, i.e., can be distinguished from characters of related genres (fantasy, science fiction, detective, etc.) by a preponderance of genre conventions.” [cite news
last = Coogan
first = Peter
title = "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre"
page =30
language = English
publisher = MonkeyBrain Books
date = 2006]

Coogan's definition makes reference to DC's lawsuit against Victor Fox, who published Wonder Man in 1939 (not to be confused with the similarly named Marvel hero), in imitation of Superman. The presiding Judge Learned Hand identified three defining characteristics in his ruling^{"(see: [http://www.brittonpayne.com/Marvel/SupermanWonderman.htm here] )"}, which form a key part of Coogan's argument:: “These three elements–mission, powers, and identity, establish the core of the genre.” [cite news
last = Coogan
first = Peter
title = "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre"
page =39
language = English
publisher = MonkeyBrain Books
date = 2006]

Peter Sanderson, noted Marvel Comics historian and author of the "Comics in Context" blog at QuickStopEntertainment, while not agreeing completely with Coogan's points, nevertheless states that the book "should become a basic text for study of the superhero genre," recommending it to all fans of the genre. [ [http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2007/02/24/comics-in-context-166-megahero-vs-megavillain/ Peter Sanderson's "Comics in Context" blog #166] . Accessed January 26, 2008]

(For more on Peter Sanderson's in-depth critique, commentary and analysis of Coogan's work, see "Comics in Context" [http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2007/01/29/comics-in-context-162-the-superhero-defined/ #162] , [http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2007/02/02/comics-in-context-163-are-they-on-the-list/ #163] , [http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2007/02/10/comics-in-context-165-super-slayer/ #164] , [http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2007/02/17/comics-in-context-165-the-supervillain-defined/ #165] and [http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2007/02/24/comics-in-context-166-megahero-vs-megavillain/ #166] )

Partial bibliography

* Young Adults Breakfast Club #1-5 (Kent, OH 1986-1987) 'zine
* Comic Art Studies #47 - ? (newsletter) edited by Coogan and Randall William Scott (May 2, 1992 - ?)
* "Science Fiction Comics" in Anatomy of Wonder 4 by Neil Barron (ed.) (pp. 673-689) (New Providence, N.J. : R.R. Bowker, 1995)
* "Reading Comics : Language, Culture, and the Concept of the Superhero in Comic Books" in "International Journal of Comic Art, v. 3, no. 1" (pp. 278-280) (Spring 2001)
* "Wold-Newtonry: Theory and Methodology for the Literary Archeology of the Wold Newton Universe" in "Myths for the Modern Age: Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton Universe" by Win Scott Eckert (ed.) (MonkeyBrain (Nov 25, 2005))
* "Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre" by Peter Coogan (Introduction by Denny O'Neil) (MonkeyBrain (Jul 25, 2006))

References

External links

* [http://www.instituteforcomicsstudies.org Institute for Comics Studies]
* [http://fac.hsu.edu/duncanr/cac_page.htm Comic Arts Conference homepage]
* [http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/rri/crri/coo.htm Some of Coogan's Comics-related writings, at Michigan State's Comic Art Collection]
* [http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=39&t=000060 A brief discussion of Coogan's work, alongside that of Geoff Klock and David Fiore]
* [http://www.majorspoilers.com/archives/4164.htm Peter Coogan interviewed on the Major Spoilers podcast]