Reading List: Below I've listed the core readings as well as some of the supplementary material that I'll be handing out throughout the semester. While almost all of the books should be available in the UMBC bookstore soon, I highly recommend tracking down some of the harder to find graphic novels via online vendors like Amazon or even the publishers themselves (For example, Sleepwalk and Other Stories can be ordered directly from Drawn & Quarterly).

You might also want to buy your books from local comic shops. Universal Comics in Arbutus (5300 East Drive, owned by Douglas Gratz) has kindly offered all of my students a 15% discount and plans to stock every book on our list or as close to it as possible.

Required:
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
The Fatal Bullet by Rick Geary
Maus: A Survivor's Tale (Maus I and II) by Art Spiegelman
Strangers in Paradise Vol. 2: I Dream of You by Terry Moore
Sleepwalk & Other Stories by Adrian Tomine
Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vols. 1 and 2 by Alan Moore
Sin City Vol. 1: The Hard Goodbye by Frank Miller

Recommended:
Comics as Culture by Thomas Inge
Alan Moore's Writing for Comics by Alan Moore

Additional Readings:
While some of these supplementary readings may change during the semester, this is a brief overview of some other material we'll be reading.

Comics as Culture by M. Thomas Inge (selections)
Batman, Superman (Golden Age selections)
EC Comics (various)
Archie Comics (selection)
Classics Illustrated (selections with corresponding novel excerpts)
Newsweek (1980s article on graphic novels by Peter S. Prescott)
Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man (Silver Age selections)
Akiko on the Planet Smoo by Mark Crilley (selection)
Hate by Peter Bagge (selection)