9ª Arte is a semiannual publication by the Observatório de Histórias em Quadrinhos of the Escola de Comunicações e Artes of Universidade de São Paulo.
Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Comunicações e Artes
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Editorial Journal 9th Art, volume 13, 2025
Editorial volume 13 of journal 9th Art, published in 2025.
Copyright (c) 2025 9 Arte (São Paulo) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Corporeality as a critical key to Comics Studies: a review of Comics beyond text and image, by Benjamin Fraser
It presents Benjamin Fraser’s Comics Beyond Text and Image as a study that proposes understanding comics as bodies in motion rather than as simple systems of representation. Grounded in philosophical approaches, Fraser redefines graphic narrative as material action, insisting that the page thinks as it moves. The text shows how the book establishes itself as a critical intervention capable of repositioning the debate in academic comics research by emphasizing materiality and graphic action as the core of the reading experience.
Copyright (c) 2026 9 Arte (São Paulo) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Critical review of Histórias em quadrinhos: A nova arte, by Benoît Peeters
The review critically examines the Brazilian edition of Histórias em quadrinhos: A nova arte, by Benoît Peeters
Corto Maltese’s trip to Bahia: dialogues with Glauber Rocha
It aims to analyze the comic book history “Sureshot Samba”, which is part of the album Under the sign of Capricorn, by Hugo Pratt (2006). In this narrative Pratt's famous character, the sailor Corto Maltese, arrives in Salvador, Bahia, in 1913. In the backlands, Corto strives in the struggle of an armed group led by the cangaceiro Sureshot , whose graphic representation references the character Corisco, the cangaceiro from the film Black god, white devil, (1964), by Glauber Rocha. Here we seek to clarify Pratt and Glauber's creative dialogue with support from Pratt's biography (De la Calle, 2024), a critical essay on the film (Xavier, 1983) and philosophical discussions about the experience of travel (Cardoso, 1988) and the relationship with the other, the foreigner (Stengers, 2017).
El Zorro and Matthew Barney: metaphors of the border as a space of transit, hybridization, and new epistemologies
It proposes a reading of the figures of Zorro and Matthew Barney as metaphors of the border, understood as a space of transit and hybridization that challenges dichotomies and proposes new epistemologies. Drawing on Gloria Anzaldúa's (2012) concept of "mestiza consciousness" and Boaventura de Sousa Santos' idea of an "ecology of knowledges," we analyze how Zorro, in the comics series The Adventures of Zorro by Alex Toth (McCulley; Toth, 2022), and Barney, in his Drawing Restraint series, occupy liminal spaces. Zorro, as a hero who navigates between the Spanish aristocracy and countercolonial resistance in what is now known as California, represents the border as a site of conflict and reinvention. Barney, on the other hand, explores the hybridization of art and sport, destabilizing dichotomies such as body/mind and human/animal. The methodology includes content analysis of Barney's works and Toth's comic, articulating them with the ideas of authors such as Gloria Anzaldúa (2012), María Lugones (2008), Gilles Deleuze (1992), Jacques Derrida (1995), and Rafael Haddock-Lobo (2021). We conclude that Zorro and Barney, each in their own way, offer pathways for rethinking borders as spaces of creation and transformation, proposing new epistemologies through the metaphor of the border.
North in Comics and the role of collectivity in the cracks of the brazilian publishing market
It aims to understand the work of the North in Comics project, examining its trajectory both in cyberspace and in physical contexts. The analysis is based on Pierre Lévy's (1999) studies on social dynamics in the digital age, Michel Maffesoli's (1995) reflections on contemporary forms of sociability, and Sá and Vergueiro's (2015) contributions on the production, circulation, and consumption of comics. The research adopts cartography as its methodology (Rosário, 2008; Kastrup, 2009), seeking to reconstruct the trajectory of the project's actions since its inception. By functioning as a catalyst for intercultural dialogue, North in Comics contributes to strengthening the visibility of Amazonian narratives and aesthetics in the national comics scene.
How Julie Doucet represents herself in her graphic memoirs
Based on the semiology of images, this paper aims to highlight how Julie Doucet represented herself in My New York Diary, one of her graphic memoirs. To achieve the proposed objective, the methodological path sought to carry out a reflective analysis, considering that when exploring a frame in a graphic novel according to its semiology, several codes are mentioned, including the pictorial code that inspired this reflection. Within this context, images in graphic memoirs can aggregate meanings in multiple ways, and, simultaneously, these elements perform functions of numerous different signs that we sought to observe. Consequently, it was possible to verify that in a single static frame of a graphic memoir, we could find codes of human expression and gestures, spatial codes, and the possibilities of temporal and narrative codes. Julie Doucet uses the excess of information in her graphic memoirs to add a series of meanings to the pictorial elements of her narrative.
Other adventurers: women in Hugo Pratt’s book circuit
The aim of this study is to look at the editorial career of comics artist Hugo Pratt and analyze it from a gender perspective. However, this approach does not focus on the female representation in the characters created by the author, but rather on the traces of the real women who made up a workforce, often invisible, in the author's comics. Using methodologies from the History of Books and Reading, analyzing Pratt’s “reading circuit”, we seek to identify female agents with direct participation in the construction of the author’s bibliography. Understanding this process allows us to understand that women have historically occupied positions in the editorial field, but the inequality and asymmetry of power in the field becomes evident.
Misreading and reinventing in João Pinheiro´s comics
It examines the work of Brazilian comic artist João Pinheiro, focusing on his adaptations of literary works into comics, specifically Kerouac (2011), Burroughs (2015), and Carolina (2016). The aim is to investigate how Pinheiro employs misreading (Bloom, 1995) as a tactic, deviant and creative form of cultural resistance, a kind of antidote to the anxiety of influence in the process of reinventing the biographies and works of authors such as Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, and Carolina Maria de Jesus. His adaptations transcend mere transcoding and become autonomous works. The method used is a critical analysis of the comics, based on theorists such as Linda Hutcheon (2013), Harold Bloom (1995), and Jorge Menna Barreto (2012), to discuss the relationship between adaptation, originality, and intertextuality. The results show that Pinheiro challenges the hierarchy between the original work and its adaptation, proposing a creative and deviant reading that reinterprets the source texts and contextualizes them within the contemporary Brazilian setting. The research concludes that Pinheiro's adaptations are a form of cultural resistance, updating and reinterpreting classic works for a new audience.
When research becomes a comic: the creative process of a graphic dissertation on autofiction and the poetic-philosophical genre
It aims to present and discuss the creative process of a master's dissertation in art and visual culture, which is currently in progress and being developed entirely in a comic book format. In this manner, the language of comics is explored and introduced as a legitimate form of academic production in stricto sensu postgraduate studies in Brazil. The dissertation focuses on the study of autofiction, a genre originated in literature in which the author inserts themselves into the narrative and blends fiction and reality, within the context of comics, with an emphasis on poetic-philosophical comics. The latter is a genre of comics characterized by authorial expression, poetic, philosophical, and reflective intentions. The adopted methodology is exploratory and bibliographical regarding the theoretical aspects of the investigation, while the artistic production follows a practical and experimental approach. Initial results indicate that the comic book format of the dissertation can expand the expressive and formal possibilities of the research, allowing for the simultaneous exploration of comics theory and practice, innovating the conventional structure of academic research. Thus, this study highlights the potential of comics as a legitimate way to present research and academic work
The emancipation of the emptiness in Rosie Sherwood comics
Rosie Sherwood describes herself as “an artist and writer focused on interdisciplinary practices”. She works with themes such as evanescence and disappearance, producing works with holes and transparencies. Her works explore different media and languages, with the recurrence of printed objects. In these objects, it is possible to highlight five works that use elements from comic books as their core topic. These works raise questions about the limits of this media and propose contaminations with graphic arts and sculpture, expanding all areas involved. From a perspective that consists of the theory of the expanded field of arts, the objective here is to analyse how, in these five works, the author develops the themes of emptiness as a graphic, poetic, and discursive tool, while expands the possibilities of the comics language through contamination with other arts.
A black childhood in comics? Notes from the memories of a cooperative in Rio Grande do Sul
It discusses CETPA, a comics cooperative established in Rio Grande do Sul during the early 1960s as part of a broader project of nationalizing comics in Brazil. It takes CETPA as a starting point for topics such as the challenges of conducting historical research on comics in Brazil. It underscores the absence of comics’ archival policies and the contested nature of comics memories. Within this framework, Bingo – a comic strip created by Aylton Thomaz – emerges as particularly significant for offering one of the rare representations of Black childhood in Brazilian comics. Set in Rio de Janeiro and grounded in popular and urban practices, it challenges stereotypes and opens space for new readings on Blackness and popular culture. The article thus advances a historiographical reflection that highlights the importance of incorporating Black perspectives into the writing of comics history in Brazil.
Independence and Proclamation: re-reading the academic painting in the comics
It examines the graphic and ideological relationships between historical painting and Brazilian comic book productions that revolve around the Proclamation of Independence and the establishment of the Republic in Brazil. An iconological approach is employed to analyze and compare the graphic and ideological meanings arising from the citation of academic paintings as references in the production of nine Brazilian comic books whose themes address the cultural and political history of the Empire and the early Republic. Six of these works were produced in the 21st century, and two in the 1970s, during the military dictatorship. The aim is to identify various forms of interaction between these two media of communication - the erudite pictorial and the popular comics -, in order to expand the understanding of their intermedial relationship.
Describes the creative process of the comics series The Obscure Cities, by Benoit Peeters and François Schuiten, since the moment both authors met during their young years. Analyses the several cities created, as Samaria and Urbicande. Relates the structure o The Obscure Cities with the game Go. Identifies the authors’ main influences for the creation of the comics.
When would we imagine having a Superman and a Robin openly LGBTQIAPN+?
Review of the book SuperGays: mais de 180 super-heróis fora do armário, by Guilherme Smee, or Guilherme Sfredo Miorando. The author is a name that any researcher studying the universe of LGBTI+ representation in comics has likely come across. As such, the release of Supergays, by Smee (2024), is a welcome surprise for studies in this field of inquiry. Despite some limitations in the material, the book serves as an excellent entry point for those seeking an introductory path into the topic. In certain sections, the text takes on a more fragmentary character, and there are some redundancies and issues that could have been explored in greater depth.
It presents the review of the book Génie de la bande dessinée: de Rudolphe Töpffer à Emil Ferris, by Benoit Peeters.
Notes towards a historical study of the comic book Pepín
It presents a preliminary approach to reconstructing the history of Pepín, one of the most representative publications of Mexican comics during the so-called Golden Age, which spanned from the 1930s to the 1950s. By consulting all available issues held at the Hemeroteca Nacional de México - approximately 2,500 comic books -, the study reconstructs its editorial trajectory, identifies its main contents, and examines its connection to the social context of the time. The aim is to highlight the relevance of Pepín within popular print culture and to lay the groundwork for broader research.
Comics and COMPÓS: a critical perspective and an epistemological relationship with communication
It presents a reflection on the development of the state of the art for an ongoing thesis. Its objective is to analyze how COMPÓS, one of the largest Communication events in Brazil, addresses comics, employing the method proposed by Barichello (2016). Based on the results obtained, an epistemological reflection is proposed on the relationship between comics and communication, grounded in the works of Cirne (1970, 1975), Cagnin (1975), Luyten (1987), Barbieri (2017), Sousanis (2017), and Hatfield (2010). The findings reveal not only the connection between comics and communication but also highlight the interdisciplinary nature that characterizes these two fields of knowledge.
How the narrator intrusion occurs in comics: A study of Tungstênio (2014), by Marcello Quintanilha
The narrator of Tungstênio, a graphic novel by Marcello Quintanilha (2014), can be characterized as “intrusive” (Moreira, 2021). In the comics, the lives of four characters are intertwined, and their stories are permeated by a narrator who, in an ironic and provocative tone, actively guides and interferes in the reading process. In this sense, considering the types of narration proposed by Thierry Groensteen (2011), how can this behavior of the narrative instance be understood? In which aspects does it manifest itself? This article, based on these questions, aims to establish a dialogue between literary theory and comics theory, grounding the discussion in Quintanilha's work.
Brazil’s independence in comic-strips: narrative choices
It discusses, from a historiographical point of view, the narrative choices found in the series of comic strips História da Independência do Brasil, written by Heitor Muniz and Francisco Sampaio, published in the newspaper O Dia (1972), from Rio de Janeiro, on the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Brazil's independence. Behind the comic strip, the historical context of civil-military dictatorship and conservative historiographical assumptions that praise the “Heroes of the Fatherland” compete with an exclusionary, slave-owning, authoritarian national reality. During the research, we aimed to problematize these narrative choices, revealing other possibilities for understanding Brazil's Independence, highlighting the participation of women and slaves in the wars of independence.
Copyright (c) 2024 9 Arte (São Paulo) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
How to Read Benoît Peeters:Review of Lire la bande dessinée
It examines Benoît Peeters´s (2003) book Lire la bande dessinée, which offers a multifaceted approach to comics as an artistic language. Peeters explores fundamental tensions, such as the duality between narrative linearity and visual simultaneity, the relationship between text and image, and the historical evolution tied to printing technologies. The book, divided into five chapters, addresses topics ranging from page structure to creative processes, arguing that the strength of comics lies in their ability to integrate contradictions. Peeters rejects reductive definitions, emphasizing the medium's plasticity and its capacity to bridge academic thought and artistic practice.
Frank Miller's Batman: an analysis of the production conditions surrounding The Dark Knight Returns
This article analyzes Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns using Michael Baxandall's theories, emphasizing the impact of the 1980s' historical, cultural, and economic conditions on the creation of the graphic novel. Baxandall argues that understanding a work requires considering the artist's intentions within context, exemplified by the construction of the Forth Bridge. Miller's story addresses social issues like urban violence and nuclear threats, symbolizing the clash between individual autonomy (Batman) and state subservience (Superman), reflecting Cold War criticisms. The article also discusses the influence of other media and the context of adult-oriented comics at the time.
Grass and Waiting: Korean historical representation and export through manhwa
Aware of the success of the Korean Pop Culture movement and the visibility of the comic books Grass (2017) and The Wait (2020), both by South Korean author Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, this work aims to demonstrate how narratives within this literary genre of comics in South Korea - called manhwas - have acted as a tool to reinterpret the country's historical past and make it accessible to the reading public, while surfing a rising cultural wave which aims to export a new national identity, opening several doors for the consumption of literature in its various formats, as well as for the presentation of the South Korean vision of its own history, reinterpreted in common characters in society.
From Moxoxo and Carpadia’s strips to ZiNiQues
The connection between fanzines and comic books in Brazil is well known. Between 1980 and 1990, a large part of the national production came from authors who published in fanzines, due to the difficulty of doing it in regular publishing houses. Although Brazilian comics have already carved out their own space, many authors still create comics independently. The work of the artist Martinique Schultz (aka Nique), with her characters published in accordion-style zines and showcased on the Internet, is an example of this independent stance. Schultz also created what we call artzines, fold-outs with different designs and poetic compositions in an innovative, formal and conceptual project. This article focuses on the relationship between comics/strips/zines and artzines based on the work of Nique, drawing on the references pointed out by Andraus, Batey, Guerra, Magalhães, and Zavam.
A proposal for classifying changes in graphic aspects in DC and Marvel comics in Brazil
The aim is to present a classification of the different types of graphic changes in Marvel and DC comics, published by various Brazilian publishers. Some characteristics of editorial and translation issues are revisited (Assis, 2016), the concepts of domestication and foreignization (Rota, 2008), the concept of linguistic, typographic and pictorial groups (Kaindl, 1999), as well as the Brazilian context of alteration of art (Souza; Muniz, 2020). For the classification, the elements of the comics were divided into macro and micro elements. Through the analysis of several Brazilian versions of the comics, a classification was obtained that lists the various changes in the art. Due to the change from the American format to the formatinho size, several elements were lost, and the Brazilian version could deviate further from the original version depending on the number of changes. It was found that the domestication technique was very common in Brazil, while foreignization predominates in current materials.
The alchemy of time and discourse in Fullmetal Alchemist: problematizations of rhythm in intersemiotic translation
It aims to problematize the rhythm in intersemiotic translations of the manga series Fullmetal Alchemist (Arakawa, 2016-2017), by Hiromu Arakawa. Product of a Masters dissertation currently in development, the problematizations are justified by the distinct possibilities for (re)organizing a discourse and its forms of meaning in narrative arts translated into other semiotic means. Based on the dialogue between the theory of rhythm (Meschonnic, 2010) and intersemiotic translation (Plaza, 2013), along with the constitutive elements of comics (McCloud, 1995), this work analyses, in a sample selected via analytical relevance, the legisigns adopted in Fullmetal Alchemist’s intersemiotic translations, into anime and live-action, and how they relate to the development of the narrative’s time stream and their impact in the discourse’s forms of meaning. As main results, the analyses shows that there were a discourse’s (re)organization, regarding the time stream, from the manga to the intersemiotic translations, and that such (re)organization establishes a specific reading of the narrative, which although still corresponds to the source text, distinguishes the discourse’s forms of meaning.
Amazonian representation in three comics: a social and ecological approach
It aims to present a short history of the importance of comics from the state of Pará, Brazil, especially the importance of the comics collectives that were created in the 1990s and the importance of the calls for proposals for comics production in Belém do Pará. The comics of this period contributed a political vision of the world that is reflected in the narratives of the comics produced in the city of Belém do Pará to this day. In this sense, we also analyzed three comic narratives that deal with the theme of the Amazon and show a dialogical relationship with environmental issues and the preservation of cultural identities in the North of Brazil. This article draws on the theoretical contributions of Angelim (2020), Costa (2021) and Loureiro (2022).
Instacomics without the Instagram part? – an analysis of the current scenario for publishing comics in social media
Since its creation, Instagram has shown itself to be an interesting place for publishing comics in a digital medium, being the author attracted by its low costs and by how easily one can reach a potential reading audience through it. However, the constant alterations in the platform’s algorithm and on its main goal, which is currently for posting videos instead of pictures, has caused a decrease in both the visualization of the comics published in it and in the authors’ satisfaction regarding the platform. Thus, it is possible to notice a search towards alternatives for publishing comics in digital media. This papers aims at analyzing, by monitoring thirty-two Brazilian artists’ profiles on Instagram, the scenario for comics publishing in this social media, as we seek to verify if it is still a valid and sought-after option for doing so, and also if it is possible to identify any kind of movement in search of new digital spaces for publishing comics.
The “Comics in Education” category in the SciELO and Web of Science databases
Its main objective was to identify research on comics in education, indexed in the Web of Science and SciELO databases. It is a qualitative, exploratory approach characterized as a survey research, with the aim of mapping and analyzing the trends and approaches in the selected studies. Among some of the results, the four articles found on SciELO are in dialog with other thematic areas, such as linguistics, health and the arts. In what regards to the articles found on Web of Science, the research revealed that all of them are in the field of education, specifically in the areas of teaching, but also in dialog with other areas, such as natural sciences and exact sciences. However, although comics have been recognized as a pedagogical resource in scientific literature. researched, it is still little explored in the field of the arts.
Fanzines on the skin: the emergence of new media intersections, between tattoo and sequential art
The objective of this preliminary research is to investigate the point of convergence between tattooing as an artistic practice and sequential art, using an artistic performance as an example of this artistic union. The focus is to discover new forms of narratives that can be transferred to the skin, drawing inspiration from typical elements of sequential arts — including comics, fanzines, comics and post-comics. By combining these artistic currents, the aim is to create new artistic genres.