The Comics Archive in Malmö has expanded significantly in recent years through large donations. To provide a better overview and inspire scholars to initiate new projects, Malmö University Comics Hub/much and The Comics Archive invites you to a full-day symposium where we will present some of the most important additions. During this full-day symposium, comic scholars will also provide different perspectives on comics research and parts of the collections will be presented thematically. The goal is to inspire you to initiate new research with the starting point in the archive’s unique and largely un-researched collections.
If you wish to take part of the symposium, just mail gunnar.krantz@mau.se and state if you will attend on place or online.
Program
2025-11-14, at 09.00 (AM) to 16.30 (PM)
Note: The Symposium will start at K3-Studio at Niagara (5th floor), Malmö university, Nordenskiöldsgatan 1 and then change venue after lunch to The Comics Archive, Friisgatan 19.
09.00
Registration and coffee.
09.30.
Introduction, The Comics Archive – an uncharted Treasure.
Gunnar Krantz, professor within the arts on the collaboration between Malmö University Comics Hub/much and The Comics Archive to initiate research and build a research infrastructure for comics research in Malmö.
10.00.
Panel 1: Comics Archives – an international overview
Jakob F. Dittmar, associated professor at Malmö University, and Kristian Hellesund, independent comics researcher from Norway, will share their experiences of doing research in archives throughout the world.
10.45.
Short Coffee-break
11.00.
Presentation: Funding comics research at Malmö University
Martina Koegeler Abdi, research liaison officer at Malmö University on funding opportunities – from initial ideas, applications and support. Martina will also give a short presentation of the database Pivot-RP.
11.45 -13.00
Lunch at Restaurant Niagara. See the menu here: https://restaurangniagara.se/
13.00-13.30
Change of venue – we will take the commuter-train, one stop to Triangeln Station and walk to the Comics Archive at Friisgatan 19 (app. 5 minutes walk).
13.30
The Comics Archive – an introduction
Fredrik Strömberg presents the background and the scope of the archive.
14.00
Collections and Archives – what to research?
Curated presentation of selected collections and archives situated at The Comics Archive that would be suitable for research.
- Swedish comics fanzines stretching back to the 1950s.
- The largest collection of English language underground comics in Northern Europe (The Kjellberg collection).
- A major collection of Swedish, English, French and German caricature journals from the 19th and early 20th century (formerly Museum Kasper).
- Personal archives of selected Swedish comics artists, among them Rune Andreasson (Bamse) and Jan Lundström (The Swedish edition of the Phantom comics).
- Archives from editors and publishers, among them the Swedish edition of MAD-magazine, Optimal Press and Jens Peder Agger (Carlsen, Bogfabrikken),
- Archives from The Swedish Comics Association (since 1968) and The Comics Art School in Malmö (since 1999).
- And more…
15.00
Coffee-break.
15.30
Discussions and workshops – plans för projects and applications
Discussions on what potential the attending researchers see among the presented materials for future research, and the possibility to form smaller groups to discuss more specific plans for projects and/or applications.
16.30.
End of symposium.
Social gathering after the Symposium at Malmö Brewing co & Taproom. https://malmobrewing.com/
Presenters:
Jakob F. Dittmar, associate professor in visual communication at Malmö University. He researches on and teaches about various aspects in comics, character design, and identity representations. Also on collective memory and cultural heritage. He combines traditional academic approaches with artistic research in his comics related work as well as his work in and on puppetry.
Kristian Hellesund, independent comics researcher and journalist, head of the Norwegian Arts Council’s Comics-committee. He was the first editor of Comics Journal Serienett and writes on a weekly basis about comics in the Sydvesten newspaper. He currently works on a book about Norwegian Comics History and edits Seriefokus.no.
Martina Koegeler Abdi, research liaison officer, Malmö University. She supports researchers who prepare applications for national as well as international funding bodies in the humanities and social sciences. Her task is to offer advice and support for all steps involved in the development of a new project – from initial ideas to the final application. This includes also help finding funding opportunities and administrative support for the application process.
Gunnar Krantz, comics artist and professor within the arts in Visual Communication, Malmö University. His research focuses on artistic production, forms of publication, the emergence of the field of comics in Sweden and the relation between comics and contemporary art.
Fredrik Strömberg, Swedish researcher, journalist, author and curator. He holds a PHD in Media and Communication studies and is the chief editor of the Comics Journal Bild & Bubbla, heads the Comic Art School in Malmö, and is the President of the Comics Archive.
