Sequart Organization (; also known as Sequart Research & Literacy Organization) is an online magazine that focuses on the study of popular culture and the promotion of comic books as an art form. Sequart also publishes books and produces documentary films. It was founded in 1996 by Dr. Julian Darius. Sequart's editor-in-chief is Mike Phillips.
Through their publications, Sequart Organization bridges the gap between academia and fandom and makes scholarship on the medium accessible to the general public.
Name
The name Sequart is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[sequential art In comics studies, sequential art is a term proposed by comics artist Will EisnerWill Eisner, ''Comics and Sequential Art'', Poorhouse Press, 1990 (1st ed.: 1985), p. 5. to describe art forms that use images deployed in a specific order for the pur ...](_blank)
," itself a term which was coined by
Will Eisner
William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series ''The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was no ...
in his book ''
Comics and Sequential Art''. Unlike terms such as
comic books
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
or
graphic novels
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
, which refer to a specific format, the term "sequart" refers to the medium itself, therefore including the aforementioned formats, but also
comic strips
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...
,
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
,
illustrated fiction
Illustrated fiction is a hybrid narrative medium in which images and text work together to tell a story. It can take various forms, including fiction written for adults or children, magazine fiction, comic strips, and picture books.Sillars, Stuart ...
,
picture books
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...
, and even
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
, for example in form of
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...
.
Accolades
The ''
Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...
'' named Tom Shapira's ''Curing the Postmodern Blues'' as one of 2013's Best Graphic Novels saying, "a PhD-level explication... Shapira's treatise gathers up plot threads and illuminates character motivations to reveal the tale as an attempt, in Morrison's own words, 'to turn the very basic horrors of existence into comedy and poetry.'"
In 2013,
Latino Review named
The Image Revolution
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
"one of the best documentaries of the year."
In 2015, ''
She Makes Comics
''She Makes Comics'' is a 2014 documentary film about the history of women in the comic book industry since the medium's beginnings in the early 1900s. It features interviews with key industry professionals, including artists, writers, editors, and ...
'' won the award for best documentary at the
Comic Con International Independent Film Festival.
Books
Sequart has published several scholarly non-fiction books on subjects related to the medium. Sequart's first book, about ''
Batman Begins
''Batman Begins'' is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Michael Caine, ...
'', was the first scholarly book ever published on
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...
's Batman movies. Published in 2005, it appeared prior to the film's release on home video, the first time an analytic book had ever been published so quickly following a movie's release. Sequart's second book was the first scholarly book about comics writer
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...
.
* Beard, Jim (Ed.). ''Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s Batman TV Series Matters''. (2010)
* Bensam, Richard (Ed.). ''Minutes to Midnight: Twelve Essays on Watchmen''. (2010)
* Berenato, Joseph F. (Ed.). ''New Life and New Civilizations: Exploring Star Trek Comics''. (2014)
* Berenato, Joseph F. & Rich Handley (Ed.). ''A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe'' (2015)
* Berenato, Joseph F. & Rich Handley (Ed.). ''A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Exploring Star Wars Comics'' (2016)
* Berenato, Joseph F. & Rich Handley (Ed.). ''A More Civilized Age: Exploring the Star Wars Expanded Universe'' (2017)
* Berenato, Joseph F. & Rich Handley (Ed.). '' The Sacred Scrolls: Comics on the Planet of the Apes'' (2015)
* Berenato, Joseph F. & Rich Handley (Ed.). '' Bright Eyes, Ape City: Examining the Planet of the Apes Mythos'' (2017)
* Boucher, Ian (Ed.). ''Humans and Paragons: Essays on Super-Hero Justice''. (2017)
* Callahan, Timothy. ''Grant Morrison: The Early Years''. (2007)
* Callahan, Timothy (Ed.). ''Teenagers from the Future: Essays on the Legion of Super-Heroes''. (2008)
** Darius, Julian. ''Revisionism, Radical Experimentation, and Dystopia in Keith Giffen’s Legion of Super-Heroes''. (2012)
* Carpenter, Greg. ''The British Invasion: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and the Invention of the Modern Comic Book Writer''. (2016)
* Darius, Julian. ''Improving the Foundations: Batman Begins from Comics to Screen''. (2005)
* Darius, Julian. ''And the Universe so Big: Understanding Batman: The Killing Joke''. (2012)
* Darius, Julian. ''The Weirdest Sci-Fi Comic Ever Made: Understanding Jack Kirby’s 2001: A Space Odyssey''. (2013)
* Darius, Julian. ''When Manga Came to America: Super-Hero Revisionism in Mai, the Psychic Girl''. (2014)
* Darius, Julian. ''Classics on Infinite Earths: The Justice League and DC Crossover Canon''. (2015)
** Darius, Julian. ''Everything and a Mini-Series for the Kitchen Sink: Understanding Infinite Crisis''. (2012)
* Darius, Julian. ''This Lightning, This Madness: Understanding Alan Moore’s Miracleman, Book One''. (2021)
* Gray, Richard. ''Moving Target: The History and Evolution of Green Arrow''. (2017)
* Hammond, S.G. (Ed.). ''The Mignolaverse: Hellboy and the Comics Art of Mike Mignola''. (2019)
* Handley, Rich & Joseph Dilworth Jr. (Ed.). ''Unauthorized Offworld Activation: Exploring the Stargate Franchise''. (2022)
* Handley, Rich & Lou Tambone (Ed.). ''Somewhere Beyond the Heavens: Exploring Battlestar Galactica''. (2019)
* Handley, Rich & Lou Tambone (Ed.). ''From Bayou to Abyss: Examining John Constantine, Hellblazer''. (2020)
* Handley, Rich & Lou Tambone (Ed.). ''Musings on Monsters: Observations on the World of Classic Horror''. (2021)
* Hernando, David. ''Why Do We Fall?: Examining Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy''. (2022)
* Klock, Geoff. ''The Future of Comics, the Future of Men: Matt Fraction’s Casanova''. (2015)
* Lindsay, Ryan K. (Ed.). ''The Devil is in the Details: Examining Matt Murdock and Daredevil''. (2013)
** Lindsay, Ryan K. ''Blind Dates and Broken Hearts: The Tragic Loves of Matthew Murdock''. (2013)
* Ludwig, Logan. ''Moving Panels: Translating Comics to Film''. (2015)
* McLean, Thomas J. ''Mutant Cinema: The X-Men Trilogy from Comics to Screen''. (2008)
* Meaney, Patrick. ''Our Sentence is Up: Seeing Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles''. (2010)
* Meaney, Patrick & Kevin Thurman. ''Warren Ellis: The Captured Ghosts Interviews''. (2013)
* Means-Shannon, Hannah. ''Meet the Magus: Magic in the Work of Alan Moore'' (2016)
* Milazzo, Melissa (Ed.). ''The World Needs Bad Men: Essays on True Detective, Season 1'' (2016)
* Milazzo, Melissa. ''Time is a Flat Circle: Examining True Detective, Season One'' (2019)
* Nevett, Chad (Ed.). ''Shot in the Face: A Savage Journey to the Heart of Transmetropolitan''. (2013)
* Powell, Jason. ''The Best There is at What He Does: Examining Chris Claremont’s X-Men''. (2016)
* Shapira, Tom. ''Curing the Postmodern Blues: Reading Grant Morrison and Chris Weston’s The Filth in the 21st Century''. (2013)
* Tambone, Lou & Joe Bongiorno (Ed.). ''The Cyberpunk Nexus: Exploring the Blade Runner Universe''. (2017)
* Thurman, Kevin & Julian Darius. ''Voyage in Noise: Warren Ellis and the Demise of Western Civilization''. (2013)
* Walker, Cody (Ed.). ''Keeping the World Strange: A Planetary Guide''. (2011)
* Walker, Cody. ''The Anatomy of Zur-en-Arrh: Understanding Grant Morrison’s Batman''. (2014)
* Weatherly, Scott. ''Judging Dredd: Examining the World of Judge Dredd''. (2021)
Films
Sequart Organization produces documentary films on subjects related to comic books and graphic novels.
* ''
Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods'' (2010)
* ''
Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts'' (2012)
* ''
Comics in Focus: Chris Claremont's X-Men'' (2014)
* ''
The Image Revolution
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (2014)
* ''Diagram for Delinquents'' (2014)
* ''
She Makes Comics
''She Makes Comics'' is a 2014 documentary film about the history of women in the comic book industry since the medium's beginnings in the early 1900s. It features interviews with key industry professionals, including artists, writers, editors, and ...
'' (2014)
* ''
Neil Gaiman: Dream Dangerously'' (2016)
References
External links
*{{official website, http://sequart.org/
Sequart on PatreonSequart on TwitterSequart on FacebookSequart on YouTube
Comics-related organizations
Websites about comics
Internet properties established in 1996
Publishing companies established in 1996
Comic book publishing companies of the United States
Small press publishing companies