Ben Saunders (professor)

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Ben Saunders
Born (1968-11-16) 16 November 1968 (age 55)
Cardiff, Wales
OccupationProgram Director of the Comics and Cartoons Studies Minor, Professor of English at the University of Oregon
EducationPhD in English Literature, Masters in Philosophy in English Renaissance Literature, Bachelor of Arts
Alma materDuke University, University of Cambridge, University of East Anglia
Notable awardsInkpot Award (2023)[1]

Ben Saunders is a British-born academic and in 2011, founder of the first ever in the world Undergraduate Minor in Comics Studies[2] at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. He holds a PhD in English Literature from Duke University, a Masters in Philosophy in English Renaissance Literature from University of Cambridge and a Bachelor of the Arts degree with First Class Honors from the University of East Anglia.

Career[edit]

Along with teaching English and courses in Comics Studies at the University of Oregon, Saunders is the author of books discussing John Donne, music, the artist Jack Kirby, and the appeal of comic book heroes.

He has traveled globally lecture as an authority on the history of comic books, and is the curator of multiple museum exhibitions on comic art and popular culture. His most recent exhibition, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes currently at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington, showcases the history and impact of Marvel Comics on the world of entertainment. Saunders also served as a judge for the 2012 Eisner Awards for nominees published in 2011[3] and has appeared in the 2017 History Channel documentary, Superheroes Decoded.[4]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby (co-edited with Charles Hatfield) (2016)[5]
  • Do The Gods Wear Capes: Spirituality, Fantasy, and Superheroes (2011)[6]
  • Desiring Donne: Poetry, Sexuality, Interpretation (2006)[7]
  • Rock Over the Edge: Transformations in Popular Music Culture (co-edited with Denise Fulbrook and Roger Beebe) (2002)[8]
  • Penguin Classics Marvel Collection Series (Series Editor, Series Introductions) (2022)[9][10]

Museum exhibit curation[edit]

  • Faster Than A Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Superhero, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon, 2009[11]
  • Good Grief! A Selection of Original Art From Fifty Years of Charles M Schulz’s Peanuts, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon, 2012[12]
  • Aliens, Monsters, and Madmen: The Art of EC Comics, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon, 2016[13]
  • Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes, Museum of Pop Culture, Seattle, Washington, 2018[14]
  • Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing - The Exhibition, Comic-Con Museum, San Diego, California, 2022[15]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Inkpot Award
  2. ^ "Faculty | Comics Studies at University of Oregon". comics.uoregon.edu. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Past Judges". Comic-Con International: San Diego. 2 December 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Ben Saunders | Department of English".
  5. ^ Kirby, Jack; Hatfield, Charles; Saunders, Ben (2015). Comic book apocalypse: the graphic world of Jack Kirby. [Northridge, CA]: IDW Publishing. ISBN 9781631405426. OCLC 949651759.
  6. ^ Saunders, Ben (2011). Do the gods wear capes? : spirituality, fantasy, and superheroes. London: Continuum. ISBN 9780826435569. OCLC 657602788.
  7. ^ Saunders, Ben (2006). Desiring Donne : poetry, sexuality, interpretation. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674023471. OCLC 68786821.
  8. ^ Beebe, Roger; Fulbrook, Denise; Saunders, Ben (2002). Rock over the edge: transformations in popular music culture. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 082232900X. OCLC 48675626.
  9. ^ "Penguin Classics Marvel Collection". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  10. ^ Fear, David (18 June 2022). "Superhero Lit 101: Why Penguin Classics' Marvel Comics Anthologies Matter". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  11. ^ Villarreal, Ignacio. ""Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Art of the Superhero" Exhibition". artdaily.com. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  12. ^ "Good Grief! A Selection from 50 Years of Original Art from Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts". jsma.uoregon.edu. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Aliens, Monsters, and Madmen: The Art of EC Comics". jsma.uoregon.edu. Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Marvel Universe of Super Heroes". Museum of Pop Culture. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Spider-Man at 60: learning from the history of comics". Around the O. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Inkpot Award". Comic-Con International: San Diego. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
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