Michael Uslan, World’s First Doctor of Comic Books
Posted By Dr. Travis Langley on October 5, 2012
A great time for comics scholars & all comic book fans: On October 10, Michael Uslan will be recognized as the world’s first Doctor of Comic Books, receiving a fine arts honorary doctorate in comic books.
FULL STORY
I must stress his importance for comics scholars, comic book fans, moviegoers, and, frankly, the course of my own life. He paved the way for my work, overcoming one Goliath after another as he proved the value in studying comic book characters, their stories, and their ongoing heritage.
Once upon a time, Mr. Uslan was the first to teach a class on comic book folklore at any accredited university. To do so, he got a university administrator, who’d been ready to reject the course proposal outright, to see how Superman’s origin echoed the story of Moses. Today, I have no trouble getting approval to teach classes on the psychology of comic book characters.
He fought for a decade to make the first Batman movie a reality, plodding his way through one rejection after another because movie studio executives just wouldn’t believe the world would want a serious Batman. If not for those movies, I don’t know that I would have gotten my book deal, and it certainly wouldn’t have been on the Batman display table at Barnes & Noble all summer. Without his efforts leading the way, I don’t know that I would have ever blended my academic career with my nerdiest interests to do all the things I do today.
For these and other reasons, I thank him and it does my heart good to see him honored as the Doctor of Comic Books.
(He’s getting this recognition on October 10. I’m flying to New York on October 10. I wonder if it would be feasible for me to head out there a day earlier. Hmm…)
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