Justin Wigard, PhD
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justinwigard.bsky.social
Justin Wigard, PhD
@justinwigard.bsky.social
430 followers 300 following 29 posts
Assistant Professor of English at University of North Dakota. Comics Studies, Digital Humanities, 20th/21st century US literature.

New Book: ATTACK OF THE NEW B MOVIES, McFarland 2023. He/him/his.
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justinwigard.bsky.social
Justin Wigard, PhD @justinwigard.bsky.social · Feb 15
New pub alert! I had the chance to interview the WONDERFUL @alinapete.bsky.social for the latest issue of @inkscomicsjournal.bsky.social .

The issue and interview is free for February 2025 (shouts out INKS editorial team). Check it out below, and thanks again, Alina!

muse.jhu.edu/issue/53356/...
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
conundrumpress.bsky.social
🎨 The Conundrum Press MiniComic Bursary for Black and Indigenous Creators is now open for submissions!

(continued...)
October 22, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
multcolib.bsky.social
It's time for personalized reading recommendations! In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, let's dive into Indigenous books and stories this week. #AskALibrarian
Text reading "Ask a Librarian" with colorful overlapping circles in the background.
November 12, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
sequentialscholars.bsky.social
Junji Ito’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s #Frankenstein was published in English in 2018 and won an Eisner Award for “Best Adaptation from Another Medium.” It’s both a faithful & idiosyncratic adaptation, showcasing Ito's mastery of horror storytelling within the comics medium.1/8 #Frankenstein
The English language trade dress cover for Junji Ito’s Frankenstein.
November 1, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
nsousanis.bsky.social
My statement on Ai from the mini-comic as syllabus i made for new class I'm teaching that starts tomorrow! It robs you of your decisions & struggles - and the joy of being surprised. We won’t to be robbed of our learning - this is essential. This & the full mini at post:
bsky.app/profile/nsou...
a snippet of a mini-comic, at top - straight line stretches from point A to B. Immediately below, same dot at A, then becomes a curving, meandering line that winds through the page and ends at a point with rays and a question mark emanating from it. Text reads: "Nothing can do this for you - for that robs you of experience and conflates answers with learning. Rather, it's all the decisions you make along the way, the mistakes, struggles, and surprises! These pathways you create - this is learning.
August 24, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
mellymeldubs.bsky.social
As DH grows, it’s increasingly important to publish conference papers, but there hasn’t been a clear venue for that.

So I’m thrilled to share this new home for DH proceedings, which will include CHR papers & more.

Thanks to @taylor-arnold.bsky.social for leading this effort!

bit.ly/ach-anthology
Screenshot that reads: Introducing the Anthology for Computers and the Humanities Taylor Arnold, Maria Antoniak, Miguel Escobar Varela, Marie Puren, Mila Oiva , Amanda Regan, Lauren Tilton, and Melanie Walsh 1 Data Science and Statistics, University of Richmond, U.S.A. 2 Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder, U.S.A. 3 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore 4 Laboratoire de Recherche de l'EPITA, Paris, France 5 History and Archaeology, University of Turku, Finland 6 History and Geography, Clemson University, U.S.A. 7 Rhetoric and Communication Studies, University of Richmond, U.S.A. 8 Information School, University of Washington, U.S.A. Permanent Link: https://doi.org/10.63744/HHsQG7hNWyxG Published: 25 September 2025
October 29, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
nrvscrcts.bsky.social
"You can only critically assess the output of an AI chatbot if you have the skills to do so, and you don’t develop these skills by using AI. Before you can be critical of an AI summary, you have to learn to understand a text without having it summarized by an AI tool."
apache.be apache/ @apache.be · Oct 24
Belgian AI scientists are advocating *against* the use of AI in academia. “If independent thinking is no longer encouraged at university, where would it?” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
Belgian AI scientists resist the use of AI in academia
Several AI scientists have published an open letter calling for a ban on AI use by students.
apache.be
October 25, 2025 at 3:12 PM
justinwigard.bsky.social
Delighted to have this piece with THE @nolauren.bsky.social out in the world!

Many thanks to the editorial team and our peer reviewer for helping bring the best out in this piece, and double thanks to Lauren for being such a great coauthor.
October 16, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
dh2026daejeon.bsky.social
📢 Call for Proposals: DH2026
📍 Daejeon, South Korea 🇰🇷
📅 July 27-31, 2026
🎯 Theme: "Engagement"
Submissions: Oct 8 - Dec 8, 2025
Hybrid conference w/ AI translation support
More info: dh2026.adho.org/cfp/
#DH2026 #ADHO #KADH
CFP – DH2026 in Daejeon, South Korea
The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO) invites submissions for its annual conference, DH2026, to be held in Daejeon, South Korea, from July 27 to 31, 2026.
dh2026.adho.org
September 30, 2025 at 11:36 AM
justinwigard.bsky.social
Ayyy, congrats, Alina! Great to see and learn from. Also, check the full post below on ways to help support:
alinapete.bsky.social Alina Pete @alinapete.bsky.social · Sep 11
Tansi ya'll!! I need your help.

My Ted Talk is finally live on YouTube, but I really need views & engagement so it can graduate from TedX to the official Ted site. That way it'll help more people discover comics and Indigenous Story Robes!!

youtu.be/MNeqk_XehEk?...
Using comics and storytelling to engage memory and bring fun back to learning | Alina Pete | TEDxRRU
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
youtu.be
September 11, 2025 at 6:35 PM
justinwigard.bsky.social
Congratulations to the Sequential Scholars team! Wonderful news indeed.
sequentialscholars.bsky.social Sequential Scholars @sequentialscholars.bsky.social · Sep 5
We are thrilled to announce that with the support of St. Jerome’s University and the University of Waterloo, our project has received a four-year Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada! You might be wondering: What is this? We’re so happy you asked! 1/6
September 5, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
literaturegeek.bsky.social
"Queer Book History" zine is done (32 pages!), just getting final team edits pre-pub. Built on upcoming @sharpnews.bsky.social Queer Book History Bibliography—100s of resources by team led by SHARP Bibliographer @bibliowingate.bsky.social. Zine=fave reads, teaching examples, community+conf info +
Photo of the front cover of a standard-sized (half sheet) zine titled "Queer Book History: a tasting from SHARP's 2025 Queer Book History Bibliography. By Visconti; Wingate; Keller, Coker; et al.". The cover background uses a glitched photo of a handwritten manuscript. Photo of the table of contents of a standard-sized (half sheet) zine titled "Queer Book History: a tasting from SHARP's 2025 Queer Book History Bibliography. By Visconti; Wingate; Keller, Coker; et al.". The table covers 32 pages and says: • Credits & how to cite this zine. • Introduction Resources: • Intro to general book history • Intro to QUEER book history! • Teaching queer history toward • A model teaching approach • Black, Indigenous, POC + Queer • Broader BIPOC book history • Zines, community periodicals, DIY queer publishing history • Libraries, archives, museums • Archives & catalogues • Design & art. • Close readings • Ethics & justice re:gender & sexuality • Feminist 2SLGBTQIA+ • Community & conferences • Queer book history isn't past • Current book arts practitioners relevant to queer book history • Want more queer book history? • Back cover & reuse/ remix info
August 21, 2025 at 1:12 PM
justinwigard.bsky.social
Ayyyy, check out INKS, the now EISNER-NOMINATED comics studies journal! In celebration, they've made issue 8.3 available, which includes some incredible work, including me interviewing the incomparable @alinapete.bsky.social ! Check it out!
May 23, 2025 at 2:24 AM
justinwigard.bsky.social
Do yourself a favor:

Watch the trailer.
Watch it *again*.

Then, share it, widely as you can. I think Zack and his collaborators have put together something really special here.
zackkruse.bsky.social Zack Kruse @zackkruse.bsky.social · May 4
The DITKO documentary is full swing! I'm so proud of this project and what we are assembling; working with the Ditko estate has been fantastic. This project is more than Spider-Man. We're going to reset the conversation with this film.

The teaser is below. Production updates at ditko.net
DITKO: Teaser
YouTube video by DITKO: A Documentary
youtu.be
May 4, 2025 at 11:46 PM
justinwigard.bsky.social
April 27, 2025 at 4:04 AM
justinwigard.bsky.social
This is such a great project, and happy to have had the opportunity to review it. Check it out below!
April 23, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
munozmantase.bsky.social
Special thanks to my UND colleague @justinwigard.bsky.social, who encouraged me to attend this amazing venue. I learned so much from brilliant scholars and artists from around the world. It was also a pleasure to visit San Diego and learn about the fantastic SDSU Center for Comics Studies.
April 14, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
nsousanis.bsky.social
He told us who he was all along - those who’ve gone along with it were good with it because it gave license to be their worst selves & because they thought the harm he would do would always be to others. My new comic also in Portuguese, w/sources & full alt text spinweaveandcut.com/draw-the-line/
A comics page in black and white. Arranged in 5 tiers of panels, each with successively smaller panels and more per row - with the exception of the first. Opens with no panel border - silhouette of a hand in a gun position - with smoke coming from index finger. speech balloon “i could stand in the middle of fifth avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn’t lose any voters, ok?” Caption “this is perhaps the most truthful thing trump has ever said…” Same row - more than half page width panel with three drawings of trump making jerky body distortions mocking cerebral palsy. Caption “one might’ve assumed when he mocked reporter serge kovaleski that it would cross a line and be the end of him in public life.” Speech balloon “now the poor guy, you ought to see this guy!” Caption “that was naive.” Next row, first panel, slightly more than page width - closeup on trump’s open mouth, shouting “when you’re a star, they let you do it. you can do anything. Grab ‘em by the pussy. you can do anything.” Caption “surely, there’d be no coming back from this?” Second panel - silhouettes of tiki torch carrying rioters with their shirt collars showing. Caption “or this?” Dialogue “you also had some very fine people on both sides.” Caption “and yet…” Third row - three panels, first slightly more than a third, rest smaller still. Silhouette of trump throwing a paper towel roll like shooting a basketball. Dialogue “a great day…” Caption “c’mon…”. Second panel closeup on his lips, dialogue “why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Caption “really?” Third panel closeup on a coiled-style phone cord, dialogue “i would like you to do us a favor, though.” In background words from the first articles of impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. Dialogue “the call with ukraine was perfect, with “no pressure.” Caption “this must be the last straw?” Full alt text on my site Fourth row, four panels, Silhouette of trump holding up a bible in front of a church. Caption “and on,”. Second panel silhouette of trump at podium, behind him wreath that is symbol for the proud boys. Dialogue “stand back and stand by…” Caption “and on,”. Third panel - drawing of the qanon shamon in his headgear shouting. Dialogue as if in text balloon “be there, will be wild!” Background, more dialogue in white on black ballooons “if you don’t fight like hell you’re not going to have a country anymore. We won this election and we won it by a landslide.” Caption “and on…” this segues into fourth panel - gallows with noose and capital behind it. Big text “article I: Incitement of Insurrection”. Text over image "Trump repeatedly issued false statements asserting that the Presidential election results were the product of widespread fraud and should not be accepted by the American people” Fifth/final row. Each panel is smaller and smaller till the panels become slivers, almost a line. First panel, no image, just redrawn newspaper headlines - including trump’s ad against the “central park 5” and the two verdicts against him for sexual abuse and defamation.” Caption over this "but it’s not about him. as Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.”” Next panel view of his bathroom with claissified documents in it and newspaper caption about indictment for that. Caption over this and next panels “which means if you’re still on board, it’s you.” Next bunch of panels break up a drawing of trump closeup from his mugshot. Headlines from his civil and criminal convictions overlay this. More quotes near the end of the series of panels, including “the water? you want me to go swimming?” “black jobs” “they’re eating the dogs… they are eating the cats.” “china virus” “scum” Full alttext and Portuguese on my site
April 7, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
proghist.bsky.social
Just published!

A new @proghist.bsky.social lesson by Igor Sosa Mayor & @nabsiddiqui.bsky.social

doi.org/10.46430/phe...

Thanks to @justinwigard.bsky.social and @regan008.bsky.social for their reviews, and to @semantic-noodles.bsky.social for editing.
April 2, 2025 at 9:16 AM
justinwigard.bsky.social
Jessica speaks the truth!

Sign up below for a really great online read along of Menopause: A Comic Treatment!
February 28, 2025 at 1:37 AM
justinwigard.bsky.social
New pub alert! I had the chance to interview the WONDERFUL @alinapete.bsky.social for the latest issue of @inkscomicsjournal.bsky.social .

The issue and interview is free for February 2025 (shouts out INKS editorial team). Check it out below, and thanks again, Alina!

muse.jhu.edu/issue/53356/...
February 15, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
megsmith.bsky.social
Hey #DigitalHumanities folks, I'd love your help! I'm putting together a list of sample projects for the history senior capstone. I'm looking for projects that are:
- solo-authored
- by a student
- sustained engagements with a research q (akin to a 15-20 pg paper)
- shared with student's permission
January 14, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Justin Wigard, PhD
nsousanis.bsky.social
I was thinking how many of those urging Ai on the rest of us are people who really want to know how to answer what is expected of them. Which is so counter to what’s exciting about being human, about being curious & coming upon the unanticipated that takes you in unexpected directions. And is yours.
December 29, 2024 at 1:00 AM
justinwigard.bsky.social
Please donate to the International Comic Arts Forum TODAY and help us reach our goal of $2,000 to fund grants for emerging scholars and other initiatives in comics studies.

www.paypal.com/donate/?host...
A flyer for International Comic Arts Forum's fundraising drive on Giving Tuesday. The flyer features the text: "Your donation of $30 or more will help ICAF fund grants for graduate students and international scholars in comics studies!" with a small three-panel comic of kids and parents paying two cents for an attraction.
December 3, 2024 at 7:32 PM
justinwigard.bsky.social
I'm not on here much, BUT, figured I'd share:

I've got a new(ish) piece out in LA RB that I'm pretty proud of, titled "Scars Prove You Lived: On Stephen Graham Jones’s 'The Angel of Indian Lake'". Check it out, if you're so inclined!

lareviewofbooks.org/article/scar...
Scars Prove You Lived: On Stephen Graham Jones’s “The Angel of Indian Lake” | Los Angeles Review of Books
Justin Wigard reviews Stephen Graham Jones’s “The Angel of Indian Lake.”
lareviewofbooks.org
November 16, 2024 at 4:55 PM