The theme of cannibalism is taboo but pervasive, abhorrent yet enticing. Compelling examples of the postmodern cannibal and the rupture that it unveils are springing up in the increasingly popular world of comics[1]. These comics do not just provide visual representations of a hybrid cannibal that draws upon ideas of canonical authors. Instead, the postmodern cannibalistic comics that I am analyzing deconstruct the categories that canonical pre-modern and contemporary literature alike relies upon. The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and Crossed: Volume I by Garth Ennis[2] challenge the definitive nature of groups “human” and “animal[3].” These narratives expose that there is no “us” and no “them,” but rather suggest that the nuances and crossovers between human (glorified/civilized) and animal(beast/savage) are infinite, unveiling a Derridean abyss through the cannibal figure. Continue reading Formal Proposal (Revised)
