Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA

In this essay, I analyse HIMM comics from the USA, a specific textualisation of graphic medicine/pathography that deals with a variety of illness experiences by male cartoonists. It is my contention that, in the existing literature, the motif of masculinity in autobiographical health-related comics...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Mitchell, Paul
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
Repositorio:RIUCV. Repositorio de la Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:riucv.ucv.es:20.500.12466/4253
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12466/4253
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:HIMM comics
Graphic medicine
Pathography
Illness experiences
Male cartoonists
6202 Teoría, Análisis y Crítica Literarias
32 Ciencias Médicas
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spelling Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USAMitchell, PaulHIMM comicsGraphic medicinePathographyIllness experiencesMale cartoonists6202 Teoría, Análisis y Crítica Literarias32 Ciencias MédicasIn this essay, I analyse HIMM comics from the USA, a specific textualisation of graphic medicine/pathography that deals with a variety of illness experiences by male cartoonists. It is my contention that, in the existing literature, the motif of masculinity in autobiographical health-related comics is an underdeveloped area of academic enquiry. As a result, my analysis focuses on how three North American men depict ill health in their work in relation to existing sociological understandings of male behaviour. The texts I discuss are John Porcellino's The Hospital Suite (2014), a story about his abdominal tumour; Matt Freedman's exploration of adenoid cystic carcinoma in Relatively Indolent but Relentless (2014); and Peter Dunlap-Shohl's My Degeneration (2015), which discusses the cartoonist's experience of Parkinson's disease. At the same time, I use the concept of hypermasculinity to explore the similar visual and verbal strategies through which these men respond to their physical and emotional suffering. It is my intention to illustrate how HIMM comics provide an important, non-medicalised lens through which clinical practitioners and lay readers alike can better see the subjectivised experience of male illness in the early 21st century. With a focus on the concept of bracketing, the representation of pain and vulnerability, men's loss of self-identity and hardiness, I explore how HIMM comics act as important counter-narratives to biomedical discourse by visualising the phenomenological aspects of men's ill health. In this way, the texts in my analytical corpus offer a valuable gender-oriented understanding of the connection between illnesses and (hyper)masculinity.20242024-05-1520232023-12-2620232023-12-2620242024-05-09journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12466/4253reponame:RIUCV. Repositorio de la Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártirinstname:Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente MártirInglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:riucv.ucv.es:20.500.12466/42532026-06-19T08:32:07Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA
title Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA
spellingShingle Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA
Mitchell, Paul
HIMM comics
Graphic medicine
Pathography
Illness experiences
Male cartoonists
6202 Teoría, Análisis y Crítica Literarias
32 Ciencias Médicas
title_short Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA
title_full Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA
title_fullStr Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA
title_full_unstemmed Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA
title_sort Illness and (hyper)masculinity in 'HIMM' comics from the USA
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Mitchell, Paul
author Mitchell, Paul
author_facet Mitchell, Paul
author_role author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv HIMM comics
Graphic medicine
Pathography
Illness experiences
Male cartoonists
6202 Teoría, Análisis y Crítica Literarias
32 Ciencias Médicas
topic HIMM comics
Graphic medicine
Pathography
Illness experiences
Male cartoonists
6202 Teoría, Análisis y Crítica Literarias
32 Ciencias Médicas
description In this essay, I analyse HIMM comics from the USA, a specific textualisation of graphic medicine/pathography that deals with a variety of illness experiences by male cartoonists. It is my contention that, in the existing literature, the motif of masculinity in autobiographical health-related comics is an underdeveloped area of academic enquiry. As a result, my analysis focuses on how three North American men depict ill health in their work in relation to existing sociological understandings of male behaviour. The texts I discuss are John Porcellino's The Hospital Suite (2014), a story about his abdominal tumour; Matt Freedman's exploration of adenoid cystic carcinoma in Relatively Indolent but Relentless (2014); and Peter Dunlap-Shohl's My Degeneration (2015), which discusses the cartoonist's experience of Parkinson's disease. At the same time, I use the concept of hypermasculinity to explore the similar visual and verbal strategies through which these men respond to their physical and emotional suffering. It is my intention to illustrate how HIMM comics provide an important, non-medicalised lens through which clinical practitioners and lay readers alike can better see the subjectivised experience of male illness in the early 21st century. With a focus on the concept of bracketing, the representation of pain and vulnerability, men's loss of self-identity and hardiness, I explore how HIMM comics act as important counter-narratives to biomedical discourse by visualising the phenomenological aspects of men's ill health. In this way, the texts in my analytical corpus offer a valuable gender-oriented understanding of the connection between illnesses and (hyper)masculinity.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023
2023-12-26
2023
2023-12-26
2024
2024-05-15
2024
2024-05-09
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12466/4253
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12466/4253
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internacional
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internacional
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:RIUCV. Repositorio de la Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
instname:Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
instname_str Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
reponame_str RIUCV. Repositorio de la Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
collection RIUCV. Repositorio de la Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir
repository.name.fl_str_mv
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