The OWU English Department Blog
For the final part of this series on Bronze Age comics (1970-1985), I wanted to discuss the beauty of art from this time period. I am not a professional in the study of art, nor am I an art critic, and I do not intend to pretend that I am. Nevertheless, I wanted to take some time to appreciate the vintage comic book art aesthetic, particularly of the 1970s and 1980s.…
In part three of this four-part series on some great things that I love about Bronze Age comics, we will focus on the philosophical and mythological influences that helped give birth to many of the beloved comic book superheroes we still love today. There are so many fictional characters, especially comic book superheroes, that have their origins in philosophy and mythology.…
In part two of our exploration of the Bronze Age of comics (1970-1985) we will be focusing on how some comics were promoted as a mechanism to speak to kids and young adults about the dangers of smoking, and to comment on poverty and inequities in America. During this era, the Comic Code Authority (CCA) was becoming more relaxed on many of its restrictions and censorship that stemmed from the Silver Age.…
I have been collecting and reading comics for over five years now. This hobby was something that I would not usually tell people because of the negative perception I assumed would come from being a “comic book nerd.” I enjoy many vintage things such as books, music, and movies. I have, like many other people still today, a sort of nostalgia for a time that I have never experienced.…
Recommended by Serena Sweeney
East of Eden follows the histories of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, from the mid-1800s until the early 1900s, and explores how their lives intertwine and influence each other. Adam Trask and his sons Aron and Cal live on a farm in California’s Salinas Valley.…
On Tuesday, October 14, the English department was delighted to host Clint Smith as our speaker for the Carpenter Lecture this year. Smith is a nonfiction writer, poet and journalist. Smith discussed his travelogue How the Word is Passed that was published in 2021. He also read a couple of poems from his most recent poetry collection titled Above Ground which was published in 2023.…
Happy Halloween! Here are a couple more recommendations from editor Serena Sweeney:
1) I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
A film you should try to watch this fall if you have not already is I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020), a psychological thriller directed by Charlie Kaufman, and is based on a book by Ian Reid.…
Looking for some good thriller movies to watch this Halloween? The Sturges Script has you covered! Check out these recommendations from editor Serena Sweeney:
1) Pearl (2022)
Pearl (2022) is a film directed by Ti West and is set in 1918 Texas. It is bursting with horror, gore and emotion. The film follows Pearl, a young woman brought up on a solitary farm who strains under the pressures of caring for her immobilized father, beneath the scrutinizing eye of her demanding mother.…
“Organic Evil.” These are two words that Alfred Hitchcock uses to describe the tone of the stories that make up the collection titled Alfred Hitchcock Presents: More Stories NOT for the Nervous. Hitchcock and author Robert Arthur worked together to gather many thriller short stories that they thought were amazing and put them all together in this collection.…
If you are reading this, then you probably love the Java Chip Frappuccino as much as I do. It was one of Starbucks’ signature coffee beverages officially until March 2025. The Java Chip Frappuccino was my drink of choice once my young taste buds grew to develop a liking for the flavor of coffee.…