Masterclass 2 - Comics and Animation for Justice w. Ronald Wimberly

We are surrounded by popular culture weighed down by heavy baggage. Outmoded, sometimes harmful depictions of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class and more have hardened into stereotypes that are thoughtlessly reproduced. Narrative structures driven by conflict and conquest dominate our storytelling. And even when the patterns are broken – by dark-skinned mermaids or queer side characters – the giant media corporations doing the messaging rarely seem to have any real interest in defying the status quo.

US cartoonist, illustrator and character designer Ronald Wimberly has made it his mission to critically examine the entertainment industry’s depiction of especially black American culture. He’ll share his thoughts and insights in the first part of his masterclass, 10-12, where he is interviewed by Weekendavisen comics critic Erik Barkman.

The second part of the masterclass is all about exploring alternative narrative forms – specifically “kishoutenketsu”, Japanese four act structure. Wimberly has studied and used this ancient form of storytelling in his own work, and from 13-16 he will challenge masterclass participants to do the same.

Ronald Wimberly

Artist and writer of a series of graphic novels – Sentences, Prince of Cats, and most recently Now Let Me Fly – as well as the political comics newspaper LAAB. He has also created a number of shorter pieces for The New Yorker, DC/Vertigo, Nike, Marvel, and Dark Horse Comics among others. Wimberly was a 2008 recipient of the Glyph Comics Award and has been nominated for two Eisner Awards. He has also worked as a character designer on the animated tv series Black Dynamite.