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Resource type: Journal Article Language: en: English Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1080/21504857.2018.1462220 BibTeX citation key: Adana2018 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details |
Categories: General Keywords: "Terry and the Pirates", Caniff. Milton, Comic strip, Death, Reception, USA Creators: Adana Collection: Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics |
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Abstract |
This paper applies the theory of attachment to explain the reaction of readers to one of the most important deaths in comic strips: the death of Raven Sherman in Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff. The readers’ attachment to the character is shown in their letters preserved in the author’s collection at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. This attachment produces grief when an important character, such as Raven Sherman, dies. The collective grief involves the four phases presented by John Bowlby in relation to the loss of a close person, demonstrating readers’ attachment to the character in the strip. The paper also discusses how the possibility of grieving for a comic character has been lost because, among other reasons, death has lost significance in superhero comics.
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