The New Nancy: Flexible and Relatable Daily Comics in the Twenty-First Century

Jeff Karnicky's The New Nancy explores how successful daily comic strips are flexible and relatable, using Olivia Jaimess 2018 reboot of the long-running comic strip Nancy to illustrate how contemporary comics have adapted to twenty-first-century technology and culture. Flexible comic creators must be accessible to both online and print readers and quickly grab readers' attention. They must also form a relatable connection with readers, engaging them with specific identities, beliefs, and expectations. Jaimess comic strip, Nancy, finds its humor in both nostalgic and contemporary technological objects and confronts stereotypical representations. Karnicky uses literary studies, cultural studies, and media studies to argue that Jaimess comic strip has something to say about comics, contemporary culture, and the intersection of the two.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 01 September 2023
Publisher: University of Nebraska Press

In his book "The New Nancy," Jeff Karnicky delves into the adaptability and relatability of modern daily comic strips, utilizing Olivia Jaimess 2018 reboot of the iconic comic strip "Nancy" as a prime example of how contemporary comics have embraced technology and culture of the twenty-first century. Due to the emergence of comic creation as a part of the gig economy, flexible comics must cater to both online and print readers, swiftly capturing their attention. Consequently, flexible comic creators like Jaimess must allocate their time between producing comics and cultivating an audience.

Moreover, daily comics must establish a meaningful connection with readers. Most contemporary comic creators develop an online persona through which they engage readers with specific identities, beliefs, and expectations. While this approach can foster a mutually beneficial bond and lead to the success of a daily comic strip, it also carries risks of becoming fraught with toxicity, or even dangerous.

Jaimes, in particular, cultivates a relatable persona that resonates with both longtime readers and new fans of "Nancy." The comic strip finds humor in both nostalgic objects, such as cookie jars, and contemporary technological objects, like smartphones. By rebooting "Nancy," Jaimess comic strip directly confronts the stereotypical representations that have haunted the past of comics. Karnicky employs literary studies, cultural studies, and media studies to argue that Jaimess comic strip holds significance in the realm of comics, contemporary culture, and the intersection of the two.

Dimension: 203 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496235862