About
Based in the United Kingdom, I am a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, School of Creative Arts, where I also earned my Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Digital Media Design. I tech across both the Digital Media course and our award winning Animation degree. With DMD, I focus my teaching on Teamwork Practices and Storytelling through Interactive Narratives. With Animation, I focus primarily on theory, teaching Structuralism and Engagement with our first years, applying theory to Manga, Anime and Comics with our second years, and finally supervising Literature Reviews and Final Essays with our third years.
Alongside my work with UH, I am also undertaking my PhD under the supervision of Dr Daniel Goodbrey, Dr Steven Adams and Dr Alana Jelinek. My focus is on the implementation and disruption of the perception of time within DC Comics, and how artists and writers have evolved these techniques. My case studies focus on Crisis on Infinite Earths, Zero Hour: Crisis in Time, Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis as this is a defined 25 period of time within DC history.
As a former student and assistant to Danny Graydon, my involvement with the Superhero Project began with the 3rd Global Conference, where I presented my first conference paper. Since this, my involvement has grown, and strengthened my belief that Superhero Studies MUST be looked at with as much passion and dedication as film or fine art.
Outside of academia, I have also written for publishers such as Comic Book Herald, Sequart, and the Eisner award winning magazine, Panel X Panel. I have also worked alongside Comic Drake, Nerdsync, Comic Tropes, Owen Likes Comics and Matt Draper on both video essays and the annual charity convention, At Home Comic Con.
Conference Papers:
Leather Wings and Broken Things: How the Tragedy at the Heart of Batman’s Character Creates Sidekicks out of his Readers – 3rd Global Superhero Project, Duisburg Germany, September 20th to 22nd 2019.
Beyond Time and Freedom: Darkseid, the Anti-Life Equation and 4th Dimensional Perspective – 4th Global Superhero Project, Duisburg Germany, September 4th to 6th 2020.
'Because He's My Father, You Idiot': Batman as Literal and Figurative Father Figure to the Dark Age of Comics - 5th Global Superhero Project, Duisburg Germany, September 10th to 12th 2021.
Publications:
Breaking Panels, Breaking Time: Examples of the Connection Between Panel Construction and Narrative Time – Sequart.org, January 2019
The Road to Vertigo: The Suppression and Eventual Rise of Mature Comics and their Readers – Sequart.org, July 2019
The Vulture on High: Mythology and Clothing in Pretty Deadly – PanelxPanel No. 27, Pretty Deadly, September 2019.
DC Generations: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Wally West? – Comic Book Herald, February 2020.
DC Comics: Crisis of Creative Communications – Comic Book Herald, March 2020.
The Best Darkseid Comics – Comic Book Herald, March 2020.
Underrathed Gems: The Mighty by Peter J. Tomasi and Keith Champagne. – Comic Book Heral, April 2020.
The 11 Best Superman Stories – Comic Book Herald, April 2020.
Solo: The Emancipation of the Teen Hero – PanelXPanel No. 34, No. 1’S, April 2020.
The Best Scarecrow (Batman Villain) Comics! – Comic Book Herald, April 2020
The 8 Best Justice League Stories (Modern DC Era) – Comic Book Herald, June 2020
The 9 Best Batman Comics (Modern Era) – Comic Book Herald, July 2020
The Best of Batgirl Comics - Comic Book Herald, July 2021
Best Green Arrow Comics of All Time! - Comic Book Herald, August 2021
Interviews:
The Podcast of Steel #30: Speaking with Mikayla Laird about Superman, passions and her career in comics – The Geek of Steel, January 2020
Projects
Steering Group Member
At Home Comic Con, Panelist. April 18th, 2020.