It’s taken awhile, but the amazing medieval comics by Karrie Fransman are now online for you to see! They were exhibited at the British Library and Orbital Comics in March-April 2017.
Each of these comics is based on a brief snapshot from medieval literature that explores what it means to be human. Be sure to read the snapshot that goes with the comic if you haven’t already (listed below).
The Green Knight © Karrie Fransman 2017 – All Rights Reserved. He is ‘overal enker-grene’ (completely bright green). His clothes are green. His horse is green. His hair and face are green. Only his eyes are red. 
Bleeding Trees © Karrie Fransman 2017 – All Rights Reserved. As sinful human beings become less human morally in their behaviour, the trees become more human physically by their bleeding. 
Mélusine © Karrie Fransman 2017 – All Rights Reserved. The exciting adventures of a woman who has been cursed to turn into a half-serpent once a week. You think you have problems… 
The Amazons © Karrie Fransman 2017 – All Rights Reserved. To the late Anglo-Saxons the Amazons were women but not as they knew them: queens who ruled rather than queens consort, as well as conquerors, warriors, pagans, self-mutilators, from elsewhere. 
Satan’s Emissary © Karrie Fransman 2017 – All Rights Reserved. Then the enemy, the antagonist to Creation, the Devil’s messenger, began to gather his gear in the visible darkness. He placed a great helm of invisibility and deceit on his head. 
Æthelburg © Karrie Fransman 2017 – All Rights Reserved. When the Vikings arrived to pillage Barking Abbey, the power of Æthelburg’s holiness brought wild animals to protect her tomb. 
Seafarer © Karrie Fransman 2017 – All Rights Reserved. The Seafarer describes the irresistible call to sea and his experiences on the ocean, but this is a poem of the mind. 
Lump Baby © Karrie Fransman 2017 – All Rights Reserved. Clearly, from the perspective of this writer, some people are more human than others and it is markers such as race and religion that determine one’s claims to humanity.
Snapshots:
- Bleeding Trees
- Satan’s Messenger and His Helm of Invisibility
- Hearts, Minds, and Sea Birds
- The Green Knight
- The Lump of Flesh: Shaping the Human Body through Religion/Race
- The Amazons: Warrior Queens
- Mélusine the Half-Serpent Woman
- Æthelburg (or Ethelburga): Saint, Abbess, Badass
Getting medieval with comics: How to be human in the Middle Ages is a collaboration between King’s College London’s Department of English and artist Karrie Fransman, led by Dr Hana Videen and supported by the Cultural Institute at King’s as part of the Early Career Researchers scheme.
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