Antonio Benedito, Julia Haba, Vicente Barrachina and Pepe Llopis, will participate in the 11th International Conference on Innovation in Picturebooks and Comics – JOLIN2026.

JOLIN was founded as the International Conference on Innovation in Picturebooks and Comics, a forum for academic reflection on literature, visual art, and the intersection of both disciplines in the form of picturebooks, graphic novels, and comics. Over time, alongside the emergence of academic studies on graphic literature and the growing recognition of comics as an academic subject, we have developed a teaching innovation and action-research group at the University of Valencia, bringing together members and specialists from the University of Valencia (UV), Jaume I University (UJI), and the University of Alicante (UA). The common thread uniting the group’s members is precisely the hybrid language that characterizes the picturebook, along with the wide range of possibilities it offers for academic debate and reflection—from literature and translation to foreign language teaching, among others.

As a hybrid textual genre, the picturebook has seen its public recognition grow year after year, with significant sales in both national and international markets. This has begun to foster research interest among academics and research groups, not only in the fields of philology and literary studies, but also across other areas of knowledge.

At present, comics studies are in the process of academic consolidation thanks to the organization of international conferences, seminars, workshops, summer courses, and the publication of numerous specialized works, whether in monographs or academic journals. Indeed, the current status of comics and picturebooks within academia reflects a critical mass that is nearly comparable to that of more traditional disciplines. Some scholars have approached the field using the frameworks and research methodologies of art history, for example. Others have done so from a narrative or even sociological perspective, adopting comparative approaches with other media and art forms or analyzing their pedagogical potential. We can also include translation studies, which explores the multimodal nature of this medium, as well as queer and gender studies, ecocriticism, and other intersectional and multidisciplinary academic perspectives. Clearly, the possibilities of illustrated literature are diverse and extend across all areas of knowledge.

The 11th International Conference on Innovation in Picturebooks and Comics – JOLIN2026 will take place on May 12, 13, and 14, 2026, at Espai Lluis Vives of the University of Valencia.

•