SUNY Potsdam Professor Short-Listed for Charles Hatfield Book Prize

SUNY Potsdam Professor of English Dr. James J. Donahue Among Finalists for Charles Hatfield Book Prize from the Comics Studies Society

Potsdam, NY (10/07/2025) — SUNY Potsdam Professor of English Dr. James J. Donahue was nominated for the 2025 Charles Hatfield Book Prize from the Comic Studies Society, for his most recent book, "Indigenous Comics and Graphic Novels: Studies in Genre."

The Charles Hatfield Book Prize, named for the co-founder and first president of the Comic Studies Society, recognizes scholarly books from the previous year that significantly advance the field -- that is, books that greatly add to the understanding of comic art and/or its historical, cultural, critical or theoretical contexts.

Donahue shared that to be recognized among the final nominees for the prestigious award held special meaning for him, as he once shared an office with the scholar for whom the prize is named.

"Indigenous Comics and Graphic Novels: Studies in Genre" is published by the University Press of Mississippi and is available in hardcover, paperback or in an eBook edition.

In "Indigenous Comics and Graphic Novels: Studies in Genre," Donahue aims to interrogate and unravel the disparities of representation in the fields of comics studies and comics publishing. Donahue documents and analyzes the works of several Indigenous artists, including Theo Tso, Todd Houseman and Arigon Starr. Through topically arranged chapters, the faculty member explores a wide array of content produced by Indigenous creators, from superhero and science fiction comics to graphic novels and experimental narratives. While noting the importance of examining how Indigenous works are analyzed, Donahue emphasizes that the creation of artistic and critical spaces for Indigenous comics and graphic novels should be an essential concern for the comics studies field.

About the author:

James J. Donahue is a professor at SUNY Potsdam. He is primarily interested in the study of narrative form, particularly with how authors construct their narratives to engage in social and political commentary. He introduces students to this work in his various classes, including his courses in Native American literature, young adult literature and the graphic novel. In his scholarship, he works primarily at the intersection of narrative theory and identity studies, with a particular focus on race and representation. His other interests include historical fiction, experimental narratives, and the Beat movement.

In addition to "Indigenous Comics and Graphic Novels: Studies in Genre," he is the author of "Contemporary Native Fiction: Toward a Narrative Poetics of Survivance" and "Failed Frontiersman: White Men and Myth in the Post-Sixties American Historical Romance." Donahue also co-edited two essay collections along with fellow SUNY Potsdam faculty member Dr. Derek Maus, "Post-Soul Satire: Black Identity after Civil Rights" and "Greater Atlanta: Black Satire after Obama," as well as co-editing "Narrative, Race and Ethnicity in the United States," along with Jennifer Ho and Shaun Morgan. Most recently, he edited a special issue of the online, open-source journal Orbit; the issue is focused on Indigenous speculative fiction. Donahue earned his bachelor's degree from Northeastern University and a master's degree from Boston College before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut. He has been on the SUNY Potsdam faculty since 2007.

SUNY Potsdam's Department of English challenges its students to complete a core of courses that explore the varied ways people speak, write and read. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/Engl.

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SUNY Potsdam Professor of English Dr. James J. Donahue’s book, “Indigenous Comics and Graphic Novels: Studies in Genre,” was shortlisted for the Charles Hatfield Book Prize.