All of these are indications that we are on the threshold of a New Age of academic inquiry into the comic medium. This maturation of comics scholarship requires attention in an area heretofore neglected. Bibliographic citation, one of the hallmarks of scholarly writing, becomes problematic when dealing with comic art.
Comic books are particularly troublesome, as they incorporate aspects of both books and periodicals.
Established citation manuals do not allow for the bibliographic uniqueness comics represent. Credit, if only because of its potentially convoluted complexity, is secondary. The Comic Art and Comics area of the Popular Culture Association, having recognized and wrestled with these concerns for several years, has established the following criteria for citing comic art. Subsequent gatherings of the PCA, and concomitant committees and attempted committees have addressed the issues, and what follows is the result of consultation with a large number of people. Special consideration goes to Amy Kiste Nyberg of Seton Hall University, the area chair for the Comic Art and Comics area of the Popular Culture Association, and of course, Thomas Alan Holmes of East Tennessee State University.