Justin M. Carroll, Ph.D. – history, comics & ephemera.

Hi. My name is Justin M. Carroll. I am an academic historian of the British and American Great Lakes, the father of a wonderful son, and a hapless cartoonist. I was born in Lima, Ohio, but raised in Michigan—I will die in sight of Lake Superior, as all men must.

The following four comics reveal and reflect my growth as an illustrator, storyteller, and cartoonist throughout my art degree at Indiana University East. The earliest comic, “An Abundance of Possessions,” was created in 2021 due to a research project in the upper Great Lakes. I made “The Locust Eaten Years” in 2022 after reflecting on graduate school, my experience with depression, and the excellent iPod. “Model Horse” was created in 2023 and based on a conference paper I wrote in 2012. Finally, “I AM FAIL” is a daily comic I kept during the summer of 2024, which I revised for my capstone project during the Spring of 2025.

These shorter efforts all serve as a prelude to a much larger comic center project that looks at the life of an Ojibwe woman in early 19th century America and works to chart the limits and horizons of Indigenous peoples within the early American Republic.

Thank you Professors Longley, Kim, Campbell, de Villers, and Kelly for their time, support, mentorship, and overwhelming encouragement.