Rebirth of the English Comic Strip: A Kaleidoscope, 1847-1870 enters deep into an era of comic history that has been entirely neglected. This buried cache of mid-Victorian graphic humor is marvelously rich in pictorial narratives of all kinds. Author David Kunzle calls this period a ""rebirth"" because of the preceding long hiatus in use of the new genre, since the Great Age of Caricature (c.1780-c.1820) when the comic strip was practiced as a sideline. Suddenly in 1847, a new, post-Toepffer com...
Walt Kelly (1913-1973) is one of the most respected and innovative American cartoonists of the twentieth century. His long-running Pogo newspaper strip has been cited by modern comics artists and scholars as one of the best ever. Cartoonists Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), Jeff Smith (Bone), and Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows) have all cited Kelly as a major influence on their work. Alongside Uncle Scrooge's Carl Barks and Krazy Kat's George Herriman, Kelly is recognized as a genius of ""funny...
A revised, updated and rewritten history of women cartoonists, with more color illustrations than ever before, and with some startling new discoveries (such as a Native American woman cartoonist from the 1940s who was also a Corporal in the women's army, and the revelation that a cartoonist included in all of Robbins's previous histories was a man!) In the pages of Pretty in Ink you'll find new photos and correspondence from cartoonists Ethel Hays and Edwina Dumm, and the true story of Golden Ag...
The remarkable story of the stylistic, cultural, and technical innovations that drove the surge of comics, caricature, and other print media in 19th-century Europe Taking its title from the 1844 visionary graphic novel by J. J. Grandville, this groundbreaking book explores the invention of print media-including comics, caricature, the illustrated press, illustrated books, and popular prints-tracing their development as well as the aesthetic, political, technological, and cultural issues that s...
Grant Morrison has made a career of redefining heroes, but his work with Batman has been the most comprehensive. From ARKHAM ASYLUM and JLA to his seven-year run on Batman, Morrison has redefined and reworked the Caped Crusader from the ground up. He's also introduced new characters (such as Damian Wayne) and new concepts (such as Batman, Inc.). THE ANATOMY OF ZUR-EN-ARRH analyzes Grant Morrison's Batman, including how it understands and reinterprets Batman's long history. Featuring an interview...
The American Superhero: Encyclopedia of Caped Crusaders in History
by Richard A. Hall
Steaming into a Victorian Future
A popular sub-genre of fantasy and science fiction, steampunk re-imagines the Victorian age in the future, and re-works its technology, fashion, and values with a dose of anti-modernism. While often considered solely through the lens of literature, steampunk is, in fact, a complex phenomenon that also affects, transforms, and unites a wide range of disciplines, such as art, music, film, television, fashion, new media, and material culture. In Steaming into a Victorian Future: A Steampunk Anthol...
Judge Dredd: Mega-City Masters 02 (Judge Dredd, #2)
by John Wagner, Grant Morrison, and Alan Grant
THE WORD OF THE LAW! He is the toughest Judge in Mega-City One – here are the writers that made him this way! Meet Judge Dredd, the iconic lawman of the future, as envisioned by the best in British talent. This compilation features stories written by some of the biggest names working in comics today, including Grant Morrison (Batman: Arkham Asylum), Mark Millar (Kick-Ass), Dan Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner (A History of Violence). With art from Glenn F...
Ever wonder what Will Eisner did after "The Spirit" ended its memorable and historic run? Well, Eisner started work on "PS Magazine", which was just as innovative, interesting, and fun as "The Spirit", but in different ways. "Will Eisner and PS Magazine" is based on interviews with Will Eisner and his collaborators, Chuck Kramer, Mike Ploog, Murphy Anderson, Dan Speigle, Alfredo Alcala, and Joe Kubert and also presents numerous examples of the covers and artwork from the magazine by this illustr...
Harvey Pekar (Conversations with Comic Artists)
Harvey Pekar's American Splendor is the longest-running and arguably the most influential autobiographical comic book series produced in America. Since 1976, Pekar (b. 1939) has reported on his life through his comics. Pekar's comic books deal with his life as a Veterans Administration clerk and freelance music critic; his friends and co-workers and their stories; and his home city of Cleveland. Pekar's struggles with physical and mental problems, a low-paying job, Hollywood, marriage, his daugh...
Cartoonist Winsor McCay (1869-1934) is rightfully celebrated for the skillful draftmanship and inventive design sense he displayed in the comic strips Little Nemo in Slumberland and Dream of the Rarebit Fiend. McCay crafted narratives of anticipation, abundance, and unfulfilled longing. This book explores McCay's interest in dream imagery in relation to the larger preoccupation with fantasy that dominated the popular culture of early twentieth-century urban America. McCay's role as a pioneer of...
IDW: The First 10 Years
by Ted Adams, Peter David, Joe Hill, Kris Oprisko, Chris Ryall, and Ben Templesmith
Batman Unauthorized explores Batman's motivations and actions, as well as those of his foes. Batman is a creature of the night, more about vengeance than justice, more plagued by doubts than full of self-assurance, and more darkness than light. He has no superpowers, just skill, drive and a really well-made suit. One of the most recognized superheroes ever created, Batman has survived through campy TV shows and films, through actors such as Adam West, Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. Batman U...
Ever wondered what a superhero eats for breakfast? Do they need a special diet to feed their superpowers? The odd metabolisms of superheroes must mean they have strange dietary needs, from the high calorie diets to fuel flaming bodies and super speeds, to not so obvious requirements for vitamins and minerals. The Secret Science of Superheroes looks at the underpinning chemistry, physics and biology needed for their superpowers. Individual chapters look at synthesising elements on demand, genet...
Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence (Television and Popular Culture)
by J. Richard Stevens
Since 1940, Captain America has battled his enemies in the name of American values, and as those values have changed over time, so has Captain America’s character. Because the comic book world fosters a close fan–creator dialogue, creators must consider their ever-changing readership. Comic book artists must carefully balance storyline continuity with cultural relevance. Captain America’s seventy-year existence spans from World War II through the Cold War to the American War on Terror; beginning...
Now even young readers can enjoy Shakespeare's stories in a bold new retelling that captures the drama and adventure of the original plays.
Hellboy, Mike Mignola's famed comic book demon hunter, wanders through a haunting and horrific world steeped in the history of weird fictions and wide-ranging folklores. Hellboy's World shows how our engagement with Hellboy's world is a highly aestheticized encounter with comics and their materiality. Scott Bukatman's dynamic study explores how comics produce a heightened "adventure of reading" in which syntheses of image and word, image sequences, and serial narratives create compelling worlds...