Comic book and cartoon artwork Books

Trade ReviewSean Kleefeld’s Webcomics, an entry in the Bloomsbury Comics Studies series, is essential because it remedies the lack of a high-level account of webcomics. It allows the reader to survey the entire field and to see the common threads that link seemingly disparate genres together ... I hope that other future scholarly works, by Kleefeld or others, will complement Kleefeld’s perspective by offering more critical and theoretically informed analyses of webcomics. For such works, however, Kleefeld’s Webcomics represents an essential starting point. * Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society *I’ve always been a great fan of Sean Kleefeld’s writing: its clarity, its circumspection, and the measured quality of his tone. Kleefeld is an ideal writer to chronicle the rise of modern webcomics. He patiently explores not just the nascent realities of an industry in flux but all of the roads not taken, all of the false starts and dead ends, with the perspicacity an unformed future demands. In Kleefeld’s hands, defining what comics looks like today is less a sorting out process for the ages than a mad crash down a steep hill hoping to scoop up some village's bouncing wheel of cheese set loose on the valley below. By the time you’re through, you’ll know just what set of circumstances won the day, and what set didn’t and what might be yet to come. The longer you take to find and read your own copy is the amount of time I get to be smarter than you. * Tom Spurgeon, Publisher and Managing Editor, The Comics Reporter *Table of ContentsIntroduction Historical Overview Social and Cultural Impact Ubiquity Technology Conflicts with Newspaper Strips Audience Participation Education/Social Causes Formats Financing Key Texts Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio Penny Arcade by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques Stand Still. Stay Silent. by Minna Sundberg The Adventures of Gyno-Star by Rebecca Cohen Dumbing of Age by David M. Willis Empathize This by Tak Shiota et al. Critical Uses Discussing Webcomics Webcomics as a Genre? Genres in Webcomics Defining Success Success: Easier or More Difficult? The Negative Side of Creator Access Permanence vs. Etherialness Paratexts Appendix Solution Squad Lesson Plan Glossary Resources

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Book SynopsisFull of playful designs created in the optimistic and fun-loving spirit of the Trolls, The Art of Trolls showcases hundreds of pieces of concept and production art to illustrate how DreamWorks's team of talented artists created an enchanting reinterpretation of the Trails phenomenon that has gripped collectors and popular culture for decades.

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Book SynopsisJapanese anime plays a major role in modern popular visual culture and aesthetics, yet this is the first study which sets out to put today’s anime in historical context by tracking the visual links between Edo- and Meiji-period painters and the post-war period animation and manga series ‘Gegegeno Kitaro’ by Mizuki Shigeru. Through an investigation of the very popular Gegegeno Kitaro series, broadcast from the 1960s to the present time, the author is able to pinpoint the visual roots of the animation characters in the context of yôkai folklore and Edo- and Meiji- period monster painting traditions. Through analysing the changing images related to the representation of monsters in the series, the book documents the changes in the perception of monsters over the last half-century, while at the same time reflecting on the importance of Mizuki’s work in keeping Japan’s visual traditions alive and educating new audiences about folklore by recasting yôkai imagery in modern-day settings in an innovative way. In addition, by analysing and comparing character, set, costume and mask design, plot and storyline of yôkai-themed films, the book is also the first study to shed light on the roles the representations of yôkai have been assigned in post-war Japanese cinema. This book will be of particular interest to those studying Japanese visual media, including manga and animation, as well as students and academics in the fields of Japanese Studies, Animation Studies, Art History and Graphic Design.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; List of Figures; 1 Introduction; 2 Yôkai Art - From Prehistory to Modernity; 3 Enter the Limping Hero; 4 Art History Meets Gegegeno Kitaro; 5 Yôkai in Cinema, 1968-2008; 6 Monsters March On; References; Index

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Book SynopsisIn A Modern Miscellany: Shanghai Cartoon Artists, Shao Xunmei’s Circle and the Travels of Jack Chen, 1926-1938 Paul Bevan explores how the cartoon (manhua) emerged from its place in the Chinese modern art world to become a propaganda tool in the hands of left-wing artists. The artists involved in what was largely a transcultural phenomenon were an eclectic group working in the areas of fashion and commercial art and design. The book demonstrates that during the build up to all-out war the cartoon was not only important in the sphere of Shanghai popular culture in the eyes of the publishers and readers of pictorial magazines but that it occupied a central place in the primary discourse of Chinese modern art history.Trade Review"The book supports its two arguments through exhaustive engagement with primary sources, drawn mainly from an impressive array of newspapers and pictorial magazines, both English and Chinese, as well as letters and other ephemera from multiple archives. A Modern Miscellany does an excellent job of fact-checking biographical detail on China’s cartoonists and their associates. [...] With its careful scholarship and respect for historical accuracy, A Modern Miscellany helps lay a foundation for many years of manhua research to come." John A Crespi, Colgate University, MCLC Resource Center, August 2016 "This volume is a major contribution to modern Chinese studies in general. That is because it traces the ideological development of Shanghai artists and writers, who were the avant-garde of the whole country, from the aestheticism of Shao Xunmei to the leftist activism of Lu Xun. In this respect, Shanghai’s literati, unusual though they were, might be seen as a microcosm of Chinese society at the time. Furthermore, the book is relevant to current cross-cultural studies, since it is mainly about how Chinese artists adapted European sources to their own needs and styles at a time when China was trying to forge a modern identity. Finally, anyone interested in the place and time will appreciate Bevan’s reconstruction of its art scene and the interrelations of the characters in it." Hal Swindall, Jinan University, China Review International, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2015 "I owe a great debt to academics and Sinologists…now add Paul Bevan to the list…a fantastic new book on old Shanghai” Paul French, author of Midnight in Peking (2011) and City of Devils (2018).Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Note on the Illustrations List of Illustrations Notes on Romanization and References Notes on Sources Introduction A Modern Miscellany The Cartoon as Part of the Modern Art Scene in Shanghai The Manhuahu i Part 1: The Beginnings of the Modern Chinese Cartoon Chapter 1: Manhua Artists in Shanghai Marc Chadourne and Paul Morand Vanity Fair Western Models of Art and Literature in Shanghai manhua English Decadence in Shanghai The Modern and the Decadent—The Cubist Shanghai Life, Lust, and Snake and Woman Conclusion Chapter 2: Shao Xunmei and his Circle Shao Xunmei and Pictorial Magazines Shao Xunmei and Salon Culture The Yunshang Fashion Company The Zhang Brothers—Designers A Depiction of Shao Xunmei by Wang Zimei A Letter to Emily Hahn Part 2: Adoption of Foreign Models in Art and Literature Chapter 3: Miguel Covarrubias Covarrubias Goes to China: 1930 Covarrubias Goes to China Again: 1933 Covarrubias’s Illustrations to Chine (China) Chinese Artists and the Covarrubias Style “Impossible Interviews” Large-scale Group Caricatures Ding Cong and the Mexican Muralists The Legacy of Covarrubias Chapter 4: The Chinese Cartoonists and George Grosz The Art of George Grosz in Shanghai George Grosz and China Proponents of the “Grosz-style” A Foreigner’s View of the Grosz Imitators Cai Ruohong: China’s “New Grosz”? The Chinese View of Grosz’s Work Conclusion Part 3: The Dissemination of Chinese Political Art Chapter 5: Jack Chen in China Chen Arrives in Shanghai The Cartoons of Jack Chen in Shanghai Chen and Soviet Socialist Realism The Letters of Jack Chen From China to Moscow and London: The Beginnings of Chen’s World Tour Anthony Blunt: A Champion of Chen’s Cause Chapter 6: The First National Cartoon Exhibition A Suitable Venue: The Sun Company Building The Exhibition News in the Shanghai Press Jack Chen: The Only Foreign Exhibitor Portraiture: A Genre for Political Persuasion? The Paintings of Hua Lu: Lacking a Political Message? Surrealism: Modern Art and the Manhua Artists Cai Ruohong Remembers Foreigners on Manhua: Two Contrasting Views A Review by Jack Chen An Anonymous Critique Zhang Guangyu’s Cover Design for Manhuajie Manhua: An Art for China’s Future Chapter 7: Chinese Art and its Part in the Worldwide Fight against Fascism Hong Kong: First Port of Call Guangzhou: Caught in the Air Raids Chen is Sent to Europe and America Hu Kao: A Shanghai Cartoonist Hu Kao and Jack Chen go to Yan’an Hong Kong: Last Port of Call Epilogue Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn A Modern Miscellany: Shanghai Cartoon Artists, Shao Xunmei’s Circle and the Travels of Jack Chen, 1926-1938 Paul Bevan explores how the cartoon (manhua) emerged from its place in the Chinese modern art world to become a propaganda tool in the hands of left-wing artists. The artists involved in what was largely a transcultural phenomenon were an eclectic group working in the areas of fashion and commercial art and design. The book demonstrates that during the build up to all-out war the cartoon was not only important in the sphere of Shanghai popular culture in the eyes of the publishers and readers of pictorial magazines but that it occupied a central place in the primary discourse of Chinese modern art history.Trade Review"The book supports its two arguments through exhaustive engagement with primary sources, drawn mainly from an impressive array of newspapers and pictorial magazines, both English and Chinese, as well as letters and other ephemera from multiple archives. A Modern Miscellany does an excellent job of fact-checking biographical detail on China’s cartoonists and their associates. [...] With its careful scholarship and respect for historical accuracy, A Modern Miscellany helps lay a foundation for many years of manhua research to come." John A Crespi, Colgate University, MCLC Resource Center, August 2016 "This volume is a major contribution to modern Chinese studies in general. That is because it traces the ideological development of Shanghai artists and writers, who were the avant-garde of the whole country, from the aestheticism of Shao Xunmei to the leftist activism of Lu Xun. In this respect, Shanghai’s literati, unusual though they were, might be seen as a microcosm of Chinese society at the time. Furthermore, the book is relevant to current cross-cultural studies, since it is mainly about how Chinese artists adapted European sources to their own needs and styles at a time when China was trying to forge a modern identity. Finally, anyone interested in the place and time will appreciate Bevan’s reconstruction of its art scene and the interrelations of the characters in it." Hal Swindall, Jinan University, China Review International, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2015 "I owe a great debt to academics and Sinologists…now add Paul Bevan to the list…a fantastic new book on old Shanghai” Paul French, author of Midnight in Peking (2011) and City of Devils (2018).Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Note on the Illustrations List of Illustrations Notes on Romanization and References Notes on Sources Introduction A Modern Miscellany The Cartoon as Part of the Modern Art Scene in Shanghai The Manhuahu i Part 1: The Beginnings of the Modern Chinese Cartoon Chapter 1: Manhua Artists in Shanghai Marc Chadourne and Paul Morand Vanity Fair Western Models of Art and Literature in Shanghai manhua English Decadence in Shanghai The Modern and the Decadent—The Cubist Shanghai Life, Lust, and Snake and Woman Conclusion Chapter 2: Shao Xunmei and his Circle Shao Xunmei and Pictorial Magazines Shao Xunmei and Salon Culture The Yunshang Fashion Company The Zhang Brothers—Designers A Depiction of Shao Xunmei by Wang Zimei A Letter to Emily Hahn Part 2: Adoption of Foreign Models in Art and Literature Chapter 3: Miguel Covarrubias Covarrubias Goes to China: 1930 Covarrubias Goes to China Again: 1933 Covarrubias’s Illustrations to Chine (China) Chinese Artists and the Covarrubias Style “Impossible Interviews” Large-scale Group Caricatures Ding Cong and the Mexican Muralists The Legacy of Covarrubias Chapter 4: The Chinese Cartoonists and George Grosz The Art of George Grosz in Shanghai George Grosz and China Proponents of the “Grosz-style” A Foreigner’s View of the Grosz Imitators Cai Ruohong: China’s “New Grosz”? The Chinese View of Grosz’s Work Conclusion Part 3: The Dissemination of Chinese Political Art Chapter 5: Jack Chen in China Chen Arrives in Shanghai The Cartoons of Jack Chen in Shanghai Chen and Soviet Socialist Realism The Letters of Jack Chen From China to Moscow and London: The Beginnings of Chen’s World Tour Anthony Blunt: A Champion of Chen’s Cause Chapter 6: The First National Cartoon Exhibition A Suitable Venue: The Sun Company Building The Exhibition News in the Shanghai Press Jack Chen: The Only Foreign Exhibitor Portraiture: A Genre for Political Persuasion? The Paintings of Hua Lu: Lacking a Political Message? Surrealism: Modern Art and the Manhua Artists Cai Ruohong Remembers Foreigners on Manhua: Two Contrasting Views A Review by Jack Chen An Anonymous Critique Zhang Guangyu’s Cover Design for Manhuajie Manhua: An Art for China’s Future Chapter 7: Chinese Art and its Part in the Worldwide Fight against Fascism Hong Kong: First Port of Call Guangzhou: Caught in the Air Raids Chen is Sent to Europe and America Hu Kao: A Shanghai Cartoonist Hu Kao and Jack Chen go to Yan’an Hong Kong: Last Port of Call Epilogue Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisListen to the podcast about this book. The Joker both fascinates and repels us. From his origin in Detective Comics in 1940, he has committed obscene crimes, some of the worst the Batman universe has ever known, and, conversely, fans have made him the topic of erotic and pornographic “fan fiction.” Speculation about the Joker abounds, where some fans have even claimed that the Joker is “queer coded.” This work explores various popular claims about the Joker, and delves into the history of comic books, and of other popular media from a semiotic viewpoint to understand “The Clown Prince of Crime” in the contexts in which he existed to understand his evolution in the past. From his roots as a “typical hoodlum,” The Joker even starred in his own eponymous comic book series and he was recently featured in a non-canonical movie. This work examines what it is about the Joker which fascinates us.Table of ContentsThe Sign of the Joker: The Clown Prince of Crime as a Sign  Joel West Abstract Keywords  Preface—On Writing about Popular Culture and Todd Phillip’s “The Joker”  1 Introduction  2 Bad Clown, Evil Clown  3 The Joker: History, Canonicity and Continuity  4 The Joker and the Comic Book as Index, Icon and Symbol  5 The Comic Book­ as Ephemeral  6 Ages of the Joker  7 The Joker on the Couch  8 The Ontology of the Joker  9 Sexuality and the Single Joker  10 In the Name of the Joker  11 Conclusion  References

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