Description
Book SynopsisProviding an overview of the dynamic field of comics and graphic novels for students and researchers, this Essential Guide contextualises the major research trends, debates and ideas that have emerged in Comics Studies over the past decades. Interdisciplinary and international in its scope, the critical approaches on offer spread across a wide range of strands, from the formal and the ideological to the historical, literary and cultural. Its concise chapters provide accessible introductions to comics methodologies, comics histories and cultures across the world, high-profile creators and titles, insights from audience and fan studies, and important themes and genres, such as autobiography and superheroes. It also surveys the alternative and small press alongside general reference works and textbooks on comics. Each chapter is complemented by list of key reference works.
Trade ReviewThe volume provides an excellent resource for anyone interested in this topic, and will doubtless remain so as the field grows further in the coming years. * Modern Language Review *
This is a book about how to approach comics that in itself approaches comics with finesse. The different complementary sections draw upon uses of critical theory, historical contextualisation, artists and audiences, and what the comics themselves say, directly as well as implicitly. The work is a masterclass in applied method and will be of use to all who study comics, be it professionally, for the fun of it, or both. * Laurence Grove, Professor of French and Text/Image Studies and Director of the Stirling Maxwell Centre, University of Glasgow, UK *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Part 1: Approaching Comics Chapter 2: Formalist Approaches Chapter 3: Ideological and Material Approaches Part 2: Histories and Cultures Chapter 4: Early Criticism and Legitimation Chapter 5: Historical Approaches Part 3: Production and Reception Chapter 6: Creators, Imprints and Titles Chapter 7: Audiences and Fan Cultures Part 4: Themes and Genres Chapter 8: Thematic Approaches Chapter 9: Popular Genres Chapter 10: Outside the Mainstream Chapter 11: General Reference Guides and Textbooks Chapter 12: Conclusion
