Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels: A History of Comic Art

(Hardback)

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Description

For more than a century the comic book has been a familiar and popular artform. As vehemently criticized as it is passionately defended, it has evolved from humble beginnings into a graphically sophisticated and culturally revealing medium. Encompassing traditions from the USA, Britain, Europe and Japan, this work presents a comprehensive survey of comic art. It traces the history of the medium from "comic papers" for kids, through the underground "comix" movements of the 1960s and 1970s, to the glossy book-format "graphic novels" of today. Organized thematically, it investigates comic art's varied genres - including humour, adventure, underground and alternative - and charts the rise, fall and rise of the medium.

Reviews

'Here at last is an authoritative and beautifully produced history of this vigorous and versatile artform, which covers as much of the whole field as a single book could.' (Guardian)

'It isn't the only such book you'll find out there - just the best ... Production values A-plus.' (Newsweek)

'A handsome book with informative text.' (Daily Telegraph)

'Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels is as energetic as a jolt of double espresso - and as simultaneously appealing to both sophisticated and street sensibilities under Sabin's fluid hand, images and text come together like an expert cartoonist's frame-by-frame assemblage of drawings and dialogue balloons.' (Wired)

Author Bio

Roger Sabin is an arts journalist and lecturer at Central St Martin's College of Art in London. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Adult Comics: An Introduction.