Comics studies : a guidebook

"In the twenty-first century, the field of comics studies has exploded. Scholarship on graphic novels, comic books, comic strips, webcomics, manga, and all forms of comic art has grown at a dizzying pace, with new publications, institutions, and courses springing up everywhere. The field crosses disciplinary and cultural borders and brings together myriad traditions. Comics Studies: A Guidebook offers a rich but concise introduction to this multifaceted field, authored by leading experts in multiple disciplines. It opens diverse entryways to comics studies, including history, form, audiences, genre, and cultural, industrial, and economic contexts. An invaluable one-stop resource for veteran and new comics scholars alike, this Guidebook represents the state of the art in contemporary comics scholarship"-- Provided by publisher Dedication 6 Contents 8 Introduction • BART BEATY AND CHARLES HATFIELD 12 Part I: Histories 22 1 Comic Strips • IAN GORDON 24 2 Comic Books • CHARLES HATFIELD 36 3 Underground and Alternative Comics • ROGER SABIN 51 4 European Traditions • BART BEATY 64 5 Manga • FRENCHY LUNNING 77 6 The Graphic Novel • ISAAC CATES 93 Part II: Cultures 106 7 Comics Industries • MATTHEW P. MCALLISTER AND BRIAN MACAULEY 108 8 Readers, Audiences, and Fans • BENJAMIN WOO 124 9 Children and Comics • PHILIP NEL 137 10 Difference • THERESA TENSUAN 149 Part III: Forms 162 11 Cartooning • ANDREI MOLOTIU 164 12 Design in Comics: Panels and Pages • MARTHA KUHLMAN 183 13 Words and Images • JAN BAETENS 204 Part IV: Genres 222 14 Superheroes • MARC SINGER 224 15 Autographics • GILLIAN WHITLOCK 238 16 Girls, Women, and Comics • MEL GIBSON 252 17 Digital Comics • DARREN WERSHLER, KALERVO SINERVO, AND SHANNON TIEN 264 Time Line of Selected Events 278 Acknowledgments 294 Bibliography 296 Notes on the Contributors 316 Index 322