Paul Gravett

Visually amazing, this critical history of comic books, manga, and graphic novels is a must-have for any comic buff or collector. Over the centuries, comic books and their offshoots, such as graphic novels, manga, and bandes dessinées, have evolved into a phenomenally popular, influential, and unique art form with which we can express our opinions, our fantasies, our nightmares, and our dreams. In short: comics are emphatically no longer just for kids. This diverse, constantly evolving medium is truly coming into its own in the 21st century, from Hollywood's blockbuster adaptations of super-powered caped crusaders to the global spread of Japan's manga and its spinoffs, and from award-winning graphic novels such as Maus and Persepolis to new forms such as online webcomix. This volume is the perfect introduction to a dynamic and globally popular medium, embracing every graphic genre worldwide to assess the very best works of sequential art, graphic literature, comics, and comic strips, past and present. An international survey, this engaging volume is organized according to the year of first publication in the country of origin. An opening section acknowledges pioneering pre-1900 masterpieces, followed by sections divided by decade, creating a fascinating year-by-year chronicle of the graphic medium worldwide. The material includes the very earliest one-off albums to the latest in online comics and features some series and characters that have run for decades. Packed with fantastic reproductions of classic front covers and groundbreaking panels, this book is visually stunning as well as a trove of information--perfect for the passionate collector and casual fan alike.

The Ultimate Guide to Comic Books, Graphic Novels and Manga

1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die

An insightful appreciation of the life and art of Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomin books, which are adored by children and adults across the globe.

The Illustrators

Tove Jansson

John Harris Dunning

It’s simple—comics are fun. Whether fifteen or fifty, we love sitting down with a comic book, losing ourselves in a universe filled with wonder and excitement. But comics offer much more than meets the eye, and in Comics Unmasked, Paul Gravett and John Harris Dunning look beyond the notion of comics as pleasure reading to focus on their inherently anarchic nature. Gravett and Dunning have combed the British Library’s extensive comic collection not only to explore the full potential of the medium but also to single out the critical points in history in which the art form challenged the status quo. Featuring newly discovered Victorian comics alongside some of the biggest names in comics today, including Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Mark Millar (Kick-Ass), and Grant Morrison (Batman: Arkham Asylum), Comics Unmasked explores the political and social issues raised by British comics and their creators over the last century, from violence and drugs to class and sexuality. Published to accompany a British Library exhibition that will be the United Kingdom’s largest exhibit of British comics to date, Comics Unmasked will delight comics enthusiasts around the world, offering them the chance to discover a different—perhaps darker side—of the medium.

Art and Anarchy in the UK

Comics Unmasked

A comprehensive book about comics, covering the following aspects: Criticism, childhood, war, superheroes, dreams, fear, crime, morality, humor, time travel, love, and desire.

Stories to Change Your Life

Graphic Novels

An inaugural volume in a new series showcasing the most significant illustrators of the modern era, this book explores the satirical cartoons of Posy Simmonds. Illustrator Posy Simmonds is known for her extraordinarily precise drawings, keen powers of observation, and sharp but well-tempered wit, all of which have made her an internationally renowned artist. This generously illustrated book examines Simmonds’s life and work from early childhood to the present day, offering insights into her creative process. Paul Gravett has had unprecedented access to her archive and includes pages from her sketchbooks as well as rare or never-before-seen artwork. The portrait of Simmonds that emerges underlines her role as a keen chronicler and critic of contemporary British society—a storyteller who writes and illustrates with rare perception and humanity. Posy Simmonds is one of the first titles in Thames & Hudson’s new The Illustrators series, which celebrates illustration as an art form. The book will appeal to the many fans of Simmonds’s work, and anyone interested in illustration will adore this unrivaled exploration of a sophisticated innovator.

Posy Simmonds

Hayward Gallery

Emma Mahony

Cult fiction explores the reciprocal relationship between comics and art, foregrounding links between the two genres where current social and political issues are aired in frank visual narratives. The comic artists and graphic novelists represented here are mainly from the generation of independent author-draughtsmen, whose subject matter tends to be offbeat and transgressive - and sometimes controversial. For Julie Doucet and Debbie Drechsler 'real life issues', approached in autobiographical styles, supplant moralistic tales of good and evil. The true realities of life within a war zone are sensitively charted in Joe Sacco's Palestine, while everyday characters become unlikely heroes in the stories of Daniel Clowes and R. Crumb. An essay by Paul Gravert illuminates the long-standing love affair between fine art and comics, while Hayward Curator, Emma Mahony sets the contemporary context in her introductory essay. A specially commissioned picture-essay by Kim L. Pace, together with drawn self-portraits and questionnaires by the contributing artists, make this a unique publication.

Art and Comics

Cult Fiction

Japon c̦izgi romaninin tarihi

Manga

Mangasia. La guida definitiva al fumetto asiatico. Ediz. a colori

Peter Stanbury

A history of Britain's weekly comics, newspaper strips, magazines and graphic novels showing how their characters have reflected social and cultural revolutions from the 19th century up to the present day.

Celebrating a Century of Ripping Yarns and Wizard Wheezes

Great British Comics

Mammoth Books: From history to manga, true crime to sci-fi, these anthologies feature top-name contributors and award-winning editors.

The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics

Comics are a uniquely autonomous art form, one that has its own rich traditions that have given rise to a remarkably vibrant contemporary scene. In this richly illustrated book, Paul Gravett traces the history of comics from the late 19th century right through to the huge current interest in manga and graphic novels and the explosion of comics on the Internet.

Comics Art

Graphic novels, long stories told in comics format, have enjoyed the fastest-growing sales of any category of book in the U.S. over the last four years. This modern renaissance of comics has produced a library of substantial works, whose subjects are not confined to superheroes or fantasy but are as varied and sophisticated as the best films and literature. Graphic Novels presents an accessible, entertaining, and highly illustrated guide to the diversity of contemporary comics in book form. Featuring striking graphics and explanatory extracts from a wide range of graphic novels, the book examines the specific language of the comics medium; the history and pioneers of the form; recent masterpieces from Art Spiegelman's Maus to Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan; the impact of Japanese manga and European albums translated into English; how artists have overcome prejudices towards the genre; and the ambitious range of themes and issues artists are addressing, including childhood, war and survival, politics, the future, sexuality, and the supernatural.

Everything You Need to Know

Provides an illustrated introduction to the diversity and development of Japanese comics from 1945 to the present.

60 Years of Japanese Comics

A comprehensive visual survey of comic-art styles and themes throughout Japan and Asia

The Definitive Guide to Pan-Asian Comic Art

Mangasia

60 anni di fumetto giapponese

You won't believe your eyes... ...when you peek inside Holy Sh*t! at some of the wildest, most depraved stories ever told. These outrageous comics are guaranteed to offend and amuse! Some of the rare treasures you will encounter are Presidents who become muscle-bound superheroes, cavemen who fight giant tabby cats, and a peasant-girl who fervently worships the swastika. But . . . are you ready for Russia's busty bombshell Octobriana? What about getting your groove on with Mod Love? How about scaring your kid sister with the flesh-eating animals in The Barn of Fear? And if you can stomach these, you might want to try Amputee Love, Fatman the Human Flying Saucer, Tales of the Leather Nun, and many, many more.

Paul Gravett

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