Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic Books

A meditation on the production, content, and techniques of the American comic book Originally published in France and long sought in English translation, Jean-Paul Gabilliet's Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic Books documents the rise and development of the American comic book industry from the 1930s to the present. The book intertwines aesthetic issues and critical biographies with the concerns of production, distribution, and audience reception, making it one of the few interdisciplinary studies of the art form. A thorough introduction by translators and comics scholars Bart Beaty and Nick Nguyen brings the book up to date with explorations of the latest innovations, particularly the graphic novel. The book is organized into three sections: a concise history of the evolution of the comic book form in America; an overview of the distribution and consumption of American comic books, detailing specific controversies such as the creation of the Comics Code in the mid-1950s; and the problematic legitimization of the form that has occurred recently within the academy and in popular discourse. Viewing comic books from a variety of theoretical lenses, Gabilliet shows how seemingly disparate issues--creation, production, and reception--are in fact connected in ways that are not necessarily true of other art forms. Analyzing examples from a variety of genres, this book, now in paperback and in English, provides a thorough landmark overview of American comic books that shed new light on this versatile art form. Jean-Paul Gabilliet, Bordeaux, France, is professor of American studies at the University of Bordeaux, France. Bart Beaty, Calgary, Canada, is associate professor of communication and culture at the University of Calgary. He is the author of Unpopular Culture: Transforming the European Comic Book in the 1990s. Nick Nguyen, Ottawa, Canada, is an archivist at Library and Archives Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario.

Author: Jean-Paul Gabilliet
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Published: 02/25/2013
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.39lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.92d
ISBN13: 9781617038556
ISBN10: 1617038555
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Comics & Graphic Novels
- Social Science | Popular Culture

About the Author
Jean-Paul Gabilliet is professor of American studies at the University of Bordeaux, France. Bart Beaty is associate professor of communication and culture at the University of Calgary. His work has been published in the Comics Journal, International Journal of Comic Art, Canadian Journal of Communication, Essays in Canadian Writing, and Canadian Review of American Studies. Nick Nguyen is an archivist at Library and Archives Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario.