Comic Book Rebels: Conversations with the Creators of the New Comics - Softcover

Wiater, Stanley; Bissette, Stephen R.

4.1

20 ratings by Goodreads

9781556113543: Comic Book Rebels: Conversations with the Creators of the New Comics

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1556113544 ISBN 13: 9781556113543

Publisher: Plume, 1993

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This book: Comic Book Rebels: Conversations with the Creators of the New Comic is interesting. Welcome to the front lines of the war. There is a war going on today throughout the comic book industry. The business environment in the comic book industry changes more rapidly--and unexpectedly--than perhaps any other form of publishing today. This volume discussed the revolution.

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From Kirkus Reviews:

``Rebel,'' for the purposes of this collection of 25 original interviews with various comic-book artists, is defined by the artists' relationships to the two major comic-book publishers, Marvel and DC, who are seen here as ``amoral'' corporations with no respect for ``creator rights.'' Bissette's own censorship problems- -his work on the popular Swamp Thing series was altered--no doubt inspired these interviews (Wiater is the author of Dark Dreamers, 1990, a collection of conversations with horror writers). The focus here is mainly on the nuts and bolts of independent publishing, and many of the most successful indies are represented: from Laird and Eastman of Ninja Turtles fame to Harvey Pekar, whose American Splendor enjoys a modest but devout following. Underground comic artists (including R. Crumb) explain their alternate means of distribution in the Sixties, which helped inspire later artists and led to direct sales marketing to comic shops. Bypassing newsstands led to greater artistic freedom for a genre that's come a long way from superheroes and funny animals, as this volume makes so clear. (Illustrations) -- Copyright �1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

Wiater ( Dark Dreamers ) and comics artist Bissette interview people involved in the brave new world of alternative American comics--those without superheroes--produced in the wake of the "underground" comics of the 1960s. The introduction outlines the parameters of this new era, examining the deepening emphasis on adult-oriented material as well as the revolutionary changes in the business side, such as the rise of self-publishing and the independent artist. Interviews are short, focused and personable. Underground comics veteran Jack Jackson offers revisionist readings of Native American history; Cerebus creator Dave Sim discusses self-publishing; Howard Cruse tells how his life as a gay man has influenced his comics; and comic book pioneer Will Eisner offers a historical perspective on the medium. Two quibbles: there are three women artists among the 22 interviewed, and ethnic minority artists like blacks and Hispanics are only mentioned briefly. Nevertheless, this is a competent survey of both the state of contemporary American comics and of some of the individuals who had a hand in transforming the medium.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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