THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WORLD COMICS

Pilcher, Tim and Brad Brooks

ISBN 10: 1843403005 / ISBN 13: 9781843403005

Published by Collins & Brown, London, 2005

About this Item

320pp. Foreword by Dave Gibbons, biblio., index. Illustrated throughout in color, duotone, and b/w. From American superheroes and British humour comics, to esoteric Filipino romances, South African political newspaper strips, and South American adventure tales -- to Japanese manga & anime and beyond, this book is a whirlwind tour of the world's most diverse and culturally important art form. Sometimes revered, sometimes reviled, comics are the most all-pervading artistic expression on the planet. Trade paperback. Light shelfwear. Very good.

Seller Inventory # 65600

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO WORLD COMICS
• Publisher: Collins & Brown, London
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1843403005
• ISBN 13: 9781843403005
• Binding: Soft cover
• Seller catalogs:
  • ART

About this title

Synopsis

A beautifully illustrated guide to the global comics phenomenon.

Every American is familiar with comic book heroes like Superman, Batman and Spider Man--but what about Bomber Girl, Bob Fish, and Rogan Gosh? Images of these international heroes--along with hundreds of others--are featured in this authoritative guide to comics around the world. Tim Pilcher and Brad Brooks examine the cultural impact of comics in over 20 countries, from Japan--where popular titles sell 6.5 million copies per week--to France, where comics are considered an art from on par with music and poetry. A sweeping global survey of the history and evolution of the medium, this informative volume is packed with fascinating stories, enlightening statistics, and colorful illustrations, many never before seen in the United States.

Reviews

Recently, U.S. comics fans have been given new opportunities to broaden the geographic scope of their reading by the proliferation of translated manga titles from Japan, which all but dominate many bookstores' graphic-novel sections, and by the translation of European works in record numbers. Yet vast areas of the globe remain underrepresented on American shelves. Help in rectifying that situation comes from British comics experts Pilcher and Brooks, whose opening chapter here succinctly but thoroughly surveys nearly a century of comics publishing in the U.S., focusing on superheroes while touching on other genres. Similar surveys of the comics scenes of Britain, Japan, Southeast Asia, France, elsewhere in Europe, Latin America, Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand, and the Middle East and South Asia follow. Each chapter contains copious color illustrations and a mini-biography of a prominent "World-Class Creator." The authors know their stuff, and their different tastes--one elevates the comics medium to fine art; the other believes it can be "just big, dumb fun"--ensure balance. A stunning eye-opener to the comics medium's variety. Gordon Flagg
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