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The Power of Comics and Graphic Novels

Culture, Form, and Context
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Power of Comics and Graphic Novels is the most authoritative introduction for studying comic books and graphic novels, exploring their role in contemporary culture, artistic techniques, and the evolution of the medium. The restructured third edition offers a new introduction that examines the US and global comics community, reframed chapters encouraging readers to see themselves as consumers and creators, and new content on how comics can report, document, and persuade. Illustrated and featuring discussion questions, activities, and a comprehensive glossary, it includes updated online resources such as essays and sample syllabi.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for students, educators, and readers seeking an academic yet accessible study of comics and graphic novels, especially those involved in comics studies, literature, media, and cultural research.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

After the successful and innovative first two editions, now in a new, restructured 3rd edition, this remains the most authoritative introduction for studying comic books and graphic novels. It covers their place in contemporary culture, the manifestations and techniques of the art form, the evolution of the medium, and how to analyse and write about them.

The new edition includes:

  • A completely reworked introduction that explores the comics community in the US and globally, its history, and the role of different communities in advancing the medium and its study.
  • Chapters reframed to get students thinking about themselves as consumers and makers of comics.
  • Reorganised chapters on form to help unpack encapsulation, composition, and layout.
  • Completely new chapters on comics and how they can be used to report, document, and persuade, as well as a new Preface by Karen Green.

Illustrated throughout, with discussion questions and activities for every chapter and an extensive glossary of key terms, The Power of Comics and Graphic Novels also includes further updated resources available online, including additional essays, weblinks, and sample syllabi.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as an outstanding and essential volume for comics studies, this book provides historical, cultural, and literary approaches that deepen understanding and develop critical tools. Its content, scope, and execution make it an excellent textbook, with well-organised chapters featuring thoughtful questions and practical analysis examples. It draws upon a broad range of experts, making it a likely standard text for academic comics classes. Reviewers highlight its balanced scholarship and usefulness for both students and educators.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781350253902

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 19 October 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Edition: 3rd edition

Illustration: 188 bw illus

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 170.0mm

Height: 242.0mm

Weight: 752g

Pages: 392

About the Author

Randy Duncan is Ellis College Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Comics Studies at Henderson State University. He is co-author of Creating Comics as Journalism, Memoir and Nonfiction (2015). He is co-editor, with Matthew J. Smith, of Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods (2011), Icons of the American Comic Book (2013), The Secret Origins of Comics Studies (2017), and More Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods (2019). Dr. Duncan is co-founder of the Comics Arts Conference, held each summer in San Diego.

Matthew J. Smith is Dean of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Communication at Radford University, USA, where he teaches the introductory Comics Studies course. Along with Randy Duncan, he is a co-editor of the Routledge Advances in Comics Studies Series and co-curator of the traveling exhibition, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes.

Paul Levitz is a former President and Publisher of DC Comics and has written for many of DC's major comic books series, including Superman and Justice Society. His story Legion: The Great Darkness Saga was voted one of the top 20 best comic stories of the last century by readers of The Buyers' Guide. He teaches a course in the American Graphic Novel at Columbia University and was named to the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2019.

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