The Secret Origins of Comics Studies

by Matt Smith (Editor), Randy Duncan (Editor)

In The Secret Origins of Comics Studies , today’s leading comics scholars turn back a page to reveal the founding figures dedicated to understanding comics art. Edited by comics scholars Matthew J. Smith and Randy Duncan, this collection provides an in-depth study of the individuals and institutions that have created and shaped the field of Comics Studies over the past 75 years. From Coulton Waugh to Wolfgang Fuchs, these influential historians, educators, and theorists produced the foundational work and built the institutions that inspired the recent surge in scholarly work in this dynamic, interdisciplinary field. Sometimes scorned, often underappreciated, these visionaries established a path followed by subsequent generations of scholars in literary studies, communication, art history, the social sciences, and more. Giving not only credit where credit is due, this volume both offers an authoritative account of the history of Comics Studies and also helps move the field forward by being a valuable resource for creating graduate student reading lists and the first stop for anyone writing a comics-related literature review.

Genres: Comics

328 pages, Hardcover

Published February 28, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Matt Smith worked for publisher Pan Macmillan as a desk editor before becoming Assistant Editor on 2000 AD, Britain's award-winning weekly SF anthology title - a comic he had read religiously for the previous fifteen years. He has been editor of the galaxy's greatest comic since 2002, and lives in Oxford.

Reviews

[Barbara M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative book indeed about pioneers in all sectors of comics studies.
Especially enjoyed Kim Munson's text on comic exhibitions, a field I do research on myself. Some of the contributions are a bit us-centric.

[Matthew Noe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important, necessary text, though not all sections are equally written. This is a book I'd love to own a copy of but honestly, the price tag is outrageous.