Splat Boom Pow! The Influence of Cartoons in Contemporary Art

by Roger Sabin (Contributor), Bernard Weldt, Marti Mayo

Splat--ouch--Boom--ouch--Pow! That hurts. Presenting work by 35 nationally and internationally recognized contemporary artists who have incorporated the imagery, technique, or style of the comics in their work, Splat Boom Pow! makes evident the shift from traditional literary narratives to a visual language of myth as seen in comic strips over the last 40 years. Taking an in-depth look at the current phenomenon of cartoon-referencing work, its connection to the pop art movement of the 1960s, and the social and cultural factors that have shaped our understanding of the comics as a form of popular communication, Splat Boom Pow! includes work by three generations of artists, among them Laylah Ali, Michael Ray Charles, Roy Lichtenstein, Takashi Murakami, Elizabeth Murray, Chris Ofili, Sigmar Polke, Peter Saul, Kenny Scharf, Jim Shaw and Andy Warhol.

Genres: Comics, Art

100 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2003

About the author

Roger Sabin is a Professor of Popular Culture, and as well being a researcher, supervises PhD students. He also teaches across the BA and MA Culture, Criticism and Curation, and is based in the Culture and Enterprise Programme.

His writing includes books, essays and journalism (please see Research Profile), with other work involving broadcasting, consulting and curating for The Guardian, BBC and Tate Gallery. He serves on the boards of academic journals, and runs book lists for Palgrave Macmillan.

His interests and specialisms include comics studies, cultural studies, subcultural studies, cultural history and comedy studies, and he is currently researching the 19th century entertainment business.