Cult Fiction: Art & Comics

by Paul Gravett, Marcel Dzama

The comic book, the cartoon strip and the single-panel gag are recurring motifs in twentieth-century art, providing a platform for narrative, political critique, graphic clarity, and, of course, fun. Cult Art & Comics examines the work of artists who produce comics and cartoons as part of their practice, as well as those who employ the language of the comic in their work, borrowing from stylistic sources across high and low culture. Accompanying a U.K. exhibition tour, and designed by Fantagraphics art director Jacob Covey, this catalogue's bold layout complements the artworks included in its pages. An essay by Paul Gravett, a writer and curator who has worked in comics publishing and promotion for over 20 years, illuminates the long-standing love affair between fine art and comics, emphasizing contemporary practitioners in Britain and the U.S., including Laylah Ali, Glen Baxter, Daniel Clowes, Liz Craft, R. Crumb, Adam Dant, Julie Doucet, Debbie Dreschler, Marcel Dzama, Mark Kalesniko, Kerstin Kartscher, Killoffer, Chad McCail, Paul McDevitt, Kerry James Marshall, Kim Pace, Raymond Pettibon, Olivia Plender, Jon Pylypchuk, James Pyman, Joe Sacco, David Shrigley, Posy Simmonds, Richard Slee, Carol Swain, Stéphane Blanquet, Melinda Gebbie, Alan Moore and Travis Millard. Specially commissioned self-portraits and question-and-answer forms filled out by hand by all contributing artists make Cult Fiction one-of-a-kind.

96 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2007

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I originally thought that this was yet another anthology of contemporary comics and art comics; turns out that it's the catalog for a traveling exhibition on the intersection between contemporary art/illustration and contemporary comics. It's a really beautiful book, well printed and designed, that is a joy to hold in your sweaty, little hands. Beyond that, it's fairly uninformative with few photos, most of which are removed from context (arg! context is very important!) and has a selaction on interviews and that are pleasant at best (Joe Sacco, Paul McDevitt) but mostly obnoxious (Yoshitomo Nara's non-answers, Killoffer), annoying (Travis Millard's illegible scrawl, Killoffer), or too fucking precious (Melinda Gebbie's simple, continued existence.)