A Comic Studies Reader

A Comic Studies Reader is an edited collection of essays intended as a resource for comics scholarship. It was published in 2009 by the University Press of Mississippi, and it is available for loan by the TTU Volpe Library.

It was edited by Jeet Heer and Kent Worcester, and the former wrote for many publications, and worked with the latter on Arguing Comics: Literary Masters on a Popular Medium.  Kent Worcester published a multitude of works regarding comics, and frequently writes for The Comics Journal even into 2019. The other contributors consist of professors, editors, and publishers.

This collection also has the goal to answer leading questions and showcase the richness in comics scholarship, paraphrased from the introduction. The range of content in this journal is represented and categorized in each chapter. These chapters are: “Historical Considerations”; “Craft, Art, Form”; “Culture Narrative, Identity”; and “Scrutiny and Evaluation”. Each section has 6 to 8 essays each, and example essays from each chapter are: “The Comics Debates Internationally”, “The Construction of Space in Comics”, “Ally Sloper: The First Comics Superstar?”, and “History and Graphic Representation in Maus“. The journal focuses on western comics, but does feature three articles on Japanese Manga too.

Overall, A Comic Studies Reader carries a focus on the background of comics as a form of entertainment as shown through important events, the artistry, and canonical works of the medium. While limited to a physical printed release, the content within provides a useful resource for comics scholarship.

Works Cited

Heer, et al. A Comics Studies Reader. University Press of Mississippi, 2009.

Worcester, Kent. “Donald Rooum: April 20, 1928-August 31, 2019.” The Comics Journal, Fantagraphics Books Inc., 13 Sept. 2019, http://www.tcj.com/donald-rooum-april-20-1928-august-31-2019/.