Comics Art

Comics are a unique autonomous art form, one that has its own rich traditions that have given rise to a remarkably vibrant contemporary scene. Paul Gravett, the author of Comics Art, is one of the world's leading authorities on comics culture. In this richly illustrated book he traces the history of comics from the late nineteenth century through to the huge current interest in manga and graphic novels and the explosion of comics on the internet. Instead of sticking to the familiar Anglo- American-centric bias, Comics Art takes a more international approach. From foundational seminal works such as Rodolphe Topffer's and Wilhelm Busch's albums, George McManus's Art Deco Bringing Up Father and Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon to the later retro-stylings of Robert Crumb, Gravett traces lines of influence around the world, as well as looking at comics as a precursor of cinema. He examines how they have shifted from support of the status quo to offering a voice to more subversive, alternative forces, from 1960s manga in Japan to bandesdessinees in post-1968 Paris.
In today's comics culture he notes the rise of publications that function as questioning, transgressive outlets for outsider stories and ideas, often silenced in other media. Self-publishing and the internet have given rise to new, autobiographical forms and an increasing number of authors drawn from outside the mainstream, whether sexually, ethnically or politically. He reveals that comics are at the cutting edge of futuristic thinking in communications, internet design, language and semantics. Since 2003 Paul Gravett has been the Director of the Comica Festival, London's premier comics festival.