Anatomy of Comics. Famous Originals of Narrative Art

by Damien McDonald

This international history of the art of comics includes classics from Richard F. Outcault in 1896 all the way to the turn of our century, with masters such as Chris Ware. Populated by meta-humans, hybrids, and superheroes, these works of art present parallel worlds that continue to fascinate generations.
A critical reference, this book spans all styles and is a celebration of the motley crew of characters who have accompanied fans from their fi rst forays into reading, through adolescence, and on into adulthood — spandex-wrapped heroes with impossible muscles, hard-boiled detectives in fedoras, emancipated vamps, space-opera acrobats in chain-mail underpants, postmodern zombies, cute puppies, and underground freaks. Featuring significant American and European artists, this wide-ranging retrospective decodes the symbolism and artistry of a richly creative form of storytelling.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Comics, Graphic Novels, History

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2022

Reviews

[Lara Girgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the history of comics development in western and European cultures.

[Set The Tape · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anatomy of Comics feels somewhat brief, due to its dual nature as a narrative and a catalogue, but both parts are fascinating. With comic book movies so popular in the mainstream, it’s important for people to learn about the medium’s history beyond the traditional and the accessible. And Anatomy of Comics is an ideal way to do that.

Full Review: https://setthetape.com/2022/09/08/ana...

[John Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting meander through the history of graphic novel art that has highlighted a number of books to seek out and read. It covers many far from mainstream comics and is all the better for that. It does however end up tripping up over its own shadow somewhat as it delphically delves into comic symbolism in the final chapter.

[Sonja Butt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting, great samples of comics and artwork. The details and history had interesting parts as well, though there was no consistent overarching idea. It was a compilations of comic history and facts as well as different samples of comics.

[Sasha Katzenjammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating deep dive into the origins of sequential stories. Felt more like a set of curated exhibits devoted to the history of comics somewhere in a museum rather than a reference book - which was both refreshing and slightly confusing.

[Timothy Dymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of artists and writers to follow up in this ‘sampler’ volume.

What deserves a revival though is ‘Little Nemo in Slumberland’. The drawings are exquisite and unrivalled for a newspaper strip.