A concise introduction to one of today’s fastest-growing, most exciting fields, Comics Studies: A Guidebook outlines core research questions and introduces comics’ history, form, genres, audiences, and industries. Authored by a diverse roster of leading scholars, this Guidebook offers a perfect entryway to the world of comics scholarship.

Contents Timeline of Selected Events Jonathan Chau, Bart Beaty, and Charles Hatfield Introduction Bart Beaty and Charles Hatfield Part I    Histories Chapter 1  Comic Strips Ian Gordon Chapter 2  Comic Books Charles Hatfield Chapter 3  Underground and Alternative Comics Roger Sabin Chapter 4  European Traditions Bart Beaty Chapter 5  Manga Frenchy Lunning Chapter 6  The Graphic Novel Isaac Cates Part II    Cultures Chapter 7  Comics Industries Matthew P. McAllister and Brian MacAuley Chapter 8   Readers, Audiences, and Fans Benjamin Woo Chapter 9    Children and Comics Philip Nel Chapter 10  Differences Theresa Tensuan Part III    Forms Chapter 11   Cartooning Andrei Moltiu Chapter 12   Design in Comics: Panels and Pages Martha Kuhlman Chapter 13   Words and Images Jan Baetens Part IV    Genres Chapter 14  Superheroes Marc Singer Chapter 15   Autographics Gillian Whitlock Chapter 16   Girls, Women, and Comics Mel Gibson Chapter 17   Digiral Comics Darren Wershler, Kalervo Sinervo, and Shannon Tien Bibliography Notes on the Contributors  

"With Comic Studies: A Guidebook, Charles Hatfield and Bart Beaty (both top of their game) bring together a dream team of top researchers to produce a foundational collection that is going to be a cornerstone for all future research in this field. Each essay is not only encyclopedic in its synthesis of existing research but expands our knowledge of comics history and our conceptual understanding of how comics operates as an industry, as a set of social practices, as a confluence of genres, as a readership, and as an array of formal practices."