Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Rise of the Graphic Novel

by Stephen Weiner, Will Eisner (Introduction)

Overview

Graphic novels have exploded off bookstore shelves into movies, college courses, and the New York Times book review, and comics historian and children’s literature specialist Stephen Weiner explains the phenomenon in this groundbreaking book—the first history of graphic novels. From the agonizing Holocaust vision of Art Spiegelman’s Maus to the teenage angst of Dan Clowes’s Ghost World, this study enters the heart of the graphic novel revolution. The complete history of this popular format is explained, from the first modern, urban autobiographical graphic novel, Will Eisner’s A Contract with God, to the dark mysteries of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, the postmodern superheroics of Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight, and breakout books such as Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and R. Crumb's The Book of Genesis. It’s all here in this newly updated edition, which contains the must-reads, the milestones, the most recent developments, and what to look for in the future of this exciting medium.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561637027
Publisher:	N B M Publishing Company
Publication date:	11/01/2012
Edition description:	Second Edition, Second edition
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	6.28(w) x 9.12(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

Stephen Weiner is the director of the Maynard Public Library in Maynard, Massachusetts, and a comics historian and critic who has been a pioneering advocate for graphic novels in public libraries and education and has published numerous articles and reviews about comic art. He is the author of 100 Graphic Novels for Public Libraries, The 101 Best Graphic Novels, and Bring an Author to Your Library and the coauthor of The Will Eisner Companion. He lives in Maynard, Massachusetts. Will Eisner is a legend and pioneer in comics, best known for the Spirit series, as well as numerous graphic novels—a term he coined—including A Contract with God. The Eisner Award, comics’ most coveted award, is named for him.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A solid work on American publications."  —Library Journal

"A superb detailed history."  —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"This is a perfect book for anyone trying to wrap her or his head around the field of comics, a quick and smart overview of the field that spans both decades and genres." —www.BoingBoing.net

Editorial Reviews

"A solid work on American publications."  —Library Journal

"A superb detailed history."  —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


"This is a perfect book for anyone trying to wrap her or his head around the field of comics, a quick and smart overview of the field that spans both decades and genres." —www.BoingBoing.net

From the Publisher