Can comics be documentary, and can documentary take the form of, and thus be, comics? Examining comics as documentary, this book challenges the persistent assumption that ties documentary to recording technologies, and instead engages an understanding of the category in terms of narrative, performativity and witnessing. Through a cluster of early twenty-first century comics, Nina Mickwitz argues that these comics share a documentary ambition to visually narrate and represent aspects and events of the real world.

This book looks at the representation of female characters in French comics from their first appearance in 1905. Organised into three sections, the book looks at the representation of women as main characters created by men, as secondary characters created by men, and as characters created by women. It focuses on female characters, both primary and secondary, in the francophone comic or bande dessinee, as well as the work of female bande dessinee creators more generally. Until now these characters and creators have received relatively little scholarly attention; this new book is set to change this status quo. Using feminist scholarship, especially from well-known film and literary theorists, the book asks what it means to draw women from within a phallocentric, male-dominated paradigm, as well as how the particular medium of bande dessinee, its form as well as its history, has shaped dominant representations of women. This is the first book to study the representation of women in the French-language drawn strip. There are no other works with this specific focus, either on women in Franco-Belgian comics, or on the drawn representation of women by men. This is a very useful addition to both general discussions of French-language comics, and to discussions of women's comics, which are focused on comics by women only. As it is written in English, and due to the popularity of comic art in Britain and the United States, this book will primarily appeal to an Anglo-American market. However, the cultural and gender studies approach this text employs (theoretical frameworks still not widely seen in non-Anglophone studies of the bande dessinee) will ensure that the text is also of interest to a Franco-Belgian audience. With a focus on an art-form which also inspires a lot of public (non-academic) enthusiasm, it will also appeal to fans of the bande dessinee (or wider comic art medium) who are interested in the representation of women in comic art, and to comics scholars on a broad scale.

At the end of the second century, the lands of ancient China are thrown into turmoil when the Han Dynasty collapses, a tyrant overthrows the weak emperor, and a group of regional warlords forms an army to restore the nation. But bravery and valour are soon stifled by ambition and cunning, and the coalition dissolves before the battle is even won. Now, a new group of heroes must emerge if China is to survive!

A finely wrought coming-of-age memoir about the author's relationship with her beloved grandfather Joe Simon, cartoonist and co-creator of Captain America. In the 1990s, Megan Margulies's Upper West Side neighborhood was marked by addicts shooting up in subway stations, frequent burglaries, and the "Wild Man of 96th Street," who set fires under cars and heaved rocks through stained glass church windows. The world inside her parents' tiny one-bedroom apartment was hardly a respite, with a family of five-including some loud personalities-eventually occupying the 550-square-foot space. Salvation arrived in the form of her spirited grandfather, Daddy Joe, whose midtown studio became a second home to Megan. There, he listened to her woes, fed her Hungry Man frozen dinners, and simply let her be. His living room may have been dominated by the drawing table, notes, and doodles that marked him as Joe Simon the cartoonist. But for Megan, he was always Daddy Joe: an escape from her increasingly hectic home, a nonjudgmental voice whose sense of humor was as dry as his farfel, and a steady presence in a world that felt off balance. Evoking New York City both in the 1980s and '90s and during the Golden Age of comics in the 1930s and '40s, My Captain America flashes back from Megan's story to chart the life and career of Rochester-native Joe Simon, from his early days retouching publicity photos and doing spot art for magazines, to his partnership with Jack Kirby at Timely Comics (the forerunner of Marvel Comics), which resulted in the creation of beloved characters like Captain America, the Boy Commandos, and Fighting American. My Captain America offers a tender and sharply observed account of Megan's life with Daddy Joe-and an intimate portrait of the creative genius who gave us one of the most enduring superheroes of all time.

Big facial expressions are essential to anime and manga. They can be much more eloquent than printed words for getting an emotional response out of viewers. However, faces can be challenging. With this book, improve your anime-drawing skills with instruction for facial features and expressions for a wide variety of ages, character types, hair styles and activities. With 800 different facial expressions, you'll be able to draw your character in any emotional situation or with any reaction.

"The definitive educational title to bring readers through the journey of comic strips from the perspective of British history... a whole new world of information and staggeringly beautiful art." - Comic Beat This wildly entertaining and educational tome is a journey through the history of British comics - from the birth of the 20th century to the 80s invasion of American comics by the likes of Brian Bolland, Dave Gibbons and Kevin O' Neill (to name but a few), right up to today's up-and-coming British art stars and the talents of tomorrow. Revealing the extraordinary history of the UK's prolific comic book industry from the 19th Century to the 21st, this ground breaking volume celebrates the incredible artists who made a huge impact on British comics and would go on to revolutionize the industry on a global scale. Featuring a Who's Who of talent, including Brian Bolland, Yvonne Hutton, Dave Gibbons, celebrated greats such as Don Lawrence and lost masters like Reg Bunn and Shirley Bellwood. Author and 2000 AD artist David Roach takes us on a journey through time detailing the surprising and fascinating evolution of the art from its humble beginnings to its current world-conquering status. Including artwork from a vast number highly-acclaimed artists, carefully scanned from original artwork, Masters of British Comic Art is the definitive study and celebration of a beloved industry.

This is a step-by-step guide with over 750 illustrations. It provides expert techniques for creating your own manga characters and stories, with more than 50 exercises and projects. This is an inspiring how-to art book on the techniques of drawing manga, designed to help you improve and practise your skills. It includes a guide to the tools of the trade, such as pencils, inks and dyes, with practical tips on how and when to use them. It details all stages of the creative process, from developing characters and designing exciting fantasy worlds to completing a full narrative and dynamic layout. It describes how to create a range of manga settings, from natural or present-day to fantasy and cyberpunk, and the cast of typical characters, from heroes and villains to alien life forms and monsters. Over 750 step-by-step colour and black-and-white illustrations make it easy to follow each exercise and achieve your own fantastic results. This practical book provides a detailed guide to drawing manga. It offers budding artists the chance to take step-by-step lessons, and learn essential skills from professional artists. The book shows how to create all kinds of figures and faces, such as sidekicks and friends, mecha robots and super-deformed characters. Settings and backgrounds are featured, and how to use them to create a variety of worlds that bring your characters to life. There is also instruction on how to convey action and assemble a story, from crafting the overall narrative to creating a finished page from concept to colours.

Herge's Tintin cartoon adventures have been translated into more than fifty languages and read by tens of millions of children aged, as their publishers like to say, 'from 7 to 77'. Arguing that their characters are as strong and their plots as complex as any dreamt up by the great novelists, Tom McCarthy asks a simple question: is Tintin literature? McCarthy takes a cue from Tintin himself, who spends much of his time tracking down illicit radio signals, entering crypts and decoding puzzles and suggests that we too need to 'tune in' and decode if we want to capture what's going on in Herge's work. What emerges is a remarkable story of hushed-up royal descent in both Herge's work and his own family history. McCarthy shows how the themes this story generates - expulsion from home, violation of the sacred, the host-guest relationship turned sour and anxieties around questions of forgery and fakeness - are the same that have fuelled and troubled writers from the classical era to the present day. His startling conclusion is that Tintin's ultimate 'secret' is that of literature itself. Appearing on the eve of the release of a major Steven Spielberg Tintin film, Tintin and the Secret of Literature should be avidly devoured by not only Tintin lovers but also by anyone with an interest in literature, philosophy or art.

Basil Gogos changed the face of classic horror with his film monster portrait art. Like a bizarro-world Norman Rockwell, he created magazine covers of Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon. the Phantom of the Opera, and countless others in horrifying yet dazzling images throughout the 1960s and '70s. His intense colour and bold, impressionistic brushwork gave a unique sense of drama and sophistication to these iconic characters. Today, collectors fight over his original art-but, with this book, every fan can own glowing full-colour reproductions of his most famous work as well as many previously unpublished paintings and drawings.

Ever wondered how you could become a character designer for video games, film or animation? Veteran art director and concept artist Marc Taro Holmes shares proven methods for honing the skills and building the portfolio necessary to become a pro gaming artist. This is the first and only work-at-your-own pace home study program that teaches the crucial insider knowledge needed to break into the entertainment-design industry and develop your own style--all you need are a pencil, paper and your imagination. The projects within this straightforward guide are constructed to help you apply your existing drawing and digital art skills to character design. Or, if you're still working on your skills, it will help you improve while at the same time turning your mind into an idea-generating machine. Unlock the Secrets to Character and Creature Design Follow the creature design process from start to finish: 35 projects are divided into 4 challenge levels, ranging from brainstorming and drawing character blueprints to completing market-ready illustrations. As the levels advance, the projects become more complex. Learn to solve design problems: Every project introduces you to an open-ended fictional assignment inspired by industry experience. Each project has a list of minimum deliverables--the basics to get to the next stage--plus bonus goals. You receive virtual merit badges for each achievement you complete. Think like a pro: Over the 155 possible artistic achievements, you'll be asked to find a solution to every type of conceptual problem you might encounter as a professional creature or character designer. Build your portfolio: Work toward creating an outstanding portfolio. Improve your skills and push yourself to create a fine-tuned presentation that could get you your eventual dream job. "This is a workout for the imagination, a boot camp for creativity." --Marc Taro Holmes

The little black-and-white cartoon figure of 'Tintin' first appeared in Belgium in 1929 in a Catholic newspaper where his creator, Herge, worked. Harry Thompson looks at the story of Herge, of 'Tintin' and his origins, and beyond to when President de Gaulle could call 'Tintin' 'his only rival'.

Best-selling artist and art instructor Mark Crilley, whose YouTube manga instruction videos have received more than 10 million views and counting, presents the most complete look yet at the variety of creative options available in the world of manga. Crilley fills each chapter with gorgeous, original artwork created with a variety of tools and in a variety of manga-inspired styles. He pairs each piece with information on the materials used and the inspiration that led to its creation. Manga Art provides readers the chance to hear from one of the leading artists in the field of manga instruction, as he reveals the creative secrets behind over 100 pieces of original, never-before-seen artwork.

As major universities and professional organizations like the Poynter Institute have begun to examine graphic nonfiction from a critical perspective, new courses are emerging that give student writers and artists the tools to tell their own nonfiction stories in comics form. Nonfiction Comics is the first textbook to bring these tools and techniques together in a single volume. Most novices who first attempt the form arrive at it from a background of journalism or art, meaning they arrive with at least one deficit in the required skill set. Journalists, for example, typically have had little training in illustration. Artists and designers may not know how to conduct interviews or to avoid the potential legal pitfalls of telling the personal stories of real people. This book aims to fill in the gaps providing student journalists, artists, designers, creative writers, web producers and others the tools they need to tell stories visually and graphically.

Based on the authors' popular team-taught nonfiction comics course, Nonfiction Comics teaches readers how to create a graphic nonfiction story from start to finish, providing guidance on:

• how to find the story and how to find and utilize appropriate facts and visuals;
• nonfiction narrative techniques
• artist's tools and techniques
• print, digital, and multimedia production
• legal and ethical considerations

Interviews with well-known nonfiction comics creators--showcased in the book and on the book's companion website--will discuss best practice and offer readers inspiration to begin creating their own work.

This collaborative book explores the artistic and aesthetic development of shojo, or girl, manga and discusses the significance of both shojo manga and the concept of shojo, or girl culture. It features contributions from manga critics, educators, and researchers from both manga's home country of Japan and abroad, looking at shojo and shojo manga's influence both locally and globally. Finally, it presents original interviews of shojo manga-ka, or artists, who discuss their work and their views on this distinct type of popular visual culture.

Superheroes have been the major genre to emerge from comics and graphic novels, saturating popular culture with images of muscular men and sexy women. A major aspect of this genre is identity in the roles played by individuals, the development of identities through extended stories and in the ways the characters inspire audiences. This collection analyses stories from popular comics franchises such as "Batman, Captain America, Ms Marvel" and "X-Men, " alongside less well known comics such as "Kabuki "and "Flex Mentallo. "It explores what superhero narratives can reveal about our attitudes towards femininity, race, maternity, masculinity and queer culture. Using this approach, the volume asks questions such as why there are no black supervillains in mainstream comics, how second wave feminism and feminist film theory may help us to understand female comic book characters, the ways in which "Flex Mentallo" transcends the boundaries of straightness and gayness and how both fans and industry appropriate the sexual identity of superheroes.

The book was originally published in a special issue of the "Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics."

28 different characters, poses and expressions that offer a dynamic selection of Manga-style female figures. Drawing girls is a very popular subject within the manga genre and this book is perfect for anyone seeking to learn the basics of creating these delightful characters. Suitable for adults and children of all ages and abilities.

This book provides both students and scholars with a critical and historical introduction to the graphic novel. Jan Baetens and Hugo Frey explore this exciting form of visual and literary communication, showing readers how to situate and analyse graphic novels since their rise to prominence half a century ago. Several key questions are addressed: what is the graphic novel? How do we read graphic novels as narrative forms? Why is page design and publishing format so significant? What theories are developing to explain the genre? How is this form blurring the categories of high and popular literature? Why are graphic novelists nostalgic for the old comics? The authors address these and many other questions raised by the genre. Through their analysis of the works of many well-known graphic novelists - including Bechdel, Clowes, Spiegelman and Ware - Baetens and Frey offer significant insights for future teaching and research on the graphic novel.

100 Marvel comics that built a universe. Which comic books have helped define Marvel Comics and make them the pop-culture phenomenon they are today? Find out in Marvel Greatest Comics, a compelling showcase of some of the most trailblazing and inspiring comic books ever created. From the groundbreaking original Human Torch and his aquatic adversary Namor, the Sub-Mariner in 1939 to the game-changing 1960s Super Hero icons such as Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four, to smart modern makeovers in the 21st century like Guardians of the Galaxy and Squirrel Girl, Marvel have set the pace. This book's specially curated and expertly appraised selection is a stunningly illustrated and insightful assessment of Marvel Comics and its legacy through the comics that made the company great. These are the comics that changed the face of an industry. These are Marvel's greatest comics. (c) 2020 MARVEL

If you have always wanted to draw manga but weren't sure how to begin, this fun and simple step-by-step book will help kick-start your comic-drawing journey. Learn how to draw boys, girls and creatures (ordinary and extraordinary) in the manga style. Starting with basic shapes, professional manga artist Yishan Li shows how easy it is to turn circles, rectangles, squares and ovals into teens, kids, witches, wizards, monsters, animals and much more. Professional manga art from well-known comic creator Yishan Li Over 130 step-by-step drawings Easy method with great results

This book comes from best-selling Marvel Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis. In this book, step-by-step lessons teach everything needed to take ideas from script to dynamic sequential art. It exposes methods for crafting comic scripts, reveals business secrets, insights from Bendis' fellow creators and more. Arguably the most popular writer in modern comics, Brian Michael Bendis shares the tools and techniques he uses to create some of the most popular comic book and graphic novel stories of all time. Words for Pictures provides a fantastic opportunity for readers to learn from a creator at the very top of his field. Bendis' step-by-step lessons teach comics writing hopefuls everything they'll need to take their ideas from script to dynamic sequential art. The book's complete coverage exposes the most effective methods for crafting comic scripts, showcases insights from Bendis' fellow creators, reveals business secrets all would-be comics writers must know, and challenges readers with exercises to jumpstart their own graphic novel writing success.

As heard on Radio 4's Woman's Hour and BBC Breakfast TV

It is difficult trying to talk in our family cos:
a) Grandparents don't speak English at all
b) Mum hardly speaks any English
c) Me, Bonny and Simon hardly speak Chinese
d) Dad speaks Chinese and good English but doesn't like talking
In other words, we all have to cobble together tiny bits of English and Chinese into a rubbish new language I call 'Chinglish'. It is very awkward.

Jo Kwan is a teenager growing up in 1980s Coventry with her annoying little sister, too-cool older brother, a series of very unlucky pets and utterly bonkers parents. But unlike the other kids at her new school or her posh cousins, Jo lives above her parents' Chinese takeaway. And things can be tough whether it's unruly customers or the snotty popular girls who bully Jo for being different. Even when she does find a BFF who actually likes Jo for herself, she still has to contend with her erratic dad's behaviour. All Jo dreams of is breaking free and forging a career as an artist.

Told in diary entries and doodles, Jo's brilliantly funny observations about life, family and char siu make for a searingly honest portrayal of life on the other side of the takeaway counter.

We think we know Betty and Veronica from Archie comics, but we don't. Far more than just Archie's girlfriends, this book shows how the girls adapted to be compelling, relevant characters for each new generation over the past eighty years. Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the Riverdale gang appear to be frozen in time in Archie comics. They are perpetual high schoolers, recycling the same basic plotlines over and over in their wholesome, small-town American world. However, there is much more to Betty and Veronica than the broad archetypes and cliched storytelling suggests. In Betty and Veronica: The Leading Ladies of Riverdale, Tim Hanley explores the complexity behind these two iconic characters. We know Betty and Veronica as Archie's girlfriends, but that's just the beginning-they are their own women with evolving motivations and aims. From fighting over Archie to tackling women's lib to chasing down serial killers on Riverdale, their friendship has endured and grown through decades of shifting characterizations and social change. Exploring their past offers unique insights into the ways life has progressed for young women over the past eighty years, and shows us the hidden strengths and secret depths of these pop culture icons. Featuring full-color comic book cover art that spans nearly eight decades of publishing-along with behind-the-scenes accounts of creative decisions, historical insights, and examinations of their different incarnations-this book provides a vibrant exploration of Betty and Veronica's many adventures along their long, intriguing journey in popular culture.

In Chibi Art Class, renowned anime artist Yoai teaches you the art of chibi, step by adorable step. Chibi is Japanese slang for "short," and chibis are mini versions of Japanese anime and manga characters defined by their large heads and tiny bodies, both of which contribute to their kawaii, or cuteness, factor. Now, you too can learn to draw these adorable doll-like characters. Here, you'll learn how to create chibis' signature bodies, facial features, and props, including dreamy eyes, fun clothes and shoes, vibrant hair, colorful accessories, and lively backgrounds. You'll also learn how to color and shade your vertically challenged characters for optimal cuteness. This book also features: 19 tutorials with simple step-by-step illustrations and instructions for drawing chibis, including a chibi character for every month of the year as well as adorable chibi beasties An inspiration gallery with ideas for eyes, hairstyles, clothing, props and accessories, and ears and tails Blank body bases for you to start your own chibi drawings Uncolored chibis for practicing coloring and shading Thanks to this crash course, soon you will be enhancing your notebooks, stationery, artwork, and more with your own unique chibi world. Chibi Art Class is now in session!