The graphic novel form is the fastest growing area of publishing. Stephen Weiner provides a history of the genre, from its origins in the world of comic books to the current roller coaster phenomenon.

Part of an exciting series of sturdy, square-box 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles from Flame Tree, featuring powerful and popular works of art. This new jigsaw will satisfy your need for a challenge, with Alice and the Queen of Hearts. This 1000 piece jigsaw is intended for adults and children over 13 years. Not suitable for children under 3 years due to small parts. Finished Jigsaw size 735 x 510mm/29 x 20 ins. Now includes an A4 poster for reference. The Science Museum Group is a collection of museums comprising: Science Museum, Science and Industry Museum, National Railway Museum, Locomotion, National Science & Media Museum, and National Collections Centre Museum. The breadth of the collection is regularly showcased at their sites across the UK. This jigsaw features a hand-painted magic lantern slide from the National Science & Media Museum Collection. The image is loosely based on Sir John Tenniel's frontispiece illustration for the 1866 edition of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The original image did not feature Alice herself, but was added here to better illustrate the conversation between Alice and the Queen of Hearts in the final scene of the story.

In Asterix and the Chariot Race, Senator Lactus Bifidus announces a special one-off chariot race, to defend his name and prove Rome's greatness. Julius Caesar insists a Roman must win, or Bifidus will pay. Open to anyone from the known world, competitors arrive from far and wide, including Asterix and Obelix. With Bifidus secretly scheming, who will win this almighty chariot race? In Asterix and the Chieftain's Daughter, Adrenalin, the rebellious daughter of the great Gaulish chieftain Vercingetorix, arrives at their village, and Asterix and Obelix are tasked with protecting her from the Romans chasing her. This is easier said than done though, as Adrenalin is desperate to escape! Follow our favourite heroes as they try and reach Adrenalin before the Romans do. In Asterix and the Griffin, Asterix and Obelix set out on their 39th adventure on a long journey in search of a strange and terrifying creature. Half-eagle, half-lion, and idolised and feared by ancient peoples, this creature is the griffin.

For more than 60 years, Captain America served as an iconic figure in popular culture, and one of Marvel Comics' flagship characters. He represented everything good and positive about the classic American ideal - truth, strength, liberty, and an unflappable belief that justice would always prevail. When his alter ego, Steve Rogers, was assassinated by a sniper outside a federal courthouse, his death rocked the comic world and left fans and critics with numerous questions about his life and how it ended. Did he die a political casualty of the Global War on Terrorism, or was it just another Marvel marketing ploy? Had he become an anachronism in tights, or was he still a self-conscious, larger than life figure who tried to bear the full existential weight of what American military power had become? And how is his death in the Civil War series to be reconciled with his second death, in Morrell and Breitweiser's series ""The Chosen?"" This book brings such speculations into sharper focus, compiling critical essays by a wide range of authors, including art and literary scholars, professors and graduate students, historians, and ""Captain America"" writers. The range of topics discussed include the ways in which Nazi Germany was represented in ""Captain America Comics"" from the 1940s to his resurrection in the 1960s; the creation of ""Captain America"" in light of the Jewish American experience; the relationship between Captain America and Captain Britain, who was featured in a few rare UK Marvel comics; the groundbreaking partnership between Captain America and one of the first mainstream African American superheroes, The Falcon; and, the various successful and unsuccessful attempts that were made to kill Captain America before his 'real' death.

Drawing Cartoons provides invaluable support for anyone who has ever dreamed of drawing cartoons, but lacks the confidence. Taking the approach that anyone can draw, the author leads the reader through the steps of putting together cartoon figures, showing, for example, how a simple box shape can be transformed into a cartoon dog, or how a basic stick figure can convey a range of emotions. The book contains interviews with professional cartoonists who are household names, such as 'Mac' of The Daily Mail, 'Matt' of The Telegraph and Gerald Scarfe.

This title presents an extensive selection of animated imagery created over the past 100 years, from Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop to Astro Boy, 'South Park' and 'Avatar', and covers a wide range of techniques.

In The Art of XCOM 2, readers get a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible concept art created for the new game and hear from key developers and artists about the challenges, secrets, and rewards of creating this landmark series. Also covered in the stunning book will be the game's five new classes of resistance fighters and their dynamic weapons, powerful new alien species and their vehicles, and the brave new world of XCOM 2.

Nicholas Garland writes: There are many snatches of songs and lines of poetry which lodge in your memory, and that you find running through your head when you're not thinking of anything much. They are companionable, like old friends. I don't remember how I learned a couple of the verses included here; probably I picked them up at school. A year or so ago, I looked them up on the internet and found that they, and two other verses like them, had been included in The Poet's Tongue, an anthology edited by W.H. Auden and John Garrett. They were not exactly as I remembered them, but perhaps, like folk songs, they never have existed in a fixed version. Auden and Garrett do not say anything about their origin, but at the end of the four verses add the words and so ad infinitum ... I wrote down and illustrated the two I remembered, and began inventing the rest.

For fans of Peter Bagge (b. 1957) and his bracing satirical writing and drawing, this collection offers a perfect means to track how he describes his career choices, work habits, preoccupations, and comedic sensibility since the 1980s. Featuring a new interview and much previously unavailable material, this book delivers insightful, occasionally gossipy, sometimes funny, and often tart conversations. His career has intersected with the modern history of comics, from underground comix and indie comics to comics journalism and graphic nonfiction. Bagge's detailed, garrulous, and often grotesquely funny (and discomfiting) work harks back to the underground generation, recalling Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton, while also pointing forward to the emergence of alternative comics as a distinct genre. His signature series, the rawly humorous Hate (1990-1998) and his editorship (1983-1986) of the often outrageous Weirdo magazine, founded by Crumb, established Bagge as a leading voice in alternative comics, and his rude, wildly expressive cartooning makes him a counterpoint to the still introspection of recent literary graphic novels. In his career over three decades, Bagge has left his mark on various formats and genres, as a prolific cartoonist, an accomplished musician, and a sometime essayist, editor, and animator. While his creative output encompasses autobiographical comics, graphic nonfiction, magazine illustrations, gag cartoons, minicomics, political commentary, superhero parodies, comic strips, animated videos, and one-page humor pieces, Bagge stands out for creating continuity-based graphic stories that revolve around sharply defined, over-the-top fictional characters. Libertarians know him for his comics journalism, as his graphic biography of Margaret Sanger in 2013 reaches new audiences. While some have lazily branded Bagge as a grunge-era visual satirist, his creative restlessness and expanding body of work make it difficult to confine him within any single genre, cultural niche, or historical moment.

The most up-to-date critical guide mapping the history, impact, key critical issues, and seminal texts of the genre, Jewish Comics and Graphic Narratives interrogates what makes a work a "Jewish graphic narrative", and explores the form's diverse facets to orient readers to the richness and complexity of Jewish graphic storytelling. Accessible but comprehensive and in an easy-to-navigate format, the book covers such topics as: - The history of the genre in the US and Israel - and its relationship to superheroes, Underground Comix, and Jewish literature - Social and cultural discussions surrounding the legitimization of graphic representation as sites of trauma, understandings of gender, mixed-media in Jewish graphic novels, and the study of these works in the classroom - Critical explorations of graphic narratives about the Holocaust, Israel, the diasporic experience, Judaism, and autobiography and memoir - The works of Will Eisner, Ilana Zeffren, James Sturm, Joann Sfar, JT Waldman, Michel Kichka, Sarah Glidden, Rutu Modan, and Art Spiegelman and such narratives as X Men, Anne Frank's Diary, and Maus Jewish Comics and Graphic Novels includes an appendix of relevant works sorted by genre, a glossary of crucial critical terms, and close readings of key texts to help students and readers develop their understanding of the genre and pursue independent study.

Widely loved illustrator Tasia brings her unique style to this issue's cover design, and she also provides an in-depth tutorial to show us how she creates her art. Kenneth Anderson creates a 70s rock band, Johanna Forster brings fruit to life, and Sara Paz shows us how to create characters from reference photos. Character Design Quarterly (CDQ) is a lively, creative magazine bringing inspiration, expert insights, and leading techniques from professional illustrators, artists, and character art enthusiasts worldwide. Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks.

Just over 225 years ago, one of the most incredible odysseys in human history took place. 1,500 men and women were crammed aboard 11 ships and transported to the other side of the planet. They were criminals, outcasts, renegades: the scum of England. Having travelled over 24,000km, across three oceans, they arrived at a country that did not yet exist. For some, it was a one-way trip to hell; for others, it proved an unexpected chance of a new life. Bollee and Nicloux's 500-page masterpiece is an accurate, perceptive and sympathetic account of the birth of Australia.

Canadian Graphic: Picturing Life Narratives presents critical essays on contemporary Canadian cartoonists working in graphic life narrative, from confession to memoir to biography. The contributors draw on literary theory, visual studies, and cultural history to show how Canadian cartoonists have become so prominent in the international market for comic books based on real-life experiences. The essays explore the visual styles and storytelling techniques of Canadian cartoonists, as well as their shared concern with the spectacular vulnerability of the self. Canadian Graphic also considers the role of graphic life narratives in reimagining the national past, including Indigenous-settler relations, both world wars, and Quebec's Quiet Revolution.Contributors use a range of approaches to analyze the political, aesthetic, and narrative tensions in these works between self and other, memory and history, individual and collective. An original contribution to the study of auto/biography, alternative comics, and Canadian print culture, Canadian Graphic proposes new ways of reading the intersection of comics and auto/ biography both within and across national boundaries.

Paper Jewels is the story of postcards during the Raj, and covers India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Burma. It is the first book on the subject and contains some of the most beautiful and popular postcards telling the stories of the first postcard publishers between 1892 and 1947. The essays cover the major cities and regions important to postcard publishing and the key themes-from dancers to religion, to tea, soap, famines, fakirs, humour and warfare. The volume uncovers such gems as the early postcards of the great Indian painter M V Dhurandhar and the Ravi Varma Press, the exceptional work of an early Austrian lithographer in Kolkata and a German one in Mumbai. Many of the images in the book have never been published since their first runs a century ago.

Beatrice undergoes her daily train commute to work. Day after day on the platform she notices a red tote bag seemingly unclaimed. Could that speck of colour amongst the morning rut be waiting for her? One day Beatrice's curiosity takes over and she walks out of the station with the red tote in hand, on the verge of an unexpected new world... Unfold Beatrice's journey in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel.

Doc Savage is the prototype of the modern fictional superhero. The character exploded onto the scene in 1933, with the Great Depression and the gathering clouds of war as a cultural backdrop. The adventure series is examined in relation to historical events and the changing tastes of readers, with special attention paid to the horror and science fiction elements. The artwork features illustrations, covers, and original art. Chapters cover Doc Savage paperbacks, pulp magazines, comic books, and fanzines, and an appendix offers biographies of all major contributors to the series.

Blab World is the new incarnation of the celebrated art & comics annual Blab "It's like the New Yorker for Mutants," proclaimed the Los Angeles Reader. Blab World defies description: neither book or magazine, it is obviously a work of art. Over the last decade, BLAB has accrued countless design awards and honors. Founded in 1986 by acclaimed Chicago-based graphic designer and art director Monte Beauchamp, Blab World has evolved from a digest-sized comics mag into a beautifully designed and printed keepsake. Over the years BLAB has featured such (now celebrated) illustrators and painters as Chris Ware, Gary Baseman, The Clayton Brothers, SHAG, Camille Rose Garcia, Mark Ryden, and many, many more. Blab World also features selections of "found" graphic ephemera such as Depression-era matchbook covers, Valmor cosmetic labels, vintage decals, and European devil postcards. Blab World is an annual publication. Blab World Number 1 contains the following: The main feature is Artpocalypse (Artists Interpret End Times) Featuring: Mark Ryden, Joe Sorren, Kris Kuksi, Femke Hiemstra, Ron English, Natalia Fabia, Alex Gross, Sue Coe, Gary Taxali, Gary Baseman, Ryan Heshka, Owen Smith, Martin Wittfooth, Yoko D'Holbachie, Andy Kehoe, Travis Lampe, Jean-Pierre Roy, John Pound, Andrea Dezso, Edel Rodriguez, Fred Stonehouse, Spain (ZAP ) Rodriguez, and MANY MORE Other articles include: SKULL A history of the skull motif on the covers of Pre-Code Comics, Pulps, and Paperback books, lavishly illustrated throughout. By Bill North, Senior Curator, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of ArtCOVERING WEIRDOA loving analysis of R. Crumb's Weirdo Covers by Steven Heller, columnist for The New York Times Book Review and the author of more than 100 books on design and popular culture. AXE THE AXIS Propaganda Caricature Art of World War IIby WW II Historian Jim Lowes Artist profiles include: BALLPOINT BRAVURA: Drawings by C.J. Pyleby Bill North, Senior Curator, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of ArtCOLLODION / NOIDOLLOC The Wetplate Collodion Photography of Kari Laine McCluskey by Monte Beauchamp Sequential Art: The Dreaded Mothman of West Virginia / Mark ToddThe Neurotic Art Collector / Greg ClarkeQUICKSAND The Tumultuous Life of Isabelle Eberhardt / Nora KrugFour Horsemen / Peter KuperSlime Molds / Geoffrey GrahnThe Life of an Artist / Sergio RuzzierFetal Elvis' Art Empire / Mark Landman

This book opens an exciting and extensive archive of fashion illustration by Francis Marshall (1901-1980), held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Marshall's career coincided with the golden age of fashion illustration and commercial art. Active from the 1920s until the 1960s, his work was published widely, from Vogue magazine to the more accessible and widely read pages of the Daily Mail. Marshall also worked extensively in advertising, for companies such as Jaeger and Elizabeth Arden, and released several books - ranging from manuals on drawing fashion and ballet, to the nostalgic records of fashionable society London West and An Englishman in New York. Francis Marshall: Drawing Fashion shines a light on a sometimes-forgotten master, at a time when fashion illustration is very much in style.

A deluxe collection of Marvel Comics superhero posters from renowned comics artist Alex Ross From Angel to Wolverine, all your favorite Marvel Comics superheroes are featured in this exclusive collection of painted portraits by Alex Ross-one of most respected and influential artists working in comics. This first-ever collection of these iconic images includes 35 ready-to-frame, removeable art prints-perfect for longtime Marvel fans and those just discovering these classic heroes for the first time-as well as commentary by Ross, preliminary sketches, and a bonus four-page gatefold of the portraits, assembled into a mural that was commissioned for Marvel's New York City offices. These heroic posters showcase the Marvel superheroes as you've never seen them before-as realistic as any on the silver screen-painted in the award-winning, breathtaking style that made Alex Ross famous.

The art of Dennis Larkins ranges from retro-kitsch paintings of multi-dimensional landscapes to his legendary and iconic series of Grateful Dead concert posters. Larkins' images were forever burned into the pop psyche by the groundbreaking stage monoliths he created for promoter Bill Graham. At last, here is a definitive collection of Larkins' works - four decades of his creative growth and expression distilled in to a gorgeous, full-color hardcover. Startling Art is an in-depth look at an artist immersed in the visual vernacular of pop surrealism, uniquely drawn from a life lived in the trenches of pop culture.

Mention Shaft and most people think of Gordon Parks' seminal 1971 film starring Richard Roundtree in a leather coat, walking the streets of Manhattan to Isaac Hayes' iconic theme music. But the black private dick who inspired the blaxploitation film genre actually made his debut on the printed page as the creation of a white novelist. Ernest Tidyman was a seasoned journalist down on his luck when he decided to try his hand at fiction. Shaft was the result, giving Tidyman the break he was looking for. He went on to become an Academy Award winning screenwriter and respected film producer. Based on extensive research of Tidyman's personal papers, this book tells the story of Shaft from the perspective of his creator. The author provides new insight and analysis of the writing of the Shaft novels, as well as the production of the films and TV series. First-ever coverage of the forgotten Shaft newspaper comic strip includes previously unseen artwork. Shaft's recent reappearance on the printed page is discussed, as well as his imminent return to the big screen.

Illustrator Djamila Knopf leads us through her world, where anime-influenced characters, exquisite settings, and the process of creating fantasies enchant her fans worldwide. Having settled on her own authentic, creative style, featuring line art and a palette of delicate, yet impactful, colors, Djamila has decided to write a book that charts her journey. Japanese art was a key influence from an early age, and the book illustrates how Djamila has fused her favorite aspects of anime with her own, the result being a unique style that has captured the attention of both art fans and the industry. Her approach to storytelling and ideation are covered in depth; although artists have different approaches, Djamila shares her own experiences and insights to help readers fine-tune their own early stages of creation. As a fantasy artist, symbolism and fantastical scenes have always been part of Djamila's world, and here she shares how she works with these, as well as finding very personal connections to even the most general of concepts. The final leg of the journey is visiting Djamila's own studio, where she discusses being an independent artist, her daily routine and workspace, and the practical aspect of time management and motivation.