Table of Contents

List of figures

General editor's preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction 1

What is a comic? 5

Pt. I Britain

1 The first adult comics 13

2 Kids' stuff 23

3 Underground comix 36

4 2OOOAD: 'The comic of tomorrow!' 52

5 Fandom and direct sales 62

6 'Comics grow up!': dawn of the graphic novel 87

7 From boom to bust 96

8 Viz: 'More fun than a jammy bun!' 116

9 The future 127

Pt. II The United States

10 Strips and proto-comics 133

11 Comic books for everyone 144

12 1954 - seduction of the experienced? 157

13 The years of collapse: survivors and adaptors 163

14 The modern era 171

Pt. III Aspects

15 Worldcomics 183

16 Adult comics and other media 210

17 Women and adult comics 221

18 The graphic novel in context 235

Conclusion 249

App. 1: Code of the Comics Magazine Association of America, Inc. 251

App. 2: Ready reference dates for key British and American comics 254

Notes 261

Bibliography 293

Index 307