American Literature: The Graphic Novel

(A Work in Progress.)

General Interest

ImageTexT (An Academic Journal for Comics)
Graphic Novels: A Visual Language (NYT Multimedia)
"Not Funnies" (Charles McGrath, NYT)
"Alternative Comics" (Wikipedia)
"Underground Comix" (Wikipedia)
NYT Sunday Magazine's "Funny Pages"
"Space Between Frames" (Emily Hall, The Stranger)
ImageTexT (Academic Journal of Comics Studies)
Best American Comics Series
Comix Scholars Discussion List
Lambiek's Comiclopedia
Regarding The Comics Journal Top 100

Collections Online


History of Comics (Based on McCloud)

Menna's Tomb (Ancient Egypt/18th Dynasty)

The Bayeux Tapestry (Circa 1066 CE)

Eight Deer Jaguar Claw (Circa 1100-1200 CE)
"Eight Deer Jaguar Claw" (Wikipedia)
"Codex Zouche-Nuttal" (Wikipedia)

Medieval "Comics"

William Hogarth (1700s) (Wikipedia)
E.g., "A Rake's Progress" (Wikipedia)

Rudolph Töpffer (1800s) (Wikipedia)
"Strip Mind" (Chris Ware)
E.g., Histoire d'Albert (Wikimedia Commons)

Modernist-Era Wordless Books
Frans Masereel (Wikipedia) (E.g., The City)
Lynd Ward (Wikipedia) (E.g., God's Man)
Otto Nückel (Wikipedia)
Max Ernst (Wikipedia)
(E.g., Une Semaine de Bonté) (A Week of Kindness)

Groundbreaking Comic Strips
George Herriman (Krazy Kat)
Winsor McKay (Dream of The Rarebit Fiend, Little Nemo)
Comic Strip Library

Censoring Comics

Underground Comix
"ImageText, or, Why Art Spiegelman Doesn't Draw Comics" (Joseph Witek in ImageTexT 1.1, 2004. A very useful examination  of the connections between 60s/70s underground comics and contemprary comics.)  

Early "Graphic Novels" to Consider
Will Eisner's Contract with God
Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Night Returns
Alan Moore's Watchmen
Alan Moore's V for Vendetta

The Emergence of Comics Theory
Will Eisner
Scott McCloud

Online Comics


More on Writers / Creators


Lynda Barry

Daniel Clowes

Clowes on the Ghost World Film (Fresh Air, NPR, 2002)
Dir. Terry Zwigoff on the Ghost World Film (Fresh Air, NPR, 2001)
Ghost World Commentary on Morning Edition (NPR, 2001)
Ghost World Review (All Things Considered, NPR, 2001)
Ghost World Review (Fresh Air, NPR, 2001)
Discussing Ice Haven (Fresh Air, NPR, 2005)

Ice Haven Links
Review (Ken Parille at Boston Review)
"Leopold and Loeb" (Wikipedia)
Honeymooners: "Hot Dog Stand"

R. Crumb

Neil Gaiman

Los Bros Hernandez

Ben Katchor

Paul Madonna

Scott McCloud

Harvey Pekar
Pekar Project (@ SMITH Magazine)

Seth (Gregory Gallant)

Craig Thompson

Wachowski Brothers
Animatrix

Chris Ware

Joss Whedon

Other US Authors  Not Yet Represented Above
Charles Burns
Jordan Crane
Will Eisner
Los Bros Hernandez (Love and Rockets)
Frank Miller
Harvey Pekar
Art Spiegelman
Be a Nose (Trailer)
Craig Thompson (Blankets)
Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese)

From Outside the US
Neil Gaiman
Alan Moore
Marjane Satrapi

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