Comic art is a vital, highly personal art form in which change—rapid and unpredictable—is the norm. In this exciting new anthology, comic artist Ivan Brunetti focuses on very recent works by contemporary artists engaged in this world of change. These outstanding cartoonists, selected by Brunetti for their graphic sophistication and literary style, are both expanding and transforming the vocabulary of their genre.
The book presents contemporary art comics produced by 75 artists, along with some classic comic strips and other related fine art and historical materials. Brunetti arranges the book to reflect the creative process itself, connecting stories and art to each other in surprising ways: nonlinear, elliptical, sometimes whimsical, even poetic. He emphasizes continuity from piece to piece, weaving themes and motifs throughout the volume.
As gorgeously produced as Brunetti’s previous anthology of graphic fiction, this book does full justice to the creative work of Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, Charles Burns, Gary Panter, and the other prominent or emerging comic artists who are currently at work at the cutting edge of their medium.
"This is the world of comics . . . at its liveliest."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"An engaging, provocative, and valuable survey."-Booklist
"One of the most stunning-and smartly assembled-anthologies I've ever seen."-Eric Reynolds, FLOG! The Fantagraphics Blog
"Deeply engaged, personal, and unbelievably gorgeous. . . . The best anthology of its kind."-Jared Gardner, Gutter Geek
"Invaluable [and] idiosyncratic . . . Brunetti includes under-the-radar surprises . . . and draws consistently fascinating connections between pieces."-Cliff Froehlich, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Brunetti has a genius for sequencing. . . . Like almost any good comic, these anthologies flow."-Richard Gehr, The Village Voice (online)
"Another far-reaching set of comics that range from the 1920s to 2008. As with the first book, the genius of this second Anthology is in its organization, which groups pieces not by year or subject, but by association. . . . A."-Onion A.V. Club
"Good grief, what a book this is-a hyperactive, periodically insane dive into the archaeology of alternative comics, the sort of book you long to present to people with no interest in the medium and watch as it removes the top of their heads and gives their brains a good stir. . . . Each page has something new, upsetting, wonderful on it, which makes it, along with the equally gigantic vol. 1, pretty much unbeatable."-Independent on Sunday
"If the Daniel Clowes cover intrigues you, and you want to a good introduction to the odder and more idiosyncratic side of comics today, there are few guides more knowledgeable than Brunetti, and few books more useful than his Anthologies."-Andrew Wheeler, ComicMix
"Good grief, what a book this is-a hyperactive, periodically insane dive into the archaeology of alternative comics, the sort of book you long to present to people with no interest in the medium and watch as it removes the top of their heads and gives their brains a good stir."-Independent on Sunday
Ivan Brunetti teaches at Columbia College Chicago and the University of Chicago. He has published four issues in his comic book series Schizo; two collections of cartoons, Haw! and Hee!; and numerous comics and illustrations for magazines ranging from the New Yorker to Mother Jones and the Comics Journal. He lives in Chicago.
Ivan Brunetti presents an exciting new anthology focusing on some of the most original comic artists working today. Featuring creations by Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, and dozens of other prominent or emerging artists, the book shows how today’s cartoonists are expanding and transforming the genre.
Publisher: Yale University Press
Imprint: Yale University Press
Distributor: Yale University Press
Publication Date: 10-21-2008
Pages: 400
Measurements: 10.00in X 7.38in X 1.50in X 3.00lb
