Desegregating Comics
Debating Blackness in the Golden Age of American Comics
By Andrew J. Kunka, Blair Davis, Brian Cremins, Carol L. Tilley, Chris Gavaler, Eli Boonin-Vail, Ian Gordon, Jacque Nodell, Julian C. Chambliss, Mike Lemon, Monalesia Earle, Mora Beauchamp-Byrd, Nicholas Sammond, Phillip Lamarr Cunningham, Qiana Whitted | Publisher: Rutgers University Press
About the book
Some comics fans view the industry’s Golden Age (1930s-1950s) as a challenging time when it comes to representations of race, an era when the few Black characters appeared as brutal savages, devious witch doctors, or unintelligible minstrels. Yet the true portrait is more complex and reveals that even as caricatures predominated, some Golden Age comics creators offered more progressive and nuanced depictions of Black people.
Desegregating Comics assembles a team of leading scholars to explore how debates about the representation of Blackness shaped both the production and reception of Golden Age comics. Some essays showcase rare titles like Negro Romance and consider the formal innovations introduced by Black comics creators like Matt Baker and Alvin Hollingsworth, while others examine the treatment of race in the work of such canonical cartoonists as George Herriman and Will Eisner. The collection also investigates how Black fans read and loved comics, but implored publishers to stop including hurtful stereotypes. As this book shows, Golden Age comics artists, writers, editors, distributors, and readers engaged in heated negotiations over how Blackness should be portrayed, and the outcomes of those debates continue to shape popular culture today.
Editions of Desegregating Comics
- Paperback
- ISBN 9781978825017
- EBook
- ISBN 9781978825031
- PDF
- ISBN 9781978825055
Read an Excerpt
Some comics fans view the industry’s Golden Age (1930s-1950s) as a challenging time when it comes to representations of race, an era when the few Black characters appeared as brutal savages, devious witch doctors, or unintelligible minstrels. Yet the true portrait is more complex and reveals that even as caricatures predominated, some Golden Age comics creators offered more progressive and nuanced depictions of Black people.
Desegregating Comics assembles a team of leading scholars to explore how debates about the representation of Blackness shaped both the production and reception of Golden Age comics. Some essays showcase rare titles like Negro Romance and consider the formal innovations introduced by Black comics creators like Matt Baker and Alvin Hollingsworth, while others examine the treatment of race in the work of such canonical cartoonists as George Herriman and Will Eisner. The collection also investigates how Black fans read and loved comics, but implored publishers to stop including hurtful stereotypes. As this book shows, Golden Age comics artists, writers, editors, distributors, and readers engaged in heated negotiations over how Blackness should be portrayed, and the outcomes of those debates continue to shape popular culture today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Desegregating Comics about?
Some comics fans view the industry’s Golden Age (1930s-1950s) as a challenging time when it comes to representations of race, an era when the few Black characters appeared as brutal savages, devious witch doctors, or unintelligible minstrels. Yet the true portrait is more complex and reveals that even as caricatures predominated, some Golden Age comics creators offered more progressive and nuanced depictions of Black people.
Desegregating Comics assembles a team of leading scholars to explore how debates about the representation of Blackness shaped both the production and reception of Golden Age comics. Some essays showcase rare titles like Negro Romance and consider the formal innovations introduced by Black comics creators like Matt Baker and Alvin Hollingsworth, while others examine the treatment of race in the work of such canonical cartoonists as George Herriman and Will Eisner. The collection also investigates how Black fans read and loved comics, but implored publishers to stop including hurtful stereotypes. As this book shows, Golden Age comics artists, writers, editors, distributors, and readers engaged in heated negotiations over how Blackness should be portrayed, and the outcomes of those debates continue to shape popular culture today.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Desegregating Comics?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism > Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers
Where can I read a sample of Desegregating Comics?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781978825017
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Desegregating Comics?
Andrew J. Kunka, Blair Davis, Brian Cremins, Carol L. Tilley, Chris Gavaler, Eli Boonin-Vail, Ian Gordon, Jacque Nodell, Julian C. Chambliss, Mike Lemon, Monalesia Earle, Mora Beauchamp-Byrd, Nicholas Sammond, Phillip Lamarr Cunningham, Qiana Whitted
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Desegregating Comics is available as paperback(ISBN 9781978825017) and ebook(ISBN 9781978825031) and pdf(ISBN 9781978825055)
Where can I buy Desegregating Comics online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Desegregating Comics from below
Where can I buy Desegregating Comics?