The Greatest Comic Book of All Time

Twelve-Cent Archie

New edition with full color illustrations

Bart Beaty

For over seventy-five years, Archie and the gang at Riverdale High have been America’s most iconic teenagers, delighting generations of readers with their never-ending exploits. But despite their ubiquity, Archie comics have been relatively ignored by scholars—until now. Twelve-Cent Archie is not only the first scholarly study of the Archie comic, it is an innovative creative work in its own right. Inspired by Archie’s own concise storytelling format, renowned comics scholar Bart Beaty divides the book into a hundred short chapters, each devoted to a different aspect of the Archie comics. Fans of the comics will be thrilled to read in-depth examinations of their favorite characters and motifs, including individual chapters devoted to Jughead’s hat and Archie’s sweater-vest. But the book also has plenty to interest newcomers to Riverdale, as it recounts the behind-the-scenes history of the comics and analyzes how Archie helped shape our images of the American teenager. As he employs a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches, Beaty reveals that the Archie comics themselves were far more eclectic, creative, and self-aware than most critics recognize. Equally comfortable considering everything from the representation of racial diversity to the semiotics of Veronica’s haircut, Twelve-Cent Archie gives a fresh appreciation for America’s most endearing group of teenagers.

Unpopular Culture

Transforming the European Comic Book in the 1990s

Bart Beaty

Artists working in a variety of western European nations have overturned the dominant traditions of comic book publishing as it has existed since the end of the Second World War, seeking instead to instill the medium with experimental and avant-garde tendencies commonly associated with the visual arts. This book addresses this transformation.

Comics Versus Art

Bart Beaty

On the surface, the relationship between comics and the ‘high’ arts once seemed simple; comic books and strips could be mined for inspiration, but were not themselves considered legitimate art objects. Though this traditional distinction has begun to erode, the worlds of comics and art continue to occupy vastly different social spaces. Comics Versus Art examines the relationship between comics and the most important institutions of the art world, including museums, auction houses, and the art press. Bart Beaty's analysis centres around two questions: why were comics excluded from the history of art for most of the twentieth century, and what does it mean that comics production is now more closely aligned with the art world? Approaching this relationship for the first time through the lens of the sociology of culture, Beaty advances a completely novel approach to the comics form.

Canadian Television Today

Bart Beaty, Rebecca Sullivan

Whats on TV? In Canadian Television Today, authors Bart Beaty and Rebecca Sullivan explore the current challenges and issues facing the English-language television industry in Canada.

David Cronenberg's A History of Violence

Bart Beaty

David Cronenberg's A History of Violence - the lead title in the new Canadian Cinema series - presents readers with a lively study of some of the filmmaker's favourite themes: violence, concealment, transformation, sex, and guilt.

Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture

Bart Beaty

This book is a re-examination of the critic whose Congressional testimony sparked the Comics Code. Bart Beaty traces the evolution of Wertham's attitudes toward popular culture and reassesses his place in the debate about pop culture's effects on youth and society. When The Seduction of the Innocent was published in 1954, Wertham (1895-1981) became instantly known as an authority on child psychology. Although he had published several books before Seduction, its sharp criticism of popular culture in general--and comic books in particular--made it a touchstone for debate about issues of censorship, child protection, and freedom of speech. This book reinterprets his intellectual legacy and challenges notions about his alleged cultural conservatism. Drawing upon Wertham's published works as well as his unpublished private papers, correspondence, and notes, Beaty reveals a man whose opinions, life, and career offer more subtlety of thought than previously assumed. In particular, the book examines Wertham's change of heart in the 1970s, when he began to claim that comics could be a positive influence in American society.

That's the Joint!

The Hip-hop Studies Reader

Murray Forman, Mark Anthony Neal

Spanning 25 years of serious writing on hip-hop by noted scholars and mainstream journalists, this comprehensive anthology includes observations and critiques on groundbreaking hip-hop recordings.

An Introduction to Book History

David Finkelstein, Alistair McCleery

An Introduction to Book Historyprovides a comprehensive critical introduction to the development of the book and print culture. David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery chart the move from the spoken word to written texts, the coming of print, the book as commodity, the power and profile of readers, and the future of the book in the electronic age. Each section begins with a summary of the chapter's aims and contents, followed by a detailed discussion of the relevant issues, concluding with a summary of the chapter. Sections include: § The History of the Book § Orality to Literacy § Literacy to Printing § Authors, authorship and authority § Printers, Booksellers, Publishers, and Agents § Readers and reading § The Future of the Book An Introduction to Book Historywill be an ideal guide to this exciting field of study, and is designed as a companion text toThe Book History Reader.

Men Who Hate Women

From Incels to Pickup Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyny and How it Affects Us All

Laura Bates

The first comprehensive undercover look at the terrorist movement no one is talking about. Men Who Hate Women examines the rise of secretive extremist communities who despise women and traces the roots of misogyny across a complex spider web of groups. It includes eye-opening interviews with former members of these communities, the academics studying this movement, and the men fighting back. Women's rights activist Laura Bates wrote this book as someone who has been the target of many hate-fueled misogynistic attacks online. At first, the vitriol seemed to be the work of a small handful of individual men... but over time, the volume and consistency of the attacks hinted at something bigger and more ominous. As Bates went undercover into the corners of the internet, she found an unseen, organized movement of thousands of anonymous men wishing violence (and worse) upon women. In the book, Bates explores: Extreme communities like incels, pick-up artists, MGTOW, Men's Rights Activists and more The hateful, toxic rhetoric used by these groups How this movement connects to other extremist movements like white supremacy How young boys are targeted and slowly drawn in Where this ideology shows up in our everyday lives in mainstream media, our playgrounds, and our government By turns fascinating and horrifying, Men Who Hate Women is a broad, unflinching account of the deep current of loathing toward women and anti-feminism that underpins our society and is a must-read for parents, educators, and anyone who believes in equality for women. Praise for Men Who Hate Women: "Laura Bates is showing us the path to both intimate and global survival."—Gloria Steinem "Well-researched and meticulously documented, Bates's book on the power and danger of masculinity should be required reading for us all."—Library Journal "Men Who Hate Women has the power to spark social change."—Sunday Times

Drift and Mastery

An Attempt to Diagnose the Current Unrest

Walter Lippmann

Drift and Mastery, originally published in 1914, is one of the most important and influential documents of the Progressive Movement, a valuable text for understanding the political thought of early twentieth-century America. This paperback edition of Walter Lippmann's classic work includes a revised introduction by William E. Leuchtenburg that places the book in its historical and political contexts. In his first book, A Preface to Politics, Lippmann was sharply critical of traditionalism in favor of creativity—so much so that he was accused of anti-intellectualism. In Drift and Mastery, he corrected this imbalance, exploring the tensions between expansion and consolidation, traditionalism an progressivism, emotion and rationality. He wrote to convince readers that they could balance these tensions: they could be organized, efficient, and functional without sacrificing impulse, choice, fantasy, or liberty. Mastery is attainable, Lippmann argued, but scientific endeavor is driven by human curiosity and creativity—an argument in favor of science as both a method as both a method for discovering the truth and a means of wish fulfillment through diligent attention to facts. Drift and Mastery is both a telling product of its times and a lucid exploration of timeless themes in American government and politics. It will continue to serve new generations of scholars and students in American intellectual history, mass communications, and political science.

Propaganda

Edward L. Bernays

With politics taking centre stage due to the US presidential election, the time is perfect for a reprint of this classic work from Edward Bernays, the father of public relations and political spin and the man who designed the ad campaign that got the United States involved in World War I. Written in 1928, this was the first book to discuss the manipulation of the masses and democracy by government spin and propaganda.

Iran Since the Revolution

Sepehr Zabih

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Marvel

Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics

Les Daniels

For over 50 years, Marvel comics has been the world's leading publisher of comic books. This book is the fascinating story of Marvel, beginning with the invention of the comic book and the discovery of Marvel's formula for success with the launch of two offbeat super heroes, the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch. Captain America, introduced nine months before Pearl Harbor, immediately became one of the best-selling comic books of all time.

Famous Assassinations of History, from the Time of Julius Cæsar Down to the Present Day ...

Containing the Lives and Tragic Deaths of the Notorious American Assassins John Wilkes Booth, and Charles J. Guiteau. And a Full Account of the Mysterious Assassinations in Phenix Park, Dublin

Dennis O'Sullivan

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America's Great Comic-strip Artists

From the Yellow Kid to Peanuts

Richard Marschall

A treasury of outstanding graphics and rare and beautiful comic art, this book is also a history of the art form itself, as seen through the work of 16 of the finest cartoonists of the last century, including Al Capp, Charles M. Schulz, Walt Kelly and Chester Gould. Marschall's fascinating text portrays the life and times of these artists, demonstrating their influence on American art and society. 250 illustrations, many in full-color.

The Comics Journal

Unknown author

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The Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga (New Edition)

Paul Levitz

The godlike Darkseid emerges in the 30th century with an ingenious plot to finally conquer the universe in Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen's timeless Legion of Super-Heroes epic! Using his faithful minions to acquire all of the mystic artifacts of thetime, Darkseid gains mental control over a race of three billion all-powerful beings. Now, as their universe teeters on the edge of Armageddon, the Legion of Super-Heroes amass their own army of every champion who ever held the status of Legionnaireto stand against the Dark Lord and his invincible soldiers. But as the Legion suffers defeat after defeat, they realize that salvation and victory rest in the hands of a mysterious baby that has aged into adulthood before their very eyes! This isthe perfect edition of the classic Levitz storyline that was decades ahead of its time and still stands as one of DC's most enthralling superhero tales! Collects LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #284-296 and ANNUAL #1.

The New Century Book of Facts

A Handbook of Ready Reference

Carroll Davidson Wright

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