Wright explains, the comic book industry suffered some shock in the mid1990s the biggest problem is the transformation of american culture itself wright 28384. As the united states modernized, television, video, computer games, etc. Wright, 2001, johns hopkins university press edition, in. A study of the comic book s place in american culture is, then, long overdue, and bradford w. A mainstay of popular culture for over 70 years, comic books have at times been as controversial as theyve been common.
Wrights history of comic books from 1933 to 2000, told through a perspective of comic books and the periods in which they were written. Wright comic book nation, xiii 1938 gave birth to an important figure in american popular culture superman. The transformation of youth culture in america bradford c wright 336pp, john hopkins university press. And, really, anyone considering reading or writing a book analyzing pop culture should look at wright s approach to see how it should be done. Wright offers an engaging, illuminating, and often provocative history of the comic book industry within the context of. From batmans depressionera battles against corrupt local politicians and captain americas oneman war against nazi germany to iron mans cold war exploits. Comic book nation examines the reciprocal impact of comic books on american popular culture, and youth culture particularly, from world war ii through the 1990s. Wright, 9780801874505, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. Bradford w wright books biography and list of works. By 1962 less than a dozen publishers accounted for a total annual industry output of 350 million comic books, a drop of over 50 percent from the previous decade, reported bradford w. Jeugd, strips, comic books, strips, comic books and. Jeugd, strips, comic books, strips, comic books and children, populaire. The transformation of youth culture in america 2001, which covers much of the same ground as of comics and men.
The transformation of youth culture in america baltimore. Since his first appearance new comics genres have emerged along the way. Comic book nation the transformation of youth culture in america download. Spanning their birth in the 1930s through their glory days as the preferred reading of american g. Wright s book tell the history of the medium itself from superman onward, but it shows how comics react to the political and social landscape.
According to the new york times, one in four magazines shipped. Before i get to discussing bradford wright s comic book nation, id like to say a few words about footnotes. John hopkins university press, 2001 bradford wright s comic book nation. Reviewing comics a clear understanding of the history and development of comics is crucial for any comprehensive study of the medium. More importantly, perhaps, gabilliets book is not exactly the cultural history that it promises to be. The author offers a history of the comic book industry within the. Jeugd, strips, comic books, strips, comic books and children, populaire cultuur, comic, jugendkultur, history, popular culture, history and. Wright offers an engaging, illuminating, and often provocative history of the comic book industry within the context of twentiethcentury american society. Comic book nation by bradford c wright the guardian. Wright is an associate professor with the university of maryland university collegeeuropean division.
Wright s distinctive contributions to the scholarly literature on comic book history. Wright is a compelling history of american comic books since its roots in the 1930s. Using comic books as a primary source, wright offers substantial. The transformation of youth culture in america tells the history of the comic book from the perspective of a fan and a historian. On page 246 the below page is reproduced in black and white. Robert shackleton, the story of harpers magazine 1850. The transformation of youth culture in america new ed by wright, bradford w. Comic book nation the transformation of youth culture in america by wright, bradford w. The superheroes fought the war, too, but they had to find excuses. Search for library items search for lists search for contacts search for a library. The transformation of youth culture in america by wright, bradford w.
The plot device was written into a 1943 storyline that clark kent tried to enlist but. Wright argues, have been an important part of youth culture, especially boy culture, since the late 1930s. Comic book nation the transformation of youth culture in. Wrights comic book nation 2001 addresses this need by providing a sociocultural history of the comics from their origins until today. Selling in the millions each year for the past six decades, comic books have figured prominently in the childhoods of most americans alive today. In his fascinating text, by meticulously researching how the pressing events in american history influenced comics storylines, wright gives comics the scholarly attention they deserve as vital cultural artifacts. Comic book nation the transformation of youth culture in america.
For anyone who has ever read comics or wanted to leap a building in a single bound, comic book nation is worth a look. The transformation of youth culture in america, bradford w. The author offers a history of the comic book industry within the context of twentiethcentury american society. A ten cent comic book could easily be traded among friends, thereby increasing its actual value. Comic book nation published by the johns hopkins university press in 2001 my copy is the paperback edition published in 2003. From batmans depressionera battles against corrupt local politicians and captain americas oneman war against nazi germany to iron mans cold war exploits in vietnam and spidermans confrontations with student protestors and drug use in the early 1970s, comic books have continually reflected the. Nonfans can also thumb through comic book nation and get an idea of where comics have been and hopefully gain an understanding of where they can go from here. The transformation of youth culture in america by bradford w.
In a time before mass recorded media, the comic book was the one form of entertainment that you could enjoy at any time and as many times as you wanted. The transformation of youth culture in america systematically analyzes the history of comic books as it pertains to american culture. Considering the liberal history of comic book characters and todays writers, it would be shocking if the democrats lost. Comic book nation johns hopkins university press books. The transformation of youth culture in america comic books are created, distributed, and sold on their own merits to a paying and overwhelmingly young audience wright, 2001, p. Bradford w wright is the author of books such as comic book nation. Translation of the part of the book comic book nation 2001 by bradford w. John hopkins university press, 2001 bradford wrights comic book nation. This end of the silver age has been thought about in a number of ways see bradford wright s comic book nation. Tracing the industrys rise, wright gives comics the scholarly attention they deserve, diligently filling in the back story of a medium. Wright deserves credit for tackling the breadth of comics history, and he succeeds commendably in creating a testament to the genres power. In many ways, the comic book was better suited to meet the needs of the american people. A danger of using story lines like this was that readers often couldnt distinguish between what the comic book heroes could do versus the reality of death on the battlefield.
The transformation of youth culture in america contains no dominant hero, no good vs. This fear even had comic book creators try to limit the use of superman, as referenced by bradford wright in comic book nation p. In the preface to comic book nation, bradford wright states that his book. From dc and marvel to the latest wave of serious graphic novels, the comic book has come of age.
For more information on the history of comic books i recommend reading bradford wright s comic book nation and listening to this. Wright, 2001, johns hopkins university press edition, in english. Bradford w wright biography bradford w wright biography and list of works bradford w wright books covid19 update. Apr 26, 2001 comic book nation is at once a serious study of popular culture and an entertaining look at an enduring american art form. Wright offers an engaging, illuminating, and often provocative. The transformation of youth culture in america bradford w.
Until the rise of television and rock and roll in the 1950s, the chief commercial rivals for the attention and spare change of american preteen consumers were saturday matinee movies and pulp magazines. Wright s comic book nation is an ambitious, lucid, and exhaustively researched effort to fill that void. For more information on the history of comic books i recommend reading bradford wrights comic book nation and listening to this sound of young america podcast about jack kirby. Theyre just like the 1940s captain america comics, but they have communists and are worse. At a time of transition, with underground comics proliferating on the web while major companies like marvel try to pull themselves out of bankruptcy, comic book nation offers a muchneeded historical perspective. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. At a guess, id say it started around the early 1990s, but i didnt really notice it until a few years ago. Find comic book nation by wright, bradford w at biblio. Since the earliest days of the medium, comic books have provided an engaging platform from which to study the shifts in american culture. Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers. Sep 22, 2008 considering the liberal history of comic book characters and todays writers, it would be shocking if the democrats lost. Wright s comic book nation, readers of the 1950s were much less willing to believe the kind of naive jingoism that had always been caps trademark.
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