Preface
Comic books have long been among the least respected forms of American popular
culture, often regarded as mindless entertainment for kids, yet sometimes regarded as
dangerous bad infl uences unsuitable for kids. Th at has all begun to change, especially in
the past two decades, when comic book authors and artists such as Alan Moore, Frank
Miller, and Neil Gaiman have gained increasing critical acclaim for the complexity
and sophistication of their work and when the publishing phenomenon known as the
“graphic novel”—which allows for longer and more complex single-volume narratives in
the comics as a medium—has provided a new and more respected outlet for the comics
art form. Yet the comics have a rich and varied history even before this time of increased
critical respect. Comics also tend to be highly intertextual, so that it becomes diffi cult
fully to appreciate any given comic without at least some broad general knowledge of
its background in comics history. Th is Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels
is intended to provide a useful central resource both for those who have a professional
interest in researching comic books and graphic novels and for those who simply want
to enrich their reading of comics.
Th e history of comic books is vast and complex, and these two volumes cannot
hope to be comprehensive, so some practical (but often diffi cult) decisions have had to
be made regarding content. Th ese decisions have been made in consultation with the
project’s Editorial Board, as well as with the full list of contributors to these volumes.
Th e most important decision was to emphasize Anglophone comics, with a special em-
phasis on comics fi rst published in the United States—and on American writers and
artists. Th us, the rich comics traditions in Europe and Japan are given less emphasis,
though some of their highlights are at least indicated, mostly through the entries en-
titled “European Comics” and “Manga.” Some 78 contributors, scholars of comic books,