Litcomix

ADAM GECZY is an artist and writer who teaches at the University of Sydney. His art has been exhibited across Australia, Asia, and Europe and is in numerous public and private collections. As a writer he has published over 20 books including The Artificial Body in Fashion and Art.  JONATHAN MCBURNIE is an artist and writer based in Queensland, where he serves as director of the Rockhamptom Museum of Art. His articles have appeared in such journals as Eyeline, Catalogue, and Sneaky, and he is author of the graphic novel Floodland.

"It makes the case that comics do, in fact, matter. Art matters. An artist shares their ideas and interpretations and their sense of experience, and, through this act, maybe, just maybe, the vastness of the world shrinks just enough to help us realize that we are, in fact, not as alone as we feel."— SOLRAD Magazine"Litcomix, an original, extremely interesting book, argues that we should treat graphic novels as serious literature, applying to them the theories that are usually reserved for discussion of 'serious' literature. In a most timely account, Geczy and McBurnie present fascinating and instructive examples."— David Carrier, author of Philosophical Skepticism as the Subject of Art: Maria Bussmann's Drawings"As a fellow true believer in comics as a high voltage energy conductor, I recommend Geczy and McBurnie's book, one which highlights and categorizes some of the vibrant new methods and genres of cartooning-art power with a well-researched and passionate curation of contemporary gems as examples. May the kaleidoscopic galaxy of comics continue to unfurl!"— Lale Westvind, cartoonist"The authors want comics to 'be treated with the seriousness of so-called proper literature.' In this spirit, their book introduces readers to comics makers who should be celebrated for their significant contributions to expanding the horizons of the pleasures of reading."— Shiamin Kwa, author of Perfect Copies: Reproduction and the Contemporary Comic"Litcomix frames the notion that comics are long overdue for serious attention, and then delivers that attention in the most informed possible manner. For too long, comics have had the boot of cultural bias on its neck. This book supplants that boot and puts the graphic novel on even footing with the best of literature."— Christopher Sperandio, cartoonist and academic"Reflecting upon central elements of  Marxist literary theorist and philosopher Georg Lukács, this admirable volume adds momentum to the speed at which we are recognizing the proper value of the comics art form. Insightful and provocative, once I finished reading this book I wanted to pick it up again and start over."— Jeff McLaughlin, editor of Comics as Philosophy"Growing up in the UK during the 1960s, to me, Kirby was "The Comics." Kirby created his own genre whose influence is felt to this very day. It's rare to read something so well thought out on my pet subject. Litcomix is a great read!"— Shaky Kane, comic artist, 2000 AD, The Bulletproof Coffin, The Beef

• IntroductionPart I Theories1 Literary Theory: The Relevant and the Real2 Recuperating Realism: Lukács3 Classic Novels, Classic Comics4 Was Wertham Right? Comics as Antisocial and Subversive5 The Balzac of Comics: Jack Kirby, World Building, and the Kirbyesque6 Figurative Pseudonyms: Biography and Confession Part II Case Studies7 Josh Bayer8 Nina Bunjevac9 Simon Hanselmann10 The Hernandez Brothers11 Tommi Parrish12 Yos hihiro TatsumiConclusion: Our New UrizensAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex