British Comics

James Chapman is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Leicester. His previous books include Licence To Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films (1999/2024) and British Comics (2011).

• Introduction1. Comic Cuts and Saucy Strips2. On the Wings of Eagles3. Ripping Yarns4. Girls on Top5. The Violent Years6. I Am the Law!7. The Strange World of the British Superhero8. The Rise and Fall of Alternative Comics9. The Growing Pains of British Colonies10. The British Comics RenaissanceReferencesSourcesAcknowledgementsIndex

an invaluable resource for even the most laissez-faire of fans. - Seven Magazine, Sunday TelegraphChapman’s British Comics does an excellent job of condensing the rich story of comics in the UK into a very readable narrative, exploring their long history and celebrating recent successes. Chapman provides exactly what the title promises. The book is hugely informative and engaging, focusing on how comics can provide insights into society and often mirror political events . . . there is for the general reader much here that will surprise and delight. - History Today[a] cogent and enjoyable new study . . . Chapman proves to be an enthusiastic guide. - TLSThis is a book that reminds us of the fantasy worlds we have lived in, and analyses the appeal and structure of those worlds. Only those who enjoy popular culture can write about it well, and British Comics is a book in which not only is a genre analysed with expertise but enthusiasm is recollected. - Times Higher EducationJames Chapman has penned the first truly scholarly survey of the origins and development of comics in Britain . . . a solidly researched piece of cultural history - The Comics JournalChapman takes a broad approach but offers specific examples . . . Popping up along the way are issues such as race, gender, censorship, the Cold War. Quotes, anecdotes and gems of knowledge add spice to an already facile reading. This superb, well-researched, well-thought-out volume deserves to be read by comics scholars and enthusiasts alike. Highly recommended. - ChoiceChapman’s analysis of key characters such as Dan Dare in their various incarnations is absorbing. Even when discussing well known characters, this book is full of interesting titbits . . . Chapman’s attempt to situate both creators and product in relation to social history is fascinating . . . its lively and interesting style makes it more than suited to the active fan and those nostalgic for the comics of their youth. - Eyea valuable contribution to British comics history - Comicbitsonlinea well-written, well researched book, which is attractive and quite enjoyable to read. - CerclesThe British comic industry and tradition, often overshadowed by the American one, gets an interesting and important treatment in this book, which traces the history of British comics over the past two centuries in relation to economics and class, gender, war, technology, and the vagaries of the publishing business and popular taste. - Anthropology Review Database