A New York Times Notable Book

Filled with beautiful colorart, dynamic storytelling, and insightfulanalysis, Hillary Chute reveals what makes one of the most critically acclaimed and popular art forms so unique and appealing, and how it got that way.

In her wonderful book, Hillary Chute suggests that were in a blooming, expanding era of the art Chutes often lovely, sensitive discussions of individual expression in independent comics seem so right and true. New York Times Book Review

Over the past century, fans have elevated comics from the back pages of newspapers into one of our most celebrated forms of culture, from Fun Home, the Tony Awardwinning musical based on Alison Bechdels groundbreaking graphic memoir, to the dozens of superhero films that are annual blockbusters worldwide. What is the essence of comics appeal? What does this art form do that others cant?

Whether youve read every comic you can get your hands on or youre just starting your journey, Why Comics? has something for you. Author Hillary Chute chronicles comics culture, explaining underground comics (also known as comix) and graphic novels, analyzing their evolution, and offering fascinating portraits of the creative men and women behind them. Chute reveals why these worksa blend of concise words and striking visualsare an extraordinarily powerful form of expression that stimulates us intellectually and emotionally.

Focusing on ten major themesdisaster, superheroes, sex, the suburbs, cities, punk, illness and disability, girls, war, and queernessChute explains how comics get their messages across more effectively than any other form. Why Disaster? explores how comics are uniquely suited to convey the scale and disorientation of calamity, from Art Spiegelmans representation of the Holocaust and 9/11 to Keiji Nakazawas focus on Hiroshima.Why the Suburbs? examines how the work of Chris Ware and Charles Burns illustrates the quiet joys and struggles of suburban existence; and Why Punk? delves into how comics inspire and reflect the punk movements DIY aestheticsgiving birth to a democratic medium increasingly embraced by some of todays most significant artists.

Featuring full-color reproductions of more than one hundred essential pages and panels, including some famous but never-before-reprinted images from comics legends, Why Comics? is an indispensable guide that offers a deep understanding of this influential art form and its masters.