The Cambridge History of the Graphic Novel ed. by Jan Baetens, Hugo Frey, and Stephen E. Tabachnick (review)

Abstract

The Cambridge History of the Graphic Novel, edited by Jan Baetens, Hugo Frey, and Stephen E. Tabachnick, is an anthology that offers an insight into the journey and development of comics to graphic novels. Within thirty-six chapters, including an ‘Introduction’ by the editors-trio, the volume provides vivid discussions on the graphic novels from different countries and the status of the genre as an upcoming literary field. The tripartite structure of the volume includes essays by thirty-five scholars and historians, including three editors. One of the major objectives of the volume is to track the trajectory of the genre, graphic novel, from 1799 to the present day. Apart from that, the volume justifies its title with elaborate discussions on those comics which are “serious” in content. After an 18-page “Introduction,” Part I of the volume consists of the essays, covering a wide range of comics and graphic narratives from 1799 to 1978. Beginning with the essay by Denis Miller and Hugo Frey the anthology kicks off the issue on the origin of the adult graphic novel throughout the middle of the 18th century in a lucid way. This particular section ranges on diverse thematic discussions revolving around long-length comics strips, long-length wordless books, post-war ‘drawn novel,’ Beat-era and graphic novels, underground comics, and most importantly the significant difference between comics and graphic novels. ‘Drawn novel’ by Jan Baetens focuses on the early examples of illustrious graphic novels. Two chapters namely “Long-Length Serials in the Golden Age of Comics Strips: Production and Reception” and “Long-Length Wordless Books: From Masereel, Milt Gross, Lynd Ward, and Beyond” by Daniel Stein and Lukas Etter and Barbara Postema respectively point out the flourish of comics in the golden era. Their introduction as “open-ended continuity narratives” (53) manifest the basic differences rather than similarities. Besides, this section predominantly engages its views on the differentiation between the basic tenets of comics and graphic novels which is shown in the chapter by Gavin Parkinson. The chapters with their treatment of comics and graphic novels hold potentials for further research. There is a mention of popular texts such as Yellow Kid (1890) by Richard F. Outcault and George B. Luks; Happy Hooligan (1899-1932) by Frederick Burr Opper; Maus (1890-1991) by Art Spiegelman; Persepolis (2000-2003) by Marjane Satrapi; Troglodytes (2004) by Marcel Ruijters; The Great War (2013) by Joe Sacco; Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986) by Frank Miller; Zap Comix (1968-2014) by Robert Crumb; Marvel’s Graphic Novel Line of 1982; and DC Graphic Novels of