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Third edition of “The Power of Comics” available now

By John Freeman on December 19, 2023

After the successful and innovative first two editions, The Power of Comics & Graphic Novels: Culture, Form and Context is now available in a new, restructured third edition.

Written by Randy Duncan, Paul Levitz and Matthew J. Smith, published by Bloomsbury Academic, the book is considered an authoritative introduction for studying comic books and graphic novels, covering their place in contemporary culture, the manifestations and techniques of the art form, the evolution of the medium and how to analyze and write about them.

The new edition includes a completely reworked introduction, exploring the comics community in the United States and globally, its history, and the role of different communities in advancing the medium and its study. Chapters have been reframed to get students thinking about themselves as consumers and makers of comics.

The new edition also features reorganised chapters on form help to unpack encapsulation, composition and layout, and completely new chapters on comics and how they can be used to report, document, and persuade, as well as a new Preface by Karen Green.

Illustrated throughout, with discussion questions and activities for every chapter and an extensive glossary of key terms, The Power of Comics and Graphic Novels also includes further updated resources available online on Bloomsbury’s web site, including additional essays, weblinks and sample syllabi.

“I liked the second edition, but I think this one is a major improvement – totally reorganised, heavily revised, and with more images to support the analysis,” says Randy Duncan.

“In addition to single images, we were able to include a number of short, complete stories. We refer to these images throughout the book, but they are particularly useful in the Form section as we use them to illustrate various theories of encapsulation, composition, and layout.”

Randy Duncan is Ellis College Distinguished Professor and Director of the Center for Comics Studies at Henderson State University. He is co-author of Creating Comics as Journalism, Memoir and Nonfiction (Routledge 2015).

The Secret Origins of Comics Studies cover

More Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods cover

He is co-editor, with Matthew J. Smith, of Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods (Routledge 2011), Icons of the American Comic Book (ABC-CLIO 2013), The Secret Origins of Comics Studies (Routledge 2017), and More Critical Approaches to Comics: Theories and Methods (Routledge 2019). (Be advised, these are academic texts, and come with hefty price tags). Dr. Duncan is co-founder of the Comics Arts Conference, held each summer in San Diego, and recently took up a new role as as a Writer / Consultant at Delphi Creative/Consulting.

Matthew J. Smith is Dean of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences and Professor of Communication at Radford University, USA, where he teaches the introductory Comics Studies course. Along with Randy Duncan, he is a co-editor of the Routledge Advances in Comics Studies Series and co-curator of the traveling exhibition, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes.

Paul Levitz is a former President and Publisher of DC Comics and has written for many of DC’s major comic books series, including Superman and Justice Society. His story Legion: The Great Darkness Saga was voted one of the top 20 best comic stories of the last century by readers of The Buyers’ Guide. He teaches a course in the American Graphic Novel at Columbia University and was named to the Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2019.

• The Power of Comics & Graphic Novels: Culture, Form and Context is available now from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link) | Bookshop.org.uk (Affiliate Link) | ISBN: 978-1350253902 | Amazon.com

• Bloomsbury online resources for The Power of Comics

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.