Critical Approaches to Horror Comic Books: Red Ink in the Gutter

This book explores how horror comic books have negotiated with social and cultural anxieties of a specific era and geographical space, offering new critical insights on zones of vacancy in the study of horror comic books. It presents case studies from a global selection of countries, including India, France, Spain, Italy, and Japan, and will appeal to scholars and students in horror comics studies, visual rhetoric, philosophy, sociology, media studies, pop culture, and film studies.

Format: Hardback
Length: 252 pages
Publication date: 16 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive volume delves into the intricate ways in which horror comic books have navigated the societal and cultural fears that shaped a particular era and geographical landscape. By addressing academic gaps in comics scholarship, these chapters engage with a diverse range of interdisciplinary approaches, including Marxism, posthumanism, theories of adaptation, sociology, existentialism, and psychology. While paying homage to the classical era, the book presents case studies spanning both mainstream and independent comics, offering fresh critical insights into areas of under-exploration within the study of horror comic books. Moreover, it examines a global selection of horror comics from countries such as India (City of Sorrows), France (Zombillénium), Spain (Creepy), Italy (Dylan Dog), and Japan (Tanabe Gous Manga Adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft), as well as the United States.

One of the first books dedicated exclusively to close readings in a relatively under-studied area, this collection holds immense appeal for scholars and students engaged in the study of horror comics, visual rhetoric, philosophy, sociology, media studies, pop culture, and film studies. It also resonates with anyone with a general interest in comic books and a keen fascination in delving into the intricacies of the horror genre.

Weight: 653g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032195704