Bramlett, Frank, ed.  Linguistics and the Study of Comics.  New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012.  xiv + 310 pp.  $85.00.  Hardback.  ISBN 978-0-230-36282-6. The basic purpose of this edited volume is best stated in the editor’s “Introduction.”  Namely  that this is “a book for anybody who wants to know more about how language and comics go together.  It begins...

Spiegelman, Art.  MetaMaus: A Look inside a Modern Classic, Maus.  New York: Pantheon Books, 2011.  301 pp.  $35.00.  Hardback.  ISBN 978-0-375-42394-9.  With MetaMaus: The Complete Maus Files.  DVD. Reader Warning: This volume is not for the faint of heart.  Confronting evil never is. This insightful work, by the author of the original Maus, brings to light...

This two-volume set embarks on the ambitious project of survey the most important and influential works of graphic literature in the American canon.

Mignola, Mike, and John Arcudi, authors. Art by Wilfredo Torres and Dave Stewart. Lobster Johnson: The Prayer of Neferu. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics, August 2012. 22pp. $3.50. Minor spoilers.

Oeming, Michael Avon. Victories, no. 1. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics, Inc., August 2012. 22pp. $3.50. Minor spoilers.

08/12/12

This book is genuinely a difficult read, both intellectually and emotionally. They are stories that needed to be told and indeed their visceral nature makes them that much more compelling, but one should not approach this piece lightly. This work is a must read for completist auteurs or those interested in 1930s living but can safely be avoided by others.