Masters of British Comic Art

Masters of British Comic Art by David Roach (2020 Rebellion e-book 388pp)

 

In its physical form this is a large format hardcover book which usually costs well over $100 to purchase. I was fortunate to obtain a .pdf file version of it in a recent Humble Bundle sale and the design and reproduction in that is excellent, it would be a stunning book to actually hold in your hands.

Not too much to this book – The first section is 13 essays about the history of British comics and their history, the personalities, the art styles and so on. Each essay focusses on a particular aspect, from newspaper comics, girl’s comics, adventure series through to the golden age and artists who found fame in fortune in the USA. Each an individual story but taken together it makes a pretty comprehensive history of the art form from a UK perspective.

The second section is a gallery of comic artwork from a selection of artists spanning the years from the 19^th century to contemporary times. In the middle of the gallery section is an additional chapter which brings the history up to date into the 21^st century.

If you have any interest in comics, arts or graphic design this is a fascinating volume. The writing is on point and the art is spectacular.