<![CDATA[
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#CC0000" alink="#CC0000"><center><hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade>From pulp comics to Maus, the story of the growth of comics in American culture<hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade><p><a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/ChicagoBook.aspx?ISBN=9781592134427&&PRESS=temple" target="_top">Buy this book!</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">View Cart</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">Check Out</a></p><p><img src="1518_reg.gif" height=200 border=1 vspace=4></p></center><!--none//--><h1>Demanding Respect</h1>
<H2>The Evolution of the American Comic Book</H2>
<h3>Paul Lopes</h3>
<P>cloth 1-59213-442-4 $69.50, Apr 09, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT>
<br>paper 1-59213-443-2 $27.95, Apr 09, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT>
<BR> 260 pp
6x9
</P><BLOCKQUOTE><I><p>"</i>Demanding Respect<i> is a solid, well-researched social history of the comic book in North America—detailed, thorough, and well-written. Theoretically sophisticated, it moves beyond the existing emphasis on fan culture to encompass the entire comic book art world. This is a valuable contribution to the literature on American popular culture."</i><BR>—<b>Laura Grindstaff</b>, Associate Professor Department of
Sociology at the University of California, Davis</p></I></BLOCKQUOTE>
<p>How is it that comic books—the once-reviled form of lowbrow popular
culture—are now the rage for Hollywood blockbusters, the basis for
bestselling video games, and the inspiration for literary graphic novels?
In <i>Demanding Respect</i>, Paul Lopes immerses himself in the discourse
and practices of this art and subculture to provide a social history of the American comic book over the last 75 years.</p><p>
Lopes analyzes the cultural production, reception, and consumption
of American comic books throughout history. He charts the rise
of superheroes, the proliferation of serials, and the emergence of
graphic novels. <i>Demanding Respect</i> explores how comic books born in the 1930s were perceived as a "menace" in the 1950s, only to later
become collectors’ items and eventually "hip" fiction in the 1980s through today.
</p><p>Using a theoretical framework to examine the construction of
comic book culture—the artists, publishers, readers and fans—
Lopes explains how and why comic books have captured the public's imagination and gained a fanatic cult following.</p>
<BR> <h2>Excerpt</h2><P>Excerpt available at <a href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress">www.temple.edu/tempress</a></p>
<BR> <h2>Reviews</h2>
<p><i>"[Lopes] provides a persuasive, accessible framework for understanding the path that American comics have taken from early derision to the level of respectability that they enjoy today." </i>
<br>—<b><i>Library Journal</i></b>
<p><i>"Mr. Lopes approaches this study [of comic books] as something worthy of a sociological effort.... Lopes is at his best when he tries to tap into what kept this lowly form chugging along.... '</i>Demanding Respect<i>' is an enjoyable, not too scholarly read." </i><br>—<b><i>Washington Times</i></b>
<BR> <h2>Contents</h2><P>
<p>Acknowledgments
<br>Introduction: The Evolution of the American Comic Book
<br>1. The Early Industrial Age I: Pulp Logic and the Rise of the American Comic Book
<br>2. The Early Industrial Age II: The Crusade Against Comic Books and the End of the Comic Book Boom
<br>3. The Late Industrial Age: The Return of the Superhero and the First Comic Book Rebellion
<br>4. From the Late Industrial to the Heroic Age: Comic Book Fandom and the Mainstream Pulp Rebellion
<br>5. The Heroic Age II: Alternative Comics and a Rebellion from the Margins
<br>6. The Heroic Age III: New Movements, Winning Respect, and the Rise of the Graphic Novel
<br>Conclusion: The Development of an Art Form
<br>Notes
<br>Index
</P><BR> <H2>About the Author(s)</H2>
<P><b>Paul Lopes</b> is Associate Professor of Sociology at Colgate University. He is the author of <i>The Rise of a Jazz Art World.</i></P>
<BR><H2>Subject Categories</H2>
<p><A HREF="/tempress/cultural.html" TARGET="_top">Cultural Studies</a>
<BR><A HREF="/tempress/sociology.html" TARGET="_top">Sociology</a>
<BR><A HREF="/tempress/american.html" TARGET="_top">American Studies</a>
</p>
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