Superheroes from the Marvel and DC Comics universes may dominate the schedules of most cinemas today, but it wasn’t long ago that these stories could only be found in the tiny comic strips you could find in small corner shops. Thames & Hudson has published a new book that chronicles the extensive history of comic book art from 1964 to 2024, creating a dialogue between the unique graphic stories that manifested in Europe, Asia and the USA.
The book catalogues a new exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which shows the role that comics played as a counterculture from the 1960s to the present day. The 288-page overview of six decades includes early titles such as Jean-Claude Forest’s Barbarella in France the avant-garde Japanese manga of the 60s Garo to Robert Crumbs Zap Comics and the Peanuts Gang. Comics, which differed in their aesthetic style and themes, gained an increasingly strong place in society in the second half of the 20th century and found their way onto television and the screen.
Comics (1964–2024) is a vast archive that can be enjoyed by aficionados and new fans alike, covering a wide range of artists including André Franquin, Gotlib, Claire Bretécher, Osamu Tezuka, Moebius, Edmond Baudoin, Alison Bechdel, Ulli Lust, Art Spiegelman, Marjane Satrapi and Chris Ware. The monograph is available for 60 USD, while the exhibition will be on view in Paris until November 4, 2024.
Pompidou Centre
Place Georges Pompidou,
75004 Paris, France
