The Comic Book Western explores how the myth of the American West played out in popular comics from around the world.

The Wild West has been romanticized in American culture ever since the dime novels capturing the exploits of Jesse James were produced in the years directly following the Civil War, and the Western genre continues to enthrall audiences to this day. The stories of frontiersmen, outlaws, cowboys, Indians, prospectors, and marksmen surviving the harshest of environments through wit, skill, and determination, or meeting their end by bullet, noose, or exposure speak to what it means to be American and play an essential part in how we define ourselves as a nation. These mythic stories have been captured and created in almost every popular mass medium of the past century and beyond from tabloids to novels, radio plays, television shows, and movies. Now, powerHouse Books is pleased to present a collection of these uniquely American stories as told through a uniquely American medium...the comic book! Golden Age Western Comics lovingly reproduces in full-color, restored, complete scans of 20 of the best Western stories-plus a few pin-ups-created between the years 1948 and 1956. These lavishly illustrated stories of guts and glory, violence and valor, intrigue, romance, and betrayal, on the range and in lawless frontier towns, were created by some of the best artists and writers of the era. The action flies off the page in stories such as "The Tragedy at Massacre Pass," and "Breakout in rondo Prison," from the greatest earliest publishing houses, including: Fawcett, Charlton, Avon, Youthful, and more.Golden Age Western Comics is a collection unlike any other and is sure to delight fans of rootin-tootin, gun-toting, adventure of all ages! Featuring Western Legends of Life, Literature, and Filmdom such as: · Wild Bill Hickok · Jesse James · Annie Oakley · Davy Crockett · Daniel "Dan'l" Boone · Tex Ritter · Lash Larue · Gabby Hayes · Tom Mix And Many More!

One of the greatest untold stories about the globalization of the Western is the key role of comics. Few American cultural exports have been as successful globally as the Western, a phenomenon commonly attributed to the widespread circulation of fiction, film, and television. The Comic Book Western centers comics in the Western’s international success. Even as readers consumed translations of American comic book Westerns, they fell in love with local ones that became national or international sensations. These essays reveal the unexpected cross-pollinations that allowed the Western to emerge from and speak to a wide range of historical and cultural contexts, including Spanish and Italian fascism, Polish historical memory, the ideology of shōjo manga from Japan, British post-apocalypticism and the gothic, race and identity in Canada, Mexican gender politics, French critiques of manifest destiny, and gaucho nationalism in Argentina. The vibrant themes uncovered in The Comic Book Western teach us that international comic book Westerns are not hollow imitations but complex and aesthetically powerful statements about identity, culture, and politics.

The first-ever guide that shows how to draw the radical characters and special effects of extreme comics. Dozens of step-by-step lessons demonstrate extreme anatomy, glows, knockouts, and more. Also includes art from several top extreme comics artists.

Written by Nick Cardy, Sergio Aragones, Dennis O'Neil, Len Wein and Cary Bates Art by Nick Cardy, Mike Sekowsky, George Moliterni and Dan Spiegle Cover by Nick Cardy DC's legendary Western series is collected at last in one volume featuring SHOWCASE #76, BAT LASH #1-7 and stories from DC SPECIAL SERIES #16 and JONAH HEX #49, 51 and 52. Advance-solicited; on sale July 8 - 240 pg, B&W, $9.99 US

2023 Ray and Pat Browne Award for Best Edited Collection in Popular and American Culture One of the greatest untold stories about the globalization of the Western is the key role of comics. Few American cultural exports have been as successful globally as the Western, a phenomenon commonly attributed to the widespread circulation of fiction, film, and television. The Comic Book Western centers comics in the Western's international success. Even as readers consumed translations of American comic book Westerns, they fell in love with local ones that became national or international sensations. These essays reveal the unexpected cross-pollinations that allowed the Western to emerge from and speak to a wide range of historical and cultural contexts, including Spanish and Italian fascism, Polish historical memory, the ideology of shōjo manga from Japan, British post-apocalypticism and the gothic, race and identity in Canada, Mexican gender politics, French critiques of manifest destiny, and gaucho nationalism in Argentina. The vibrant themes uncovered in The Comic Book Western teach us that international comic book Westerns are not hollow imitations but complex and aesthetically powerful statements about identity, culture, and politics.