Editors' Acknowledgments vii List of Figures viii Notes on Contributors ix Foreword xii Warren Ellis The Art and Philosophy of Comics: An Introduction xiv Aaron Meskin and Roy T. Cook Part One: The Nature and Kinds of Comics 1 1 Redefining Comics 3 John Holbo 2 The Ontology of Comics 31 Aaron Meskin 3 Comics and Collective Authorship 47 Christy Mag Uidhir 4 Comics and Genre 68 Catharine Abell Part Two: Comics and Representation 85 5 Wordy Pictures: Theorizing the Relationship between Image and Text in Comics 87 Thomas E. Wartenberg 6 What’s So Funny? Comic Content in Depiction 105 Patrick Maynard 7 The Language of Comics 125 Darren Hudson Hick Part Three: Comics and the Other Arts 145 8 Making Comics into Film 147 Henry John Pratt 9 Why Comics Are Not Films: Metacomics and Medium?]Specific Conventions 165 Roy T. Cook 10 Proust’s In Search of Lost Time : The Comics Version 188 David Carrier Index 203

The Art of Comics: A Philosophical Introduction is the first-ever collection of essays published in English devoted to the philosophical questions raised by the art of comics. The volume, which includes a preface by the renowned comics author Warren Ellis, contains ten cutting-edge essays on a range of philosophical topics raised by comics and graphic novels. These include the definition of comics, the nature of comics genres, the relationship between comics and other arts such as film and literature, the way words and pictures combine in comics, comics authorship, the “language” of comics, and the metaphysics of comics. The book also contains an in-depth introduction by the co-editors which provides an overview of both the book and its subject, as well as a brief history of comics and an overview of extant work on the philosophy of comics. In an area of growing philosophical interest, this volume constitutes a great leap forward in the development of this fast expanding field, and makes a major contribution to the philosophy of art.

“Regardless, though, considered as a whole, The Art of Comicsis an excellent collection and one which is likely to provoke spirited debate and serve as a spur to further research within Anglo-American philosophy (and philosophy more generally) into this sadly neglected art form. I, for one, look forward to these future developments immensely. To quote one of the greats in the history of comics—excelsior!.”  (British Journal of Aesthetics, 1 October 2013)

“The Art of Comics would make a fine addition to any undergraduate reading list, introducing as it does several important notions in contemporary aesthetics.”  (The Journal of Aesthetics & Art Criticism, 1 November 2013) "The Art of Comics: A Philosophical Approach is the first-ever anthology on the aesthetics of comics in the analytic tradition.  As such, it is predictably rigorous, but, perhaps more surprisingly, it exhibits a very deep love of comics as well as an intimate and close knowledge of the art form in all its diversity and detail. The book is a splendid addition to the growing body of work on the philosophies of the arts." —Noël Carroll, The Graduate Philosophy Program, CUNY "A new, rich topic is always welcome in philosophy. Comics are just such a topic in the philosophy of art, and this excellent collection is a splendid opportunity to explore the subject." —Ted Cohen, University of Chicago "This is a groundbreaking collection that sets the agenda for philosophical reflection on the nature of comics and their place among the arts. Readers will find their thought bubbles bursting out on every page, as fresh insights are delineated and new questions are framed." —Jesse Prinz, The Graduate Philosophy Program, CUNY