Comic Books and American Cultural History

This is a highly original collection of essays, demonstrating how comic books can be used as primary sources in the teaching and understanding of American history. “Comic Books and American Cultural History” is an anthology that examines the ways in which comic books can be used to understand the history of the United States. Over the last twenty years, there has been a proliferation of book-length works focusing on the history of comic books, but few of those books have emphasized their connection to American cultural history. These original essays demonstrate the different ways in which comic books can be used as resources. The book is divided into four parts: Part 1 examines comics and graphic novels that demonstrate the techniques of cultural history; the essays in Part 2 use comics and graphic novels as cultural artifacts; the third part of the book studies the concept of historical identity through the 20th century; and, the final section focuses on different treatments of contemporary American history. Discussing works that range from “Wonder Woman” and “Superman” to “American Flagg!” and “Ex Machina”, this is a vivid collection that will be useful to anyone teaching or studying comic books in the classroom.

Author Biography

Matthew Pustz is the author of Comic Book Culture: Fanboys and True Believers. He has a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Iowa and has taught history, American Studies, and Humanities courses in Iowa and Massachusetts.