Drawn To History

For comics fans who’ve struggled with the lack of respect the medium (not genre!) gets, Reading Comics (Da Capo Press) is a godsend book, a major leap towards respect and the formation of a legitimate critical language with which to discuss Art Spiegelman (Maus) and Will Eisner (The Spirit) on equal footing with Alan Moore (Watchmen) and Frank Miller (Sin City). Subtitled How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean, critic Douglas Wolk adds to his argument sometimes through subtraction (what comics aren’t) but mostly through enthusiasm tempered - and this is crucial in an excitable comics world - with a keen critical eye. The bulk of the book is taken up by analyses of key contributors, including not just the bedrock (Hernandez brothers) and the hipsters (Grant Morrison) but the trashy (Tomb of Dracula) and the serious (Dave Sim). A 400-page window into a lifelong reading list.