
Comics and cartoons are ingrained in American life. One critic has called comic books "crude, unimaginative, banal, vulgar, ultimately corrupting." They have been regarded with considerable suspicion by parents, educators, psychiatrists, and moral reformers. They have been...

These ten essays by one of Americaas foremost authorities on popular culture survey the influence of the comic strip and, despite the legions of detractors, show it to be an art form that has enriched and reflected most of American culture