{"product_id":"neon-visions-the-comics-of-howard-chaykin-9780807168325","title":"Neon Visions: The Comics of Howard Chaykin","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the 1980s  Howard Chaykin broke new ground in American comic books with a series of formally innovative  iconoclastic works that turned the traditional action-adventure tales of mainstream comics into a platform for personal expression  political engagement  and aesthetic experimentation. His original creations American Flagg!  Time  and the notorious Black Kiss  along with his reshaping of familiar titles like The Shadow and Blackhawk  generated acclaim and often controversy as they challenged expectations of the visual design and subject matter permissible in popular comics. Today  Chaykin remains a vital and prolific artist  but despite the original and influential nature of his work  he receives scant critical attention.  In Neon Visions  Brannon Costello offers the first book-length critical evaluation of Chaykins work and confronts the blind spots in comics scholarship that consign this seminal artist to the margins. He argues that Chaykins contributions are often overlooked because his comics eschew any pretensions to serious literature. Instead  Chaykins work revels in the cliffhanger thrills of heroic-adventure genres and courts outrage with transgressive depictions of violence and sexuality. Examining Chaykins career from his early successes to compelling contemporary series such as City of Tomorrow  Dominic Fortune  and the controversial Black Kiss 2  Costello explores how this inventive body of work  through its evolving treatment of the theme of authenticity  incisively investigates popular cultures capacity to foster or constrain individual identity and political agency.  Challenging prevailing assumptions about the types of comics deemed worthy of scholarly attention  Costello reveals that the work of an artist as distinctive as Howard Chaykin demands a nuanced readingone that confronts his unique approach to the comics medium  his blending of autobiographical themes and genre trademarks  and his engagement with comic books as artifacts of consumer culture.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45665871691829,"sku":"ByrdShop_0807168327","price":43.06,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780807168325.jpg?v=1782411587","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/neon-visions-the-comics-of-howard-chaykin-9780807168325","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}