Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Rise of the Graphic Novel [Hardcover]

Stephen Weiner (Author), Will Eisner (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2003

It took a few years of false starts but now itÕs official: the graphic novel form is the fastest growing new category of publishing, rising like a meteor. Stephen (The 101 Best Graphic Novels) Weiner takes us on a historical tour of this format with a bit of background on comics as a whole.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A quickie guide to the history of comics by the author of The 101 Best Graphic Novels, this slim tome covers the usual ground in few new ways. Weiner begins with the rise of the commercial comic strip, follows the medium into comic books and superheroes, then up through the turbulent 1960s underground, and on into Will Eisner's work, the mature superheroics of the '80s, the epochal Maus and the new alternative comics. Along the way, Weiner does something unique: he describes the history of the graphic novel in the book trade. Though his facts are a little fuzzy (e.g., the first graphic novel from a mainstream publisher remains far murkier than his claim for Eisner's A Contract With God), this is a noteworthy attempt to trace the current boom in the industry and to distance thematic and commercial relatives such as Eisner, or Jules Feiffer's Tantrum. But this one diversion aside, the effort reeks of a quick cash-in. Although it purports to be history, it focuses only on what's strong in the marketplace today (e.g., Neil Gaiman, Bone, etc.), and ignores lesser known but equally available titles. And so while Weiner can put all those bestsellers in some context, his book won't take readers, buyers or librarians anywhere new. The graphic novel is, as Weiner claims, an exciting new frontier with old roots, and as such it needs a stronger treatment than this.
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About the Author

Stephen Weiner is the director of a library in Massachusetts and renowned pioneering expert in the field of graphic novels for two decades, as well as the author of 101 Best Graphic Novels.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561633674
• ISBN-13: 978-1561633678
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,095,358 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailing the appearance of classics in the field, March 4, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Rise of the Graphic Novel (Hardcover)

Graphic novels are a growing part of bookstores and even college courses, but until now no history of their origins and growth has been presented. Stephen Weiner, a comics historian and specialist in children's literature, provides this first history, detailing the appearance of classics in the field, including sample black and white illustrations from these classics, and filling in many gaps in the genre's history. Any fan of the graphic novel format will find The Rise Of The Graphic Novel revealing.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Graphic Novel Enthusiasts, April 9, 2009

By 

H. Mazzeo (Fairfield County, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Rise of the Graphic Novel (Paperback)

I bought this book so I could conduct basic research on graphic novels. Weiner provides a detaield and engaging history of graphic novels. As you probably guessed, the visuals are very pleasing int his book. The reader will come away with an appreciation of this book as art and fundamental graphic novels to read.

0 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Work of Complete Genius, September 11, 2004

By 

Julain "Julian" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Rise of the Graphic Novel (Hardcover)

In this tiresome age of long-winded reiterations and thematic cudgels we must realize that the degereration of traditional literary fiction is upon us. And so many have been searching for a Northwest Passage if you will. Fortanitly that search has just ended as our Teddy Rooselelt plowed his way through the mosquito infested Panama. He has revealed a Brave New World, a world beyond Marx's wildest dreams, in which picture and word each do they share. Seeing as we are Communists we no longer advocate the seperation of color and style. From each according to his ability, and, most importantly, to each according his need!