Teen Angels & New Mutants [Paperback]

Stephen R. Bissette (Author), Charles Hatfield (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2011

Writer/artist Rick Veitch's career bridges the underground comix of the 1970s, mainstream DC and Vertigo Comics, and the self-publishing revolution of the 1980s and 1990s. In that extraordinary body of work, Brat Pack® remains a landmark, and Teen Angels & New Mutants is the first book-length, in-depth study of a creator and graphic novel worthy of the autopsy. En route, Teen Angels offers a crash-course on teen pop culture and superhero sidekick history, fresh analysis of Dr. Fredric Wertham's seminal books, ponders real-world "new mutants" like Michael Jackson, The Olsen Twins, and Justin Bieber, and charts the 1980s comicbook explosion and 1990s implosion--and more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This book is the first of its kind: an expansive overview of every aspect of the creation of a graphic novel (in this case, Rick Veitch's seminal BRAT PACK, 1990-1991), including its pop cultural roots, context, and wake; the personal and professional life of its creator, Rick Veitch; the behind-the-scenes creative and business decisions that culminated in the publication of the completed serialized original (which ended differently than the current graphic novel edition), its revision, and its lifespan as a creative work. An extensive appendix provides a concise assessment of the differences between the original serialized BRAT PACK and the revised graphic novel edition. TEEN ANGELS & NEW MUTANTS also covers the entire superhero sidekick and teen superhero genre, including post-BRAT PACK titles like THE BOYS, KICK-ASS, etc., which owe a vast debt to Veitch's original series and graphic novel. Profusely illustrated with BRAT PACK art, rare photographs, ad mats and stills (from teen movies relevant to the text), and much more, TEEN ANGELS & NEW MUTANTS sets a new threshold for how graphic novels should, could, and will be assessed, and offers the only extensive biography on Rick Veitch in print.

From the Inside Flap

"Brat Pack® has been criminally under-appreciated for far too long....Rick Veitch's groundbreaking works on the dissection of the superhero myth (The One, Brat Pack®, Maximortal) were released at the epicenter of teen angst, and his work was gritty in a style that seems to have been completely co-opted by the newest wave of comics journal darlings....With or without a cape or mask, his borderline underground style has been copied ad infinitum without so much as a thank you. And that doesn't even begin to address the many mainstream superhero works derived from his incendiary ideas."
 
- Matt Kennedy, Curator, La Luz de Jesus Gallery; blog columnist, Exploiting the Media at Forces of Geek.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: Hollywood Comics (February 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935558935
• ISBN-13: 978-1935558934
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,587,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in Vermont, I've been drawing comics and illustrating books professionally since the mid-1970s. My latest book is TEEN ANGELS & NEW MUTANTS, which is available here and now on amazon.com--check it out! Here's my "official" biography, for what it's worth:

Stephen R. Bissette won many industry awards as cartoonist, writer, editor and publisher. A pioneer graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon & Graphic Art, he currently teaches at the Center for Cartoon Studies and is renowned for Saga of the Swamp Thing, Taboo (from which From Hell, Lost Girls, and Throat Sprockets came), '1963,' Tyrant, co-creating John Constantine (inspiring the film Constantine), and creating the world's second 24- Hour Comic, invented by Scott McCloud as a challenge for Bissette. He illustrates books and has authored fiction (including the Stoker Award-winning Aliens: Tribes) and non-fiction (co-authoring Comic Book Rebels, The Monster Book: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and solo articles/essays for books and magazines). His papers reside in HUIE Library's Special Collections, Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He recently contributed the short story "Copper" to The New Dead (St. Martin's Press, 2010), co-authored The Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman (with Christopher Golden and Hank Wagner; St. Martin's Press, 2008) and illustrated The Vermont Monster Guide (University Press of New England, 2009), and is currently packaging and co-editing (with Tim Stout) Tales of the Uncanny: A Naut Comics History, Volume 1 (About Comics, 2011). Visit his daily blog at http://srbissette.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading, June 25, 2011

By 

John Platt (Belle Mead, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teen Angels & New Mutants (Paperback)

An eye-opening and illuminating amalgamation of scholarship, media criticism, history and biography, with a little bit of autobiography thrown in for good measure. As 1991's graphic novel Brat Pack by Rick Veitch was a commentary on the exploitation of children, Bissette's book-length examination of the forces that created the need for that commentary shines a harsh light at our culture and the many ways we take advantage of the younger members of our society, and how that has changed over time. It's an astonishing, unique, vital work. You'll never look at movies, music, advertising, books, comic books, or your neighbors the same way.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for anyone interested in comics, pop culture, & politics!, July 11, 2011

By 

Monty Wirth - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teen Angels & New Mutants (Paperback)

"Teen Angels & New Mutants" is a fantastic achievement! A real wealth & depth of comics history, pop culture, and political analysis. Damned impressive amount of research. Stephen Bissette has so many well-chosen examples throughout, and I think he pretty much draws the right conclusions. So much to hold one's attention here (I especially enjoyed reliving those pulse-pounding events that unfolded in the spring of 1989 with Rick Veitch's Swamp Thing). Too bad there's no index (but let's keep up demand, so it can be included in a later edition!). Kudos to Bissette on an essential addition to the bookshelf of any comics fan (indeed, anyone interested in pop culture and politics too).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TAKES YOU TO SCHOOL, July 5, 2011

By 

Mark - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teen Angels & New Mutants (Paperback)

I think it is impossible for Steve Bissette to produce anything that is less than amazing. As a comics artist he is one of the best. As an observer and commenter of pop culture he often digs deep for insights and revelations that delight and surprise. TEEN ANGELS AND NEW MUTANTS is no exception to this. Steve takes a look at a series of comic books that were entertaining and thought provoking - and he reveals underpinnings that go a long way to defining the current state of the comic book super hero. Worth a read - but absolutely worthy of being used as a text book to teach a class.