Fully revised and updated for its second edition, The Power of Comics remains the most authoritative available introduction to comic books and graphic novels – the history of the medium, its many forms and manifestations and their place in contemporary culture.

Randy Duncan and Matthew J. Smith are joined by Paul Levitz to produce a new edition that includes:

• An expanded historical section bringing the story of comic books up to the present and covering the rise of the graphic novel and the advent of digital comics
• A new chapter on the memoir genre and a thoroughly revised chapter on the superhero genre
• A revised chapter – “Exploring Meanings in Comic Book Texts” – introduces students to the theoretical tools they need to read comics critically
• Study objectives, discussion points, activities and annotated further reading guides in each chapter, helping students master the topics covered
• New and revised sidebars by a host of Comics Studies scholars and industry professionals
• A new preface by writer Mark Waid and a cover by cartoonist Joe Staton