I’ve met James Chapman at a number of events, and he worked in a similar area – looking at British propaganda films produced by the Ministry of Information – so it’s interesting to see the direction his academic work takes him (his last book being about the 1960s).. and I think if you’re interested in posters as a cultural product, you’re also likely to be interested in posters:
Most of us with fond memories of what we read as children or young adolescents will feel some trepidation as the comic becomes the object of academic study, and be aghast at the prospect of Korky the Cat or Desperate Dan being subjected to semiotic or linguistic analysis. Thankfully, this is not James Chapman’s approach, for this authority on popular culture admires his subject. His book leaves us able to enjoy ourRupert the Bear Annual or back copies of Jackie, and he is interested “not so much in the evaluation of comics as an art form, but rather to understand what comics can tell us about society”.
Read the full article. Buy the book.
