Northeastern professor Hillary Chute’s book on the history and culture of comics has been named to the “100 Notable Books of 2018” list selected by the New York Times Book Review, which recognizes notable works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Chute, who is a comics scholar, wrote Why Comics: From Underground to Everywhere, which delves into the superhero phenomenon that has permeated pop culture today and looks at how the art form differentiates itself from others.
“I wanted to write a book that would be accessible to people with a keen prior interest in comics as well as those encountering the art form for the first time,” Chute, who is a graphic novel columnist for The New York Times Book Review, told News@Northeastern earlier this year.
Chute’s 464-page book focuses on 10 major themes: disaster, superheroes, sex, the suburbs, cities, punk, illness and disability, girls, war, and queerness. The book features more than 100 pages of illustrations and each chapter’s title begins with the word “Why”—as in, “Why Disaster?” and “Why Superheroes?”