Paul Gravett

Hayward Gallery

Emma Mahony

Cult fiction explores the reciprocal relationship between comics and art, foregrounding links between the two genres where current social and political issues are aired in frank visual narratives. The comic artists and graphic novelists represented here are mainly from the generation of independent author-draughtsmen, whose subject matter tends to be offbeat and transgressive - and sometimes controversial. For Julie Doucet and Debbie Drechsler 'real life issues', approached in autobiographical styles, supplant moralistic tales of good and evil. The true realities of life within a war zone are sensitively charted in Joe Sacco's Palestine, while everyday characters become unlikely heroes in the stories of Daniel Clowes and R. Crumb. An essay by Paul Gravert illuminates the long-standing love affair between fine art and comics, while Hayward Curator, Emma Mahony sets the contemporary context in her introductory essay. A specially commissioned picture-essay by Kim L. Pace, together with drawn self-portraits and questionnaires by the contributing artists, make this a unique publication.

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