Posted on

The story of the comic book creators who changed the world – Comic Book Punks out now!

COMIC BOOK PUNKS

Out now! The new book about how a generation of Brits reinvented Pop Culture!

The influence of the comic book has never been greater, from movies to streaming and beyond, but the journey comics took from little-regarded kids’ magazines to literary prize-winning books and global franchises turned on a highly unusual group of writers and artists. Few would have expected a small gathering of British comic book fans and creators in the early ‘seventies to be a global cultural pivot-point, but this was the start of a disparate movement of punks, dropouts and disaffected youths who reinvented a medium and became the imaginative heart of a global success story.

Based on years of interviews with a generation of leading writers, artists and editors, Karl Stock reveals the true story of the wild times, passion and determination that helped, hindered and saw the reinvention of comics.

Comic Book Punks brilliantly tells the story of the triumphs and disasters that rewrote the rulebook on what comics could be and who they should be for.

Karl Stock said: “The creative revolution which occurred in British comics and spread across the Atlantic at the end of the 20th century had the same kind of pop cultural impact as Britain’s great record labels or city-based music scenes, yet until now it hasn’t been recorded in-depth on the same terms as these other hugely influential movements. Writing this history of an era, a stack of great comics and a group of visionary creators which crackled with genre-redefining invention has been an honour and a great pleasure, and hopefully reading it’s as entertaining and revealing as the research process.”

Posted on

They’re the Comic Book Punks who redefined pop culture – pre-order the new non-fiction book

COMIC BOOK PUNKS

Pre-order the new book about how a generation of Brits reinvented Pop Culture!

The influence of the comic book has never been greater, from movies to streaming and beyond, but the journey comics took from little-regarded kids’ magazines to literary prize-winning books and global franchises turned on a highly unusual group of writers and artists. Few would have expected a small gathering of British comic book fans and creators in the early ‘seventies to be a global cultural pivot-point, but this was the start of a disparate movement of punks, dropouts and disaffected youths who reinvented a medium and became the imaginative heart of a global success story.

Based on years of interviews with a generation of leading writers, artists and editors, Karl Stock reveals the true story of the wild times, passion and determination that helped, hindered and saw the reinvention of comics.

Being released on 22 November, Comic Book Punks brilliantly tells the story of the triumphs and disasters that rewrote the rulebook on what comics could be and who they should be for

Karl Stock on the acquisition: “The creative revolution which occurred in British comics and spread across the Atlantic at the end of the 20th century had the same kind of pop cultural impact as Britain’s great record labels or city-based music scenes, yet until now it hasn’t been recorded in-depth on the same terms as these other hugely influential movements. Writing this history of an era, a stack of great comics and a group of visionary creators which crackled with genre-redefining invention has been an honour and a great pleasure, and hopefully reading it’s as entertaining and revealing as the research process.”

Acquiring editor Ben Smith: “Stock has written the definitive account of a generation of comic book creators that turned the entire medium on its head, as important for the graphic novel as the New Hollywood filmmakers of the ’60s and ’70s were for cinema. Stock’s meticulous research, breadth of reading and one-to-one interviews make this group biography unmissable. Peeling back the layers of influence, collaboration and inspiration that saw ever-lasting works of importance created, Stock also finds the lost and overlooked narratives that opened the doors to the escalating ambition of these artists and writers. As we have sadly lost too many creators from that era in recent years, the timing of this book couldn’t be more important in explaining and marking their legacy.”

Karl Stock has written ‘Tharg’s Future Shocks’ for 2000 AD, Dredd prose fiction for the Judge Dredd Megazine and strips including ‘Sniper Elite’ and ‘Death Wish’ for Rebellion titles such as BattleThe Vigilant and Cor! & Buster, as well as interviews and features about comics for the Judge Dredd MegazineTripwireComic Heroes and more. He is the co-author of the 40th anniversary edition of Thrill-Power Overload2000 AD‘s official history, and lives in Scotland.

Posted on

I Am The Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future – out now!

I AM THE LAW: HOW JUDGE DREDD PREDICTED OUR FUTURE

He is the law – and you better believe it! The new brand new book that examines how Judge Dredd predicted the future is out now!

Judge, jury and executioner, Judge Dredd is the brutal comic book cop policing the chaotic future urban jungle of Mega-City One, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and launching in the pages of 2000 AD in 1977.

But what began as a sci-fi action comic quickly evolved into a searing satire on hardline, militarised policing and ‘law and order’ politics, its endless inventiveness and ironic humour acting as a prophetic warning about our world today – and with important lessons for our future.

Blending comic book history with contemporary radical theories on policing, I Am The Law by writer and comics critic Michael Molcher takes key Dredd stories from the last 45 years and demonstrates how they provide a unique wake up call about our gradual, and not so gradual, slide towards authoritarian policing.

From the politicisation of policing to ‘zero tolerance’, from violent suppression of protest to the rise of the surveillance state, I Am The Law examines how a comic book warned us about the chilling endgame of today’s ‘law and order’ politics.

Praise for I Am The Law:

“thorough and intelligent” — John Wagner, co-creator of Judge Dredd

“The product of intricate research and clear vision … a serious work for serious times …an essential read for art historians and actual historians alike.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — SFX

“I cannot recall a more timely book … not just a celebration of a future fictional character: it is a thoughtful, and often alarming examination of the state of law enforcement in a liberal, or neo-liberal, society” — Nick Lezard, The Spectator

“With I Am The Law, [Molcher] has achieved a rare thing, and written a book that deals with a complex and often controversial subject in a nuanced and highly readable way” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Fortean Times

“the in-depth analysis the strip has long deserved” — Garth Ennis, writer of The BoysPreacher and Judge Dredd

“Stunning … An absolutely phenomenal piece of comics scholarship” — El Sandifer, author and critic

“Radical, daring, hyper-intelligent and utterly vital” — Ian Dunt, author of How To Be A Liberal

“an absolute ripper of a book, equally deft with Judge Dredd comics, Giorgio Agamben and Dardot & Laval” — Spencer Ackerman, author Reign of Terror

“A terrifying vision of the future as present. Molcher shows us in graphic detail how the politics of “law and order,” rooted in never ending fear and ever increasing police power, is leading us towards the dystopian hellscape that is Mega-City One.” — Alex S. Vitale, author of The End of Policing

“May be one of the most important books about science fiction published this decade” — Hugo Book Club Blog

“Excellent work of pop culture scholarship & sociology as well” — Matt Zoller Seitz, film and television critic

“A book equally satisfying for a law geek and a comics geek” – David Allen Green, legal commentator

Posted on

I Am The Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future – pre-order now!

I AM THE LAW: HOW JUDGE DREDD PREDICTED OUR FUTURE

He is the law – and you better believe it! Pre-order the new brand new book that examines how Judge Dredd predicted the future.

Judge, jury and executioner, Judge Dredd is the brutal comic book cop policing the chaotic future urban jungle of Mega-City One, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and launching in the pages of 2000 AD in 1977.

But what began as a sci-fi action comic quickly evolved into a searing satire on hardline, militarised policing and ‘law and order’ politics, its endless inventiveness and ironic humour acting as a prophetic warning about our world today – and with important lessons for our future.

Blending comic book history with contemporary radical theories on policing, I Am The Law by writer and comics critic Michael Molcher takes key Dredd stories from the last 45 years and demonstrates how they provide a unique wake up call about our gradual, and not so gradual, slide towards authoritarian policing.

From the politicisation of policing to ‘zero tolerance’, from violent suppression of protest to the rise of the surveillance state, I Am The Law examines how a comic book warned us about the chilling endgame of today’s ‘law and order’ politics.

The paperback of I Am The Law: How Judge Dredd Predicted Our Future is out on 23 February 2023 and is available to pre-order now!

  • Out on 23 February 2023
  • Price: £14.99 / $19.99
  • ISBN: 9781786185709
  • Format: Paperback