Graphic Lit: Vintage, Independent, Marvel, and DC
In what may be an expression of nostalgia, we carry a lot of the genius of newspaper-published graphic literature, a Golden Age that lasted from the 1930s to the departure of Bill Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes. The two comic book behemoths, Marvel and DC, are included here. We don’t cover the “universes” of each company. Occasionally, however, they publish some strikingly original or quirky work that suits our inventory. On this page we feature all our adult graphic literature (some of which, of course, is perfectly appropriate for children); our Young Adult graphic literature has its own page under that name.
Content note: I have moved all of Neil Gaiman’s work (Sandman and others) to his page here.
Gorey's Worlds
Gorey's Worlds
An exploration of the artistic and cultural influences that shaped writer and illustrator Edward Gorey
The illustrator, designer, and writer Edward Gorey (1925–2000) is beloved for his droll, surreal, and slightly sinister drawings. While he is perhaps best known for his fanciful, macabre books, such as The Doubtful Guest and The Gashlycrumb Tinies, his instantly recognizable imagery can be seen everywhere from the New Yorkerto the opening title sequence of the television series Mystery! on PBS. Gorey's Worlds delves into the numerous and surprising cultural and artistic sources that influenced Gorey's unique visual language.
Gorey was an inveterate collector--he called it "accumulating." A variety of objects shaped his artistic mindset, from works of popular culture to the more than twenty-six thousand books he owned and the art pieces in his vast collection. This collection, which Gorey left to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art upon his death, is diverse in style, subject, and media, and includes prints by Eugène Delacroix, Charles Meryon, Edvard Munch, and Odilon Redon; photographs by Eugène Atget; and drawings by Balthus, Pierre Bonnard, Charles Burchfield, Bill Traylor, and Édouard Vuillard. As this book shows, these artistic pieces present a visual riddle, as the connections between them—to each other and to Gorey's works—are significant and enigmatic. The essays in Gorey's Worlds also examine the artist's consuming passions for animals and ballet.
Featuring a sumptuous selection of Gorey's creations alongside his fascinating and diverse collections, Gorey's Worlds reveals the private world that inspired one of the most idiosyncratic artists of the twentieth century.
Exhibition Schedule: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, February 10 - May 6, 2018
Erin Monroe is the Robert H. Schutz Jr. Associate Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. She is the author of Andrew Wyeth: Looking Beyond. Robert Greskovic is a dance critic for the Wall Street Journal and the author of Ballet 101. Arnold Arluke is professor emeritus of sociology and anthropology at Northeastern University. His books include Just a Dog and The Photographed Cat. KevinShortsleeve is associate professor of English at Christopher Newport University. His books include Thirteen Monsters Who Should Be Avoided.