The New Old Style
Anachronism in Contemporary Comics
$94.72
- Paperback
202 pages
- Release Date
1 August 2026
Summary
The New Old Style explores how the deliberate use of cartooning styles that mimic those of the early twentieth century has paradoxically become one of the most significant vehicles for formal experimentation in contemporary comics. Dubbing this phenomenon “the anachronistic aesthetic,” Matthew Levay argues that what can initially appear to be a nostalgic affinity for outmoded drawing styles is in fact a complex and holistic movement in contemporary comics with profound consequences f…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781496237620 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1496237625 |
| Author: | Matthew Levay |
| Publisher: | University of Nebraska Press |
| Imprint: | University of Nebraska Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 202 |
| Release Date: | 1 August 2026 |
| Dimensions: | 203mm x 127mm |
| Series: | Encapsulations: Critical Comics Studies |
You Can Find This Book In
What They're Saying
Critics Review
“In isolating the anachronistic aesthetic, The New Old Style makes an important contribution to the field of comics studies, providing a critical term for a distinctive style or even a kind of genre, and offering a vocabulary and a set of parameters for other scholars to think about similar works. The distinctions being made between the anachronistic aesthetic, retro style, and nostalgia more broadly provide useful contextualization.“—Barbara Postema, author of Narrative Structure in Comics: Making Sense of Fragments
“Through the notion of the ‘anachronistic aesthetic,’ The New Old Style helps contextualize an important strand of comics and cartooning that is increasingly prevalent in both independent comics and those owned by major media corporations. By introducing this term, The New Old Style situates itself at the forefront of a conversation that is only beginning to emerge, and I suspect that the introduction, in particular, will be frequently cited by scholars working on independent and alternative comics, especially those interested in the cartoonists represented in this volume.“—Zack Kruse, author of Mysterious Travelers: Steve Ditko and the Search for a New Liberal Identity
About The Author
Matthew Levay
Matthew Levay is a professor of English at Idaho State University. He is the author of Violent Minds: Modernism and the Criminal.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.