{"product_id":"funny-girls-guffaws-guts-and-gender-in-classic-american-comics-paperback","title":"Funny Girls: Guffaws, Guts, and Gender in Classic American Comics - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichelle Ann Abate\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor several generations, comics were regarded as a boy's club--created by, for, and about men and boys. In the twenty-first century, however, comics have seen a rise of female creators, characters, and readers. While this sudden presence of women and girls in comics is being regarded as new and noteworthy, the observation is not true for the genre's entire history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThroughout the first half of the twentieth century, the medium was enjoyed equally by both sexes, and girls were the protagonists of some of the earliest, most successful, and most influential comics. In Funny Girls: Guffaws, Guts, and Gender in Classic American Comics, Michelle Ann Abate examines the important but long-overlooked cadre of young female protagonists in US comics during the first half of the twentieth century. She treats characters ranging from Little Orphan Annie and Nancy to Little Lulu, Little Audrey of the Harvey Girls, and Li'l Tomboy--a group that collectively forms a tradition of funny girls in American comics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAbate demonstrates the massive popularity these funny girls enjoyed, revealing their unexplored narrative richness, aesthetic complexity, and critical possibility. Much of the humor in these comics arose from questioning gender roles, challenging social manners, and defying the status quo. Further, they embodied powerful points of collection about both the construction and intersection of race, class, gender, and age, as well as popular perceptions about children, representations of girlhood, and changing attitudes regarding youth. Finally, but just as importantly, these strips shed light on another major phenomenon within comics: branding, licensing, and merchandising. Collectively, these comics did far more than provide amusement--they were serious agents for cultural commentary and sociopolitical change.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichelle Ann Abate\u003c\/b\u003e is associate professor of literature for children and young adults at The Ohio State University. She is coeditor with Gwen Athene Tarbox of \u003ci\u003eGraphic Novels for Children and Young Adults: A Collection of Critical Essays\u003c\/i\u003e, published by University Press of Mississippi, and author of four books of literary criticism about children's and young adult literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 210\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.48 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 01, 2018\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42117234589831,"sku":"9781496820747","price":63.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/6b5d898c0357b8b81b43c3e5f8221742.webp?v=1732522634","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/funny-girls-guffaws-guts-and-gender-in-classic-american-comics-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}