From Gum Wrappers to Richie Rich

Comics have become the subject of academic inquiry largely by being constructed—by scholars and fans—as serious works of literature and art deserving serious attention, interwoven with publishers exchanging this cultural capital to increase the value of their catalogues. This book argues that approaches from the field of Book History, focusing on the materiality and bibliographical history of texts, has much to add to Comics Studies for this reason. In Chapters 1 and 2, two “canonical" comics texts (Carl Barks’ Uncle Scrooge; Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen) are studied for the readings which may exist if the texts are treated as consumer products. In Chapters 3 and 4, the methods are applied to two texts practically defined by their absence in Comics Studies: Harvey Comics’ Ri¢hie Ri¢h and bubblegum comics Dubble Bubble Funnies. Ultimately the book argues that the field of Comics Studies is enriched by studying the way fictional portrayals of value interact with material constructions of same, from the luxurious hardcover art objects of Carl Barks and Dave Gibbons to the literal garbage of Dubble Bubble. Furthermore, these case studies shed light on the ambivalence of comics that emerge from consumer culture, and ultimately on the indebtedness of comics as a whole to the context of consumerism.