As Seen on TV: The Visual Culture of Everyday Life in the 1950's
Marling, Karal Ann
Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1994.

Marling discusses the various elements of 1950's American pop-culture, all associated with TV in some form or another, and how they add up to create a broader picture of a postwar country on the grow.

Marling focuses on several key points:
-Mamie Eisenhower's "New Look", the postwar fabric boom and the growth of the female consumer class - "I dreamt I went shopping in my Maidenform bra".
-Paint-by-number kits, which could be completed in front of a TV (and was, by Prez. Eisenhower), the growth of leisure-time and, in turn, hobby activities, the desire to cross boundaries with ease ("Even novice painters can create stunning masterpieces!"), Grandma Moses, a desire to cultivate an almost mythic concept of America, the stark contrast between stay-in-the-line kits and explosive pieces by artists such as Jackson Pollock. -Walt Disney's America, land of the future and past and adventure, once again a refinement of a childhood vision of Americana (Disney grew up in Missouri and lived near the Santa Fe railroad line), Disney's blatant rip-off of the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair, dividing each space in Disneyland so that it is not visible by another space - similar to changing channels on TV you walk from setting to setting, the idea of driving over vast expanses of highway to reach Disneyland and then use novel forms of transportation, trains, boats, later monorails, Disney's use of TV to promote Disneyland in a way that had never been explored before.
-Auto-eroticism, cars referred to as "she", Chevrolet's development of the tailfin after Harley Earl watches a demonstration of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning pursuit plane, "gorp", the illusion of rocket-like motion, excess excess excess, the car as social status, Sloanism, Elvis' pink cadillac, the aesthetic bombing of the Ford Edsel.
-Elvis Presley, using motion as his trademark (a similar tactic that made Jerry Lewis big), his tame reputation after his stint in the army in competition with Pat Boone.
In summary:
The 1950's saw a dramatic rise in the consumer class, who had more leisure time than ever before, and were just beginning to experience a world that would be further guided by TV - a consumer class that would expand out of the cities into the suburbs to recreate their own visions of America, using the TV and advertising as a guide for how to bring that vision to life. Marling suggests "motion" is the key idea - Americans, instilled from childhood with the pioneer spirit (Davy Crockett), are restless and find a sense of freedom and adventure on the go, driving down highways, rapidly rising from rags to riches, hopping from one fad to the next.

JapRockSampler: How the Post-War Japanese Blew Their Minds on Rock 'N' Roll
Cope, Julian
Bloomsbury, New York, 2008.

Julian Cope provides the most cohesive, entertaining and complete account available in the West of how the Japanese rock scene came to life, creating some of the best bands never heard of (in the West at least). He gives an in-depth account of how the experimental music scene of the late 50's and 60's created the groundwork for later artists such as Far East Travelling Band and J.A. Caesar, slightly glossing over the early rockabilly and エレキ scene in Japan - or writing about them with blatant disapproval - in the lead up to Japanese sonic pioneers like Yuya Utchida, Hideki Ishima, Hiro Yanagida, Takeshi Mizutani, Shinki Chen and the various projects they were involved with. There's an important link between the New York/John Cage, Stockhausen-led experimental scene and Japanese artists like Takeshi Kosugai and Yoko Ono - who of course would later inspire the Beatles via her relationship with John. An essential read on the history of Japanese rock, and I really wish I could find his previous book, KrautRockSampler.

The Acme Novelty Library - No. 20 - Lint
Ware, Chris
Drawn and Quarterly, Canada, 2010.

Chris Ware continues to examine the minute details of his small cast of characters, focusing this time on Jason/Jordan Lint - the scruffy teenage stoner introduced in issues 16 and 17. Typical of Ware, the narrative moves forward in time while always rooted in the past, and works off of the actions of the past to create dilemmas, parallels and contradictions in the future. Here we see Jason Lint's entire life - and typical of Ware, it is breathtaking, tragic and beautifully crafted and thought-out in the patented Chris Ware style. It's crazy to think about Ware's work because it is so immensely intricate and unique, and is probably far from anything that would get much notice, but Ware has come to a point where he has become a master at crafting these intimate panoramas of people's minuscule lives. Jason Lint could be so many people we encounter in our lives - and he undergoes so many transitions naturally and in step with the pace of time - it is obvious that Ware cares so much for these characters since he is so adept at fleshing out their entire existence.

Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the U.S.
Kelts, Roland
Palgrace Macmillan, New York, 2006.

Roland Kelts delivers and interesting introduction into the world of Japanese anime and manga culture and its relation to the U.S. - from early inspirations, early attempts to import anime, through the 80's, up to today when anime and manga are undergoing a boom among a certain niche market of American youth. Kelts briefly glosses over the wide variety of Japanese industries which have developed a strong inter-connected relationship with the U.S. - electronics, video games, more - but his focus is primarily on manga and anime. He contrasts Japan's waning anime and manga industry with the boom in America, with popular mainstream brands such as Pokemon, and the rise and acceptance of Otaku and cosplay conventions. There is an interesting discussion about Japan's long-running problems with intellectual property - he features a segment on Pac Man creator Toru Iwatani who made millions for Namco, but saw a very slim fraction of that - and in turn an interesting look at Japanese business structure, which has been eroding since the Bubble Economy burst. One of the stronger themes about anime, much like Japan's music, is that it all comes initially inspired by the U.S. Manga godfather Osamu Tezuka was very taken by Disney, and even copied Disney drawings before becoming a cartooning mega-star himself. Otaku culture is also inspired by American sci-fi conventions, and Star Trek devotees of the 60's. Both fields have been taken and completely rewired in a Japanese way, of course, and now we have the culture which exists today and is returning to the United States. It's interesting to wonder what the future will be - as millions of American teenagers will grow up with Anime and Manga aspirations, and will most definitely form the pop culture trends which spread out into the globalized world.

Asterios Polyp
Mazzucchelli, David
Pantheon Books, New York, 2009.

Asterios Polyp is a Manhattan-based renowned architect who teaches at Cornell - spending his 50th birthday alone, his apartment burns down. He runs away from the city to a small town, where he thinks over the mistakes he's made in his life, and how he gradually pushed away the love of his life. Asterios was born with an identical twin who died in the womb, and this has led him to feel haunted by a dual life. He views the world in terms of structure, and divides everything down into two categories for analysis. His arrogant behavior is what pushes away Hana, the gentle Japanese-American artist he meets while in Ithaca. The book certainly suffers from some weakness - Hana's personality is handled incredibly well, but could use a little more focus, but more importantly the book suffers from an overall weak plot. A man falls in love, is an asshole, runs away and meets humble and insightful folks who teach him to understand the need for balance, and reunites with his love. The book is more a device for Mazzucchelli to use some mesmerizing graphic techniques - Asterios is always in 2-d, and if he is shown in perspective we see he is made of tubular forms, while Hana is made from soft, gentle strokes of the pen. Asterios speaks in rectangles, Hana in ovals, the drawings are very clever in how they handle the architectural themes throughout. I assumed the story would be darker than it is, and I think Mazzucchelli's work would have been amazing if the book could have taken on a more surreal or almost sci-fi storyline. A relationship understandably is convenient to work with the themes of duality that pervade throughout the book - however it could have taken it to another level, perhaps an epic quest? At one point of the book, Asterios imagines himself as Orpheus, bringing Hana up from the underworld, and this is the closest we get to a truly epic narrative. Overall though, well worth reading for Mazzucchelli's beautiful and brilliant artwork.

The Night Bookmobile
Niffenegger, Audrey
Abrams, New York, 2010.

Walking down an isolated Chicago street at 4 a.m. one night, 20-something Lexi encounters a bookmobile which runs from dusk to dawn, and carries every book she's ever read. She is greeted by the cordial yet withholding Mr. Openshaw, custodian of the Night Bookmobile. Lexi is enchanted with the bookmobile, and searches for it, but does not encounter it again until 9 years later - at which point she has obsessed with reading as much as possible, and damaged her relationship with her boyfriend. She continues to encounter the bookmobile only every couple years when she least expects it, and only longs to work there - of course she can't, unless she is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. The illustrations look crude, but they are wonderfully stylized - it has the feel of a children's book, and is an ode to the childlike sense of wonder books and stories create. The colors are warm and inviting, much like the Night Bookmobile. The story is fantasy, so it is easy to overlook certain subplots which could have been further developed, all that matters is the magic of the Night Bookmobile, and Lexi's search to understand more. I thought this book was brilliant for its unique take on readers and their relations to what they choose to read. Easily would have made a good Twilight Zone sketch.

Ice Haven
Clowes, Daniel
Pantheon, New York, 2005.

I previously read Ice Haven a year or two ago - not much new came through this second reading, other than a re-affirmed appreciation for Clowes deft wit and clever method of tying in different stories and characters with totally different approaches and perspectives on life. Through the information each character knows and withholds, we are able to learn more about the other characters. There is a lot of clever wordplay about critique, the comic as art form and as novelty, about producing work, aspiring for excellence, selling out, and the pursuit of meaning in life. Clowes uses different drawing styles to create balance between each of the different characters' episodes, and to enrich their contrasts. He definitely deserves all the praise he gets in the indie comics world.

Wilson
Clowes, Daniel
Drawn and Quarterly, Montreal, 2010.

Wilson is an unemployed bachelor living near Oakland. He has nothing going for him except his dog, Pepper. When he finds out his father is dying, he returns home, reconnects with his ex-wife, discovers he has a daughter, and is sent to jail for kidnapping her. After six years, he is released and returns to Oakland. Back in Oakland he begins living with Shelley, the dog-sitter who took care of Pepper up until her death. Wilson continues to be a loveless loser, until out of the blue his daughter Claire meets him to reveal he has a grandson. Watching the rain, staring out at nothing, he proclaims, "It's so obvious in a way, but it never even occured[sic] to me!" Of course that's it! Of course!" We don't know what epiphany he has had, but it's a satisfying ending to this hilarious portrait of a loser. Clowes uses each page as a one-off strip, yet time continues to move forward. Each page is also able to utilize different drawing styles, and different approaches to color and shadow, which brings out a lot of Wilson's character - almost like moods to match the moment. A great, quick read.

Night Fisher
Johnson, R. Kikuo
Fantagraphics Books, Seattle, 2010.

R. Kikuo Johnson has gorgeous brushwork that is similar to Paul Pope's, but certainly all Johnson's own. He tells a very solid story as well. I first noticed Johnson's work in an SPX anthology a couple years ago, and the format he used there is similar to what he does with 'Night Fisher' - intersplicing random facts and images about Hawaii's geography and imported flora and fauna into a tale of teenagers looking to define some aspect of themselves and their lives as they deal with drugs, slums, clashing gaps of wealth, and graduating high school. Worth another read for Johnson's brushwork alone.

Exit Wounds
Modan, Rutu
Drawn and Quarterly, Montreal, 2007.

A Sport and a Pastime
Salter, James
Harper Collins, Canada, 1967.

An unidentified narrator spends the winter in Autun, a small countryside village set in the heart of "real France". Our narrator moves back and forth between the country and Paris, cavorting with various expat parties, letting his imagination run wild as he chronicles the relationship between Dean, a young American who is all physical sense, and Anne Marie, a plain jane French girl remarkable for how remarkable she isn't. The story is rich in details, Salter creates everything in tight sentences which punch like a coiled spring. Ultimately not much happens - Dean and Anne Marie fall in and out of love - but the sensory journey, the heat of the days, the way time yawns before them, the joys of lying around in bed all day, all these elements are brought out to provide the real flavor of the story, giving the story a much warmer experience than a simple character study. I liked it a lot, Salter has a great, poetic flow to his passages, chapters are short and reading it leaves a lingering feeling like an afternoon dream.