Medievalist Comics & American Century

The comic book has become an essential icon of the American Century, an era defined by optimism in the face of change. For many, the Middle Ages stand as an antithesis to these ideals, and yet medievalist comics have emerged and endured. Chris Bishop presents a history of medievalist comics, setting them against a greater backdrop of modern American history. Bishop surveys the medievalist comic, its stories, characters, settings, and themes drawn from the European Middle Ages. Bishop regards these comics as not merely happenchance, but each success or failure as a result and an indicator of certain American preoccupations amid a larger cultural context.