Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

We are living in a golden age of cartoon art. Never before has graphic storytelling been so prominent or garnered such respect: critics and readers alike agree that contemporary cartoonists are creating some of the most innovative and exciting work in all the arts.

For nearly a decade Hillary L. Chute has been sitting down for extensive interviews with the leading figures in comics, and with Outside the Box she offers fans a chance to share her ringside seat. Chute's in-depth discussions with twelve of the most prominent and accomplished artists and writers in comics today reveal a creative community that is richly interconnected yet fiercely independent, its members sharing many interests and approaches while working with wildly different styles and themes. Chute's subjects run the gamut of contemporary comics practice, from underground pioneers like Art Spiegelman and Lynda Barry, to the analytic work of Scott McCloud, the journalism of Joe Sacco, and the extended narratives of Alison Bechdel, Charles Burns, and more. They reflect on their experience and innovations, the influence of peers and mentors, the reception of their art and the growth of critical attention, and the crucial place of print amid the encroachment of the digital age.
Beautifully illustrated in full-color, and featuring three never-before-published interviews--including the first published conversation between Art Spiegelman and Chris Ware-- Outside the Box will be a landmark volume, a close-up account of the rise of graphic storytelling and a testament to its vibrant creativity.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This is a superb, insightful look at the world of adult cartoonists. Chute (Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of English, Univ. of Chicago; Graphic Women: Life Narrative and Contemporary Comics) collects ten years' worth of interviews she conducted with the elite-those working in the medium of comics who have pushed the envelope and inspired many, including one another. Scott McCloud, Charles Burns, Adrian Tomine, Daniel Clowes, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Art Spiegelman, and others share their stories, celebrations, and pain. Throughout are illustrations by the artists, giving readers who might be unfamiliar with their work a glimpse of their world. The subjects answer each question frankly, and Chute is not afraid to dig in and find out what makes each person tick. It is interesting how many of the interviewees both went to art school and assert that it stunted their creativity. VERDICT It is rare to have a collection of different writer/artist perspectives, all titans in the field, each with a different reason for entering it. Chute is an effective interviewer, and her style has an organic fluidity. A fantastic book for readers who enjoy memoirs and cartoon history and for fans of -Harvey -Pekar.-Ryan -Claringbole, Coll. Lib. at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Outside the Box collects interviews with 12 major figures in comics: Scott McCloud, Charles Burns, Lynda Barry, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Daniel Clowes, Phoebe Gloeckner, Joe Sacco, Alison Bechdel, Françoise Mouly, Adrian Tomine, Art Spiegelman, and Chris Ware. Most of these interviews have been published elsewhere but are expanded here. Chute (English, Univ. of Chicago) is an established authority on the medium. Her interest is in what she terms "literary" comics, produced by an auteur, rather than the team-produced, genre-driven comics of publishers like DC or Marvel. Chute's introduction is an excellent overview of literary comics. Her interviews are probing and insightful, covering the cartoonists' backgrounds, artistic influences, aesthetics, and thoughts on the medium of comics in general, as well as their specific works. One theme that emerges among the interviews is the interconnection of these artists; many of them have intertwined personal histories, and most cite Robert Crumb as a strong influence on their work. The interviews are supplemented by color illustrations of the cartoonists' work, and the book includes a useful index. Enthusiasts and students of literature or art are likely to find this collection thought provoking. --William L. Svitavsky, Rollins College

Booklist Review

There comes a point when the best underground art leaves the back corners of head shops to move to art galleries and highbrow magazines, and nowhere is that more true than in the history of art comics. Chute, a professor of English at the University of Chicago, outlines this history by sharing interviews with a dozen groundbreaking contemporary cartoonists, including Daniel Clowes, Alison Bechdel, Francoise Mouly, and Joe Sacco, as well as a transcript of the first public conversation between Art Spiegelman and Chris Ware. Chute wisely lets each artist take the lead as they reflect on their influences, their process, the industry, storytelling, and the value of comics and their place in the American art and literary scenes, accompanied, of course, by reproductions of the artists' work. It's a fascinating glimpse into a medium swiftly gaining recognition since the publication of Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus in 1986 and its shift from handmade comics printed in copy shops to New Yorker covers and museum exhibitions.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2014 Booklist