Latin American Comics in the Twenty-First Century

Looking at the Latin American comics scene, this week's review posits that comics engage in "transgressions that disrupt social, political, and cultural boundaries."

Posted on October 8, 2024 in Reviews of the Month

Latin American Comics in the Twenty-First Century: Transgressing the Frame

Scorer, James. Texas, 2024
272p bibl index, 9781477329023 $45.00, 9781477329047

Scorer (Univ. of Manchester, UK) explores visual and textual analysis of the Latin American comics field in the 21st century including the networks, publishing houses, comic festivals, and recent debates around the subject. The author examines works by artists from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay, among other countries. However, the book is structured by thematic focal points rather than country, artist, or period. Scorer examines the interplay between form and content in comics, examining their potential to express public opinions on politics and society in various national and regional contexts. The book interrogates thematic aspects of transnationalism, regional transgender identity, nonbinary feminism, transgressive pierced punk bodies, the “frontiers of neoextractivism,” and the limits of the comic form, among other topics. The author argues that comics participate in transgressions that disrupt social, political, and cultural boundaries. This groundbreaking scholarly work provides a detailed account of Latin American comics in the 21st century, offering rich details, data, and solid information. It includes numerous notes, figures, and a detailed index.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.
Reviewer: J. S. Bottaro, Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York
Interdisciplinary Subject: Latin American & Latina/o Studies
Subject: Humanities – Language & Literature
Choice Issue: Nov 2024

Latin American Comics in the Twenty-First Century

Looking at the Latin American comics scene, this week's review posits that comics engage in "transgressions that disrupt social, political, and cultural boundaries."