Comics and graphic novels have become a significant part of popular culture in the last decade. Superheroes and the universes they inhabit are not only enjoyed by adolescents but have become more sophisticated in artwork and themes to attract the attention of adult readers and those interested in new movements in the arts. As old as this century, comic illustrations and storyboarding are finally gaining the attention they deserve.

Dark Knights offers the academic student and the serious reader, as well as the knowledgeable fan, real insight into comic art, its creators and readers and its setting within modern commercial design. It provides a critical introduction to the artwork and its themes, as well as including in-depth interviews with many of the leading artists and editors in the medium.

Surprising and intriguing, this book will open up a world both familiar and alien in which high adventure joins forces with the very best illustrations of the twentieth century.