Comics Unmasked

Interesting exhibition at the British Library looking at the unique storytelling form of comics and graphic novels.

The design of the space was clever. You entered through a misshapen door and there were lots strange angled lines which changed the shape of the space. There were also mannequins in the V for Vendetta Guy Fawkes masque which has been taken up by protest groups as a way of hiding individuals identity. I found these quite menacing.

The earliest piece in the show was a biblia pauperum from 1470 which was a collection of hand coloured woodcut biblical narratives used for private devotion.

I found a lot of the work quite gruesome but this seems to have been a feature from quite early on. An example of which was a contemporary version of Jack the Ripper story from the London Police News.

There was also an interesting section on sex in comics and another on how protest groups have used comics to get their views across.

I did find there was just too much to read in this show. The commentaries were good but quite long and you then wanted to read the comics themselves. I must confess to speed reading a lot by the end.

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