Design

In this classic work, Belgian comics writer and scholar Thierry Smolderen explores the origins of the 20th-century comic strip. He establishes how the picture stories and illustrations of artists including William Hogarth, Rodolphe Töpffer and Gustave Doré laid the foundation of the form, which flourished with the evolution of visual culture through developments in printing technology, photography, audio recording and cinema. First published in 2000, the book is translated here by Bart Beaty and Nick Nguyen.

When furniture shortages in Britain hit an all-time high following the Blitz, the government responded by setting up the Utility Furniture scheme. This comprehensive guide, which accompanies a facsimile reproduction of the first catalogue, offers an insight into the privations of the war years and, for those who remember this sturdy furniture, a chance to reminisce.

In 1939, at the age of 17, Jerry Robinson was taken on by cartoonist Bob Kane to work on his new creation, Batman, and over the next few years helped create the superhero's sidekick, Robin, and his chief antagonist, the Joker. This illustrated biography charts the career of the influential artist from comic books, satirical cartoons and newspaper comic strips to his later work as a curator of comic book art and campaigner for artist's rights.

In competition with Dan Dare in the Eagle, Wulf the Briton was the star of rival comic Express Weekly and enjoyed his heyday in the hands of artist Ron Pembleton between 1957 and 1960. The complete Pembleton-era adventures of the ancient-world hero are reproduced at full size in this large-format volume, which also includes stories from the Express Weekly Annuals and features about the strip and its celebrated artist.

Subverting the traditions of comic book art, the Hernandez brothers’ stories, set in a Central American village and among the Californian Mexican community, heralded a new alternative comic book style when Love and Rockets was launched in 1982. This portfolio reproduces the front and back covers of all 50 issues of Volume 1 (1982–96) as well as the collected edition covers plus original artwork and production ephemera. Slightly off-mint.