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Lerner, Eli. "Mainstream “Comix”: Examining Political Limitations in Comics at the Intersection of Underground and Mainstream." ImageTexT 15. 3 2025. Accessed 26Aug. 2025. <https://imagetextjournal.com/lerner-comix/>. Added by: joachim (26/08/2025, 16:46) |
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| Resource type: Web Article Language: en: English Peer reviewed BibTeX citation key: Lerner2025 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Kulturpolitik, Politics, Underground Comics, USA Creators: Lerner Collection: ImageTexT |
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| Attachments | URLs https://imagetextj ... .com/lerner-comix/ |
| Abstract |
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Scholars exploring the history of the comic book industry in the United States frequently operate under the assumption that there was a sharp division between politically timid mainstream comics and politically radical underground comix. However, few have zoomed in on the comics in the gray area between the mainstream and the underground and attempted to locate that dividing line. Through a case study of mainstream comics that incorporated elements of the politically subversive underground comix movement, Howard the Duck and Comix Book, in comparison with a similar underground comix magazine Arcade: the Comics Revue, I attempt to locate the barrier that separated mainstream and underground comix. Unsurprisingly, I find that there was a rigid barrier preventing mainstream comics from including as much explicit content as underground comix. This was largely motivated by the corporate drive for mainstream comics publishers to uphold a reputable brand image. However, the idea that mainstream and underground comics are politically separated by this barrier flattens a nuanced reality. In fact, mainstream comics could, and did, take many of the same radical political stances as their underground counterparts, although underground comix framed those statements in a more provocative manner. Additionally, the restrictions on mainstream comics were both a restrictive force, limiting artistic expression, and a protective force, shielding readers from extreme racism and sexism often included in underground comix.
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