The current commercial success of comic strips falls to conceal a much less cheerful reality, notably the chronic deficit of reliable writings in this mode of expression, the discreet reaction of critics and, lastly, the disdain displayed by most of the major media and some intellectuals. Indeed, a certain number of purely historic or, more rarely, theoretical works, which are typically impeccably researched but often have trouble finding a readership, are competing in the marketplace with books for a general readership which are often written in a less rigorous and disciplined manner.
This book, written in inventory style, aims to make its mark by offering to the reader (not without some bias) a carefully planned summary of the various theoretical and historical devices used in the medium. Uninitiated readers will therefore be able to discover what makes this mode of expression so original and to enjoy the most authentically innovative examples of it. Readers familiar with this genre will discover (or rediscover) the themes and information, as well as the obvious guideposts which will enable them to more easily find their way through an increasingly expanding production that, moreover, eclipses all or part of a nonetheless prestigious past.

Frédéric Pomier has written articles about comic strips in various specialized newspapers and magazines, such as Les Cahiers de la bande dessinée and L'Indispensable. He has also collaborated on collective works including L'Histoire par la bande, bande dessinée, histoire et pédagogie and the special issue of Cinémaction entitled Cinéma et bande dessinée.