Recommend a book or essay about comics

[Francis Dawson]

I'll kick it off with a couple:

The Paul Gravett edited comics instalment in the unlovable 1001 ... Before you Die series is a surprisingly excellent, serious minded attempt to represent the best of the comics medium. Its purview starts before the twentieth century and it covers comics in an admirable number of international traditions. There is much here that is recondite and wholly new to me. Also taking a road less travelled for Anglophone readers is The Essential Guide to World Comics edited by Tim Pilcher and Brad Brooks.

[Gothos]

It's been out a few years but MEN OF TOMORROW is still one of the best histories, even if some have cavilled at Jones' methodology.

I haven't done more than thumb through the Gravett work, which is admirable in its scope even if I thought it fairly light on Silver Age DC Comics.

[Francis Dawson]

Men of Tomorrow is fantastically written and its subject matter - the way that SF fandom and East-Coast criminality were intertwined at the birth of the comic book - is dynamite. Michael Chabon's novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is an excellent companion to it.

I didn't know that there was a controversy about the author's methodology?

[dupersuper]

Was Superman a Spy?
Give Our Regards to the Atom Smashers
Supergods
Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex

I'm sure there are many more.

[Aaron King]

I really enjoyed All In Color For a Dime as a sort of fun, light look at old comics.

David Hajdu's Ten Cent Plague is a more serious history that looks at the Wertham era and what it actually did to comics. It's great.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I really enjoyed All In Color For a Dime as a sort of fun, light look at old comics.

David Hajdu's Ten Cent Plague is a more serious history that looks at the Wertham era and what it actually did to comics. It's great.

All in Color for a Dime isn't just my favourite book about comics, it has to be one of my favourite books of all time. I continue to be heavily influenced by that book (I'm currently in the middle of writing a novel that in part pays homage to that book).

What is it about the book? Really it goes beyond comics. It's people talking about experiences that matter to them and revealing something of their character through those memories. It is one of the most touching and profound reads I can think of.

But the info is probably not that amazing anymore. I think that even some of the facts aren't quite right. Spending an afternoon on the internet, you could probably retrieve a lot more information about the Golden Age of Comics.

I'd also include the sequel--The Comic Book Book--Jules Feiffer's The Great Comic Book Heroes--and the Steranko History of Comics 1 and 2. Again, most of the information in these books is old hat now. But they each have their own merits. It's a joy to read Feiffer's own reflections, even if you don't always agree with him. The Steranko books are probably the best researched of this batch and his interviews with creators really give one a sense of the era.

In this day and age, where people take this stuff for granted, one might not appreciate how valuable these books were. Between their covers they opened up ancient mysteries that were spoken of with awe and amazement, revealing a time of gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, when heroes strode the earth beneath their booted feet.

[MDG]

I read COMIX by Les Daniels to death--first the copy in the library, than my own.

It's hardly comprehensive, but has a good background on EC, the code, and Harvey Kurtzman's career.

[dan bailey]

I read COMIX by Les Daniels to death--first the copy in the library, than my own.

Been meaning to start actively looking for a copy of this. Thanks for jogging my memory!

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Back in the 80s I got Ron Goulart's Great History of Comic Books (on sale for a low low price). Goulart previously had essays in All in Color for a Dime and The Comic Book Book, and he's done several other books of the same type over the years, but his Great History of Comic Books has always been a reliable resource for me in researching comics history. It's a good overview of the whole history of the Amercian comic book up to the 1980s.

[tolworthy]

The Rolling Stone interview - the pictures and Stan Lee part is here:
http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/f...=1&totPosts=23

But I think the Steranko interview was best. I read it online, but can't find it right now. Like Jack Kirby, Steranko was (and is) a real fighter, a visionary, a unique force, somebody who cares passionately about his work and its broader significance. They are artists in every sense: creating influential work of lasting value, and it's not about the money. I like Steranko he sees comics as more than just superheroes or more than just monthlies, but as the natural way to communicate.

I like the older interviews, because they were there: you get the raw experience, and not some later interpretation.

[berk]

The Rolling Stone interview - the pictures and Stan Lee part is here:
http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/f...=1&totPosts=23

But I think the Steranko interview was best. I read it online, but can't find it right now. Like Jack Kirby, Steranko was (and is) a real fighter, a visionary, a unique force, somebody who cares passionately about his work and its broader significance. They are artists in every sense: creating influential work of lasting value, and it's not about the money. I like Steranko he sees comics as more than just superheroes or more than just monthlies, but as the natural way to communicate.

I like the older interviews, because they were there: you get the raw experience, and not some later interpretation.

I only wish he'd drawn more comics!

[Fesch_]

I'll kick it off with a couple:

The Paul Gravett edited comics instalment in the unlovable 1001 ... Before you Die series is a surprisingly excellent, serious minded attempt to represent the best of the comics medium. Its purview starts before the twentieth century and it covers comics in an admirable number of international traditions. There is much here that is recondite and wholly new to me.

Actually, I'm surprised that this list hasn't been discussed here. As far as lists goes, it is quite good. Sure, there are many comics that should have been mentioned, and others that perhaps didn't deserve it, but it honestly tries to cover a lot of ground and is a good starting point for those interested in classic and modern comics form all over the world. I've only read 311 of those (though lots of other ones are in my to-read list and already at hand), and they represent a good sample of what one can find out there.

I'm just puzzled at the criteria sometimes: why several albums of Tintin or Asterix listed individually, but full Yoko Tsuno (25 albums) or Thorgal (32 albums) series? It doesn't make much sense to me.

BTW, the full list here: http://www.paulgravett.com/index.php...ics/1001_atoz/

[tolworthy]

I only wish he'd drawn more comics!

How true. If there is a record for biggest impact with fewest issues, Steranko's Captain America run must surely win it. What was it, just two issues or something?

[Francis Dawson]

How true. If there is a record for biggest impact with fewest issues, Steranko's Captain America run must surely win it. What was it, just two issues or something?

^ In my view the comic artist who has had the most disproportionate influence compared to his total output is Richard McGuire and in particular his six-page story 'Here'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_(comics)

http://thecomicsbureau.co.uk/2009/11...mcguires-here/

[Francis Dawson]

The Rolling Stone interview - the pictures and Stan Lee part is here:
http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/f...=1&totPosts=23

But I think the Steranko interview was best. I read it online, but can't find it right now. Like Jack Kirby, Steranko was (and is) a real fighter, a visionary, a unique force, somebody who cares passionately about his work and its broader significance. They are artists in every sense: creating influential work of lasting value, and it's not about the money. I like Steranko he sees comics as more than just superheroes or more than just monthlies, but as the natural way to communicate.

I like the older interviews, because they were there: you get the raw experience, and not some later interpretation.

A mother-lode of great interviews with comics veterans at TCJ:

http://www.tcj.com/tag/highlights-from-the-archive/