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best book on comic book history??

Started by bondguy-migration,

23 posts in this topic

500Club

500Club

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'Comic Wars' is an interesting read that details Marvel's rise and fall in the 90's, and sheds some light on the Ron Perelman years.

 

'Image: The Road to Independence' by Khoury has a ton of creator interviews and articles about the founding of Image.

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Scrooge

Scrooge

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These days I recommend to anyone and everyone the following book:

 

Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones

 

It's readily available and now in paperback for cheap. (thumbs u

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500Club

500Club

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The other thing to consider is magazines like Comic Book Artist and the now-defunct Comic Book Marketplace. Both tend to have articles/interviews that flesh out the past history of comics. (thumbs u

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Annihilus

Annihilus

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There are quite a few good ones out there (not sure what is the best one), here are a couple:

 

"The Comic Book Makers" by Joe & Jim Simon is pretty good and covers a lot of the GA/early years & has quite a bit of stuff on Kirby.

 

Currently reading "Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book" which is actually pretty entertaining. It focuses on Lee, but seems to be farily impartial and not a Stan Lee lovefest. It's a good history of the Timely/Atlas/Marvel line of books that goes back to the early days of GA up to present day.

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MrBedrock

MrBedrock

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All of the above suggestions are great, especially Men of Tomorrow.

I really think that Steranko's History of Comics is a must.

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Larryw7

Larryw7

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All of the books referenced above are great. Another one of my favorites is Comics: Between the Panels by Mike Richardson and Steve Duin. It's a hefty book, and has the format of an encyclopedia. Loads of great info on both comic book creators and comic book collectors. Here's a link to it on Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Comics-Between-Panels-Mike-Richardson/dp/1569713448

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chromium

chromium

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All of the books referenced above are great. Another one of my favorites is Comics: Between the Panels by Mike Richardson and Steve Duin. It's a hefty book, and has the format of an encyclopedia. Loads of great info on both comic book creators and comic book collectors. Here's a link to it on Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Comics-Between-Panels-Mike-Richardson/dp/1569713448

 

I second "Between the panels" great reference book that is well written and doesn't pull any punches (and names names)

Also "Comic book nation" by Bradford W. Wright and most issues of Alter Ego magazine

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Larryw7

Larryw7

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Did anybody read the Golden Age of Comics Fandom (or whatever it's called) by Bill schelly? Worth hunting down? I think it's from the late 90s?

 

Yeah, I have it. It's definitely worth reading; has a lot of nice anecdotes about the early days of collecting. There are also lots of pics of incredible collections, stuff about the old Cherokee Book Store, etc. Worth buying if you can find it for a reasonable price.

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Scrooge

Scrooge

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All of the above suggestions are great, especially Men of Tomorrow.

I really think that Steranko's History of Comics is a must.

 

Yup. That's my second recommendation. (thumbs u I didn't list it b/c Jones's book is more available.

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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I'd also recommend Forbidden Adventures: The History of the American Comics Group. I have a copy and it is an impressive foray into ACG. Lots of interviews, even excerpts from personal planners, etc. Unfortunately the book is crazy expensive - $110 on Amazon.

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lou_fine

lou_fine

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These days I recommend to anyone and everyone the following book:

 

Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones

 

It's readily available and now in paperback for cheap. (thumbs u

 

Yes indeed, a very interesting read!

 

Isn't it amazing how the boardrooms of the nation can be linked back to the gangs so prevalent in the days of the Untouchables. hm

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thehumantorch

thehumantorch

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'Comic Wars' is an interesting read that details Marvel's rise and fall in the 90's, and sheds some light on the Ron Perelman years.

 

'Image: The Road to Independence' by Khoury has a ton of creator interviews and articles about the founding of Image.

 

Comic Wars is an absolutely must read for a Marvel fan. The author manages to make the subject of Marvel comics, high finance, junk bonds and litigation interesting. I could not put this book down and finished it the day I started it.

 

Picked it up at Chapters in the remaindered books section for dirt cheap.

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TheSurgeon

TheSurgeon

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These days I recommend to anyone and everyone the following book:

 

Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones

 

It's readily available and now in paperback for cheap. (thumbs u

 

I really enjoyed this book. Great history, and fun read. I never wanted to put it down. I did not like Comic Wars- I thought it had too much information on stock markets/buyouts/etc. that I did not understand at all. Comic Wars did not hold my interest.

 

Tales of Terror , by Grant Geissman, has great historical information on EC comics, and also very fun to read. This is the kind of book that you can pick up every once in a while and read a random chapter, as they are not necessarily related. Has a great chapter on the Senate hearings.

 

One more I enjoyed is "Up, up and oy vay," that has one chapter devoted to various superheroes (Superman, Ben Grimm, and others) created by Jewish authors, and discusses the Jewish symbolism in the characters. Obviously geared to a reader with an interest in Jewish culture and history.

 

I am reading 10 cent plague now and really enjoy it. I am also reading Lush Life by the same author, David Hajdu, about pianist/composer Billy Strayhorn.

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davidpg

davidpg

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Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated Histrory by Ron Goulart is a fantastis book.

 

TONS of great info and full color covers from pre-GA and GA. I picked it up on special at the NY Metropolitain Museum of Fine Arts while seeing the Superhero Fashion expo.

 

I bought a Crackajack Funnies from 1939 the next day because of the book. Great reading and great covers to look at!

 

 

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Dick Pontoon

Dick Pontoon

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These days I recommend to anyone and everyone the following book:

 

Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones

 

It's readily available and now in paperback for cheap. (thumbs u

 

Yup! (thumbs u If you're interested in comic history, it's a must-read.

 

 

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Inaflash

Inaflash

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Another great book is Walt Disney. This is a very long biography about Walt Disney and the creation of his studios, Disneyland and Epcot Center. Very rich in history and nostalgia.

 

Ken

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