For the first time ever, the inspiring, infuriating, and utterly insane story of comics, graphic novels, and manga is presented in comic book form! The award-winning Action Philosophers team of Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey turn their irreverent-but-accurate eye to the stories of Jack Kirby, R. Crumb, Harvey Kurtzman, Alan Moore, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Fredric Wertham, Roy Lichtenstein, Art Spiegelman, Herge, Osamu Tezuka - and more! Collects Comic Book Comics #1-6.
Comic Book History of Comics
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A. Sanford
Format:Paperback
While no single text could possibly contain the entire history of all comics, this book does a great job balancing a good overview and providing enough interesting detail. The last few years have seen an explosion in books regarding the history of comics but this is the first comic book version on that subject. I have read most of those books and feel this one provides new insight into the matter and is also comprehensive. If you had to pick one book, I would make this the book of choice for the history of comics.
The book manages to convey a surprisingly large volume of information while retaining a sense of humor and being fun to read. The art often works to good effect as a counterpoint to the narration and dialogue. It starts at the beginnings and goes right up to the present looking at digital comics and piracy concerns. The history of comics is the history of the 20th Century in America, making this not only a good gift for comic book fans but also for fans of history, pop culture or just a good read.
The book manages to convey a surprisingly large volume of information while retaining a sense of humor and being fun to read. The art often works to good effect as a counterpoint to the narration and dialogue. It starts at the beginnings and goes right up to the present looking at digital comics and piracy concerns. The history of comics is the history of the 20th Century in America, making this not only a good gift for comic book fans but also for fans of history, pop culture or just a good read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Let me explain my headline, there.
I give four stars to Mssrs. Van Lente and Dunlavey for the undertaking of this Herculean task; they touch on the industry from the Yellow Kid right on down to digital piracy, and I cannot stress enough how much "story" that is to whittle down to a couple hundred pages. (I've got the shakes just thinking about it.) The fifth star is for their focus on the task (keeping it all big picture.) I can't imagine how tempting it would have been to throw more tidbits in that are neat, but didn't fit into the narrative they were going for, or just wind off into a never-ending labyrinth of anecdotal tangents.
Shucks, I can think of several avenues that would have been cool to see them explore, but not doing so doesn't detract from the final product in the least. In fact, CBHoC works because of the decisions they made in presenting this block of information. Did they leave out some juicy stuff? Sure. But in return, they covered so much ground, and will almost certainly teach you something about this industry (or the people who work in it) that you did not know...
...And it does it in an entirely engaging way. Prose and illustration both are crisp and uncluttered... a great way to deliver a history lesson painlessly, and not the first time these guys have done so (I really need to catch up on this team's Action Philosophers!)
It'll catch you up on a lot of inside baseball, kids. Give it a read.
I give four stars to Mssrs. Van Lente and Dunlavey for the undertaking of this Herculean task; they touch on the industry from the Yellow Kid right on down to digital piracy, and I cannot stress enough how much "story" that is to whittle down to a couple hundred pages. (I've got the shakes just thinking about it.) The fifth star is for their focus on the task (keeping it all big picture.) I can't imagine how tempting it would have been to throw more tidbits in that are neat, but didn't fit into the narrative they were going for, or just wind off into a never-ending labyrinth of anecdotal tangents.
Shucks, I can think of several avenues that would have been cool to see them explore, but not doing so doesn't detract from the final product in the least. In fact, CBHoC works because of the decisions they made in presenting this block of information. Did they leave out some juicy stuff? Sure. But in return, they covered so much ground, and will almost certainly teach you something about this industry (or the people who work in it) that you did not know...
...And it does it in an entirely engaging way. Prose and illustration both are crisp and uncluttered... a great way to deliver a history lesson painlessly, and not the first time these guys have done so (I really need to catch up on this team's Action Philosophers!)
It'll catch you up on a lot of inside baseball, kids. Give it a read.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
To start with, I was provided an electronic, pre-publication review copy by the publisher. Many of the graphics near the end of the book were missing this copy. For the purposes of this review, I will assume they are of similar quality to those in the rest of the book.
This book could have been called the Comic Book History of Comic Books, because it only covers comic books. It rarely mentions newspaper comics. I also expected some use of original subjects, but this book is entirely a newly-drawn graphic history of comic books. Characters and styles of old comics are used in places, but not original graphics.
A detailed history, this book covers the twists and turns of fickle taste. Superheros are in and out and in again. Gore is in and then out. Romance ebbs and wanes. Teen subjects peak and fall. All the while there is conflict and competition within the industry, and threats--and, at times, imposition--of censorship from without.
Despite its graphical nature there is a lot of text, and information, in this book. While an easy read, it is not a quick read. For those interested in comic books this is an excellent, medium length, history. Readers without an interest in comic books will soon drift away.
This book could have been called the Comic Book History of Comic Books, because it only covers comic books. It rarely mentions newspaper comics. I also expected some use of original subjects, but this book is entirely a newly-drawn graphic history of comic books. Characters and styles of old comics are used in places, but not original graphics.
A detailed history, this book covers the twists and turns of fickle taste. Superheros are in and out and in again. Gore is in and then out. Romance ebbs and wanes. Teen subjects peak and fall. All the while there is conflict and competition within the industry, and threats--and, at times, imposition--of censorship from without.
Despite its graphical nature there is a lot of text, and information, in this book. While an easy read, it is not a quick read. For those interested in comic books this is an excellent, medium length, history. Readers without an interest in comic books will soon drift away.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent history!
Reccommend to anyone with an interest in comics - collectors or popular culture buffs. Great layout Fun inside information about key players.
Published 5 months ago by E. Pott
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Information, but Disjointed
I'm a comic book and Mad Magazine aficionado from the late fifties through the present. So, the history and background of the industry, especially in the early years of the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dr. Steve
3.0 out of 5 stars
Messy and biased, but a good overview
Required to purchase this for a history of comics class.
The book is a great read--but probably meant to be taken with a grain of salt. Read more
The book is a great read--but probably meant to be taken with a grain of salt. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Emily Barnard
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true American art form gets the history it deserves
The Comic Book History of Comics by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey presents the long and storied history of the comic book and graphic novel art form and the industry that... Read more
Published 7 months ago by David Suiter
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you're on the fence, jump.
Was excited to see this as a trade finally(graphic novel collecting past issues of a comic book). This was my only request for father's day and the kids did not disappoint. Read more
Published 9 months ago by ButchTheWise
