Comics: Between the Panels [Hardcover]

Mike Richardson (Author), Steve Duin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1998

This lavish volume takes an in-depth look at the history of comics in a manner decidedly unlike the dry timelines and profiles of most reference-style titles. Via alphabetical entries, the authors take an irreverent, often hilarious, behind-the-scenes look at creators, companies, characters, collectors, and conventions, pulling no punches when exposing some of the darker sides of the industry. Containing countless stories gleaned from over 150 interviews of comics industry veterans, Comics Between the Panels is loaded with more than half a century of insider information on the talented and eccentric creators who forged the comics industry and art form. Features 670 illustrations and photos - including dynamic and bizarre cover art compiled under such curious headings as Atomic Bombs, Death with Indignity, Gorillas, Headlights, Hooded Menaces, and Skulls.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 500 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; 1st edition (September 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569713448
• ISBN-13: 978-1569713440
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible source for lovers of comic books, April 29, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Santiago, CHILE) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Comics: Between the Panels (Hardcover)

Despite being one of the best written books about the medium, Comics Between the Panels has a sometimes TOO impartial look over comic book history's main events/actors. Though this makes it unique (and quite daring, I would say), a strange "hatred" against the "establishment" of comics makes this for moments a book for union workers of the field rather than for fans. Anyway, it looks really great and has very entertaining stories I never read about. I just can't forgive the authors for giving Batman around 15 lines, and giving unknown writers nearly two pages. Also, STAN LEE ROCKS!

Fun to read and fun to look at, only excessively "political". Anyway, a must-have for a real lover of comic books and the magic behind their creation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful insider's view of the comics industry, December 20, 2005

By 

Elbert R. Coalwell (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Comics: Between the Panels (Hardcover)

Please, please don't let the two negative customer reviews ("Marred by negativity" and "Too anecdotic, too unbalanced") dissuade you from finding and enjoying this wonderful book on comics.

The more you love comics, the more you will love this book; and the more you know about comics, the more you will appreciate the information presented in this "encyclopedia," brilliantly edited by Jackie Estrada.

The book's encyclopedia format deliberately mocks the serious, all-inclusive reference-book model. Entries are arranged alphabetically, yes, but the subject headings are often quite arbitrary and whimsical. Comics: Between the Panels is NOT intended as a comprehensive history of comics, nor has it any pretensions of being one.

It is a bit of an insider's take, since co-author Mike Richardson is president of Dark Horse Comics, and a lifelong comics enthusiast and student of the medium. He is well acquainted with many of the comics creators profiled in these pages, and the entries contain excerpts from hundreds of interviews featuring personal recollections, reflections and minutiae that make the hobby come alive. Gossipy? Absolutely.

The book has a very contemporary slant, and takes a geek's-eye view of the comics industry, comic collecting, comic book grading, and creators' pecadillos. If the tone is often breezy and irreverent, it is nonetheless witty, well-written, and sometimes poignant, as when recounting the tragic falling-out between longtime collaborators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It can also be wickedly snarky, as in the entry for early mail-order comics mogul "Rogofsky, Howard."

The book is chock-full of color plates, sidebars, photographs and drawings. It's visually exciting and invites casual browsing, with an attractive page layout and design.

First published in 1998, the book holds up very well seven years later, validating Duin & Richardson's rather jaded view of the industry as a whole. Plus ca change...

Still, it is a sense of joyful appreciation that comes through most clearly in this book. Comics: Between the Panels is an indispensable book for anyone who loves the medium, warts and all.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BIBLE FOR EVERY COMIC BOOK FAN, July 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Comics: Between the Panels (Hardcover)

Curious about the behind-the-scenes to the wondrous world of comics? Look no further! This massive book is everything you wanted to know about comic books, but were afraid to ask! What's great about this read, is the stories behind the creators are pratically more fantastic than the comics they're creating. Mike Richardson and Steve Duin add a stylish and humorous flare to the writing, making it the most enjoyable encyclopedia I've ever read. Comic book fans beware! Within a matter of hours, this book could transform you from a mild-mannered comic reader, into an omniscient virtuso with the comic book medium. This book must be read!