The Golden Age of DC Comics: 365 Days [Hardcover]

Les Daniels (Author), Chip Kidd (Author), Geoff Spear (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2004

A lavishly illustrated volume of large-format photography features original comic book artwork that depicts DC Comics's most significant characters and artists, in a tribute that showcases both pop-culture favorites and lesser-known classics, complemented by introductory essays and researched inform

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Although old-style comic books may never be as big as they were between the late 1930s and mid ’50s, the continued popularity of their characters is evident by their frequent appearances in movies and in television. This boldly constructed retrospective is full of nostalgia and humor, and will entice old collectors and casual fans alike to flip through its pages again and again. The extreme close-ups of the selected panels force readers to examine every background detail, and the irregular cropping keeps the eye straining for as much information as possible. The accompanying authors’ comments hint at what is special about the art and enjoin readers to see merit even in the often goofy captions (when discussing a strip about femme fatales, for instance, the authors proclaim, "They don’t write dialogue like this anymore: ‘A strange person! Eclipse was her name, and Eclipse her nature!’ To which Blackhawk replies: ‘And finally she eclipsed—herself!’"). Striking cover and binding art, coupled with the volume’s unusual shape and heft, will attract attention, as will the back cover, which features ads for such staple comic book products as whoopee cushions, boomerangs and model airplanes. Printed on glossy black paper that is a wonderful contrast to the color-saturated panels, the text offers a mixture of information about the characters, historical tidbits on the comics and wry commentary on the artwork and plot points. The big heroes and heroines such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are covered, as are their sidekicks and villains, but so are failed characters, short-lived ideas and the funny animal characters that were used as fillers. This coffee-table book is too much fun for readers to peruse just one page a day.
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About the Author

Les Daniels is the author of the official histories of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, as well as DC Comics: A Celebration of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes and Abrams' Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics. Chip Kidd is an award-winning graphic designer and author of The Cheese Monkeys. His work has been featured in Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Time, Graphis, and Entertainment Weekly. Geoff Spear's award-winning photographs have appeared in magazines such as Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, and Newsweek, and in numerous books on comics.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 744 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (November 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810949695
• ISBN-13: 978-0810949690
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 9.5 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #491,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > History & Price Guides

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nicely Designed - - -Lacks Substance, November 24, 2004

By 

M. B. RENTZLER (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Golden Age of DC Comics: 365 Days (Hardcover)

This is a very well designed book. Thick, pretty to look at, even the spine is designed to make you think of the old big little books.However it reminds me more of a day by day calender project that got turned into a hard covered book at the last minute.

Inside the book there is a page of text for each day of the year. On the opposite of the text page is a blown up comic panel. Pretty to look at, and this is where the book fails. The reading is a bit too light and the focus is on the blown up comic panel rather than on some interesting trend of the time when the comic that surrounded the panel was published.

An attempt is made to be "arty" making the focus often these very oddball and (in my opinion) unexciting comic panels. I think most readers would have liked to see a book of golden age comic covers rather than this.

When I saw Les Daniels was attached I had high hopes for this book as I had bought his other books on comics. More text might have made this book more interesting.

My verdict. At the regular street price this book is not worth it. At the Amazon price it might be worth it. A nice stocking stuffer for somebody who is into comics but I found it to be more of a snack rather than a main meal.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A collage of comics organized as a year, May 22, 2006

By 

S. Macdonald - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Golden Age of DC Comics: 365 Days (Hardcover)

While the idea of making a book with 365 days may seem odd, this book is quite special. It can be read as a coffee table book. But it's really a remarkably well-informed collection of images from comics. The commentaries sometimes run for a paragraph, giving background on the artists or comic, and sometimes just a few lines, as an informative caption. What Daniels, Kidd, and Spear have done is create a unique compendium of images from DC comics that function like a quirky and very intelligent collection of often forgotten cultural icons. This book is a very worthwhile addition to a library, whether you're a comics freak, a student of popular culture, art history, or you just like beautiful books. The wealth of images is incredible. It can't be appreciated at one sitting.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 365 pages of old memories, December 12, 2004

By 

Mark L. Mckenzie (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Golden Age of DC Comics: 365 Days (Hardcover)

I agree that as you first glance at this book it seems like a calender. It's a hefty book that has some charm in its views of days gone by. I bought it for myself and wasn't dissapointed in its focus. Les Daniels always has an interesting view and smartly entertains as you go page to page. If one wants a more detailed overview of the subject there are many fine books to seek out. This one is more for a night when one doesn't want to read but rather to remember.Its well bound, excellently to the point concerning its subject. If one wants full covers go to the Photo Journal guide to comics by Gerber. It doesn't have everything but like this book is a visual companion.