Recommend me books on the comic book industry/history.

I’ve been collecting and reading comics for about 30 years now, but up till now I’ve generally been most interested in them for the stories, and the unique blend of literature and visual arts through which the stories are presented. I’m a bit embarassed to admit that I was in my late 20’s before I started paying careful attention to writers and, somewhat later, to artists.

I still couldn’t tell you exactly what it is that the inker does, or why in many circles machine lettering seems to be considered a tool of Satan. Which is to say that I’m a huge, voracious fan of the product, I’ve put little effort into delving into the industry itself.

Part of this is purely functional. I like to come to a story cold, not knowing what’s going to happen, so that, for example, the important new development that occurs in Superman/Batman #8 can come as a surprise to me. But this has left me somewhat ignorant of the industry that produces my favorite art form.

So here’s what I’m looking for:

First, a book that stands as a general introduction to the comic book industry.

Second, books specifically about the history of the golden age, superhero comic books, non-superhero genre comics, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics.

Third, any other books that it would be good for a new student of the industry to read to get a better understanding of it.

I’m not looking for gallery books with tons of cover shots. I love those, and have a few, but I’m looking for something a little meatier.

I have already Understanding Comics and both of Wil Eisner’s books, both of which I like a lot.

Recommend away.

The first request should be a general introduction to comic book history and the comic book industry.

I’m not a comics geek, but I do know that one of the things you’ll want to read for extra credit is Michael Chabon’s Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, wonderful novel about the Golden Age.

Origins of Marvel Comics by Stan Lee - his take on how Marvel’s Silver Age heroes came to be. Fun and easy.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud - gets into the evolution of comics as a storytelling form - rich in academic discourse. Informative and insightful - where you should start.

The Great Comic Book Heroes - Jules Feiffer - a critical and informative look at Golden Age heroes from the '40’s. Where I started when I wanted to learn more - another great start.

The Silver Age of Comic Book Art - Arlen Schumer - a great overview of the best artists from the '60’s and 70’s.

Those are my recommendations for the best place to start.

Fenris? Cliffy? Your thoughts?

ooops - just reread your thread and see that you have McCloud’s book. The other rec’s stand.

carry on.

Never been into comic books much myself, but there are excellent looks at the early days of the comics biz in the first chapters of two histories of Mad Magazine:

Completely Mad by Maria Reidelbach (Little, Brown, and Co. 1991)

and the older, harder to find, but more thorough on comic history:

The Mad World of William M. Gaines by Frank Jacobs (Bantam 1973)

The Comic Book Heroes, by Gerard Jones and Will Jacobs. Prima Publishing, California.
This book is very close to what you want, I think – it’s an extensive history of the entire medium, ranging from the turn of the 20th century to the turn of the 21st. Covers all major events and history, deconstructs the medium to some extent, and gives a good picture of the men and women who created the comics, and the events that shaped them. The down side is that it’s a pretty oral history, and is likely colored by the opinions and attitudes of the authors (who at one point digress to talk about their own eighties comic, a title of no real importance that I’d never heard of). Still, it dishes the info, in ways other books gloss over; in parts, it reads kind of like a twisted ComicBook Babylon. The authors may have had their opinions, but they had the facts, too, and they did NOT screw around.

The Great History Of Comic Books, by Ron Goulart. Similar to the Jones/Jacobs book, but takes more of a historical view, not getting quite so bogged down in the details of who did what to whom. Lovingly discusses the various strips and characters, but focuses largely on the period between 1940 and 1960 or so, with little coverage of the events following that time period. Still, an excellent read for comic history buffs.

**The Silver Age of Comic Book Art, ** by Arlen Schumer. If you want to know about pencilling and inking, this will explain it to some extent. It’s an overview of the groundbreaking comic art of the Silver Age (late fifties to about 1973) with each chapter covering one artist. Lots of quotes from the artists and people who knew them. If you’re specifically interested in the art and the artists, there’s no better book; some that give more information about artists lack the art, and others have more art, but lack artist information.

DC Comics: 60 Years Of The World’s Favorite Comic Book Heroes, by Les Daniels. A heavily illustrated (and frankly, kinda sanitized) history of DC, along with lots of information about the heroes and how these characters have affected American pop culture. A good read, but I’d read it with **The Comic Book Heroes ** to get the real story.

Marvel Universe, by Peter Sanderson. A heavily illustrated (and frankly, kinda sanitized) history of Marvel Comics, along with lots of information about the heroes and how these characters have affected American pop culture. A good read, but I’d read it with The Comic Book Heroes to get the real story.

True Facts is an introduction to how to publish your own comics. I imagine it would have all sorts of nuts and bolts “how the industry works” information.

Another worthwhile read from the history/superheroes side would be The Great Women Superheroes by Trina Robbins.

Almost forgot one of the most important, and fascinating, books on the history of comics:

Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code.

I didn’t realize I had so many comic book histories. Don’t worry: I won’t mention them all.

I second many of those already listed, so I won’t repeat any unless they slip in while I’m previewing or my eyes fool me.

Comics: Between the Panels by Steve Duin and Mike Richardson is the great gossipy classic of classics. All the backbiting, feuds, mental breakdowns, evil editors, and corporate villains are lovingly detailed. Michael Chabon very obviously stole his entire background for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay from the pages of this book. You can identify characters and details with certainty.

The Comic-Book Book by Don Thompson and Dick Lupoff is the opposite, all text, a fan’s history of favorite strips and what they meant to them. Both authors, singly and together, have written much more about the comic book.

The Comic Book, by Paul Sassienie, is interesting because it devotes half its length to indexes: of creators, of publishers, and more.

From Aargh! to Zap!: Harvey Kurtzman’s Visual History of the Comics, is as idiosyncratic as they come, but is a true visual feast from one of the giants of the field.

Les Daniels has done dozens of books on comics, so they are of varying quality, but his Comix: A History of Comic Books in America reprints lots of obscure stuff.

Ditto for Ron Goulart. Try Over 50 Years of American Comic Books, a glossy coffee-table book with probably the best production values of the bunch.

If you can find it The Steranko History of Comics by Jim Steranko is a superior reference to the early history.

Jones and Jacob’s book is the best for the silver age onward.

In case it hasn’t been mentioned, there’s also an autobiographical book called Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee. Haven’t read it, but it should surely have lots of interesting “inside” stuff.

I have read it, and it’s so thin that it could be used for skin grafts. An almost complete waste of time. Sad.

Much better is Stan Lee: And the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book, by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon, which covers the same territory but actually tells you something about the comic book industry. And probably more about Stan Lee.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I’ve made a list to take to the library tomorrow.

If you can be bothered with a video title, you could look for Superheroes Unmasked, a 2-hour documentary produced by the History channel. As a casual reader I found it an interesting primer on the industry.

A second vote for The Great Comic Book Heroes. Lots of it is reproductions of late 30s/40s comic stories. Very cool!

I also liked All In Color For A Dime, a small paperback history of the comic book in the 30s and 40s.

All In Color For A Dime! and **The Comic Book Book, ** both edited by Don Thompson and Dick Lupoff, are both collections of essays about specific comics and characters. They’re great reads for comics buffs, especially for fans of the particular subjects of discussion (Harlan Ellison apparently thinks Jingle Jangle Tales was among the high points of 20th century comic work)… but as an extensive history… they ain’t. They’re labors of love, and they’re well worth reading, though.

Likewise with The Great Comic Book Heroes. It’s basically a memoir from Jules Feiffer’s point of view. It’s a good read, and includes lots of golden age reprint stuff… but it’s not what I’d call a comprehensive history, although it certainly has a place on any comic buff’s shelf.

I’ve got **Superheroes Unmasked ** around here somewhere; taped it off the History Channel when it debuted. I wouldn’t mind seeing it released on VHS or DVD. It provides a fun (if not complete) history of the high points of the genre.

Excelsior! The Amazing Life Of Stan Lee is a biography of Stan Lee, a fellow who has admittedly put the hyperbole before the truth on many an occasion. It’s not a book about comics. It’s a book about Stan Lee, by Stan Lee, and largely for Stan Lee.

**Realitychuck ** is quite right; the **Steranko History ** is a superior reference to the golden age, but it’s out of print now, I think.

Scott McCloud’s books **Understanding Comics ** and its sequel, Reinventing Comics are not histories, but are excellent reference materials, dealing with art, sequential-art-storytelling, and comics in general. Highly recommended.

Another documentary you might be able to find on video or DVD is Comic Book Confidential, by Canadian filmmaker Ron Mann. It came out in the late '80s, and features great interviews and stories with mainstream and underground/independent comic creators alike. As a kid who grew up in the '80s reading superheroes, G.I. Joe, and Transformers comics, the documentary really opened my eyes to all the great non-mainstream books and creators out there. You might be able to find it at a library, but good luck trying to rent it from a place like Blockbuster.

There is a recent book called Comic Wars, or something to that effect, about the '90s bankruptcy and internal power struggles within Marvel Comics. It should be a fascinating look at how the industry really works.

Other than that, you can’t go wrong with any of the other suggestions, although I’d be skeptical of anything written by Stan Lee, a man known for self-promotion and self-glorification to the extent of wresting due credit away from his co-creators.

More like “how it should not work in a comic fanboy’s worst nightmares.”

The book covers the history of Marvel between 1989 and the late nineties, and explains why much noise was heard about a Spider-Man movie, but one never seemed to get made, among other things. Basically, an entrepreneurial chap named Ron Perelman bought Marvel, borrowed insane amounts of money against it, touted its characters as merchandisable, inflated its value up into the billions… and merrily lined his pockets while the getting was good.

Meanwhile, other corporate raiders realized what was happening, and arranged for the usual hostile takeover. Perelman, on the other hand, didn’t wanna, and the whole thing erupted into war, Wall Street style. Bad craziness.

But it’s more a book about corporate warfare than about comics.

FWIW, the link I posted above has the program for sale on VHS & DVD.