Product Description

Before the Incredibles, there were Batman and Superman, Spiderman and Captain America...Gerard Jones' book tells the fascinating inside story of the comic superheroes. In the depths of the Depression, out of the crowded tenements of New York and Chicago, the comic book superhero leapt into being. Out of a mix of geekiness, science fiction, and outsider yearning, a crew of young men from working-class Jewish neighbourhoods and shady backgrounds created a series of blue-eyed, chisel-nosed crime fighters and adventurers who quickly captured the imaginations of young and old. Within a few years their creations had spawned a new genre that still dominates youth entertainment seventy years later. Gerard Jones draws on exhaustive research to portray how the immigrant experience and an outsider mentality shaped the vision of the make-believe hero, while a bizarre melting-pot of left-wing politics, mob money and the worlds of soft-porn and detective magazines contributed to the publishing world that produced the comics that brought them to millions. He chronicles how the success of the comics provoked a backlash that nearly destroyed the industry in the 1950s, and how later they surged back, inspiring a new generation to transmute pre-war fantasies into art, literature, blockbuster movies and graphic novels. Men of Tomorrow brilliantly demonstrates how the creators of the superheroes established their crucial place in the modern imagination.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #163814 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

From the Publisher
Before The Incredibles, there were Batman and Superman, Spiderman and Captain America... Gerard Jones' book tells the fascinating inside story of the birth of the comic superheroes.

About the Author
Gerard Jones's is a comics historian and comic and screen writer. His writing credits include Batman, Spiderman and Pokemon. He lives in San Francisco.

Customer Reviews

Mesmerising
An absolutely fascinating book covering the characters behind the birth of comic books in New York from the 20-30s onwards. It concentrates on Siegel and Schuster (the creators of Superman) before moving on to Batman and the horror comics of the 50s. It is very well researched and written by a writer who is obviously an expert in this field.

I read it in (nearly) one sitting. I would have given it five stars but it could have done with more illustrations.

secret origin of the comic book industry
A three hundred and forty five page book [complete with notes on sources, two photo sections and an index] that tells, in fifteen chapters, the origin of the comic book industry and it's history from the 1930's to the present day.

It does this largely by focusing on a few characters, most notably the people who founded the early companies plus jerry siegel and joe shuster, the creators of superman.

This is a fascinating story, and it's told in very readable prose. It really gives you a sense of what it was like growing up in america in the 20's, and what life was like for those who got involved in comics when they became popular at the end of the 30's. And it's also a cautionary tale, because you won't believe the hardships that some of these creators suffered, all because they signed things they possibly shouldn't have.

A fascinating read for those who like comics. If you don't, read it anyway. It's a fascinating bit of history and it's a really good read

A must read for comic fans
The fascinating story of how the Golden Age heroes - Superman, Batman, The Spirit, Wonder Woman etc. - came to be and the remarkable characters who created them. (Wonder Woman's William Moulton Marston beggers belief.) But it's also the story of the people who published the comics, ruthless business men, publishers of pornography and sometimes barely legal,and how the creators of the comics were used and ripped off by them. Superman's creators, Shuster and Siegel, for instance, spent most of their days in poverty.
It's a cracking and sometimes jaw-dropping read. Highly recommended for all comic readers.