Product Description

In terms of both words and images the world had never seen the like of the American comicbook. They were bizarre, morbid, lurid, risque and bursting with subconcious desires of burgeoning youth culture. By the time 1954 arrived their were 500 different comics beingpublished by 35 different companies, selling over 60 million copies a month between them. This is the history of the era and the art it produced. The book looks at the pioneers of the comicbook and the comic's founding links with sleazy pulp magazines; the campaign for censorship; the fraught relationship between the comicbook artists and their publishers; how what they did was rarely recognised as art at the time - and of course the comics themselves.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1177939 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 230 pages

Customer Reviews

Very comprehensive and informative.
Nicky Wright's book covers almost everything concerning American comics before the 60's. From super-heroes, horror and even cartoon animals, all genre's are covered, as a history of comics is given. It even gives information on the 50's court-hearings, that resulted in the creation of the comic code. I felt I knew a lot about the comic industry, but after reading the book, I realised I was wrong. I learnt a lot from this book. It is the most informative book about the history of comics you are likely to find. Highly reccomended.

The best and most readble book on American comics
This is a classic. I have been reading comics since the early 1960's and reading about their history for over 30 years, but this book takes the buscuit. Maybe it is because the writer was (regrettably now deceased) British and collected comics but this book covers the history from the 1930 editions of the comic strips made into magazines and goes into detail I never knew about.

It is so readable and the comic covers and extracts from stories reall does compliment the well written book.

I have collectede Overstreet Comic Guides since 1976 and managed to get most of my history of comics from those books but I would say that this is the difinitive volume to have. EXCELLENT.