The Comics: An Illustrated History Of Comic Strip Art
By Jerry Robinson
While there are many debates about when the medium of words married with pictures first evolved into what we know today as comics - be it in nascent prehistoric paintings in the caves of France or the more traditional illustrated adventures of such characters as the Katzenjammer Kids which first appeared at the end of the nineteenth century - virtually everyone born in the last one hundred years has read or seen a comic strip at one time in their lives. In an exhaustive historical overview that captures the magic and innovation of this incredibly vibrant art form Jerry Robinson, comics historian, award-winning comics artist and co-creator of the popular Batman villain The Joker, takes us on a journey from the beginning of the comic strip industry to the present day in The Comics. Originally published in the early 1970s, this volume has been revised and updated to include commentary on the last thirty years of comics history: from Mutt & Jeff to Calvin & Hobbes, from George Herrimann's Krazy and Ignatz to Patrick McDonnell's Mutts, Jerry Robinson brings the history of this great industry alive for a new generation.
$18.96 at Amazon.
Meanwhile...: A Biography of Milton Caniff, Creator of Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon
By R.C. Harvey
Milton Caniff was one of the most influential American cartoonists of the 20th century. He rose to prominence during World War II when he took the characters in his Terry and the Pirates strip into the war. The trenchant pragmatic patriotism of the strip warmed the hearts and steeled nerves on the home front as well as the battlefront (one of his strips was read into the Congressional Record.) He went on to create Steve Canyon, which was syndicated from 1947 to Caniff's death in 1988.
Milton Caniff, Terry and the Pirates, and Steve Canyon: Meanwhile… traces Caniff's life from the cradle to the grave, marking the milestones in the development of the comic strip that Caniff established. Caniff reshaped the medium and set standards by which all storytelling strips were subsequently judged. Although Caniff adapted to changing fashions, he is best known for innovations such as his impressionistic chiaroscuro drawing style that suggested reality economically with shadow rather than with detail; creating many colorful characters, including the stalwart Pat Ryan from Terry and the Pirates, Burma the shady lady, and, most memorable of all, the Dragon Lady, a beautiful but mysteriously menacing pirate queen who turned Chinese patriot during the War; and enhancing the melodrama of adventure strips by making character development integral to the action-packed plots.
While Milton Caniff provides a biography of Caniff and analyzes his storytelling techniques, it also serves as a history of the medium and reveals the inner workings of the syndicate business (at which Caniff was as expert as he was at cartooning). The book traces Caniff's life from the cradle to the grave, and examines the artistic innovations and work routines of a nationally distributed cartoonist whose career was central the development of the artform, marking along the way the milestones in the development of comic strip artistry that Caniff established. The book charts Caniff's rise to fame and fortune through artistic excellence and patriotic fervor when the characters in his comic strip Terry and the Pirates entered World War II, then recounts the decline of his strip Steve Canyon's popularity (whose protagonist served as an unofficial spokesman for the U.S. Air Force from the Korean War until the end of the strip in 1988) when the same brand of patriotism that had inspired admiration during World War II provoked protest during Vietnam, a bittersweet conclusion to a career spent producing a daily feature for 55 years, a record that would stand for a generation.
$23.07 at Amazon.
Confessions, Romances, Secrets and Temptations>: Archer St. John and the St. John Romance Comics
By John Benson
Confessions, Romances, Secrets, and Temptations is the companion volume to John Benson's popular anthology of romance comics, Romance Without Tears. Published in the 1950s by Archer St. John, the stories in that volume were decidedly different from the typical romance comics, just as St. John was decidedly different from the typical comics publisher. This new book explores the background of these comics and their publisher, including a short biography, interviews with the editors and artists who worked for the company, and critical commentary.
In his research for Romance Without Tears, the author was left with a rich body of material about one of the few quality-driven 1950s comics publishers. St. John's reputation as a fair and honest publisher attracted many of the top artists of the day, including Matt Baker, Ric Estrada, Everett Raymond Kinstler, Joe Kubert, Bob Powell, Leonard Starr, and George Tuska. In addition to interviewing Estrada, Kubert, and Starr, Benson talks with several St. John staffers, including editor Irwin Stein, production man Warren Kremer, and editorial assistant Nadine King. Together they provide an engaging account of Archer St. John and the atmosphere he nourished to create these distinctive comics.
Confessions contains a time chart of every title published by St. John (all genres), showing issue number and date, and a complete, detailed checklist of all the company's romance comics, giving story titles, artist credits, and cross-indexing the extensive reprints. The book is lavishly illustrated with examples of the comics, and includes rare photos and other visuals from the period.
$9.95 at Amazon.
John Romita, and All That Jazz
By Roy Thomas and Jim Amash
In this new book, Jazzy John Romita the artist who made The Amazing Spider-Man Marvel's #1-selling comic book in the 1960s talks about his life, his art, and his contemporaries! Authored by former Marvel Comics editor in chief and top writer Roy Thomas, and noted historian Jim Amash, it features the most definitive interview Romita's ever given, about working with such comics legends as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, following Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko as artist on the strip, and more! Plus, Roy Thomas shares memories of working with Romita in the 1960s-70s, and Jim Amash examines the awesome artistry of Ring-a-Ding Romita! Lavishly illustrated with Romita art original classic art, and unseen masterpieces as well as illos by some of Marvel's and DC's finest, this is at once a career overview of a comics master, and a firsthand history of the industry by one of its leading artists! This hardcover edition includes a dust jacket, custom endleaves, plus a 16-page color section not found in the softcover edition.
$16.47 at Amazon.
The Batcave Companion
By Michael Eury and Michael Kronenberg
The writer/editor of the critically acclaimed The Krypton Companion and the designer of the eye-popping Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu: The Art of Paul Gulacy team up to investigate the Silver and Bronze Ages of Batman comic books in The Batcave Companion! Two distinct sections of this book follow the Dark Knight's progression from his campy "New Look" of the mid-1960s to his "creature of the night" reinvention of the 1970s, through art-jammed interviews with and examinations of the work of Carmine Infantino, Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Len Wein, Steve Englehart, Elliot S! Maggin, Walter Simonson, Jim Aparo, Irv Novick and other fan favorites. Also included are explorations of Bat-lore such as the effects of the 1966 Batman TV show upon comics, a Batmobile timeline and Batman's colorful rogues' gallery. With its incisive introduction by Dennis O'Neil and its iconic cover painting by Neal Adams, The Batcave Companion is a must-have for every Batman fan!
$17.79 at Amazon.
All-Star Companion, Volume 3
Edited by Roy Thomas
Comics legend Roy Thomas presents still more amazing secrets behind the 1940-51 All-Star Comics and the 1941-44 Seven Soldiers of Victory-and illustrated speculation about how other Golden Age super-teams might have been assembled! Also, an issue-by-issue survey of the JLA-JSA team-ups of 1963-85, the 1970s JSA revival, and the 1980s series The Young All-Stars and Secret Origins, with commentary by the artists and writers! Plus rare, often unseen art by JOE Kubert, CARMINE Infantino, Neal Adams, Jerry Ordway, Murphy Anderson, Alex Toth, Nick Cardy, Gil Kane, Gene Colan, Michael Bair, Mike Sekowsky, Dick Dillin, Joe Staton, Paul Reinman, Bob McLeod, Tom Grindberg, Paul Smith, Ron Harris, Marshall Rogers, Wayne Boring, George Freeman, Don Heck, George Tuska, Tony DeZuniga, H.G. Peter, Don Simpson, and many others! Featuring a new JLA/JSA cover by George Perez!
$17.79 at Amazon.
Silver Age Sci-Fi Companion
Edited by Mike W. Barr
In the Silver Age of Comics, space was the place, and this book summarizes, critiques and lovingly recalls the classic DC Comics science-fiction series edited by JULIUS SCHWARTZ and written by GARDNER FOX and JOHN BROOME! The pages of DC's science-fiction magazines of the 1960s, STRANGE ADVENTURES and MYSTERY IN SPACE, are opened for you, including story-by-story reviews of complete series such as ADAM STRANGE, ATOMIC KNIGHTS, SPACE MUSEUM, STAR ROVERS, STAR HAWKINS and others! Writer/editor MIKE W. BARR tells you which series crossed over with each other, behind-the-scenes secrets, and more, including writer and artist credits for every story! Features rare art by CARMINE INFANTINO, MURPHY ANDERSON, GIL KANE, SID GREENE, MIKE SEKOWSKY, and many others, plus a glorious new cover by ALAN DAVIS and PAUL NEARY!
$13.57 at Amazon.
