A Complete History of American Comic Books: Afterword by Steve Geppi

by Shirrel Rhoades

This book is an updated history of the American comic book by an industry insider. You’ll follow the development of comics from the first appearance of the comic book format in the Platinum Age of the 1930s to the creation of the superhero genre in the Golden Age, to the current period, where comics flourish as graphic novels and blockbuster movies. Along the way you will meet the hustlers, hucksters, hacks, and visionaries who made the American comic book what it is today. It’s an exciting journey, filled with mutants, changelings, atomized scientists, gamma-ray accidents, and supernaturally empowered heroes and villains who challenge the imagination and spark the secret identities lurking within us.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, History, Graphic Novels

353 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 2008

Reviews

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about the history of American Comic Books. Originally comic books were reprints of comic strips from the local newspapers. Then publishers developed new comic book superheroes. There were also horror and crime comics. However, with the publication of psychiatrist Fredric Wertham's 1954 book, "Seduction of the Innocent," comic books were considered to be a cause of juvenile delinquency. Due to Wertham’s successful book, a Comics Code was instituted in order to tame comics and establish restrictions. William Gaines, publisher of “Mad,” turned his comic book into a magazine format in order to avoid the Comics Code. The Comics Code had been challenged many times by various publishers, writers and artists, including Stan Lee who wrote a comic story about the effects of alcoholism in some of his Spider-Man stories. The Comics Code had been revised in the 1970s, and eventually the Comics Code was rendered defunct. With the development of more titles and the growing cost of comic books, sales started to hurt. Marvel Comics went into bankruptcy so the courts could come up with a refinancing plan. Once its bankruptcy was over, Marvel decided to make major changes and recreated some of their characters, making them more gloomily, with real problems and human concerns, as well as the development of new characters and a new alternative universe. Frank Miller's successful 1986 comic book series, "The Dark Knight Returns" was revolutionary in developing a darker side to Batman for D.C. comics. This comic series along with Alan Moore's story, "Watchmen" started the Modern Age of comics. This new trend, as well as the development of successful superhero movies, made comic books fruitful again. So comic books had come full circle, from a scary new institution people were afraid were an influence to bad behavior, to an art that encouraged reading, creativity and influenced the media. This book was brilliantly researched and entertaining.