You guys read any books about comics? Recommendations?
I’ve read a couple of Stan Lee bios. Excelsior!, by the man himself. Pretty light and breezy, as you might expect. Goes into the ups and downs of his whole life, career, written as only Stan could. Fun.
Also, Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book, by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon. Essentially the same Stan Lee story, but it’s actually a little more informative. How Stan broke into the biz, almost got out of the biz, then co-created FF, Spidey, etc. It goes into some of the conflicts he had with Kirby, Ditko, their relationships a bit. How he became the face of Marvel, how he struggled with Hollywood for decades, trying to get Marvel properties going as films, shows, etc. And it talks about the larger comic industry in America - how it’s changed so much over the decades.
Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones. This truly delves into the early history of American comics, starting with the Yellow Kid, in 1895 or whenever it was. It deals with the creative side as well as the biz and its sleazy origins. It goes into pulp fiction, the science fiction magazines of the 20s, 30s. Talks about the birth of “geekdom” if you want to put it that way. Siegel and Schuster are the main focus - how they got Superman started, with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Leibowitz publishing. Goes into the deals S&S made, how they were financially screwed over, tried to make comebacks. It touches on Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Stan, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner...
And they've got a pop philosophy book for everything now, right? Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way, Tom and Matt Morris, editors. It’s what you might expect. A collection of essays dealing with specific superheroes and their issues: identity, morality, religion, relationships, justice, vigilantism, etc. Mark Waid, Jeph Loeb contribute, along with actual philosophers.
I’ve read a couple of Stan Lee bios. Excelsior!, by the man himself. Pretty light and breezy, as you might expect. Goes into the ups and downs of his whole life, career, written as only Stan could. Fun.
Also, Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book, by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon. Essentially the same Stan Lee story, but it’s actually a little more informative. How Stan broke into the biz, almost got out of the biz, then co-created FF, Spidey, etc. It goes into some of the conflicts he had with Kirby, Ditko, their relationships a bit. How he became the face of Marvel, how he struggled with Hollywood for decades, trying to get Marvel properties going as films, shows, etc. And it talks about the larger comic industry in America - how it’s changed so much over the decades.
Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones. This truly delves into the early history of American comics, starting with the Yellow Kid, in 1895 or whenever it was. It deals with the creative side as well as the biz and its sleazy origins. It goes into pulp fiction, the science fiction magazines of the 20s, 30s. Talks about the birth of “geekdom” if you want to put it that way. Siegel and Schuster are the main focus - how they got Superman started, with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Leibowitz publishing. Goes into the deals S&S made, how they were financially screwed over, tried to make comebacks. It touches on Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Stan, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner...
And they've got a pop philosophy book for everything now, right? Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way, Tom and Matt Morris, editors. It’s what you might expect. A collection of essays dealing with specific superheroes and their issues: identity, morality, religion, relationships, justice, vigilantism, etc. Mark Waid, Jeph Loeb contribute, along with actual philosophers.
