Book Description
This colorful sequel to the 1998 "Pop Culture Book of the Year," Comic Book Culture, is a visual journey through the most incredible graphic covers of the golden age of comic books. Lavishly illustrated, this volume features the most popular and collectible comic-book covers ever published, including famous figures like Superman, Batman, and Captain America.
Customer Reviews:
BRILLIANT COVERS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE.......2007-04-08
I'm as much a fan of comic book history as I am of comic books themselves. The history is absolutely fascinating as one delves into just how the business started and some of the real-life unusual characters who are largely responsible for comic books as we know them today. Ron Goulart's "Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History" has just been released again by Collector's Press and it should be required reading for comic fans, especially younger fans who are not familiar with over eighty year history of the business.
Most people associate the start of the comic book era with the release of Action Comics #1 in 1938 that featured the introduction of Superman in a thirteen-page story. But the fact is that comic books had been around for many years before Superman came along. Heck, Action Comics was not even the first title put out by National Comics/National Periodical Publications, which would later become DC. National's first book was New Fun Comics in 1935, which would later change its name to More Fun Comics, and introduce characters such as The Spectre and Doctor Fate.
Comic Book Culture takes fans back to the earliest days of the bound comic, which originally just collected popular newspaper strips of the day and reprinted them. Detective Comics #1 actually preceded Action Comics #1 by over a year, making its debut in March 1937. Detective Comics was heavily influenced by detective pulp magazines of the 30's which were among the most popular pulps of the day. Another early National title that would thrive for years would be Adventure Comics, also debuting in 1935.
One of the great pioneers of the Golden Age of Comics was M.C. Gaines. Gaines headed up All-American Publications, the sister company to National. All-American would introduce such characters as the Golden Age Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, as well as the Justice Society of America.
But before you think this book is all about DC and marvel, think again. I was pleasantly surprised at how much coverage was given to companies, titles, and characters long lost to the sands of time. There was Mystic Comics featuring The Destroyer and Dynamo Man, Mystery Men Comics featuring the Blue Beetle, Wonder World Comics featuring The Flame, Hit Comics featuring Hercules, and countless others.
Of course, the other major players of the Golden Age are covered in full with sections devoted to Captain Marvel and the whole Marvel family, and Timely Comics. Goulart also devotes sections to the "Old Masters" of the day such as Jack Kirby and Alex Schomburg, presenting dozens of examples of their cover art. And in the end, the biggest attraction of Comic Book Culture is the hundreds of cover reprints from the most famous to the most obscure of the Golden Age. You'll feel like a kid browsing in a toy store exclaiming, "Oh! I want that! And I want that one, too!" The covers are beautifully reprinted and one has to imagine that it was no small task finding covers that were still in good enough shape to reprint.
This is a gorgeous book, filled with long-forgotten nostalgia and brimming over with a wealth of information about comic's Golden Age.
Reviewed by Tim Janson
The Golden Age in 100Magenta+100 Yellow.......2002-09-25
As the author says in his the Introduction `Comic Book Culture' is basically a picture book and as such I'm pleased to have a copy. Goulart's history of comics Golden Age, roughly mid Thirties to the late Forties, is adequate though you can read more in his previous book `Over 50 Years of American Comic Books' but it is the four hundred covers reproduced that I think will interest readers more. Page after page of superheroes battling crime and or evil in dazzling 100 Magenta plus 100 Yellow, that's the printers term for the vibrant red that the comics biz could not do without. All these covers had to compete on the newsstand and the more 100Y+100M the better it seems, page 130 has the cover of The Human Torch (1943) leaping off the page, it couldn't get any brighter.
I have always been rather critical of Collector Press books, they always seem a bit over designed but this one is great, each of the sixteen chapters starts on a spread one page of which is a huge color blow-up of part of a picture, many of the spreads just have covers and captions on them and the designers have resisted the temptation to angle or overlap the covers. The typography, layouts and printing are excellent. There are two chapters devoted to some of the great comic artists of the period, Everett, Fine, Patenaude, Kirby, Schomburg, Ricca and Cole. The last chapter has a (very) brief look at what is called "Good girl art", presenting heroines in as provocative a way as possible and you can't get more provocative than Matt Baker's April 1948 cover of Phantom Lady, sales must have soared!
If you want to see more covers have a look at the two volume `The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books' by Ernst and Mary Gerber, more than 21,000 beautifully printed on gloss paper (another two volumes covers 7,000 Marvel comics).
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
A superb historical survey of comic book heroes & writers........2000-07-03
Comic book collectors, researchers, and fans will appreciate this reflection on the rogues, heroes and creators of comics in Comic Book Culture, a visual celebration of the Golden Age of comic books from the 1930s to the 1940s. Goulart explains and traces the changes of the comic art form, using his extensive collection as a foundation for examples which are colorful and which celebrate the history of comics. The full-page comic book reproductions are striking and the history and commentary involving.
Nice illustrated history.......2000-06-15
A beautifully presented coffee table book showcasing the earliest days of a true american art form - the comic book! The grouping of comic covers by theme and by artist work well and highlight some truly great pieces! Popular culture at it's finest!
Customer Reviews:
Comic graphics for 1940s thru 1950.......2002-08-07
After reading and living in the world created by Michael Chabon, in THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY, Mike
Benton's SUPERHERO COMICS OF THE GOLDEN AGE, THE
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY provided quality graphics and
succint reviews which answered my questions.
Book Description
It's a rare comic character who can make audiences laugh for well over half a century—but then again, it's a pretty rare cartoon hero who can boast of forearms thicker than his waist, who can down a can of spinach in a single gulp, or who generally faces the world with one eye squinted completely shut.
When E.C. Segar's gruff but lovable sailor man first tooted his pipe to the public on January 7, 1929, it was not in the animated cartoon format for which he is best known today (and which would become the longest running series in film history). Instead it was on the comics page of the New York Journal, as Segar's Thimble Theatre strip. Over the decades to come, Popeye was to appear on radio, television, stage, and even in a live-action feature film.
This comprehensive and lavishly illustrated history is a thoroughly updated and revised edition of the highly acclaimed 1994 work. Animated series and films are examined, noting the different directions each studio took and the changing character designs of the Popeye family. Popeye in other media—comics, books, radio, and a stage play—is thoroughly covered, as are Robert Altman's 1980 live-action film, and Popeye memorabilia.
Customer Reviews:
A Fun Book.......2004-11-24
In the past, I have read many books and articles by Fred Grandinetti about one of the greatest characters ever created - Popeye the Sailor. By reading this book, one finds out what Mr. Grandinetti has already discovered, the truths he has uncovered, opinions he has cultivated and even what he continues to learn and he shares all of this with us about Popeye. Even though this is an expanded update from the first edition published many years ago, one can still learn many fresh things about the character and history of Popeye from this book. With the information, descriptions, photos and illustrations provided, this book is a great springboard for the mind to rekindle one's own personal memories of Popeye from years past. If one is discovering the character of Popeye for the first time, or just revisiting him, this book can introduce and establish who he is and what he is all about. This book is one I continue to enjoy, as it can be read and re-read again and again.
An Homage No Other Cartoon Star Has.......2004-11-05
Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History is a brilliant book dedicated to one of the most enduring comic book / cartoon characters of our time - Popeye the Sailor. Written by Fred Grandinetti, the co-founder of the International Popeye Fan Club, this splendidly illustrated book provides an astonishing and thoroughly researched overview of the charismatic sailor's rich history and exciting career. The author leaves no incarnation of the brusque, yet charmingly humble swab untouched - from the pipe-tooting runt's beginnings in daily funny pages, his extremely successful ventures on the silver screen, to Popeye's career on TV, radio, and stage. Mr. Grandinetti also includes a great episode guide with short summaries of every Popeye cartoon, emphasizing significant aspects of particular and/or groundbreaking "Popeye" shorts. As if that is not enough, this magnificent book provides appendixes with selected scripts from Popeye cartoons and information about the International Popeye Fan Club.
What is particularly fascinating about this book is the fact that Fred Grandinetti does not simply reiterate the familiar "essentials" about the muttering sailorman's exciting career, but also includes what has traditionally been marginalized and overlooked within the dominant Popeye discourse. For example, in the "Popeye in Print" section not only does Mr. Grandinetti deal with Popeye's creator, E.C. Segar, and his superb art of storytelling, but he also incorporates various interesting accounts on Segar's imaginative successors and their own versions of Popeye (Doc Winner, Tom Sims, Bela "Bill" Zaboly, Ralph Stein, Bud Sagendorf, Bobby London, Hy Eisman). The author also touches on the gruff mariner's incarnations in comic books and even Mad magazine.
As with his writing on Popeye in print, Fred Grandinetti tries to stay away from the homogeneous interpretations of Popeye on film. For example, not only does Mr. Grandinetti discuss the "best" of Popeye cartoon shorts (Paramount theatrical films), but he also challenges (in a rather refreshing manner) the monolithic/mainstream perception of the King Features Syndicate made-for-TV Popeye cartoons by recognizing the heterogeneous nature of these animated films in terms of different directors' styles, quality of animation, use of music, etc. Here is an example of just how meticulous and comprehensive Mr. Grandinetti's research can be: Beside dealing with the easily distinguishable versions of the spinach-munching mariner (i.e. Fleischer vs. Famous Studios vs. KFS versions of Popeye), the author goes on to display/discuss different visual designs of Popeye used by different animators (i.e. Hugh Frasier, Ed Friedman, Ken Hultgren, Alan Zaslove, etc.) within Jack Kinney's unit that worked on King Features Syndicate's TV "Popeyes" in the period between 1960 and 1961. And that is just one example.
Unlike Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny who have had numerous official releases of their best cartoons on both VHS and DVD, Popeye the Sailor, one of the most popular cartoon characters of all time, has been a very unlucky victim of a rather complex corporate quagmire that has been keeping him in a sort of legal limbo for many decades now. In other words, the pipe-smoking sailor's magnificent animated shorts have never been officially released on either VHS or DVD (You can read more about this in the book). But, unlike Mickey or Bugs, Popeye is very fortunate to have the most dedicated, passionate and hard-working fan/historian in the world - Fred Grandinetti, who paid a fantastic tribute to this timeless animated hero in this splendid book. Written with love, admiration, superb knowledge and thorough research, this beautifully illustrated book (with many original frame grabs from theatrical/TV cartoons, comic strip clips, posters and advertisements) is an homage no other classic cartoon character has.
Recommended to animation fans, students of pop culture, history/animation/film, adults, kids,...in one word: recommended to EVERYONE !!!
An Absolute Delight.......2004-11-02
Indulge in all that is Popeye! Mr. Grandinetti has put together a book on the American pop culture icon, Popeye the Sailor Man and it is nothing short of fantastic. Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History is a must for any book collector's library. It is filled with information documenting Popeye's career in print, radio, film and television. The writer has gone to great lengths in his research on the subject matter and it is apparent when admiring some of the rare and hard to find illustrations of Popeye's past layed out in this book.
With the holiday season at our door step I couldn't think of a better gift for that special someone in your life.
Nothing Short of Genius.......2004-10-17
This book is nothing short of genius. A detailed account of the creation of this legendary cartoon character that is still enjoyed by millions. This is the type of documentary that you just can't put down and it answers many, many questions about the history of Popeye the Sailor. Fred Grandinetti has put together an in depth analysis of the old salt and has delivered a classic piece of literature to be enjoyed for generations to come.
A Treasure Trove Of Popeye Knowledge.......2004-08-26
The breadth of Grandinetti's knowledge about Popeye is truly astounding! This is good news for readers because it means that his book covers all things Popeye. From comic strips to animated cartoons to collectibles to live action to sound recordings to theme park appearances and more, it's all here. Those wanting to learn about the sailor, or find answers to trivia questions, or rekindle childhood memories and finally solve mysteries like "What was the name of that cartoon where Bluto was a bullfighter?" will find what they need. Even long-time diehard fans like me will learn new things. And the
illustrations are wonderful! There are sample strips from all the creators of the comics over the years, stills from the animated films, theatrical posters, sheet music, ads, model sheets and more. Fred includes episode guides, sample scripts, colorizations gaffs, character profiles, mini-bios of the voice artists, a section on the censored Popeye cartoons, and information about The International Popeye Fanclub written by club co-founder Mike Brooks.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should also say that there are two pages about me and my views toward Popeye and the Famous Studios cartoons, but even without those pages I would recommend the book to anyone wanting an education in Popeye and those curious as to why, 75 years after his creation, people all over the world still talk about the one-eyed, pipe tooting hero.
Not everyone will agree with all of Grandinetti's opinions about the various incarnations of Popeye, but Fred tries to be fair and will get you to think. And fans interacting with other fans' thoughts is what fandom is all about.
Bottom line: This is a good job from perhaps the number one Popeye fan in the world.
Book Description
Out of New York City in the early '70s emerged a series of black and white horror comics titled Nightmare, Psycho and Scream. Lasting only several years, these comics established themselves as something wholly unique thanks to the editorship of Archaic Alan Hewetson, whose dark and perverse in-house style became known as "the Horror-Mood". With many enduring characters and stories, Skywald! continues to stand the ravages of time more than a quarter of a century later. Long overdue, this book is the first to chronicle the amazing publishing house, its influence, and its top writers and artists. Told by Archaic Al himself and other Horror-Mood bullpenners, with plenty of anecdotes and features, Skywald! also reproduces in their entirety some of the best stories.
Customer Reviews:
Wordy comic book writer who found inspiration in the works of Poe & Lovecraft.......2007-05-17
The Complete Illustrated History of the Skywald Horror-Mood is a fascinating book, mostly a collection of interviews with the surviving Skywald principals, which chronicles Alan Hewetson's experiences as the editor and chief writer of three black & white horror comic magazines put out by Skywald in the early `70s. There was a lot of competition in the field then, from Warren, Eerie and even Marvel, and Skywald was known as the bottom of the barrel. They paid the lowest rates and many of the stories were actually written by Hewetson himself under a variety of pseudonyms. He was a wordy comic book writer who found inspiration in the works of Poe and Lovecraft. Many of the stories were extremely gory and the plots were utterly mad. The art was often exceptional, though, and "Archaic Al" established a unique persona for the line. This is a fun if self-serving book illustrated with tons of photographs, unpublished art and 19 original stories from the magazines. Particularly interesting is the section on Dr. Fredric Wertham, author of the notorious Seduction of the Innocent, with whom Hewetson struck up a tenuous friendship in the late `60s.
If you remember Skywald, it's a nice book.......2006-07-16
Skywald in the 70s was an imitator of the lowbrow but moderately successful B&W Warren comics magazines. I bought many horror comics way back then, so I had some Skywalds. This book is a nostalgic reminder of magazines long lost, just enough to remind the reader of what they once were. They weren't much, really.
If you're young and grew up in the 80s or 90s, you probably won't get much from this volume. If you were one of the few who were alive and buying comics in the 1970s, you may get a little kick from this book.
excellent read.......2005-09-29
I came across a stack of used skywald magazines when I was about 14. Being a fan of Warren publications and horror comics in general, I immediately snatched them up! I wasn't disappointed. The quality of these publications was much darker and more sophisticated than any of the type that I had read before. Anyway, throughout the years I would occaisionally pick up a used Skywald, although they rarely surfaced. The Headpress book is a pleasure,with plenty of reprinted stories, lots of art, and many great articles. This is a serious and exhaustive study of a truly innovative addition to the world of horror fiction. You will love it if you enjoy the genre.
Great if you like Skywald, otherwise..........2005-05-18
Let me start by saying that the presentation of this book is beautiful: sturdily bound, printed on thick, glossy paper and with an easy to read, clean layout. I am a huge fan of B&W horror comic magazines from the 60s/70s, but Skywald was never my cup of tea. I have around 10 original issues of Scream, Psycho and Nightmare, and never understood their charm compared to Warren's Creepy or even (gasp!) the absurdly awful yet always entertaining Eerie Publications line-up (as exemplified by Weird). My problem with Skywald's mags is they are just too "fanboy" or "hippyish" for lack of a better word... weird for the sake of being weird, arty for the sake of being arty, with pseudo-intellectual nonsense masquerading as "high brow" horror for 12 year olds. The stories (and sometimes the wild art) come across like drug-induced, incoherant underground comix but with just a bit more polish and professionalism to ensure they could stand a chance to compete with Warren's books. The artwork is by and large far better than I remembered it, though still no Corben or Wrightson (as seen in the Warren mags of the time). Many Horror-Mood stories (and "Archaic" Al Hewetson's in particular) either make little sense, are either painfully ridiculous or overly serious, and/or worst of all, fail to deliver a credible climax. Shoddy serial characters (like The Heap and the Human Gargoyles) are used to the detriment of the entire line, just as they were in Warren's ill-fated Eerie. This book is supposed to collect the "best" of the Skywald Horror-Mood tales (as chosen by the Skywald staff interviewed), but I haven't read a good one yet (and I'm still wading through them at the time I write this review -- frankly, I only remember two or three stories that were memorable from the ten issues I managed to collect in the mid-90s, having missed them as a child). Supposed classics such as "I, Slime", "Cannibal Were-Wolf" and "Tale of Horror" all fall flat; the first two due to a lack of character development and requisite building of suspense, and the latter because an otherwise excellent WW2 tale's "shocking" epilogue ranks as one of the most unbelievably stupid ever written. "Tale of Horror" would have been much better had it stayed within the realm of believability, ending with the messenger being killed and the orders from Hitler being revealed to be pure fiction (moving non-existent Wermacht or SS divisions rather than werewolves)... of course, then it wouldn't really have been a "tale of horror" for their 12 year old audience and been better suited for Warren's (by then defunct) Blazing Combat. Most stories seemed rushed and could have used an extra two to four pages each. Due to the excellent presentation and exhaustively researched detail that went into this volume, I give this book four stars, but the book did nothing to change my opinion about Skywald and the Horror-Mood. I guess I just don't "get" Skywald at all, and never will. At least I still have my nearly complete run of Creepy to keep me company!
appreciation of influential horror comics publisher.......2005-03-01
Alan Hewetson was the head of the publisher Skywald putting out horror-fantasy comics for a few years in the early 1970s. He died before the publication of this review of his short-lived but influential publishing company. Skywald's influence is seen today especially in the content and special effects in popular horror films. It's also seen, though not so clearly or directly, in how moods of fear and dread are created in many mainstream movies. Never straying from Hewetson's keen interest in exploring illustration for the horror genre, the Skywald periodicals had a lasting appeal only to its dyed-in-the-wool fans. For them, the Skywald comics with sensationalistic, macabre, imaginative illustrations developed what became known as its distinctive "horror-mood." This review of the important publisher in the history of this genre contains articles on the horror-genre style of writing, its art, particular themes, interviews with Hewetson, and memoirs of him and Skywald. Alternating with these are 19 original illustrated stories effectively evoking Skywald's distinctive "horror-mood" and demonstrating its range of comic art. For fans of the horror genre and students of this vein of popular culture, the book "stands as a time capsule for an independent publishing house that had a true visionary [i. e., Alan Hewetson] at the reins."
Average customer rating:
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Caricature and French Political Culture 1830-1848: Charles Philipon and the Illustrated Press (Oxford Historical Monographs)
David S. Kerr
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0198208030 |
Book Description
Charles Philipon (1800-1862) was the founder of the satirical illustrated press in France. With the newspapers he owned and directed, La Caricature and Le Charivari, he led an unprecedentedly coherent and vitriolic campaign of disrespect against King Louis-Philippe and his regime. Using a group of young caricaturists (the most talented of whom were Daumier, Grandville, and Travies) and the collaboration of a gifted team of writers (including Balzac) he crafted a new language of opposition. This book is the first full scholarly study of the structure of the illustrated press in the 1830s, its contribution to political debate in France, the dissemination of caricature and its potential as political propaganda, and the links between caricature and other forms of political-cultural discourse under the July Monarchy.
Average customer rating:
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Popeye: An Illustrated History of E.C. Segar's Character in Print, Radio, Television, and Film Appearances, 1929-1993
Fred M. Grandinetti
Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0899509827 |
Book Description
From comic strip hero to motion picture star, here is the history of Popeye, one of the best-loved cartoon characters. Animated series and films are examined, noting the different directions each studio took and the changing character designs of the Popeye family. Popeye in other media-comics, books, radio, and even a stage play-is thoroughly covered, as are Robert Altman's 1980 live-action film, and Popeye memorabilia.
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