Publisher: Taschen
SYNOPSIS:
In June of 1938, Action Comics debuted with a new kind of comic book character on its cover: A costumed man with two identities, who possessed extraordinary strength and powers, a man able to protect the public when ordinary measures would not do. He was not the first super hero, but the Man of Steel would become the prototype for all super heroes thereafter. Superman's story, and those of Batman, Wonder Woman, and hundreds of other DC Comics characters are all told in "The Golden Age of DC Comics". The single most comprehensive book on the subject, this volume traces the company's first decades, from its pulp origins up to the comic book burnings of the McCarthy '50s in over 400 pages bursting with comics, art, comics, photographs, and more comics. Plus an exclusive interview with legendary Sgt. Rock/Hawkman artist Joe Kubert! TASCHEN's series on "DC Comics" explores the origins of comics' most enduring legends and the behind-the-scenes stories of the men who created them, era by era. Expanded from the Eisner Award - winning XL book, "75 Years of DC Comics", this new series hits the shelf at a reader friendly size with essays updated by author Paul Levitz and over 500 new images across five volumes. Thousands of covers and interiors, original illustrations, photographs, film stills, and collectibles have been reproduced using the latest technology to bring the story lines, the characters, and their creators to vibrant life, making this an invaluable reference for comics fans.
REVIEW:
The early days of DC and their creation of much loved characters comes to the fore in a solid title that not only brings wonderful artwork to the fore but profiles and interviews with those behind the scenes. The book is informative and whilst I’m not as up on a lot of the characters within as perhaps I should be, I got to see a lot of the original costumes that occasionally make an appearance in today’s spin offs.
The book is written in a wonderful style with the author bringing a clear love of the subject matter to the fore but in such a way that its not an infodump but includes wonderful side anecdotes. Add to the mix a whole host of material that you may be unfamiliar with alongside the history and all round it’s a title that I really have loved reading through. Definitely something that’s going to be part of the pride of my graphic novel collection.
Publisher: Taschen
SYNOPSIS:
With super heroes nearly extinct at the start of the 1950s, DC Comics reignited the fire that would make them central to modern popular culture by infusing them with science fiction elements. To circumvent the limitations of the self-censoring Comics Code Authority, DC's writers and editors spun ever-more fantastic tales, bringing super heroes and Bob Hope alike into the realm of sci-fi. "DC Comics: The Silver Age" chronicles the transformation, with comics' first-ever "reboot" of Golden Age greats the Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman; as well as the increasingly wacky shenanigans of Batman, who was transformed into the reluctant spokesman for the camp sensibility of the '60s with a hit TV series that immortalized the "Dark Knight" as a pop culture icon for generations to come. Plus a new exclusive interview with Deadman/Green Lantern/Batman artist Neal Adams! TASCHEN's series on "DC Comics" explores the origins of comics' most enduring legends and the behind-the-scenes stories of the men who created them, era by era. Expanded from the Eisner Award-winning XL book, "75 Years of DC Comics", this new series hits the shelf at a reader friendly size with essays updated by author Paul Levitz and over 500 new images across five volumes. Thousands of covers and interiors, original illustrations, photographs, film stills, and collectibles have been reproduced using the latest technology to bring the story lines, the characters, and their creators to vibrant life, making this an invaluable reference for comics fans.
REVIEW:
As a fan of comics, I’ve always had a lot of fun reading the latest exploits of a lot of the DC characters, and whilst I am, primarily a Marvel Guy, its great to get a book that details the world of DC from the mid fifties into the seventies which brings some of the more familiar characters to the modern reader.
The book has tons of wonderful illustrations, great depth of knowledge and alongside bringing the people behind the characters to the forefront really fired not only my own imagination but gave me something to sit back and enjoy on so many levels.
Add to the mix some characters you may not be quite as familiar with as you should be, a wonderful presentation style that will please the reader and entertain alongside giving the reader a solid historical background (and to be honest I’m taking the authors word for it here rather than knowing too much personally) all round made this a book that I’ll be reading quite a few times. I really can’t wait to dive into the Bronze Age that is more my own personal history. Cracking.
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