Probably the best book ever written on the genre.

I have been reading comics since the early 1960’s and was then a DC fan. I am now more into the Marvel storylines but in my late 50’s still enjoy the superhero genre and comics in general so I was keen to read this book.

I got this as a present when it was first published and it has been sitting by my bed to read for some years. I read a lot and also download to Audible comic book related stuff. I must of read 10-20 books on comics, Marvel company, DC Universe and such like. However, this has to be the best written and most enjoyable book I have read.

It seems to have a slight Marvel bias but that didn’t spoil it for me. Well written, excellently researched and for the first time in ages I learnt stuff that I had never read or heard of before.

Its written in chronological order which it needed to be and covers the early genre from the comics in the newspapers, the Funnies as the American refers to them, right up to the film releases of 2012 of the Avengers and the Dark Knight from Marvel and Dc respectively. I have both the book and the Audible download and whilst both cover the entire book the Audible has the interviews by the writers which is an added dimension and I would recommend having both the book and the download.

The book does take a different slant on some member of the comics industry. For example read Marvel Comics - The Untold Story and Stan Lee takes a pasting. Here he comes out as the real saviour of Marvel and the instigator into the spin off movies etc. Good to get a different view of Stan in my eyes.

After reading the book I found that I had a new inspired interest in comics and the book refers to a number of classic stories which soon after the reference had me looking on eBay for a reading copy (No way will I pay top dollar for pristine copies I just want to read and share).

All in all, in my opinion, this is the best book on the genre I have ever read and I am starting again from the beginning of the book as I am sure I will enjoy it as much as I did first time or from hearing the Audible version.

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6 people found this helpful

Good overview of the history of US comics industry

Great mix of social history, the lives of main creators and review of the landmark stories/characters. Perfect "what really happened" book for people who loved Chabon's Kavalier & Clay and a good primer for those planning to jump into Grant Morrison's Supergods or Gerard Jones's Men of Tomorrow both of which are fantastic books which delve a little deeper into the darker corners of the history of the comic business.

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Amazing and Spectacular

"Superheroes! Capes, Cowls and the Creation of Comic Book Culture" explores the history of comic books and superheroes from the early 20th century and goes through every era of the medium until 2013. It looks at how comic books have been viewed by society and their influence on our modern pop culture.
As you could expect, there is a lot of attention put towards Marvel and DC Comics and we follow their journeys into the comic book powerhouses we know them as today but the book also goes into how Image Comics came to be, briefly, and other non-Marvel/DC heroes from Spawn to the heroes who came from the radio like The Shadow.
As a comic book reader who is more familiar with the Modern Age of comics (1985 to present), I found myself learning a lot about the development of the superheroes I take for granted and how other mediums helped flesh out said heroes from their comic book origins. It was especially good to hear from some of the comic book creators/writers/artists that have contributed significantly to the comic book medium. I really liked how interview clips from the original documentary this book is a companion of have been used in the actual audiobook and I got to listen to people like Stan Lee, Jim Lee and Grant Morrison occasionally.
This is an entertaining listen and I am very glad to have given this book a go. I'd recommend this to any comic book fans and readers out there who are looking for a catch-all history of comic books and superheroes or just for a casual read.

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