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Title: Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America by Bradford W. Wright ISBN: 0-8018-7450-5 Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Thorough survey of the business and culture of comic books
Comment: In jargon-free, exuberant prose, Bradford Wright has written what may well be the definitive history of comic books. As Wright notes in his introduction, however, since his investigation is also a survey of mass adolescent culture, he properly focuses on "popular" commercial magazines--especially on superhero-themed comics--to the exclusion of newspaper funnies (like Dick Tracy and Li'l Abner), underground comics and graphic novels (such as works by R. Crumb and Daniel Clowes), and cartoon series for children (Archie and the Disney characters).
Painstakingly researched, "Comic Book Nation" is really three books in one. Wright provides both plot outlines and summaries of trends in subject matter, from the launch of Superman to the sinister underworld of the Watchmen. He also places those themes and developments in the larger cultural context, from Depression-era longings and liberalism, through the patriotism induced by World War II and the Cold War, to the anti-crime vigilantism of the Reagan era. Finally, he charts the multiple peaks and valleys experienced by the business itself: its unpredictable sales patterns, the unhappiness of its work force, the rise and fall of the largest publishers, and the takeover of the industry by corporate and licensing interests. Along the way, he examines the 1940s and 1950s backlash against the violent and sexual nature of comic books (which resulted in the Comics Code Authority, an agency of censorship unparalleled in its broad sweep and its power); the heyday of EC Comics, purveyor of classics ranging from "Tales from the Crypt" to "Mad Magazine"; and the brilliant, original creation of "Spider-Man" and the succeeding generation of reluctant, misunderstood heroes.
Wright wisely avoids making aesthetic judgments, and it's a tribute to his objectivity that readers would have a difficult time figuring out which series rank among the author's own favorites. Likewise, although Wright's left-of-center political judgments are on display throughout (and I confess I often found myself in agreement with him), he is consistently even-handed and empathetic when discussing the advocates of censorship (like Fredric Wertham) and the creators of more "patriotic" and even propagandistic comic books (such as Charlton Publications).
Not having read a superhero-themed comic book in years, I admit I was drawn to buy and read this book by Michael Chabon's "Kavalier and Clay," and I can confirm that this is a great book for readers of that novel who want to learn more. Although I imagine that some comic book fans (especially young readers) might find Wright's study long on analysis and short on comics, "Comic Book Nation" is truly a seminal contribution to the field of culture studies.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America!
Comment: Trained in historical studies, Wright has a decisive advantage in writing this survey. He beautifully ties together the development of comic books with political, economic, and sociocultural events (1930s-60s), showing impacts in both directions. The reader learns about comics promoting colonialism, the US side during WW II and the Korean War, postwar triumphalism, the Cold War, and 1960s movements. Wright's raw material is thousands of comic books and their stories, which he systematically links to the history of the times. However, Wright's lack of connection to the growing community of comics scholars results in some inaccuracies: specifically, that "virtually nothing scholarly had been written" about comic books and that not much attention has been paid to comics in a historical context (both assertions contradicted by a number of scholarly works he cites in extensive endnotes and a reference overview); and that no standard for the citation of comic books exists (such a guide, developed by a group of comics scholars in 1998, was published in International Journal of Comic Art and online). The book also contains some serious factual errors (e.g., Tony Isabella is not a black writer). Nevertheless, there is no denying this as an extremely significant link on the history of comics--professionally researched, systematically analyzed, and fascinating. All collections.
Rating: 5
Summary: Very easy to read
Comment: Since I am not a huge fan of comic books myself & was only required to read this book for a very interesting class, I was very pleased with how easy it was to read Dr. Wright's intriguing look at the comic book industry. I don't have a lengthy commentary to give, however, if you want to read a book which combines comic book history with a personal touch this is the book for you. It is very thoughtfully written. And it is the perfect book to give to readers who may be a bit ignorant when it comes to the ups and downs of the comic book industry.
It is especially important to read the introduction so you can see where Dr. Wright is coming from. He, along with his comic book collection, just may have been a contributing factor in the downfall of East Germany... One will never know.
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Title: How to Read Superhero Comics and Why by Geoff Klock ISBN: 0826414192 Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code (Studies in Popular Culture Series) by Amy Kiste Nyberg ISBN: 087805975X Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Pub. Date: 01 February, 1998 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us About Ourselves and Our Society by Danny Fingeroth, Stan Lee ISBN: 0826415407 Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group Pub. Date: 01 February, 2004 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Super Heroes: A Modern Mythology (Studies in Popular Culture) by Richard Reynolds ISBN: 0878056947 Publisher: Univ Pr of Mississippi Pub. Date: 01 March, 1994 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Aesthetics of Comics by David Carrier ISBN: 0271021888 Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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