The American Comic Book Chronicles continues! Kurt Mitchell and editor Roy Thomas composed this volume about the 'Golden Age' of the comic book industry, a five-year period that presented the earliest adventures of such iconic super-heroes as Batman, Captain Marvel, Superman, and Wonder Woman. It was a time when America's entry into World War II was presaged by the arrival of such patriotic do-gooders as Will Eisner's Uncle Sam, Harry Shorten and Irv Novick's The Shield, and Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Captain America. It was when teenage culture found expression in a fumbling red-haired high school student named Archie Andrews. But most of all, the first five years of the 1940s was the age of the 'packagers' when studios headed by men like Harry A Chesler, Will Eisner, and Jerry Iger churned out material for a plethora of new comic book companies that published the entire gamut of genres, from funny animal stories to crime tales to jungle sagas to science-fiction adventures. These are just a few of the events chronicled in this exhaustive, full-color hardcover.
The American Comic Book Chronicles is an ambitious new series of full-color hardcovers, where TwoMorrows' top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today! John Wells covers all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details of comics in the JFK and Beatles era, including: DC Comics' rebirth of Green Lantern and Hawkman and the launch of Justice League of America. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's transformation of superhero comics with Marvel's Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, and other iconic characters! These are just a few of the events chronicled in this exhaustive, full-color hardcover. Taken together, the series forms a cohesive, linear overview of the entire landscape of comics history.
(W) Jason Sacks
NEW PRINTING! The American Comic Book Chronicles continues its ambitious series of FULL-COLOR HARDCOVERS, where TwoMorrows' top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today! Jason Sacks and Keith Dallas coordinate this volume on the 1970s, covering all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details of the emerging Bronze Age of comics! You'll get a year-by-year account of the most significant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends, including: the dawn of relevance with Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams' Green Lantern! Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga! Revisions to the Comics Code that opens the floodgates for monsters and the supernatural! Jenette Kahn's arrival at DC and the subsequent DC Implosion! The coming of Jim Shooter and the Direct Market! These are just a few of the events chronicled in this exhaustive, full-color hardcover. Taken together, American Comic Book Chronicles forms a cohesive, linear overview of the entire landscape of comics history, sure to be an invaluable resource for ANY comic book enthusiast!
The American Comic Book Chronicles continues its ambitious series! Jason Sacks and Keith Dallas cover all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details of the Bill Clinton years! The 1990s was the decade when Marvel Comics sold 8.1 million copies of an issue of the X-Men, saw its superstar creators form their own company, cloned Spider-Man, and went bankrupt. It was when Superman died, Batman had his back broken, and the runaway success of Neil Gaiman's Sandman led to DC Comics' Vertigo line of adult comic books. It was the decade of gimmicky covers, skimpy costumes, and mega-crossovers. But most of all, the 1990s was the decade when companies like Image, Valiant, and Malibu published million-selling comic books before the industry experienced a shocking and rapid collapse!
American TV Comic Books (1940s-1980s) takes you from the small screen to the printed page, offering a fascinating and detailed year-by-year history of over 300 television shows and over 2000 comic book adaptations across five decades. Peter Bosch has documented this amazing area of comics history, tracking down the well-known series (Star Trek, The Munsters) and the lesser-known shows (Captain Gallant, Pinky Lee) to present the finest look ever taken at this unique genre of comic books. Included are hundreds of full-color covers and images, plus profiles of the artists who drew TV comics: Gene Colan, Alex Toth, Dan Spiegle, Russ Manning, John Buscema, Russ Heath, and many more giants of the comic book world. Whether you loved watching The Lone Ranger, Rawhide, and Zorro from the 1950s-The Andy Griffith Show, The Monkees, and The Mod Squad in the 1960s-Adam-12, Battlestar Galactica, and The Bionic Woman in the 1970s-or Alf, Fraggle Rock, and 'V' in the 1980s-there's something here for fans of TV and comics alike.
The Best of Alter Ego Volume 2 presents more fantastic features from the fabled mag begun in 1961 by Jerry Bails and Roy Thomas, covering undiscovered gems from all 11 original issues published between 1961 and 1978.
The Best of DRAW!, Volume Three collects more of the best tutorials and interviews from DRAW!, the professional 'How-To' magazine on comics and cartooning! Featured here are the top artists in the comics and animation fields - penciling by Mike Wieringo, illustration by Dan Brereton, design by Paul Rivoche, cartooning by Bill Wray, inking by Mike Manley, and much more! Watch as the pros present their work step-by-step, offering valuable tricks and tips for both beginning and experienced artists. Editor Mike Manley has loaded this colossal volume full of invaluable information, making it a must-have item for anyone interested in improving their art skills!
(W) Keith Dallas, John Wells
In 1978, DC Comics launched a bold initiative to win over fans and retailers with an expanded line-up billed as 'The DC Explosion.' But mere weeks after its launch, DC's parent company pulled the plug, cancelling a slew of titles, and leaving stacks of completed comic book stories unpublished. Now, over 45 years after that 'DC Implosion,' TwoMorrows Publishing recalls one of the most notorious events in comics. with an exhaustive oral history from Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz, Len Wein, Mike Gold, Al Milgrom, and other creators and executives involved! Plus: detailed analysis and commentary by other top pros who were 'just fans' in 1978 (Mark Waid, Michael T. Gilbert, Tom Brevoort, and more)-examining how it changed the landscape of comics forever! This new Expanded Edition of the sold-out Eisner Award-nominated book explodes in full cover for the first time, with additional coverage of lost 1970s DC projects like Ninja the Invisible and an adaptation of 'The Wiz,' Jim Starlin's unaltered cover art for Batman Family #21, content meant for cancelled Marvel
In cooperation with DC Comics, TwoMorrows compiles a tempestuous trio of never-seen 1970s Kirby projects! These are the final complete, unpublished Jack Kirby stories in existence, presented here for the first time! Included are: Two unused Dingbats of Danger Street tales, Kirby's final 'Kid Gang' group, inked by Mike Royer and D. Bruce Berry, and newly colored for this book! True-Life Divorce, the abandoned newsstand magazine that was too hot for its time (reproduced from Jack's pencil art - and as a bonus, we've commissioned Mike Royer to ink one of the stories! And Soul Love, the unseen '70s romance book so funky, even a jive turkey will dig the unretouched inks by Vince Colletta and Tony DeZuniga. PLUS: There's Kirby historian John Morrow's in-depth examination of why these projects got left back, concept art and uninked pencils from Dingbats, and a Foreword by '70s Kirby assistant Mark Evanier!
TwoMorrows Publishing presents Marvel Comics in the 1980s, the third volume in Pierre Comtois' heralded series, which covers Marvel's final historical phase. The 1980s saw Stan Lee's retreat to the West Coast, Jim Shooter's rise and fall as editor-in-chief, the twin triumphs of Frank Miller and John Byrne, the challenge of independent publishers, and the weakening hold of the Comics Code Authority that led to the company's creative downfall. Comics such as the Chris Claremont/John Byrne X-Men, Frank Miller's Daredevil, the new wave of dark heroes such as Wolverine and the Punisher, and more are all covered, in analytic detail and often irreverent manner. The 1980s represented years of upheaval in the comics industry, so expect a bumpy ride in the 1980s decade that marked the beginning of the end of Marvel Comics as you knew them!
(W) Pierre A. Comtois (A) Various
This new volume in the ongoing 'Marvel Comics in the...' series takes you all the way back to that company's legendary beginnings, when gunfighters traveled the West and monsters roamed the Earth! The company's output in other genres influenced the development of their super-hero characters from Thor to Spider-Man, and featured here are the best of those stories not covered previously, completing issue-by-issue reviews of every Marvel comic of note from 1961-1965! Presented are scores of handy, easy to reference entries on Amazing Fantasy, Tales of Suspense (and Astonish), Strange Tales, Journey Into Mystery, Rawhide Kid, plus issues of Fantastic Four, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, and others that weren't in the previous 1960s edition. It's author Pierre Comtois' last word on Marvel's early years, when Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck, together with writer/editor Stan Lee (and brother Larry!), built an unprecedented new universe of excitement!
Ron Garney knows how to tell a story on the comics page. He can draw cinematic blockbuster action with the best of them, as his iconic runs on Captain America, Wolverine, and Weapon X will attest. But he also excels at depicting the quiet moments. There is emotional nuance in his work, which elevates every story he illustrates. Join authors George Khoury and Eric Nolen-Weathington-along with Jason Aaron, Tom Palmer, Alex Ross, and friends-as they present the art and career of Ron Garney, Modern Master! This book documents his stellar career by virtue of an exhaustive interview with Garney, where he explains his creative process, and presents a wealth of rare and unseen art, including a gallery of commissioned pieces, many in full-color. Like never before, this book lets you experience the work and wonder of this master of modern comic art: Ron Garney!
Plugged In features interviews with comics greats Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas and Elliot S! Maggin who speak candidly about the early days of Atari along with comics pros Jimmy Palmiotti, Chris Bachalo, Mike Deodato, Joshua Ortega, and Rick Remender discussing their work on the current generation video game hits! There are interviews with other artists and writers who made the leap to working in video games full time, including an in-depth interview with Trent Kaniuga (CreeD) about working as one of the architects of the long awaited Diablo III!
The Quality Companion provides the first dedicated look at the prolific Golden Age publisher which spawned a treasure trove of beautiful art and classic characters, including the 'Freedom Fighters' - Uncle Sam, Phantom Lady, Black Condor, The Ray, Human Bomb, and Doll Man - as well as Plastic Man, the Blackhawks, and others now under the DC Comics umbrella. The volume also covers the characters' revival from the 1970s to today, including Plastic Man's short-lived 1960s series, the Freedom Fighters' own 1970s series, plus the Ray and Black Condor series of the 1990s, up through the current versions of the characters at DC.
The Star*Reach Companion is a complete history and bibliography of the 1970s independent comic, highlighting its importance to the comics field. Star*Reach's influence was enormous, impacting nearly every aspect of modern comics and genres, and showcasing such creators as Dave Stevens, Frank Brunner, Howard Chaykin, Steve Leialoha, Walter Simonson, Barry Windsor-Smith, Ken Steacy, John Workman, Mike Vosburg, P. Craig Russell, Dave Sim, Michael Gilbert, and many others. Also included in the book is extensive information about independent magazines like witzend, Hot Stuf' and Andromedea that both preceded and followed Star*Reach in its mission to re-invent comics for a more mature audience.
The Team-Up Companion examines team-up comic books of the Silver and Bronze Ages of Comics-DC's The Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents, Marvel's Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-in-One, plus other team-up titles, treasuries, and treats in a lushly illustrated selection of informative essays, special features, and trivia-loaded issue-by-issue indexes. Go behind the scenes of your favorite team-up comic books with specially curated and all-new creator recollections from the all-star writers and artists who produced the team-up tales that so captivated readers during the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. By Back Issue and RetroFan editor Michael Eury.
You Can Build It is a new ongoing series of instruction books on the art of LEGO custom building, from the producers of Brickjournal magazine! These full-color books are loaded with Step-By-Step Instructions by some of the top custom builders in the LEGO fan community. Book Two is for intermediate-to-advanced builders, with even more detailed projects to tackle, including advanced Miniland figures, a miniscale yellow castle, a deep sea scene, a mini USS Constitution, and more!