COMIC BOOK NATION: THE TRANSFORMATION OF YOUTH CULTURE IN AMERICA. Bradford W. Wright. John Hopkins University Press. 2001. NOTE: This is the original version.
NOTE: As it has been noted that comics are a visual/script medium that closely resemble films, Great Old Movies will on occasion review comics and books about comics.
Wright writes intelligently [and without that awful, deadly, pretentious “academic” tone that ruins so many books from university presses] about the comic book industry, from the birth of the comic book to how they developed in WW 2, the controversy over gruesome crime comics such as Crime Does Not Pay, the comic book during the cold war, the re-ascendancy of super-heroes in the late fifties, the changes in the industry in the sixties and seventies, up to the emergence of comic book shops and direct sales to the fan since 1980. The book is both informative and entertaining, and Wright makes interesting observations, such as the way DC Comics would run brotherhood-type ads decrying prejudice in the 40's and 50's but all of the characters in their stories remained lily-white.
Verdict: Absorbing and a good read for fans and others. ***1/2.
NOTE: As it has been noted that comics are a visual/script medium that closely resemble films, Great Old Movies will on occasion review comics and books about comics.
Wright writes intelligently [and without that awful, deadly, pretentious “academic” tone that ruins so many books from university presses] about the comic book industry, from the birth of the comic book to how they developed in WW 2, the controversy over gruesome crime comics such as Crime Does Not Pay, the comic book during the cold war, the re-ascendancy of super-heroes in the late fifties, the changes in the industry in the sixties and seventies, up to the emergence of comic book shops and direct sales to the fan since 1980. The book is both informative and entertaining, and Wright makes interesting observations, such as the way DC Comics would run brotherhood-type ads decrying prejudice in the 40's and 50's but all of the characters in their stories remained lily-white.
Verdict: Absorbing and a good read for fans and others. ***1/2.
No comments:
Post a Comment