Just who came up with Rex the Wonder Dog, anyway?

November 8, 2008 12:15 PM

I'm looking to learn more about the history of the comic book industry.

Although I've long had an interest in newspaper comic strips from the first half of the 20th century, and in the underground / alternative comics of the 70's, I've never had any interest in superhero stuff. But thanks to a good auction purchase of a big stack of golden-age comic books, I suddenly want to learn more about the history of the comic book industry.

I realize that most of what's out there will probably be superhero-centric -- and that's ok -- but bonus points for stuff that includes information on scifi/horror comics, war comics, funny animal comics / westerns...you get the idea.

Biographies or autobiographies would be ok if they included lots of information about the industry in addition to an individual artist.

posted by the bricabrac man to media & arts (11 comments total)

The documentary "Comic Book Confidential" is your first stop, I think.
posted by Class Goat at 12:27 PM on November 8, 2008

Also, the autobiography of Stan Lee.
posted by Class Goat at 12:29 PM on November 8, 2008

One absolutely fascinating series of articles I've seen is on Chuck Rozanski's website. Chuck is the guy who basically was handed the biggest single Golden Age find in history. He's a sort-of polarizing figure in the comics world, but if you're able to put aside some of his personality you'll find some interesting history on just how the comics business operated from a marketing and distribution point-of-view. His other huge score (the one that really put him on the map) addresses some of these topics in more detail.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:33 PM on November 8, 2008

Mark Evanier has some historical stuff on his website, and occasionally reviews/recommends books on comics history in his blog.
posted by equalpants at 12:42 PM on November 8, 2008

Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones is very good, though I do recall there being some contention about the veracity of some of the claims he makes. Still, highly recommended.

Comic Book Comics by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey (The guys who made Action Philosophers!), is fun and interesting romp through comic's history, although the art is a little sketchy at times. Four issues have been published so far, and excerpts can be read here.

Stan Lee's autobiography isn't very good. You'd be better off reading Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book, by Jordan Raphael and Tom Spurgeon.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 1:25 PM on November 8, 2008

Foul Play!: The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics! is a good read, providing bios of all the major contributor's to EC's legendary series, as well as vivid illustrations and a complete story from each contributor.

Recommended on-line resources include the aforementioned Mark Evanier, whose coffee-table bio of Jack Kirby is worth checking out, and Comics Should Be Good!'s Urban Legends Revealed feature.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 1:38 PM on November 8, 2008

If you can get your hands on them, the Steranko History of Comics (two volumes) are essential, even if some of the facts have been contradicted since their publication.
posted by kimota at 1:45 PM on November 8, 2008

More:

The Comic Book Makers, by Kirby collaborator and legend in his own right, Joe Simon, mostly biographical and anecdotal, IIRC.

Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America by Bradford W. Wright, a sociological/cultural look.

There have been biographies about Steve Ditko, Joe Kubert, and Milton Caniff published recently. I have not read any, but the Caniff one is almost 1000 pages long(!) and is written by The Comics Journal's RC Harvey, so I assume there is a lot of background information in the book that would be of interest even to someone who wasn't a fan of Caniff.

The various books published by TCJ's parent company Fantagraphics may also be worth checking out, as would TwoMorrows Publishing's various quality periodicals.

Also, Rex was created by Robert Kanigher and Alex Toth.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 2:04 PM on November 8, 2008

Thanks to everyone, especially Alvy, I'm researching all your recommendations. I've already bought a couple of them on eBay, and those Steranko histories are intriguing....will try to track them down at a reasonable price. I actually have (and really enjoyed) several of the ACTION PHILOSOPHER! comics, so I'll definitely go hunting for their new ones too.

I came across those Chuck Rozanski essays on his big finds before on metafilter, they are indeed absolutely wonderful reading.

Keep em coming!
posted by the bricabrac man at 4:40 PM on November 8, 2008

"Men of Tommorow" changed the way I view the comics I read as kid in quite a negative way.
posted by canoehead at 6:49 PM on November 8, 2008

"Men of Tommorow" is worth a read, as is the Ten Cent Plague by David Hajdu (which covers a lot of the same ground with more of a focus on Wertham).

Theres a fair few peices on comics history under the comics tag.
posted by Artw at 8:54 PM on November 8, 2008