Comic books in 'Comic History'

Add to cart Very Good $9.99

OnStar Commemorative Edition - 1st printing. Call him the Gotham Guardian, the Caped Crusader, or the Dark Knight -- Batman is one of the greatest comic book super-heroes of all time. Created in full collaboration with DC Comics, this comprehensive guide reveals details of all major characters, original comic book artwork, and the secret workings of key installments and equipment. Hardcover, 10 1/2-in. x 12-in., 128 pages, full color. Cover price $19.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $19.00

Add to cart Very Fine $15.00

1st printing.

Follow every punch, kick, twist, and turn of the Dark Knight's story in Batman: The World of the Dark Knight. Tracing Batman's entire career, with full detail of his significant adventures, battles, loves, allies, and enemies, this ultimate guide will leave nothing unexplored.

DK's Batman: The World of the Dark Knight includes everything from how Batman came to be created and how the character was developed through the decades to key events in Batman's life that have continued to develop his story over the years.

With a new, fresh look featuring intricate full-color comic book art, Batman: The World of the Dark Knight is a comic enthusiast's dream come true!

Hardcover, 9-in. x 11-in., 200 pages, full color.

Cover price $24.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $14.00

Add to cart Near Mint $14.00

Add to cart Fine $7.00

2nd and later printings.

Follow every punch, kick, twist, and turn of the Dark Knight's story in Batman: The World of the Dark Knight. Tracing Batman's entire career, with full detail of his significant adventures, battles, loves, allies, and enemies, this ultimate guide will leave nothing unexplored.

DK's Batman: The World of the Dark Knight includes everything from how Batman came to be created and how the character was developed through the decades to key events in Batman's life that have continued to develop his story over the years.

With a new, fresh look featuring intricate full-color comic book art, Batman: The World of the Dark Knight is a comic enthusiast's dream come true!

Hardcover, 9-in. x 11-in., 200 pages, full color.

Cover price $24.99.

Add to cart Very Good $6.00

1st printing.

By Will Brooker.

A work of scholarship and a labor of love.

A historical, detailed, deep analysis of Batman as a cultural icon in America. This isn't a simple polemic or surface-shallow analysis. This is deep stuff-analyzing art styles, histories, individual panels, cultural concepts, and historical documents. plenty of startling revelations and analyses This is a stunningly well-done, intelligent book. It's proof that comics are not throwaway ephemera, but real, vital, analyzable parts of our culture.

Over the sixty years of his existence, Batman has encountered an impressive array of cultural icons and has gradually become one himself. This fascinating book examines what Batman means and has meant to the various audiences, groups and communities who have tried to control and interpret him over the decades. Brooker reveals the struggles over Batman's meaning by shining a light on the cultural issues of the day that impacted on the development of the character. They include: patriotic propaganda of the Second World War; the accusation that Batman was corrupting the youth of America by appearing to promote a homosexual lifestyle to the fans of his comics; Batman becoming a camp, pop culture icon through the ABC TV series of the sixties; fans' interpretation of Batman in response to the comics and the Warner Bros. franchise of films.

Hardcover, 358 pages, Text Only.

Cover price $27.95.

Add to cart Very Fine $10.00

1st printing.

By Will Brooker.

A work of scholarship and a labor of love.

A historical, detailed, deep analysis of Batman as a cultural icon in America. This isn't a simple polemic or surface-shallow analysis. This is deep stuff-analyzing art styles, histories, individual panels, cultural concepts, and historical documents. plenty of startling revelations and analyses This is a stunningly well-done, intelligent book. It's proof that comics are not throwaway ephemera, but real, vital, analyzable parts of our culture.

Over the sixty years of his existence, Batman has encountered an impressive array of cultural icons and has gradually become one himself. This fascinating book examines what Batman means and has meant to the various audiences, groups and communities who have tried to control and interpret him over the decades. Brooker reveals the struggles over Batman's meaning by shining a light on the cultural issues of the day that impacted on the development of the character. They include: patriotic propaganda of the Second World War; the accusation that Batman was corrupting the youth of America by appearing to promote a homosexual lifestyle to the fans of his comics; Batman becoming a camp, pop culture icon through the ABC TV series of the sixties; fans' interpretation of Batman in response to the comics and the Warner Bros. franchise of films.

Softcover, 368 pages, Text Only.

Cover price $19.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

1st printing.

By J. Michael Straczynski.

For four decades, J. Michael Straczynski has been one of the most successful writers in Hollywood, one of the few to forge multiple careers in movies, television, and comics. Yet there's one story he's never told before: his own. Joe grew up in abject poverty, living in slums and projects when not on the road, crisscrossing the country in his father's desperate attempts to escape the consequences of his past. Joe found refuge in his beloved comics and his dreams, and his ability to tell stories and make everything come out the way he wanted it. But even as he found success, he could not escape a dark and shocking secret that hung over his family's past.

Becoming Superman lays bare the facts of his life: a story of creation and darkness, hope and success, a larger-than-life villain and a little boy who became the hero of his own life.

Hardcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 480 pages, Text.

Cover price $28.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

1st printing.

By J. Michael Straczynski.

For four decades, J. Michael Straczynski has been one of the most successful writers in Hollywood, one of the few to forge multiple careers in movies, television, and comics. Yet there's one story he's never told before: his own. Joe grew up in abject poverty, living in slums and projects when not on the road, crisscrossing the country in his father's desperate attempts to escape the consequences of his past. Joe found refuge in his beloved comics and his dreams, and his ability to tell stories and make everything come out the way he wanted it. But even as he found success, he could not escape a dark and shocking secret that hung over his family's past.

Becoming Superman lays bare the facts of his life: a story of creation and darkness, hope and success, a larger-than-life villain and a little boy who became the hero of his own life.

Softcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 480 pages, Text.

Cover price $18.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $36.00

Add to cart Near Mint $36.00

1st printing. By Aldo J. Regalado. Bending Steel examines the historical origins and cultural significance of Superman and his fellow American crusaders. The cultural conversation articulated through the nation's early heroic fiction eventually led to a new heroic type - the brightly clad, super-powered, pro-social action heroes that first appeared in American comic books starting in the late 1930s. Tracing superhero fiction all the way back to the nineteenth century, Regalado explores the roles played by creators, producers, and consumers in crafting superhero fiction, ultimately concluding that these narratives are essential for understanding vital trajectories in American culture. Hardcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 288 pages, Text (with B&W Chapter Illustrations and photos). Cover price $60.00.

Add to cart Very Good $10.00

1st printing.

Written by Marc Tyler Nobleman. Art and cover by Ty Templeton.

Every Batman story is marked with the words "Batman created by Bob Kane." But that isn't the whole truth.

A struggling writer named Bill Finger was involved from the beginning. Bill helped invent Batman, from concept to costume to character. He dreamed up Batman's haunting origins and his colorful nemeses. Despite his brilliance, Bill worked in obscurity. It was only after his death that fans went to bat for Bill, calling for acknowledgment that he was the co-creator of Batman.

Based on original research, Bill the Boy Wonder is the first-ever book about the unsung man behind the Dark Knight.

Hardcover, 8-in. x 11-in., 48 pages, Text (with full color illustrations and photos).

NOTE: "This is an absolute must read for any comic book fan, writer, and artist. Afterwards, seek out the documentary Batman and Bill. Here, the heartbreaking story of Bill Finger finally gets a much deserved happy ending." - Odinson, mycomicshop.com Archivist

Cover price $17.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $18.00

1st printing. By Ytasha Womack. Take an engrossing deep dive into the cultural influences of Black Panther, from the development of the Marvel Comics character in the 1960s to his current worldwide renown. Black Panther was created in 1966 by the legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the midst of the civil rights movement and just before the birth of the Black Panther Party. Subsequent creators have drawn from global history and the ever-evolving Black experience to breathe new life into the character, weaving in stories of both oppression and triumph. The Black Panther mythos has had an enormous impact on both comic creators and the people who have helped shape Afrofuturism. Hardcover, 9-in. x 10-in., 176 pages, full color. Cover price $30.00.

Add to cart Near Mint $26.00

Add to cart Near Mint $26.00

Includes Art Print - 1st printing. Cover by Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz and Elizabeth Breitweiser. By Dennis Culver. From his first appearance in Fantastic Four #52 (1966) to his current New York Times-bestselling solo series, the King of Wakanda has been a force to be reckoned with on the page and now, on the silver screen. A veteran Avenger and a member of the Illuminati, T'Challa's evolution from being a Jack Kirby and Stan Lee creation, to inspiring his own character-led film for Marvel Studios, to serving as a literal voice of the people and the state of race relations in twenty-first-century America has been legendary. As the first black superhero in mainstream American comics, debuting years before other industry heavy hitters like the Falcon, Luke Cage, and John Stewart (Green Lantern), Black Panther is a seminal note in pop culture history. This deluxe hardcover book not only covers the history and creation of the character but also features exclusive concept art, layout and sketch art, and interviews with key artists and writers from Black Panther's robust archives. Hardcover, 11-in. x 14-in., 184 pages, full color. Includes a 10-in. x 13-in. full color Art Print by Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Elizabeth Breirweiser. Cover price $45.00.

Add to cart Very Good $7.99

Add to cart Very Good $7.99

1st printing. By Dean Young and Rick Marschall. Introduction by Bob Hope. Chic Young's BLONDIE appears in more newspapers than any other comic strip character in history, and for more than fifty years has made us all laugh. In celebration, here is a glorious tribute to Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead, America's favorite family. Here's the behind-the-scenes story of the strip, and a colorful selection of the best of Blondie - all packed with fun, hilarity,sentiment and love. Softcover, 8 1/2-in. x 11-in., 144 pages, PC/PB&W. All Ages Cover price $10.35.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

1st printing.

Written by Ginger Wadsworth. Art by Craig Orback.

As a child, Charles Schulz split his free time between adventures outdoors with his friends and dog Spike, and daydreams and doodles inspired by the comics he loved to read. He longed to become a professional cartoonist, but saw his dreams deferred by unexpected challenges that laid ahead: military deployment to the European front of World War II, and the heartbreak of a family tragedy back home. Even so, Charles never lost sight of the hopeful joy of his early years and his love for Spike, both of which inspired Peanuts.

The comic strip went on to become the most popular and influential in comics history.

Hardcover, 9-in. x 11-in., 40 pages, full color.

Cover price $18.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $20.00

Add to cart Near Mint $20.00

Add to cart Fine $9.00

1st printing.

By Michael E. Uslan.

When he was 8, Michael Uslan fell in love with Batman. He watched unhappily as the dark, serious superhero he knew and loved was turned into a campy goofball in the '60s TV show starring Adam West, and in 1979 he purchased the film rights to Batman. After ten years of desperately pitching a film that no one wanted, he sold and then produced Tim Burton's critically acclaimed and phenomenally popular Batman.

Having produced every Batman film to date, Uslan recounts his story here, in a memoir that will draw in all the boys and girls (of all ages) throughout the world who love Batman.

Hardcover, 320 pages, full color.

Cover price $29.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $15.00

Add to cart Near Mint $15.00

6th Edition - 1st printing. Have you ever wanted to know where a specific DC Universe character 1st appeared, but thought that they were way too obscure to ever find out? In the Brent Clark Rogers Guide to the DC Universe, Brent has answered that very question for thousands of characters. Not just certain "ages," such as Gold, Silver, or Modern...but the whole shebang from 1935 to 2005. Not only every character, but also 718 teams and groups, each with every member that has ever been on the team. Including Gotham PD, for example, which has 114 entries. There are also entries for actors and actresses (81), attorneys (86), mercenaries (340), and the U.S. Army which has 322 members represented. There are also seperate sections on the over 1,000 planets in the DCU, as well as the 904 named extraterrestrial races that have appeared throughout the seven decades of DC comics. Think you'd like to know who all the Kents are, or Waynes? There is even a section on DCU families. This book has had favorable reviews from Tony Isabella, Capn' Comics Andrew Smith and Beau Smith on their respective websites. Buddy says: This amazing compilation isn't for the amateur or casual DC reader, but serious DC fans, as well as DC writers and artists, will find Brent's scholarship indespensible. Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8-in., 716 pages, Text Only. Cover price $40.00.

Fireside Book Series

1st printing. Collects Fantastic Four (1961-1996 1st Series) #5, Tales to Astonish (1959-1968 1st Series) #90-91, Strange Tales (1951-1976 1st Series) #126-127, Tales of Suspense (1959*1968) #65-67, Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998 1st Series) #39-40, Thor (1962-1996 1st Series Journey Into Mystery) #112-115, and Silver Surfer (1968-1970 1st Series) #3.

Written by Stan Lee. Art by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Sr., Gil Kane, and John Buscema. Cover by John Romita, Sr.

This volume in the amazing Marvel Origins series (Origins of Marvel Comics TPB, Son of Origins TPB, Superhero Women TPB) collects the origin tales of - Doctor Doom, the Red Skull, Green Goblin, Dormammu, Abomination, Loki, and Mephisto.

Softcover, 256 pages, full color.

Cover price $6.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $23.00

Add to cart Near Mint $23.00

Add to cart Very Fine $19.00

1st printing.

By Jochen Ecke.

In the 1980s, as comics readers grew older, fans started calling for more sophisticated stories. They were also no longer just following the adventures of popular characters; writers and artists with distinctive styles were in demand. DC Comics and Marvel went looking for such mavericks and found them in the United Kingdom. Creators like Alan Moore (Watchmen, Saga of the Swamp Thing), Grant Morrison (The Invisibles, Flex Mentallo) and Garth Ennis (Preacher) migrated from the anarchical British comics industry to the U.S. mainstream and shook up the status quo yet came to rely on the genius of the American system.

Softcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 300 pages, PC.

Cover price $39.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

1st printing.

By Steve O'Brien and Simon Guerrier.

This one-of-a-kind infographic guide to all things Buffy blends striking illustrations with a bounty of facts and stats that shed light on just about every aspect of the hit TV show. Full of fun insights and surprising details about the lore, characters, quips, and most legendary episodes, battles, and villains, this refreshing take on the Buffy-verse will delight fans old and new.

Hardcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 128 pages, full color. Cover price $16.99.

Add to cart Fine $14.00

1st printing. by Joe Adamson. Prefaces by Friz Freleng and Chuck Jones. "What's up, Doc?" Take a walk down Memory Lane and look back at the first five wonderful decades with that charming little troublemaker - Bugs Bunny. Hardcover, 8 1/2-in. x 11-in., 192 pages, full color.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

1st printing. By Glen Weldon. Since his creation, Batman has been many things: a two-fisted detective; a planet-hopping gadabout; a campy Pop-art sensation; a pointy-eared master spy; and a grim and gritty ninja of the urban night. How we perceive Batman's character, whether he's delivering dire threats in a raspy Christian Bale growl or trading blithely homoerotic double-entendres with partner Robin on the comics page, speaks to who we are and how we wish to be seen by the world. It's this endlessly mutable quality that has made him so enduring. And it's Batman's fundamental nerdiness - his gadgets, his obsession, his oath, even his lack of superpowers - that uniquely resonates with his fans who feel a fiercely protective love for the character. Softcover, 8-in. x 11-in., 336 pages, PC. Cover price $17.00.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.95

Add to cart Near Mint $8.95

1st printing. Collects material from AVENGERS, THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA: OFFICIAL INDEX TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #1-14. Get the complete history of the Sentinel of Liberty from his earliest WWII-era appearances all the way up to the present day. This book comes packed with synopses - introducing you to the characters, teams, places and equipment that appeared within; and providing vital information about all things Cap! Softcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8 1/2-in., 432 pages, full color. Cover price $24.99.

Add to cart Fine $7.10

1st printing. SHE CHANGED COMICS is the definitive history of the women who changed free expression in comics, with profiles of more than 60 groundbreaking female professionals and interviews with the women who are changing today's medium, including RAINA TELGEMEIER, NOELLE STEVENSON, G. WILLOW WILSON, and more! SHE CHANGED COMICS also examines the plights of women imprisoned and threatened for making comics and explores the work of women whose work is being banned here in the United States. A must for readers of all ages, students, and educators. Softcover, 176 pages, full color. Cover price $14.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

1st printing.

By Linda H. Davis.

The Addams Family is creepy and kooky, but believe it or not, the real Addams family was even more strange and outrageous than the beloved comic's characters.

In Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life, meet the legendary cartoonist behind the altogether ooky Addams Family in this first biographical exposé, written with exclusive access to Charles' Addams' private archives. Take a front-row seat to the widespread rumors and storytelling genius behind one of America's oddest and most iconic creators. Even as The Addams Family grew in fame, the life of Charles Addams remained shrouded in mystery. Did he really sleep in a coffin and drink martinis garnished with eyeballs? In reality, Addams himself was charismatic and spellbinding as the characters he created. Discover the real stories behind Addams' most famous, and most private drawings, including the cartoon that offended the Nazis. From his dazzling love for sports cars and beautiful women-Jackie Kennedy and Joan Fontaine among them-to the darkest relationship of his life, this witty book reveals Addams' life as never before.

With rare family photographs, classic and previously unpublished cartoons, and private drawings accompanying this portrait of Charles Addams, Linda H. Davis provides a fascinating journey into the life of a beloved American icon.

Softcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 400 pages, Text (with B&W Photos and Illustrations).

Cover price $18.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $18.00

1st printing. The early 1980s saw a revolution in mainstream comics - in subject matter, artistic integrity, and creators' rights - as new methods of publishing and distribution broadened the possibilities. Among those artists utilizing these new methods, Chester Brown quickly developed a cult following due to the undeniable quality and originality of his Yummy Fur (1983-1994). Chester Brown: Conversations collects interviews covering all facets of the cartoonist's long career and includes several pieces from now-defunct periodicals and fanzines. Softcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 284 pages, B&W. Cover price $30.00.

Add to cart Near Mint $14.00

Add to cart Near Mint $14.00

1st printing. Written by Nicky Wright and Joe Kubert. The world has never seen the like of the American comic book. In their heyday, the top 500 comics sold over 60 million copies a month, and are still avidly collected. Taking us from the 1930s into the 1950s, Nicky Wright tells the fascinating story of the rise of this highly creative popular art form through its decline due to the self-censorship imposed by Congress and the churches. Highly illustrated with a huge range of front covers, comic strips, and images of the characters, the book also covers the personalities who wrote, drew, and edited these classics. Softcover, 9-in. x 12-in., 240 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $24.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $41.00

1st printing. Written by William Jones. This work gives attention to the evolving mission of Classics Illustrated to bring serious literature to popular culture; the publication's ability to stand up to the anti-comics hysteria of the early 1950s; the growth of subsidiary educational series encompassing folklore, mythology, history, and science; and the unsuccessful attempts to revive the series in the 1990s. Hardcover, 284 pages, B&W.

Add to cart Very Good $5.30 View scans Staple rust: Moderate.

Lone Ranger Cover - Collage was Fanzine published Bi-weekly by The SFCA (Science Fiction Club of America). Edited by G.B. Love. Featuring comic strips, articles, artwork, and news. Topics covered include science fiction to pulp adventures to westerns and everything in-between placing the spotlight on such classic characters as Tarzan, the Lone Ranger, Flash Gordon, and more! Newsprint (Saddle-Stitched/Stapled), 8-in. x 11-in., 16 pages, B&W. NOTE: Most issues of COLLAGE were sent to subscribers folded. It's rare to find uncreased copies. Cover price $0.65.

Add to cart FN 6.0 $8.00

Batman and Robin Cover - Collage was Fanzine published Bi-weekly by The SFCA (Science Fiction Club of America). Edited by G.B. Love. Featuring comic strips, articles, artwork, and news. Topics covered include science fiction to pulp adventures to westerns and everything in-between placing the spotlight on such classic characters as Tarzan, the Lone Ranger, Flash Gordon, and more! Newsprint (Saddle-Stitched/Stapled), 8-in. x 11-in., 16 pages, B&W. NOTE: Most issues of COLLAGE were sent to subscribers folded. It's rare to find uncreased copies. Cover price $0.65.

Add to cart Very Good $6.00

1st Edition - 2nd and later printings. "The First History of Modern Comic Books!" By Will Jacobs and Gerard Jones. This is the first history of modern comic books. From 1956 to the early 1980s, this volume covers it all. Softcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 292 pages, Text (with B&W Chapter Illustrations). Cover price $11.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

Add to cart Near Mint $7.00

1st printing. Collects Comic Book History of Animation (2020 IDW) #1-6.

Written by Fred Van Lente. Art and cover by Ryan Dunlavey.

From the team behind The Comic Book History of Comics comes the perfect companion piece telling the story of the triumphs and tragedies of the filmmakers and beloved animated characters of the past century and a half - essential for hardcore fans of the medium and noobies alike! It's all here, from Aardman to Zoetrope, Disney to Miyazaki, Hanna-Barbera to Pixar, and everything in-between!

Begin in the early 1900s with J. Stuart Blackton and the first American cartoon, Winsor McCay's Gertie the Dinosaur, and Felix the Cat! Find out about Margaret Winkler, the most powerful person in early animation, and Walt Disney, who revolutionizes cartoons with sound and color! Discover how Fleischer Studios teaches us to sing "Boop-boop-a-doop" and eat our spinach, and how Warner Bros' Looney Toons rivaled Disney's Silly Symphonies! Plus, icons of animation including Hanna-Barbera, Huckleberry Hound, The Flintstones, and Ruby-Spears; the Plastic Age of toy-based TV shows including G.I. Joe, Transformers, and He-Man; and the new Golden Age of TV animation launched by The Simpsons!

And go abroad to France with Emile Cohl's dynamic doodles in Fantasmagorie; to Japan, where Momotaro debuts the first full-length anime, Divine Sea Warriors, and Osauma Tezuka conquers TV as he conquered manga; and to Argentina, which beat out Snow White for the first feature length animated movie by two decades! And finally, Jurassic Park and the computer animation revolution! Post-Little Mermaid Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli conquer the world!

If you've ever wanted to know more about the history of animation but were afraid to ask, this book is especially for you!

Softcover, 120 pages, full color.

Cover price $17.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $21.00

Vanguard Revised Edition - 1st printing. By Joe Simon and Jim Simon. The Comic Book Makers tells the real stories of the Golden Age era, written by a leading participant of the age! Joe Simon tells the compelling, definitive history of the creators. Meet the crime comics editor who would himself be accused of a gruesome murder, the horror artist who was periodically released from a mental hospital in order to meet his publishing deadlines, the famous Senator Estes Kefauver, whose subcommittee investigated comic books as a cause of juvenile delinquency, and dozens of other fascinating personalities! Hardcover, 8 1/2-in. x 11-in., 192 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $34.95.

Add to cart Very Good $4.30

Vanguard Revised Edition - 1st printing. By Joe Simon and Jim Simon. The Comic Book Makers tells the real stories of the Golden Age era, written by a leading participant of the age! Joe Simon tells the compelling, definitive history of the creators. Meet the crime comics editor who would himself be accused of a gruesome murder, the horror artist who was periodically released from a mental hospital in order to meet his publishing deadlines, the famous Senator Estes Kefauver, whose subcommittee investigated comic books as a cause of juvenile delinquency, and dozens of other fascinating personalities! Softcover, 8 1/2-in. x 11-in., 192 pages, PC/PB&W Cover price $19.95.

Add to cart Very Good $9.99

1st printing. By Bradford W. Wright. An engaging, illuminating, and provocative history of comic books as both a medium of artistic expression and an industry, Comic Book Nation traces the ways in which comic books have reflected national events and attitudes. This paperback edition features a new postscript scribed by author Wright detailing industry developments in the 1990s as well as a new chapter - "Spider-Man at Ground Zero" - exploring the response of comic book artists to the 9/11 tragedy. Softcover, 352 pages, Text (with B&W Chapter Illustrations and photos). Cover price $19.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $6.00

Add to cart Fine $7.20

1st printing. By William W. Savage. COMIC BOOKS AND AMERICA measures a remarkably popular medium's reflection of social and political problems during a troubled period in American history. Hardcover, 5 1/2-in. x 8-in., 152 pages, Text (with B&W Illustrations).

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

1st printing. Written by Rob Salkowitz. For those with a keen eye, the annual Comic-Con International serves as a showcase for trends in technology, demographics, and globalization that shape economic development. Award-winning business author and futurist Rob Salkowitz refers to it as a "massive focus group and marketing megaphone" for Hollywood, and in Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture, he examines the business of popular culture through the lens of Comic-Con. He offers an entertaining but substantive look at the show, providing a close look at the comic-book and videogame industries' expanding influence on marketing, merchandising, and the entertainment industry. Hardcover, 304 pages, Text (with color and B&W photographs) Cover price $27.00.

Add to cart Near Mint $10.00

Add to cart Near Mint $10.00

1st printing. By Morgan Spurlock. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, TV producer Joss Whedon, comic book legend Stan Lee, online film guru Harry Knowles, and producer Thomas Tull are the brains behind Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope, the feature-length documentary on the ever-growing influence Comic-Con has over comics, film, television, and pop culture. This companion book offers an in-depth look at the experience of Comic-Con: what it is, what goes on, and how it became the quintessential center of American pop culture. Hardcover, 9-in. x 12-in., 192 pages, full color. Cover price $24.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $23.00

1st printing. By Dan Mazur and Alexander Danner. Comics, manga, bandes dessinées, fumetti, tebeo, historietas - no matter the name, they have been a powerful medium across four continents for decades. This is the history of comics around the world from the late 1960s to the dawn of the 21st century. The images here are bright and colorful, dark and brooding, arresting and pleasant, all at the same time. An unprecedented collection includes around 260 expertly chosen illustrations, many reproduced in full-page format for more sophisticated analysis. In showing us both post-apocalyptic dreamscapes and portraits of the everyday, Comics looks at this thirty-plus year period through a very unique lens. Softcover, 304 pages, full color. Cover price $39.95.

Add to cart Very Good $7.99

1st printing.

By Durwin S. Talon.

Whether youre a comics artist looking for new avenues to market your talents, or a fan curious about how pros make a living outside the field, this is the book for you! Comics tremendous effect on popular culture is now felt in other storytelling mediums, and many artists are finding more and more work beyond the four-color page.

Assembled in COMICS ABOVE GROUND are top comics professionals talking about their inspirations and training, and how they apply it in Mainstream Media, including: Conceptual Illustration, Video Game Development, Childrens Books, Novels, Design, Illustration, Fine Art, Storyboards, Animation, Motion Pictures and other media. In it, Bruce Timm, Bernie Wrightson, Adam Hughes, Louise Simonson, Dave Dorman, Greg Rucka and other creators share their perspectives and their work in both comics and their other professions.

This book also boasts career overviews, never before seen art, and interviews, as well as featuring the creators favorite works in comics!

Softcover (Horizontal Format), 11-in. x 8-in., 160 pages, B&W.

Cover price $19.95.

Add to cart VG 4.0 $12.00

1st printing. Written by Jerry Robinson. Art by Walt Kelly, Winsor McCay, Milt Caniff and Hal Foster. From Jerry Robinson, legendary creator of the Joker and prominent figure in monthly books, daily strips, and comics journalism, comes a comprehensive history of the truly American art form! The Comics chronicles the origins and evolution of comic strips, from prior to the Yellow Kid through today, and highlights the game-changing contributions of such creative luminaries as Milton Caniff, Walt Kelly, Hal Foster, and Winsor McCay, among countless others. A fascinating resource of enduring excellence for fans of the art form, historians, and casual readers alike. The Comics is an authoritative history of the medium from living legend Jerry Robinson! Softcover, 9-in. x 12-in., 256 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $6.95.

Add to cart Very Good $5.10

1st printing. By Reinhold Reitberger and Wolfgang Fuchs. The first detailed history of the comics as art, entertainment, industry, and reflection of our culture, featuring - The Angel, Aquaman, Archie, Barbarella, Batman, Buck Rogers, Captain America, Daredevil, Donald Duck, Flash Gordon, Fritz the Cat, Green Hornet, Iron Man, Little Nemo, Mandrake the Magician, the Phantom, Rin Tin Tin, Silver Surfer, Terry and the Pirates, the Viking Prince, Wonder Woman, the Yellow Kid, Zorro, and many more! Includes over 300 illustrations! Softcover, 9-in. x 12-in., 264 pages, B&W. Cover price $6.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $33.00

1st printing. By Hannah Miodrag. Hannah Miodrag challenges many of the key assumptions about the "grammar" and formal characteristics of comics and offers a more nuanced theoretical framework that she argues will better communicate. Through engaging close readings and accessible use of theory, this book exposes the problems in previous critical takes. Hardcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 240 pages, Text (with B&W illustrations).

Add to cart Near Mint $18.00

1st printing.

How comics, graphic novels, and sacred texts work in concert to expand our sense of the holy. Comics and Sacred Texts explores how comics and notions of the sacred interweave new modes of seeing and understanding the sacral. Comics and graphic narratives help readers see religion in the everyday and in depictions of God, in transfigured, heroic selves as much as in the lives of saints and the meters of holy languages. Coeditors Assaf Gamzou and Ken Koltun-Fromm reveal the graphic character of sacred narratives, imagining new vistas for both comics and religious texts.

Softcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 288 pages, B&W.

Cover price $30.00.

Add to cart Near Mint $33.00

1st printing. A wide-ranging survey of how comics have portrayed Southern ways of life, these essays seek to discover what Captain America can reveal about Southern regionalism, and how slave narratives can help us reread Swamp Thing; others examine how creators such as Walt Kelly (Pogo), Howard Cruse (Stuck Rubber Baby), Kyle Baker (Nat Turner), and Josh Neufeld (A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge) draw upon the unique formal properties of the comics to question and revise familiar narratives of race, class, and sexuality. Hardcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 304 pages, B&W. Cover price $55.00.

Add to cart Near Mint $21.00

Add to cart Very Fine $20.00

1st printing. By Paul Gravett. The narrative possibilities of comics art and the accessibility of the form have made it one of the more innovative contemporary genres. Self-publishing and the Internet have given rise to new, autobiographical forms and an increasing number of authors draw from outside the mainstream, whether sexually, ethnically, or politically. In this richly illustrated and accessible survey, acclaimed author Paul Gravett considers the vast output of comics culture from the late 19th century to today, including syndicated comics, graphic novels, and contemporary art and illustration. From foundational masterpieces such as Rodolphe Topffer's and Wilhelm Busch's albums, George McManus's Art Deco Bringing Up Father, and Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon to the later retro stylings of Robert Crumb, Gravett considers lines of influence from around the world and examines how comics have shifted from supporting the status quo to becoming the voice of alternative subcultures. Gravett traces the major themes taking place in contemporary comics, noting the rise of publications that function as questioning, transgressive outlets for outsider stories and ideas, and includes the ways that folk art traditions are reinvigorating the form. Hardcover, 8-in. x 11-in., 144 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $35.00.

Add to cart Near Mint $39.00

1st printing. BY John A Lent and Xu Ying. In the most comprehensive and authoritative source on this subject, Comics Art in China covers almost all comics art forms in mainland China, providing the history from the 19th-century to the present as well as perspectives on both the industry and the art form. Hardcover, 8-in. x 11-in., 288 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $65.00.

Add to cart Very Good $8.00

2nd and later printings.

By Steve Duin and Mike Richardson.

This lavish volume takes an in-depth look at the history of comics in a manner decidedly unlike the dry timelines and profiles of most reference-style titles. Via alphabetical entries, the authors take an irreverent, often hilarious, behind-the-scenes look at creators, companies, characters, collectors, and conventions, pulling no punches when exposing some of the darker sides of the industry. Containing countless stories gleaned from over 150 interviews of comics industry veterans, Comics Between the Panels is loaded with more than half a century of insider information on the talented and eccentric creators who forged the comics industry and art form. Featuring 670 illustrations and photos -- including dynamic and bizarre cover art compiled under such curious headings as Atomic Bombs, Death with Indignity, Gorillas, Headlights, Hooded Menaces, and Skulls -- Comics Between the Panels will entertain and enlighten the hardcore comic collector as well as the casual reader with an eye for pop-culture curiosity.

Hardcover, 9-in. x 11-in., 500 pages, full color (with Photos).

Cover price $34.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $14.00

1st printing. Respected anthologist Leonard S. Marcus turns his literary microscope to the world of comics, which has lately morphed and matured at a furious pace. Powerful influences from manga to the movies to underground comix have influenced the thirteen artists and writers interviewed in these pages to create their own word-and-picture narratives. Here are their moving, funny, inspirational stories: true tales from the crucible of creative struggles that led each to become a master of one of today's most vibrant art forms. Featuring interviews with: Harry Bliss, Catia Chien, Geoffrey Hayes, Kazu Kibuishi, Hope Larson, Danica Novgorodoff, Matt Phelan, Dave Roman, Mark and Siena Cherson Siegel, James Sturm, Sara Varon, and Gene Luen Yang. Hardcover, 6-in. x 9-in., 192 pages, full color. Cover price $24.99.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

1st printing.

By Françoise Mouly.

Filled with activities, Comics: Easy as ABC is a fun way for young readers to effortlessly and playfully start thinking like writers and artists.

This simple guide is also aimed at parents, teachers, and librarians: all will enjoy learning the ABCs of this popular and rapidly growing medium. Children kindergarten-age and up are shown how to use basic shapes to make faces, eyes, noses, and design their own characters. Ivan Brunetti's funny and incisive advice on the language of comics (panels, lettering, balloons, and so much more) naturally leads budding artists and writers into thinking about their characters, settings, and prompts.

A section with essential tips on how to read comics with young children rounds out the package.

Hardcover, 8-in. x 11-in., 56 pages, full color. All Ages.

Cover price $16.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $6.95

Add to cart Very Fine $5.49

1st printing.

By Françoise Mouly.

Filled with activities, Comics: Easy as ABC is a fun way for young readers to effortlessly and playfully start thinking like writers and artists.

This simple guide is also aimed at parents, teachers, and librarians: all will enjoy learning the ABCs of this popular and rapidly growing medium. Children kindergarten-age and up are shown how to use basic shapes to make faces, eyes, noses, and design their own characters. Ivan Brunetti's funny and incisive advice on the language of comics (panels, lettering, balloons, and so much more) naturally leads budding artists and writers into thinking about their characters, settings, and prompts.

A section with essential tips on how to read comics with young children rounds out the package.

Softcover, 56 pages, full color. All Ages.

Cover price $9.99.

Add to cart Fine $11.75

1st printing. This volume chronicles the continuing expanding mutant universe and its impact on comics as a whole. Includes an introduction to the original X-Men, a look at the "Claremont Revolution", the debut of the New Mutants, the Marvel Mutant Universe, and the X-Men's Canadian cousins, Alpha Flight. Softcover, 8 1/2-in. x 11-in., 58 pages, B&W. Cover price $5.95.