As American as jazz or rock and roll, comic books have been central in the nation's popular culture since Superman's 1938 debut in Action Comics #1. In Comic Book Nation, Bradford W. Wright offers an engaging, illuminating, and often provocative history of the comic book industry within the context of twentieth-century American society. From Batman's Depression-era battles against corrupt local politicians and Captain America's one-man war against...

The "sepia artwork and lyrical prose" in this graphic novel biography "beat with a love for Guthrie's music and America's beauty" (Guardian, UK).
Using the sepia tones of the Dust Bowl as his palette, author and artist Nick Hayes tells the story of world-famous folk singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie. The tale starts in the 1920s when Guthrie was a teenager supporting himself in dried-up, post-boomtown Oklahoma. Picking up a harmonica...

From a brilliant and witty comic book aficionado, this "scholarly but lively narrative" (Kirkus Reviews) reveals the links between Jews and the iconic superheroes of Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby. Many of us know that the superheroes at the heart of the American comic book industry were created by Jews. But you'd be surprised to learn how much these beloved characters were shaped by the cultural and religious traditions of...

Recounts the story of the Boston Massacre, including the events that led up to British soldiers killing five colonists and how these events contributed to the beginning of the American Revolution.

"Batchelor offers an eye-opening look at the life of Stan Lee, the man who created (with talented artists) many of history's most legendary characters. Becoming the editor of Marvel Comics as a teenager, and toiling in the industry for decades, Lee threw caution to the wind and went for broke, co-creating the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and others in a creative flurry that revolutionized comic books for generations...

This book is a celebration of Superman's life and history in time for his 75th birthday. How has the Big Blue Boy Scout stayed so popular for so long? How has he changed with the times, and what essential aspects of him have remained constant? This biography examines Superman as a cultural phenomenon through 75 years of his action-packed adventures, from his early years as a social activist in circus tights to his growth into the internationally...

"The definitive biography of the beloved-often controversial-co-creator of many legendary superheroes, A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee presents the origin of "Stan the Man," who spun a storytelling web of comic book heroic adventures into a pop culture phenomenon: the Marvel Universe. Stan Lee was the most famous American comic book creator who ever lived. Thanks, especially, to his many cameos in Marvel movies and TV shows, Lee was-and...