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[CLOSED] Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics $100 or free
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51 posts in this topic

I would add a chapter on Spider-Man / AF15.  The way Lee and Ditko made a character that was more relatable than they ever imagined changed the very way they decided to make super hero books relatable to the person reading them.  Also Spider-Man is (at least retro-spectively) now the king of the entire silver age which doesn't seem represented in the book.

If they could reproduce those wonderful looking original pages so well, why can't marvel do it today without recoloring everything and using bright white glossy pages in all their reprints lol

Edited by 90sChild
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Honestly, allot of great ideas here.  I love the idea of the WWII covers. I would love a section dedicated to kirby or the SOTI chapter. 

To come up with a sort of original idea, how about a chapter about the comic code? How SOTI lead to the comic code, and how publishers tried to navigate horror crime and SciFi in the post CC world. That would be a cool segway to the resurgence of super heroes. 

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1 hour ago, Hudson said:

I like a LOT of great ideas already posted here.  Perhaps, someone needs to start work on a Volume 2 and include a number of these fine suggestions.

I would add one more chapter (to those already mentioned): Good Girl Art.

I do second on your suggestion. Someone need start a project to create a new sequel volume to the original volume ... assuming that someone have the experience with materials collected from all the suggestions posted here. Then find a company to print both volumes - reprint the first volume again (as 2nd printing) and the new second volume. Maybe a two volume slipcase set?

That would be a great addition for true comic book collectors with passion in learning about history behind the comic books. I would be a buyer for it.

Umm.... I would like to throw in a charter on the era period where the Atomic era turned to early Silver Age. At height of beginning of SOTI in middle. I feel there is some missing part with the little comic book companies and the artists/writers lacking historical information leading  to the birth of Silver Age era. This is the turning evolution period there. 

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I would add a chapter on the rise and fall, and further rise and fall of the impact of comic books and comic book characters on the USA, where comic books were invented and were a unique American art form.

In 1938 Action Comics introduces an almost totally new idea to most people and a new universe--the superhero. Superman takes the world by storm. Soon after many other publishers join in and many other superheroes appear just before a war and become symbols of, almost exclusively, American power.  Certain Superheroes become enduring parts of our culture- Batman, Superman, and to a lesser degree Wonder Woman and Archie . At the end of the war, other than the aforementioned few, almost all the others simply fade away, even Timely's mighty line up of Cap, Subby and Torch.  As if they never existed. Superman solidifies his already lofty position with a well regarded 1950s television program. All others seem to no longer be part of popular culture. SOTI casts suspicions on all superheroes, their action and intentions and sometimes even their sexuality.  Attempts at Resurrection of superheroes in comics seem a hit and miss proposition.  Later unforeseen force bring the complete return of the superhero--the baby boomers and a new youth culture.  Fantastic Four, Spiderman, the return of the 1940s heroes.  They return to the forefront of popular culture, with Batman tv series, and the Superman movies, and the Hulk TV series and plans for more in the future.  That takes us to the published date of 1981, more or less.

Edited by JohnnyR
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On 10/12/2020 at 12:52 AM, Ybmetluap said:

Perhaps I could pay $10 for the book and also pay for slow (low-cost) shipping.

Thanks for your offer, but this is strictly a freebie, and shipping is on me if the winner is in the US.  If you poke around the Intenet, it is relatively easy to find copies of this book elsewhere.

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Lots of great entries for me to choose from.  

Here's what I have so far.  Not sure which one I'll pick (but I'm sure it won't be McFarlane).

 

Golden Age Addict:  Marson & Wonder Woman
Ender:  Pre-hero Creators (Flessel, O'Mealia, etc.)
Cushing Fan:  SOTI books
Robot Man:  Misc. publishers like MLJ, Ace, Harvey and others.
Jginsberg79:  The evolution of comics from strips to comic books.
fast eddie:  Captain America and the political implications of such a character
www.alexgross.com:  McFarlane and his genius creation of Spawn.
AJD:  American comic books in foreign reprints
Jesse-Lee:  Plop! and its crossover appeal in horror and satire genres
OtherEric:  Feldstein-edited New Trend EC stories (not in the contest, but a great suggestion nonetheless)
ECDC:  The good and bad of CGC
Barth:  WW2 propaganda covers
KirbyJack: Jack Kirby
90sChild:  Spider-man/Amazing Fantasy 15
Marty Mann:  Bob Montana and Archie Andrews
KCOComics:  The Comics Code
Hudson:  Good Girl Art
Fan Boy:  Atomic Age becoming Silver Age
SkyPinkBlu:  Women in Comics
JohnnyR:  Rise and fall and rise and fall of the impact of comic books and comic characters on the USA.
143ksk:  MLJ/Archie

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3 hours ago, SOTIcollector said:

Lots of great entries for me to choose from.  

Here's what I have so far.  Not sure which one I'll pick (but I'm sure it won't be McFarlane).

 

Golden Age Addict:  Marson & Wonder Woman
Ender:  Pre-hero Creators (Flessel, O'Mealia, etc.)
Cushing Fan:  SOTI books
Robot Man:  Misc. publishers like MLJ, Ace, Harvey and others.
Jginsberg79:  The evolution of comics from strips to comic books.
fast eddie:  Captain America and the political implications of such a character
www.alexgross.com:  McFarlane and his genius creation of Spawn.
AJD:  American comic books in foreign reprints
Jesse-Lee:  Plop! and its crossover appeal in horror and satire genres
OtherEric:  Feldstein-edited New Trend EC stories (not in the contest, but a great suggestion nonetheless)
ECDC:  The good and bad of CGC
Barth:  WW2 propaganda covers
KirbyJack: Jack Kirby
90sChild:  Spider-man/Amazing Fantasy 15
Marty Mann:  Bob Montana and Archie Andrews
KCOComics:  The Comics Code
Hudson:  Good Girl Art
Fan Boy:  Atomic Age becoming Silver Age
SkyPinkBlu:  Women in Comics
JohnnyR:  Rise and fall and rise and fall of the impact of comic books and comic characters on the USA.
143ksk:  MLJ/Archie

Foiled again and not allowed an entry????? No Torch v Subby?

Villains are always discriminated against............ And they always return!!!!

 

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50 minutes ago, JB123 said:

Foiled again and not allowed an entry????? No Torch v Subby?

Villains are always discriminated against............ And they always return!!!!

 

You, good sir, were the victim of Doctor SloppyCopyAndPaste!  Somehow I left off the first three entries!  Never fear!  Captain PayAttentionToWhatYou'reDoing socked him squarely in the jaw!  My apologies.  Here's the actual list.  

JB123: Burgos & the Torch vs. Everett & Sub-Mariner
BS Damutantman:  All-American (...Comics, ...Western, ...Men of War)
Bejack3:   Stan Lee's abuse of content creators
Golden Age Addict:  Marson & Wonder Woman
Ender:  Pre-hero Creators (Flessel, O'Mealia, etc.)
Cushing Fan:  SOTI books
Robot Man:  Misc. publishers like MLJ, Ace, Harvey and others.
Jginsberg79:  The evolution of comics from strips to comic books.
fast eddie:  Captain America and the political implications of such a character
www.alexgross.com:  McFarlane and his genius creation of Spawn.
AJD:  American comic books in foreign reprints
Jesse-Lee:  Plop! and its crossover appeal in horror and satire genres
OtherEric:  Feldstein-edited New Trend EC stories (not in the contest, but a great suggestion nonetheless)
ECDC:  The good and bad of CGC
Barth:  WW2 propaganda covers
KirbyJack: Jack Kirby
90sChild:  Spider-man/Amazing Fantasy 15
Marty Mann:  Bob Montana and Archie Andrews
KCOComics:  The Comics Code
Hudson:  Good Girl Art
Fan Boy:  Atomic Age becoming Silver Age
SkyPinkBlu:  Women in Comics
JohnnyR:  Rise and fall and rise and fall of the impact of comic books and comic characters on the USA.
143ksk:  MLJ/Archie
Telerites: Pulp characters transitioning to comics (not in the contest, but another great suggestion) 
 

 

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11 minutes ago, Zonker said:

As SOTICollector noted, this book is pretty common, I believe I got mine off the remaindered stacks at Books a Million or some other discount place several years ago.

 

Try this eBay search, for instance

For some reason my brain thought those were softcover. I just bought one so you can remove my name as a potential winner but thank you for sharing!

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10 hours ago, SOTIcollector said:

Lots of great entries for me to choose from.  

Here's what I have so far.  Not sure which one I'll pick (but I'm sure it won't be McFarlane).

 

Golden Age Addict:  Marson & Wonder Woman
Ender:  Pre-hero Creators (Flessel, O'Mealia, etc.)
Cushing Fan:  SOTI books
Robot Man:  Misc. publishers like MLJ, Ace, Harvey and others.
Jginsberg79:  The evolution of comics from strips to comic books.
fast eddie:  Captain America and the political implications of such a character
www.alexgross.com:  McFarlane and his genius creation of Spawn.
AJD:  American comic books in foreign reprints
Jesse-Lee:  Plop! and its crossover appeal in horror and satire genres
OtherEric:  Feldstein-edited New Trend EC stories (not in the contest, but a great suggestion nonetheless)
ECDC:  The good and bad of CGC
Barth:  WW2 propaganda covers
KirbyJack: Jack Kirby
90sChild:  Spider-man/Amazing Fantasy 15
Marty Mann:  Bob Montana and Archie Andrews
KCOComics:  The Comics Code
Hudson:  Good Girl Art
Fan Boy:  Atomic Age becoming Silver Age
SkyPinkBlu:  Women in Comics
JohnnyR:  Rise and fall and rise and fall of the impact of comic books and comic characters on the USA.
143ksk:  MLJ/Archie

I’ve had this book too since it was first published. I think the lack of Timely heroes, romance and any of the other kids comics like Archie or Harvey’s were a glaring omission based on their popularity and sales at the time. Also EC comics should have been joined with the other pre code comics that took a bullet from SOTI. But 1981 was so different in collecting than today...

 

If only Steranko had gone on beyond his 2 volumes of the history...

Edited by N e r V
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