The Library of Comics:
Few books were published in the 1940s, 1950s and into the
1960s with an accurate portrayal of the history of comics. One had to rely on
old newspaper articles which are often incomplete or a handful of books that
were later to be proved very inaccurate. But that has changed now. There are
many books out discussing various aspects of the comic industry from its very
beginning to current times. Over the last half-century I have collected many of
those volumes which also includes runs of comic books and comic strips which were never
before available.
In the early 1960s, unlike DC, Marvel did not reprint a
great many stories from the 1940s in their annuals and reprint magazines. When they did republish a story, it was often altered due to Comics
There is one book that inspired this. It is The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer. It was an outstanding and unique book for it's time, 1964. It featured Golden Age heroes and stories from many companies.
But for now...
Let us begin with these Marvel bookcases:
Taschen Books
Often written by Michael J. Vassallo, Nick Caputo and me!
DC LIbrary:
Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Will Eisner and Romance Comics, Political Comics and Graphic Novels
Romance comics (bottom right) and Paperbacks
Eisner and Graphic Novels (Bottom right)
EC & Horror/Crime comics of the 1950s: Part 1
PS Publishing: Crime & Horror Part II
Archie
Disney & Comic Strips
Westerns
Bios, Reference & Creators
Various (Star Trek, James Bond & More)
Comic History
The Comic Strips
This is a bit difficult to show beccause many of the books are "hidden" from the front. So many photos are needed.
Charles Schulz, but not Peanuts, below
Movies, Serials, TV Shows etc
I will preface this by saying Barry is a very good friend of mine,this library is amazing. It is my library of choice. Whatever one is in the mood for there is something for everyone. I only have one problem I have to make sure that I have my library card whenever I go to his house.
ReplyDeleteBarry, Not only do I appreciate the depth of your library, I can honestly say I appreciate the WEIGHT too, since my brother John and I helped you to rearrange/move the books!! It is certainly an impressive and far-reaching collection.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously keep up with maintenance and dusting - cleanest collection i have seen. I would be so OC and try to put each book in its own plastic sleeve, or case, or at least put them behind a glass door or shield on those shelves and wall units.
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Pearl,
ReplyDeleteI'm not the type of person who usually posts comments online, but I wanted to congratulate you on your fine library of books on comics. Also, I have a question for you. Can you provide the name of a book that deals exclusively with ethnic minorities in US comics? I used to collect comics avidly a few decades ago. Now I'm thinking that, by and large, at least 99% of US comics were essentially a celebration of US Anglo culture. Do you know of any books that cover positive representations of minorities in comics? I'd be especially interested in books that cover comics published before 1970. Thank you for your time.
Hey friend, there's a comic history book called 'Invisible Men' by Yoe Books.
DeleteKrazy Kat's creator, George Herriman was black. There are a number of collections of his work, and a biography titled 'Krazy.'
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Black Panther first appeared in Fantastic Four in the 1960s. There are a number of collections of those issues.
And 'My Superhero is Black' by Marvel and Simon Schuster includes Black Panther.
Near 1970:
'Luke Cage, Hero for Hire' began in 1972. There are a number of collections.
Blade from 'Tomb of Dracula' first appeared in 1973. There are a number of collections of those issues.
Storm first appeared in the X-Men in 1975.
And of course many of the original comicbook creators like Siegel, Schuster, Kane, Finger, Kubert, Simon, Lee, Kirby, Eisner, etc. were Jewish Americans.
Good luck!
Before there were called omnibuses I think there were called "Legacy Editions" or something like that, and these were trade paperbacks that featured a collection of old comic books. I have a bunch of these trades like you, many in black and white. I have shifted to finding individual issues as a collectibles investor, easier to sell comics online that way.
ReplyDelete