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mskaedepleaseforgiveme's review
As boring as the cover. Stops being a history after the chapter on Underground Comics. The book becomes a rant on how Underground Comics are morally and creatively superior to Mainstream Comics. Brief comic book artist bios and relevant controversies and synopsis of works. (Instead of showing pictures) are given. The only criterion for the artists inclusion seems to be sharing Dauber's progressive ideology no other context is provided about why they are included. Dauber even tries to connect the election of Donald Trump to the rise of rapes at comic book conventions. In case you are wondering how ideologically driven this book is.
ramsfan1963's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
An informative and detailed look at the origins and continuing evolution of comics, from cheap throw away entertainment to a real artform. I liked that the author didnt just dwell on DC and Marvel, but gave a lot of coverage to independent comics, underground comics, manga and the growing use of online comics.
agnewjacob120's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
A fascinating and well-written look at the history of comics, with a engaging voice and fair treatment of controversial subjects.
kevin_shepherd's review against another edition
4.0
From The Yellow Kid (1895) to Watchmen (1986), from Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in Slumberland) to Robert Crumb (Zap, Fritz the Cat, The Book of Genesis) and all points in between; 592 pages of dense text and not one goddamn illustration. But if you’re serious about the storied history of American comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels (and you are willing to google all your visual references) you have come to the right place.
jackphoenix's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Though suffering from a weak last quarter, feeling more like a checklist of recent events, the early, rich, and turbulent history of comics of all kinds shines through early on.
stormblessed4's review
Okay book, wrong time. I'll likely get back to it at some point.
dana_naylor's review
informative
slow-paced
3.75
VERY dense work on history of American comics.
Some fascinating information, but work suffers from chaotic timeline. One paragraph will talk about things happening in multiple works over multiple decades, so it was tough to keep track of what time period was being discussed. Serious endnotes makes additional research easy.
I do wish the book had had illustrations. I assume getting rights was a problem, but the book really would have been helped by them. Thankfully the internet is a tremendous resource.
Some fascinating information, but work suffers from chaotic timeline. One paragraph will talk about things happening in multiple works over multiple decades, so it was tough to keep track of what time period was being discussed. Serious endnotes makes additional research easy.
I do wish the book had had illustrations. I assume getting rights was a problem, but the book really would have been helped by them. Thankfully the internet is a tremendous resource.