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MEN OF TOMORROWJuly 30, 2005
MEN OF TOMORROW by Gerard Jones (Basic Books, 2004) bears the subtitle “Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book.” With a hook like that, how could an old funny book fan like me resist? I’m glad I didn’t. Jones has written the definitive history of the comic book in America. The stars of the tale are Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, the guys who created Superman and then lost him, but all the other giants of the field are here as well. (The stuff about Bob Kane, “creator of Batman,” would be hilarous if it wasn’t so tragic). Nor does he neglect the guys in the front office, who are usually just painted as the villains of the piece. A genuine work of scholarship and a wonderfully engrossing read, this makes a great companion piece to Michael Chabon’s novel, THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY, set in the same mileau. Anyone who ever loved funny books or superheroes needs to read this book. |
