Comic Memoirs

You might know Mo as the critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, BAFTA-winning presenter, Masked Singer judge and social media mega star. But do you know the moments that really made him? Opening up on the turning points, the good times, the challenges and the lessons learned, this is Mo as you've never seen him before.

Enter our heroes. Dark Guardian chases off an angry drug dealer in Manhattan. Mr. Xtreme charges in and breaks up a San Diego bar brawl. T. O. Ronin hugs a homeless man on the snowy streets of Toronto. These aren't the big-screen or comic-book heroes that have been increasingly dominating pop culture. They're real-life superheroes: individuals who take on masked personae to fight crime and help the helpless. They don't have superpowers, but they do try to make the world a better place.

As a movie actress Lucille Ball was, in her own words, "queen of the B-pluses." But on the small screen she was a superstar - arguably the funniest and most enduring in the history of TV. In this exemplary biography, Stefan Kanfer explores the roots of Lucy's genius and places it in the context of her conflicted and sometimes bitter personal life.

This illuminating biography focuses as much on Stan Lee's ideas as it does on his unlikely rise to stardom. It surveys his cultural and religious upbringing and draws surprising connections between celebrated comic book heroes and the ancient tales of the Bible, the Talmud, and Jewish mysticism. Was Spider-Man just a reincarnation of Cain? Is the Incredible Hulk simply Adam by another name? From close readings of Lee's work to little-known anecdotes from Marvel's history, the book paints a portrait of Lee that goes much deeper than one of his signature onscreen cameos.

Road Dog is comedian, actor, and writer, Dov Davidoff's unflinching memoir told through reflections of twelve months on the road. Davidoff travels across the country from college campuses to local theaters doing stand-up comedy and telling it like it is. He's been known to wax poetic about everything from encounters with large fake breasts, to people who have too many kids, to magnum condoms the size of CD cases. He is hilarious and relatable and will have you laughing at yourself in no time.

We Bombed in New London tells the true story of one man's tenacious fight to get his musical mounted. From its romantic inception to its eventual demise and then the score's resurrection in cabarets and recordings, this audiobook takes you on a journey through the ups and downs of the theatrical world with all its excitement, disappointment, laughter, and hope.

Award-winning writer Bill Schelly relates how comics and fandom saved his life in this engrossing story that begins in the burgeoning comic fandom movement of the 1960s and follows the twists and turns of a career that spanned 50 years. Schelly recounts his struggle to come out at a time when homosexuality was considered a mental illness, how the egalitarian nature of fandom offered a safe haven for those who were different, and how his need for creative expression eventually overcame all obstacles.

Michael E. Uslan, executive producer of the Batman movie franchise, offers an insider’s look at Hollywood and the process of how movies and television shows go from the drawing board to your screens. Continuing the delightful tale of his adventures begun in The Boy Who Loved Batman, Uslan draws on both his successful and less successful attempts to bring ideas to the screen, offering a helpful, honest, and breezily told guide to producing films.

In this insightful and provocative book, comics-industry veteran Danny Fingeroth explores the backgrounds of the most well-known superheroes and their creators—largely young American Jewish men from Eastern European backgrounds. These innovators include Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Will Eisner, and Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In Disguised as Clark Kent, Fingeroth explores how the creators’ Jewish backgrounds helped make superheroes the most familiar popular-culture icons of all.

This compilation audiobook includes material from Tom Bodett's previous books As Far As You Can Go Without a Passport and Small Comforts.You'll hear's many of his most beloved stories. With a gentle wit and a warm-hearted spirit, he shares his humorous perspectives - with an occasional glimpse into a darker side - on the way we live.

This is the first audiobook of its type to be released in North America. Road Stories of the Real Highway Comics takes a hard, comical look at the world of stand-up comedy from veteran Canadian stand-up comic, author, and voice-over artist Bryan Cox. If you've thought it might be fun to be a comedian, this audiobook is a must listen. Or, if you've wondered what that life is like, Road Stories uses humor to lay it all out for you.

Red Diaper Baby includes three comic autobiographical monologues by performer Josh Kornbluth: "The Mathematics of Change", "Haiku Tunnel", and the title piece. Together, and with the author's introduction, the monologues compose a bildungsroman that is both comic and poignant. Kornbluth shows a deep affection for the wild, eccentric characters who people his universe. With a few deft strokes he paints unforgettable portraits, as true as they are funny.

In Five Minutes to Kill, actor and comedian Fred Stoller tells the story of the Young Comedians Special in 1989. He and five other talented, then-unknown comics took the stage with the hopes that their five-minute sets would propel them to fame and fortune. Some, like David Spade and Rob Schneider, hit it big; others didn’t. By turns hilarious and heart-wrenching, Five Minutes to Kill is the bittersweet story of what happened to six of America’s funniest people after their first big breaks.

Do you want to learn more about Charlie Chaplin, but don’t have time to listen to huge, long biographies? Then let The History Journals take you on an hourly history tour of his life. Charlie Chaplin’s legacy lives on forever in the films that have been left behind, bringing the gift of laughter to viewers of every generation, past, present, and future.

After journeying to Nerdopolis in San Diego, what's the next geeky peak to climb? Colby packs his bags and heads to The Big Apple for the sights and sounds of New York Comic-Con! Get a view from the con floor as he explores the back issues, the panels, and the celebration of multimedia that is NYCC in another exciting installment of this nerdly travelogue!