Publishing Comics

Starting with the Civil War and cartoonist Thomas Nast, creator of the lasting images of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus, author Jeremy Dauber whizzes listeners through the progress of comics in the 20th century and beyond. Follow the history from the golden age of newspaper comic strips - Krazy Kat, Yellow Kid, Dick Tracy - to the midcentury superhero boom - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman - and from the moral panic of the Eisenhower era to the underground comix movement; from the grim and gritty Dark Knights to the graphic novel’s rise.

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.

Why are so many of the superhero myths tied up with loss, often violent, of parents or parental figures? What is the significance of the dual identity? What makes some superhuman figures “good” and others “evil”? Why are so many of the prime superheroes white and male? How has the superhero evolved over the course of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries? All these topics, and more, are covered in this lively and original exploration of the reasons why the superhero—in comic books, films, and TV—is such a potent myth for our times and culture.

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.

A stand-up comedian beloved for her combination of feisty wit and Southern charm, Pierce knows all too well that life is funny—until it’s not. But she also knows that it will become funny again. She’s held on to that hope—and that promise—through tragedy and triumph. And now she’s finally ready to tell her full story. In Life Is Funny until It’s Not, Pierce recounts a preacher’s daughter’s childhood filled with heartbreak, including abuse, her parents’ divorce, and the sudden deaths of her two sisters in the span of two years.

See You At San Diego is the comprehensive chronicle of Comic-Con International and modern geekdom itself as told through countless stories by nearly fifty of the most integral members of the Comic-Con and fandom scene. This full-fledged oral history—bursting with intimate reflections, hilarious observations, and at times, heartbreaking stories—is about how the geek at last inherited the earth and the story of the transformation of mainstream American pop culture into comic book culture over the past century.

After he and his wife are murdered, Marine Ray Garrison is resurrected by a secret team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine - “Bloodshot” - without any memory of his previous life. But some things can’t stay buried, and Ray refuses to back down when his memories begin to surface. Haunted by the face of his family’s killer, he will stop at nothing to take his revenge. And he discovers a conspiracy going deeper than he could have possibly imagined.

The American Zombie Chronicles is a new horror comic book series filled with fantastic tales of zombie-ism from around the US. The dynamic stories and images within are taken straight from the innovative mind of Yvette Kendall. Kendall is an American sci-fi novelist who's responsible for creating the new sub-genre of “Biblical Futurism”. The American Zombie Chronicles takes a unique look into the underbelly of America in a gritty way! 

I'm a geek. And until this past Comic-Con, I was a typical, loser, fanboy, geeky, super-virgin. This is my story. It works on many levels, but it works. It will work for you too. Because this is my story of how I went from zero to hero and I wrote it like a textbook for you.

Durch Generationen hindurch waren die Comics von Walt Disney spannende Lektüre von Jugendlichen und Junggebliebenen...

When it comes to superheroes of the silver screen, nobody knows more than the masterminds behind the wildly popular Comicstorian YouTube channel. This definitive guide to comic book films divulges behind-the-scenes secrets and the hidden history behind these must-see movies including how, after very rocky beginnings, they shot to the top with DC and Marvel as two of the most important franchises in the industry.  

In this memoir, Lockwood draws upon his forty years in the newspaper industry as a reporter and editor, offering a unique glimpse into the world of newspaper cartoon strips. He details the production and promotion of countless comic strips, while also providing his own assessments of the most iconic cartoonists of the last half-century. The book is filled with fascinating anecdotes about his relationships with some of America's greatest cartoonists and the syndicate reps who sold their cartoon strips.

The Last Son of Krypton, Kal-El, Clark Kent, the Man of Steel...Superman. The most iconic character to come from the pages of comic books has a tremendously detailed history that has never been explained like this. In his debut audiobook, Rob Jefferson of Comics Explained assembles Superman’s entire publication history - breaking down every facet from the time period of his creation and its impact on his creators to the subsequent success and birth of the superhero genre.

In his never ending quest to be more than just a regular creeper, Friendly Creeper discovers the world of hobbies. Everyone he meets seems to have a hobby of one kind or another. In fact, he’s the only one who doesn’t! Friendly Creeper journeys far and wide to discover his true calling. Follow along as he meets friends old and new while discovering new things about himself and the world around him.

Unlike other Creepers, the Friendly Creeper wanted to be nice to people rather than explode and hiss at them. He wants to help the friends who saved him from the villagers. However, the other Creepers shun his idea because Creepers are supposed to be mean and hurt people rather than help them. They, therefore, force him to attend Creeper School.