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The American Comic Book Chronicles continues its ambitious series offull-color hardcovers where TwoMorrows' top authors document every decade ofcomic book history from the 1940s to today! Bill Schelly authors the volume onthe 1950s era of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, with a year-by-year accountof the most significant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends,including: the rise of the great EC "New Trend" titles (Tales of theCrypt, Weird Science), Harvey Kurtzman's Mad, and Carl Barks'classic work on Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge! Plus, read about the publicationof Dr. Fredric Wertham's notorious anti-comics book, Seduction of theInnocent, and the Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency that led to thecreation of the Comics Code, changing the face of comics for decades tocome!

In 1978, DC Comics launched a bold initiative to win over fans and retailers with an expanded line-up billed as “The DC Explosion.” But mere weeks after its launch, DC’s parent company pulled the plug, cancelling a slew of titles, and leaving stacks of completed comic book stories unpublished. Now, over 45 years after that "DC Implosion", TwoMorrows Publishing recalls one of the most notorious events in comics with an exhaustive oral history from Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz, Len Wein, Mike Gold, Al Milgrom, and other creators and executives involved! Plus: detailed analysis and commentary by other top pros who were “just fans” in 1978 (Mark Waid, Michael T. Gilbert, Tom Brevoort, and more)—examining how it changed the landscape of comics forever! This new Expanded Edition of the sold-out Eisner Award-nominated book explodes in full cover for the first time, with additional coverage of lost 1970s DC projects like Ninja the Invisible and an adaptation of “The Wiz,” Jim Starlin’s unaltered cover art for Batman Family #21, content meant for cancelled Marvel titles such as Godzilla and Ms. Marvel, and more! By Keith Dallas and John Wells.

From the letters pages of Silver Age comics to his 2021 induction into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame, the career of Dave Cockrum started at the bottom and then rose to the top of the comic book industry. Beginning with his childhood obsession with comics and continuing through his years in the Navy, The Life and Art of Dave Cockrum follows the rising star from fandom (where he was one of the “Big Three” fanzine artists) to pro-dom, where he helped revive two struggling comic book franchises: the Legion of Super-Heroes and the X-Men. A prolific costume designer and character creator, his redesigns of the Legion and his introduction of X-Men characters Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Thunderbird (plus his design of Wolverine’s alter ego, Logan) laid the foundation for both titles to become best-sellers. His later work on his own property, The Futurians, as well as childhood favorite Blackhawk and T.H.U.N.D.E.R Agents, plus his five years on Soulsearchers and Company, cemented his position as an industry giant. Featuring artwork from fanzines, unused character designs, and other rare material, this is THE comprehensive biography of the legendary comic book artist, whose influence is still felt on the industry today! Written by Glen Cadigan (The Legion Companion, The Titans Companion Volumes 1 and 2, Best of the Legion Outpost) with an introduction by Alex Ross.

You Can Build It is a new, ongoing series of instruction books on theart of LEGO custom building, from the producers of BrickJournalmagazine! Spinning off from BrickJournal's popular "You Can Build It"column, these full-color books are loaded with nothing but Step-By-Stepinstructions by some of the top custom builders in the LEGO fancommunity. Designed for intermediate-to-advanced builders, Book 2 features evenmore detailed projects to tackle, including advanced Miniland figures, aminiscale yellow castle, a deep sea scene, a mini USS Constitution, andmore!

The American Comic Book Chronicles continues its ambitious series ofFULL-COLOR HARDCOVERS, where TwoMorrows' top authors document every decade ofcomic book history from the 1940s to today! Keith Dallas headlines this volumeon the 1980s, covering all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details ofcomics during the Reagan years! You'll get a year-by-year account of the mostsignificant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends, including: Therise and fall of Jim Shooter at Marvel Comics! The ascendancy of Frank Miller asa comic book superstar with works like Daredevil, Ronin and TheDark Knight! DC Comics’ reboot with Crisis on Infinite Earthsand its Renaissance with a British invasion of talent like Alan Moore, GrantMorrison, and Neil Gaiman! The emergence of Direct Market-exclusive publisherslike Eclipse Comics, Pacific Comics, First Comics, Comico, Dark Horse Comics andothers! These are just a few of the events chronicled in this exhaustive,full-color hardcover.Taken together, American Comic Book Chronicles formsa cohesive, linear overview of the entire landscape of comics history, sure tobe an invaluable resource for ANY comic book enthusiast!

This sequel to Alter Ego: The Best of the Legendary Comics Fanzinepresents more fantastic features from the fabled magazine begun in 1961 by JerryBails and Roy Thomas — covering undiscovered gems from all 11 originalissues published between 1961 and 1978! Editors Roy Thomas and Bill Schellyuncover never-revealed secrets about the first super-hero fanzine everpublished, with vintage articles about Tor, Hawkman, the Spectre, Blackhawk, theJustice League of America, the All-Winners Squad, Robotman, Wonder Woman, theHeap, the Lensmen/Green Lantern connection, and so much more! Plusrarely-seen comics stories by Joe Kubert, Ronn Foss, and Roy Thomas and SamGrainger, as well as Roy's entire "Bestest League of America" parody, collectedfor the first time ever!

The American Comic Book Chronicles continues its ambitious series offull-color hardcovers where TwoMorrows' top authors document every decade ofcomic book history from the 1940s to today! John Wells headlines this secondvolume on the 1960s, covering all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenesdetails of comics during the stormy cultural upheaval of 1965-1969. You'll get ayear-by-year account of the most significant publications, notable creators, andimpactful trends, including the transformation of Marvel Comics into a popphenomenon. Wally Wood’s Tower Comics storms on the scene with theT.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents while Charlton’s Action Heroes strikea blow of their own! Batmania sweeps the nation as the smash Adam West TV showpushes superhero comic sales into orbit! Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, and DennyO’Neil lead a wave of fresh young voices in the comic book industry! GoldKey unlocks a new format with its digest line! The Archies and Josie & thePussycats sing their way to the top! These are just a few of the eventschronicled in this exhaustive, full-color hardcover.

TwoMorrows Publishing presents Marvel Comics in the 1980s, the thirdvolume in Pierre Comtois’ heralded series covering the pop culturephenomenon on an issue-by-issue basis! This new book covers Marvel’s finalhistorical phase, when the movement begun by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and SteveDitko moved into a darker era that has yet to run its course. The 1980s saw StanLee's retreat to the West Coast, Jim Shooter's rise and fall as editor-in-chief,the twin triumphs of Frank Miller and John Byrne, the challenge of independentpublishers, and the weakening hold of the Comics Code Authority that led to thecompany's creative downfall — and ultimately the marginalization of theindustry itself. Comics such as the Chris Claremont/John Byrne X-Men,Frank Miller's Daredevil, the New Universe, Roger Stern'sAvengers and Spider-Man, the new wave of dark heroes such asWolverine and the Punisher, and more are all covered, in the analytic detail— and often irreverent manner — readers have come to expect from theprevious 1960s and 1970s volumes. However, the 1980s represented years ofupheaval in the comics industry — with Marvel at the center of the storm— so expect a bumpy ride in the 1980s decade that marked the beginning ofthe end of Marvel Comics as you knew them!

NEW EDITION WITH 16 EXTRA PAGES! Marvel Comics in the 1970s covers Marvel’s final historical phase: the twilight years of the 1970s, after the initial ’60s wave of popularity pushed the company to the forefront of the comics industry, and made many of its characters household names. This full decade of pop-culture history saw Stan Lee’s role as writer diminish as he ascended to Publisher, the stunning departure of Jack Kirby to DC (and his later return to Marvel), the rise of Roy Thomas as editor (and eventual Editor In Chief), and the introduction of a new wave of writers and artists who would expand the boundaries of comics beyond super-heroes, while planting the seeds for the company’s eventual self-destruction. Comics such as the Spider-Man “drug” issues, Conan the Barbarian, Tomb of Dracula, Master of Kung Fu, Howard the Duck, the new X-Men, and more are covered in detail—along with the creators who wrote and drew them, including Chris Claremont, Barry Windsor-Smith, Gene Colan, Marv Wolfman, Steve Gerber, John Romita, Gil Kane, Sal Buscema, and many others. So don’t be satisfied with only half the story! Check out Marvel Comics in the 1970s and find out why Marvel was once hailed as The House of Ideas!

COMIC BOOK ARTIST BULLPEN collects all seven issues of the little-seen labor of love fanzine published in the early 2000s by JON B. COOKE (editor of today's Comic Book Creator magazine), just after the original CBA ended its TwoMorrows run. Featured are in-depth interviews with some of comics' major league players, including GEORGE TUSKA, FRED HEMBECK, TERRY BEATTY, and FRANK BOLLE—and an amazing all-star tribute to Silver Age great JACK ABEL by the Marvel Comics Bullpen and others. That previously unpublished all-comics Abel appreciation (assembled by RICK PARKER) includes strips by JOE KUBERT, WALTER SIMONSON, KYLE BAKER, MARIE SEVERIN, GRAY MORROW, ALAN WEISS, SERGIO ARAGONÉS, MORT TODD, DICK AYERS, and many more! Plus a new bonus feature on JACK KIRBY's unknown 1960s baseball card art, and a 16-page full-color section, all behind a Jack Kirby cover!

2024 EISNER AWARD NOMINEE Author Stephan Friedt shares the story of the meteoric rise of the Schanes brothers’ California-based imprint Pacific Comics, which published such legends as Jack Kirby, Sergio Aragonés, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, Mike Grell, Bernie Wrightson, and Dave Stevens. From its groundbreaking 1981 arrival in the fledgling direct sales market, to a catastrophic, precipitous fall after only four years, The Pacific Comics Companion reveals the inside saga, as told to Friedt by Bill and Steve Schanes, David Scroggy, and many of the creators themselves. It also focuses on the titles and the amazing array of characters they introduced to an unsuspecting world, including The Rocketeer, Captain Victory, Ms. Mystic, Groo the Wanderer, Starslayer, and many more. Written with the editorial assist of Eisner Award-winning historian Jon B. Cooke, this retrospective is the most comprehensive study of an essential publisher in the development of the creator’s rights movement. Main cover illustration by Dave Stevens.

Working With Ditko takes a unique and nostalgic journey through comics’ Bronze Age, as editor and writer Jack C. Harris recalls his numerous collaborations with legendary comics master Steve Ditko! It features never-before-seen preliminary sketches and pencil art from Harris’ tenure working with Ditko on The Creeper, Shade the Changing Man, the Odd Man, the Demon, Wonder Woman, Legion of Super-Heroes, The Fly, and even Ditko’s unused redesign for Batman! Plus, it documents their work on numerous independent properties, and offers glimpses of original characters from Ditko’s drawing board that have never been viewed by even his most avid fans! This illustrated volume is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the creative comic book process by one of the industry’s most revered creators, as seen through the eyes of one of his most frequent collaborators!

Holy phenomenon! In the way-out year of 1966, the action comedy “Batman” starring Adam West premiered and triggered a tsunami of super swag, including toys, games, Halloween costumes, puppets, action figures, and lunch boxes. Meanwhile, still more costumed avengers sprang forth on TV (“The Green Hornet,” “Ultraman”), in movies (“The Wild World of Batwoman,” “Rat Pfink and Boo Boo”), and in animation (“Space Ghost,” “The Marvel Super Heroes”). “Zowie!” traces the history of the superhero genre from early films, through the 1960s TV superhero craze, and its pop culture influence ever since. This 192-page hardcover, in pop art colors that conjure the period, features interviews with the TV stars (West, Burt Ward, Yvonne Craig, Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Julie Newmar, Van Williams), the artists behind the comics (Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang, Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella), and others. Written and designed by Mark Voger (“Monster Mash,” “Holly Jolly”), “Zowie!” is one super read!

This new volume in the ongoing "Marvel Comics in the..." series takes you all the way back to that company's legendary beginnings, when gunfighters traveled the West and monsters roamed the Earth! The company's output in other genres influenced the development of their super-hero characters from Thor to Spider-Man, and featured here are the best of those stories not covered previously, completing issue-by-issue reviews of every Marvel comic of note from 1961-1965! Presented are scores of handy, easy to reference entries on Amazing Fantasy, Tales of Suspense (and Astonish), Strange Tales, Journey Into Mystery, Rawhide Kid, plus issues of Fantastic Four, Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, and others that weren't in the previous 1960s edition. It's author Pierre Comtois' last word on Marvel’s early years, when Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Don Heck, together with writer/editor Stan Lee (and brother Larry!), built an unprecedented new universe of excitement!

Blast off to the Space Age, when the future was always bright! Futuristic is a full-color hardcover about a time of limitless possibilities... and anxieties. It covers all aspects of 1950s and ’60s pop culture from the “duck and cover” era of the Cold War, the Space Race, the UFO Craze, and the 1969 moon landing. Read about the movies (The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invasion of the Body Snatchers), TV shows (Tom Corbett: Space Cadet, The Jetsons), and collectibles (robots, rockets, comic books, TV tie-ins) that had us looking to the stars. Also featured are interviews with such comic book creators as William Gaines, Joe Orlando, Julius Schwartz, Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru, Mike Esposito, and Larry Lieber about their sci-fi work, plus recollections from sci-fi movie stars (Kevin McCarthy, Peter Graves, Linda Harrison), TV cast members (from shows including Lost in Space, Star Trek, and The Invaders), and others. A graphically immersive experience written and designed by Mark Voger (Monster Mash, Zowie!), Futuristic is a time trip to a future that never exactly came to pass, but lives on vividly in our imaginations!

In AMERICAN MOVIE COMIC BOOKS (1930s-1970s), author PETER BOSCH continues his remarkable history of Hollywood’s ongoing love affair with comic books. The sequel to AMERICAN TV COMIC BOOKS, this new book looks at hundreds of Tinseltown’s motion pictures that made the jump from the silver screen to the comics page, starting from the days of Charlie Chaplin and continuing through to the wonders of Steven Spielberg. Along with comics story pages from the industry’s greatest talents—including JACK KIRBY, RUSS MANNING, AL WILLIAMSON, FRANK FRAZETTA, ALEX TOTH, DAN SPIEGLE, WALLACE WOOD, STEVE DITKO, JOHN BUSCEMA, GEORGE PÉREZ, and WALTER SIMONSON (to name just a few!)—you will discover full-color photo covers, posters, original art, and much more! It’s the ultimate reference for films from the Thirties to the Seventies that were adapted to comics, including The Wizard of Oz, Ben-Hur, Around the World in 80 Days, Disney’s cinema classics and animated movies, Yellow Submarine, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Alien, The Planet of the Apes series, and many others. Don’t miss this blockbuster, perfect for anyone who enjoys movies and comics alike!

From underdog to icon, Marshall Rogers helped redefine Batman for generations, inspiring readers and up-and-coming artists alike. Initially savaged by editors at DC Comics, his style was uniquely complex with vast and angular architectural design anchoring his storytelling, and it immediately caught on with fans for his depictions of the Darknight Detective, Hugo Strange, The Joker, Silver St. Cloud, Dr. Strange, Cap’n Quick and a Foozle, and more. And though his output was relatively small in comparison to many of his contemporaries, his impact outlived the artist himself, and inspired a loyal following and affection. Now, Rogers’ story is told by friends, collaborators, and family members, delving deep into a complicated and conflicted man and his art, as we feature inker Terry Austin, friend and fellow artist Michael Netzer, Dan Greenfield’s extensive interview with writer Steve Englehart (conducted for 13thDimension.com), and others recounting their time and camaraderie with Rogers, alongside an in-depth interview with Marshall himself, and a wealth of art both familiar and rarely seen. Written by Jeff Messer and Dewey Cassell (authors of the Eisner Award-nominated Mike Grell: Life Is Drawing Without An Eraser), this book shines a light on the fan-favorite artist’s brightest moments and darkest days. Featuring a new cover collaboration by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin!

Just when you thought it was safe to walk the streets again, From The Tomb (the UK’s preeminent magazine on the history of horror comics) digs up more tomes of terror from the century past. It Crept From The Tomb (the second “Best of” collection) uncovers atomic comics lost to the Cold War, rarely seen (and censored) British horror comics, the early art of Richard Corben, Good Girls of a bygone age, Tom Sutton, Don Heck, Lou Morales, Al Eadeh, Bruce Jones’ Alien Worlds, HP Lovecraft in Heavy Metal, and a myriad of terrors from beyond the stars and the shadows of our own world! It features comics they tried to ban, from Atlas, Charlton, Comic Media, DC, EC, Harvey, House of Hammer, Kitchen Sink, Last Gasp, Pacific, Skywald, Warren, and more from the darkest of the horror genre’s finest creators!

The American Comic Book Chronicles is an ambitious new series of FULL-COLOR HARDCOVERS, where TwoMorrows' top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today! John Wells leads off with the first of two volumes on the 1960s, covering all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details of comics in the JFK and Beatles era! You'll get a year-by-year account of the most significant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends, including: DC Comics' rebirth of Green Lantern, Hawkman, and others, and the launch of Justice League of America and multiple earths! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's transformation of superhero comics with the debut of Marvel' Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Avengers, and other iconic characters! Plus Batman gets a "new look", the Blue Beetle is revamped at Charlton Comics, and Creepy #1 brings horror back to comic book form, just as Harvey's "kid" comics are booming! These are just a few of the events chronicled in this exhaustive, full-color hardcover. Taken together, the series forms a cohesive, linear overview of the entire landscape of comics history, sure to be an invaluable resource for ANY comic book enthusiast!

In cooperation with DC Comics, TwoMorrows compiles a tempestuous trio of never-seen 1970s Kirby projects! These are the final complete, unpublished Jack Kirby stories in existence, presented here for the first time! Included are: Two unused Dingbats of Danger Street tales (Kirby’s final Kid Gang group, inked by Mike Royer and D. Bruce Berry, and newly colored for this book)! True-Life Divorce, the abandoned newsstand magazine that was too hot for its time (reproduced from Jack’s pencil art—and as a bonus, we’ve commissioned Mike Royer to ink one of the stories)! And Soul Love, the unseen ’70s romance book so funky, even a jive turkey will dig the unretouched inks by Vince Colletta and Tony DeZuniga. PLUS: There’s Kirby historian John Morrow’s in-depth examination of why these projects got left back, concept art and uninked pencils from Dingbats, and a Foreword by ’70s Kirby assistant Mark Evanier!

The American Comic Book Chronicles continues its ambitious series of FULL-COLOR HARDCOVERS, where TwoMorrows' top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today! At long last, this 1945-49 volume covers the comic book industry during the aftermath of World War II, when scores of writers and artists returned from foreign battlefields to resume their careers. It was a period when readers began turning away from the escapist entertainment offered by super-heroes in favor of other genres, like the grittier, more brutal crime comics. It was a time when Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created Young Romance, inaugurating a golden age of romance comics. And it was during this five-year period that Timely and National Comics capitalized on the popularity of Westerns, that Bill Gaines plotted a new course for EC Comics in the wake of his father’s death, and that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster first sued for the rights to Superman. These are just a few of the events chronicled in this exhaustive, full-color hardcover, further documenting the ACBC series' cohesive, linear overview of the entire landscape of comics history! Edited by Keith Dallas and John Wells.

The Team-Up Companion examines team-up comic books of the Silver and Bronze Ages of Comics—DC’s The Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents, Marvel’s Marvel Team-Up and Marvel Two-in-One, plus other team-up titles, treasuries, and treats—in a lushly illustrated selection of informative essays, special features, and trivia-loaded issue-by-issue indexes. Go behind the scenes of your favorite team-up comic books with specially curated and all-new creator recollections from Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, Mike W. Barr, Eliot R. Brown, Nick Cardy, Chris Claremont, Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, Steve Gerber, Steven Grant, Bob Haney, Tony Isabella, Paul Kupperberg, Paul Levitz, Ralph Macchio, Dennis O’Neil, Martin Pasko, Joe Rubinstein, Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, and many other all-star writers and artists who produced the team-up tales that so captivated readers during the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. By Back Issue and RetroFan editor Michael Eury.

By overwhelming demand, Roy Thomas has compiled all the material on the founders of the Marvel Bullpen from three sold-out Alter Ego issues—plus over 30 new pages of content! There’s the Steve Ditko issue (#160 with a rare ’60s Ditko interview by Richard Howell, biographical notes by Nick Caputo, and Ditko tributes)! The Stan Lee issue (#161 with Roy Thomas on his 50+ year relationship with Stan, art by Kirby, Ditko, Maneely, Everett, Severin, Romita, plus tributes from pros and fans)! And the Jack Kirby issue (#170 with Will Murray on Kirby’s contributions to Iron Man’s creation, Jack’s Captain Marvel/Mr. Scarlet Fawcett work, Kirby in 1960s fanzines, plus Stan Lee and Roy Thomas on Jack)! Whether you missed these issues, or can’t live without the extensive new material on Ditko, Lee, and Kirby, it’s sure to be an Amazing, Astonishing, Fantastic tribute to the main men who made Marvel!

Hold on tight as historian Christopher Irving explores the origins of the first on-screen superheroes and the comic creators and film-makers who brought them to life. CLIFFHANGER! touches on the early days of the film serial, to its explosion as a juvenile medium of the 1930s and ‘40s. See how the creation of characters like Superman, Captain America, Spy Smasher, and Captain Marvel dovetailed with the early film adaptations. Along the way, you’ll meet the stuntmen, directors (Spencer Bennett, William Witney, producer Sam Katzman), comic book creators (Siegel & Shuster, Simon & Kirby, Bob Kane, C.C. Beck, Frank Frazetta, Will Eisner), and actors (Buster Crabbe, George Reeves, Lorna Gray, Kane Richmond, Kirk Alyn, Dave O’Brien) who brought them to the silver screen—and how that resonates with today’s cinematic superhero universe.