American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1960s Volume Two: 1965-1969

If you're into 1960s comics, this is your book. It's filled to the brim with beautiful photos of comic covers, interior artwork, and everything thing else comic-book-related from 1965-1969. And John Wells' writing is pure magic. I am so prime-time for this book, which covers the whole of the 5 years when I lived and died for comic books. I was born in 1954, but only really caught the comic-book-collecting bug in 1965 and didn't go off the deep end until a few months before the Adam West "Batman" show came out on TV in the fall of 1966. Wells covers that show as well and explains its effect on the comics field in general and especially on the Batman comic and its sales. He also provides a timeline of current events for each year at the start of each chapter, placing us firmly in the atmosphere and times which surrounded the comics being discussed. Since that was my time, maybe I'm an easy subject, but for me he really manages to capture and recreate the feel and thrill of buying comic books in the mid-late 1960s. It was an amazing time to be a kid in America who collected comics, with artists like Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, and Jim Steranko producing incredible work. Sometimes I couldn't hardly wait until the next month so I could find out what Steranko was going to pull out of the hat. John Wells really nails this era. And he gives us tons and tons of inside info on even the most obscure characters. As I read I felt like I was back in '66, at the neighborhood Drug Fair, perusing the comic racks, accompanied by a guy who knows every detail, for example, of the background behind even such lesser-lights as Dell's "Lobo"! John's sections on ACG, Gold Key, Charlton, Dell, and all of the other publishers (and some of their efforts to get into the super-hero side of the genre) are very very interesting. When you finish reading this book, you'll know about Nukla, Pureheart the Powerful, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and not only that, but you'll know about Melvin the Monster, and lots of other Harvey characters, indeed just about every late-60s comic character under the sun! You'll even know why Catwoman didn't appear in Batman comics for so many years! This book is a treasure. And the icing on the cake is seeing my favorite page of John Romita's artwork- the original art to the last page in Spider-Man #42 where we finally get to see Mary Jane for the first time! She says, "Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot!" So true! That page needs to be made into a frame-able art print. Beautiful book! Well done, John!

This book details the great comic books of the period which lasted during the latter half of the 1960s. In my opinion it was during that time period when the best Marvel comic issues were being produced. It was during that same period when James Warren resurrected the horror genre by publishing Creepy and Eerie magazines. The mid Sixties was the era of the spy craze which was marked not only by the most popular of all of the James Bond 007 movies but by all of those TV shows and movies that were inspired by the success of the 007 movies.

Thought the book was very good, very informative! Enjoyed the behind the scenes info. The book was beautifully illustrated and laid out. Am looking forward to future editions. Worth the money!!

The entire series of American Comic Book Chronicles is worth purchasing. Each is a detailed review of a period of time in comic book history, and the authors in this series have done an outstanding job of presenting the time and the unique comics released during that time. Every book is worth the read - not a turkey in the bunch. This one is especially fun because it covers a significant period of comics that features the explosion of Bat-mania and the gradual takeover of comics by Stan Lee and Marvel comics.

They were good.

To be clear, I haven't finished these books as yet. The books are high quality with great colour shots of panels and covers of comics of days gone by. The books are of a similar quality of the omnibuses. Any comics buff from the 60's will be happy to add these books to their library.

This was the decade in which I grew up with comic books, and Wells' two-volume history of the 1960s comics industry and the fandom that grew up around it recounts that time in vivid detail.

If you grew up in the sixties collecting comic books, this is the book for you. Very well written with great illustrations. I especially liked the cultural timelines that hit on the big events of each year. Brought back lots of good memories.

This series is the BEST historical overview of the comics industry. Profusely illustrated, and cleverly formatted. What I liked most is how the authors cover all of the comic book companies and the events of the day.

These books are a wonderful trip down memory lane for oldies like me and a great intro for anyone who has an interest in American comics and wants to find out more. Beautiful colour pictures of classic covers and interior artwork along with a well informed commentary. They also don't limit their coverage to merely DC and Marvel but take in the lesser known publishers and titles - the 1950's volume gives good coverage of EC and the Horror/crime stories and the furore which led to the establishing of the CCA.Altogether a great set of books worth space on any enthusiasts shelf ( and I'm running out of space!!!)

Fantastic

Well recommended a very interesting read . I will be getting the others in the series!!!!

A magnificent and well-researched documentary of comic-book history.