the great comic book heroes by jules feiffer

So, understandably, Feiffer (who was in his mid-30s at the time) doesn't waste any ink on the Silver Age of comics, but focuses rather on the comics of his youth.

Jules Feiffer wrote this essay for Dial Press in 1965, about five years after the first superhero renaissance that started DC Comics (with its first publication of the Justice League in The Brave and the Bold #28) and then Marvel Comics (with the publication of The Fantastic Four #1) on the path to comic book supremacy that has lasted for sixty years.

Readers familiar will recognize the early years when people and other creatures died in comic strips. They take the reader back to a time when comics were drawn in a far different manner than the modern style. In between these opening and closing sections, there are original cartoons of Superman, Batman, the original Human Torch, the original Flash, the Green Lantern, Spectre, Hawkman, Wonder Woman, the Sub-Mariner, Captain America, Plastic Man and the Spirit. Frederic Wertham, a nutcase of the highest order that unfortunately managed to be taken far too seriously by a gullible public. In this book he writes about the role of comic book heroes in his life and that of other boys of limited physical means like him. He is the author of many books, from novels to graphic novels, plays, screenplays and other works too numerous to mention. His list of publications and other achievements is incredible, from a Pulitzer Prize to an Oscar for an animated short film that he wrote. Jules Feiffer is considered the most widely read satirist in the United States. If you want a good beginning collection of Golden Age comic book feature reprints, pick up an older edition of this book - just don't bother reading the commentary. If you want proper Feiffer, pick up his novel Ackroyd (one of my favorite books) or a collection of his comic strips. There's no real joy through most of the book just a lot of whingeing. The 'art' of comics (particularly other peoples' comics) appears to have been lost on him as he grew older and the industry went through changes that forced him to adapt the juvenile outlook he had at the start. His commentary comes off as droll, boring, and almost confrontational at times. Without the reprints, this is not the best book of reminiscences about the industry, which is surprising considering Jules Feiffer is normally one of my favorite comic creators and a veritable legend in many industries.

The new edition and e-book does NOT have the comic book stories. Make sure you buy the the hardcover from 1965 or the paperback from the seventies, as they have the reprints. The Spirit tale is a little soft in terms of reproduction, but there are some fun stories here. The first real comic book trade paperback that reprinted old stories for fans features some good reprints of some old stories.

The great comic book heroes by jules feiffer