Comic History

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.

Experience history as a glorious and uproarious comedy of errors. Murderers, schemers, traitors, fools, thieves, oligarchs, and torturers make up the real history of Britain's "nobility" and their misdeeds, this Victorian bestseller was written by one of the founders of Punch narrated with wicked wit by Charles Featherstone.

Forget dusty textbooks and noble senators. The real history of Rome is a chaotic, blood-soaked circus of power-crazed maniacs, backstabbing politicians, and enough megalomaniacs in togas to outfit a farce.

Doc Savage is the prototype of the modern fictional superhero. The character exploded onto the scene in 1933, with the Great Depression and the gathering clouds of war as a cultural backdrop. The adventure series is examined in relation to historical events and the changing tastes of readers, with special attention paid to the horror and science fiction elements. The artwork features illustrations, covers, and original art. Chapters cover Doc Savage paperbacks, pulp magazines, comic books, and fanzines, and an appendix offers biographies of all major contributors to the series.

This well focused and perceptive analysis of a phenomenon in our popular culture - the new respectability of the comic book form - argues that the comics medium has a productive tradition of telling true stories with grace and economy. It details vividly the outburst of underground comics in the late 1960s and '70s, whose cadre of artistically gifted creators were committed to writing comic books for adults, an audience they made aware that comic books can offer narratives of great power and technical sophistication.

The defining, behind-the-scenes chronicle of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and dominant pop cultural entities in America’s history -- Marvel Comics – and the outsized personalities who made Marvel including Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby. “Sean Howe’s history of...

In celebration of 90 years of DC comes a thrilling and immersive audio production adapting super fan and writer Mark Waid’s comprehensive New History of the DC Universe, turning back time to the very beginning of it all. Narrated by Barry Allen/The Flash, this exciting audio adaptation of the...

Step right up for the most uproariously irreverent chapter of Gilbert Abbott A’Beckett’s Comic History of England—where crowns are comedy props and history’s biggest egos trip over their own dogma!

Prepare for the most uproariously grim tour of Tudor England ever recorded! Gilbert Abbott A'Beckett's classic satire skewers the so-called "golden age" of English monarchy, revealing the Tudors as they truly were: a parade of tyrants, schemers, and royal disasters who treated their subjects like pawns in a deadly game of power.

This work dissects the origin and growth of superhero comic books, their major influences, and the creators behind them. It demonstrates how Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and many more stand as time capsules of their eras, rising and falling with societal changes, and reflecting an amalgam of influences. The book covers in detail the iconic superhero comic book creators and their unique contributions in their quest for realism, including Julius Schwartz and the science-fiction origins of superheroes.

Get ready to have your mind blown by the most outrageous, jaw-dropping, and downright unbelievable secrets from American history that will leave you exclaiming, “Bull$#*t!” This astonishing collection of facts is so wild and unexpected, it seems like pure fiction. True Facts That Sound Like...

The creators of the podcast The Dollop present illustrated profiles of the weird, outrageous, NSFW, and downright absurd tales from American history that you weren't taught in school. The United States of Absurdity presents short, informative, and hilarious stories of the most outlandish (but...

Bloomsbury presents Pablo and Splash: Viking Voyage by Sheena Dempsey, read by Nigel Pilkington and Hollie Taylor Time-travelling penguins Pablo and Splash are on board a Viking longship in this hilarious graphic novel audiobook! Fans of Bunny vs Monkey or InvestiGATORS will love it. 'You'll...

The early 1970s saw the birth of the modern comic book shop. Its rise was due in large part to a dynamic entrepreneur, Phil Seuling. His direct market model allowed shops to get comics straight from the publishers, bypassing middlemen. Stores could better customize their offerings and independent publishers could now access national distribution. In this way, shops opened up a space for quirky ideas to gain an audience and helped transform small-press series, from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Bone, into media giants.

In the third drily hilarious volume of A Comic History Of England, we move forward to the thirteenth century, when a succession of Edwards and Henrys gain the throne and immediately use it to steal everything they can from the population, in order to fund attempts to conquer France (or pay their debts from conquering England). Along the way we get the fabled Black Prince, one of the greatest battles in English history, a queen far more powerful than her king or sons, and a consideration of the manners and condition of the English period up to this point in the history.

Step into the madcap medieval world of A Comic History of England, Book IV, where Gilbert Abbott à Beckett turns the tumultuous era of Henry IV to Richard III into a sidesplitting spectacle!

Trace the hidden history of visual storytelling, a captivating pop culture journey from ancient caves to modern screens. Perfect for your daily commute, this engaging deep-dive explores how rebellious creators fought censorship to forge a revolutionary global medium. Whether unwinding on a quiet...

The second in an uproarious, sardonic and incisive look through English history. In this volume, we discover the actions of the Normans and King Richard, giving clear reasons why we history should hold them in nothing but contempt. It also covers the signing of the Magna Carta, the first bill of rights in England, which came about because a powerless king tried to go to war, realised that he had no-one behind him, and was bullied into signing in order to not simply be executed.

A captivating, uproarious and informative journey through the beginnings of British history. Gilbert Abbott à Beckett was one of the great journalists of his time, being a descendant of Thomas Becket who edited Figaro, was a founder member of Punch, and wrote for The Times, The Morning Herald, and The Illustrated London News. He also wrote around fifty plays, as well as two operas, and is best known for this history of England.

Bloomsbury presents Marvel Explodes: From Bullpen to Big Business by Paul Levitz, read by Charles Linshaw. Explore the Stories Behind the Legends Starting in 1968 when three classic Marvel anthologies were split into separate titles for Iron Man, Captain America, Sub-Mariner, The Hulk, Doctor...