Product Description

Some are mild mannered geeks, others mad geniuses or street-smart city dwellers driven to action. These are the men and women behind the masks and tights of Americas most beloved superheroes. But these arent the stories of the heroes hidden alter egos or secret identitiesthese are the stories of their creators! gives you the truth about the history of the American comic bookstraight from the revolutionary artists and writers behind them.

From the founders of the popular comics website Graphic NYCwriter Christopher Irving and photographer Seth Kushnercomes the firsthand accounts of the comic books story, from its birth in the late 1930s to its current renaissance on movie screens and digital readers everywhere. Kushners evocative photography captures the subjects that Irving profiles in a hard-hitting narrative style derived from personal interviews with the legends of the art, all of which is accompanied by examples of their work in the form of original art, sketches, and final panels and covers. The creators profiled include Captain America creator Joe Simon, Marvel guru Stan Lee, magazines fold-out artist Al Jaffee, visionary illustrator Neal Adams (Batman), underground paragon Art Spiegelman (Maus), writer Chris Claremont, artist/writer/director Frank Miller (, ), comic analyst Scott McCloud (mics), s Harvey Pekar, painter Alex Ross (), multitalented artist and designer Chris Ware (), artist Jill Thompson (), and more.

, like comics themselves, uses both words and images to tell the true story of the comics birth and evolution in America. It is a comprehensive look at the medium unlike any other ever compiled covering high and low art, mass market work and niche innovations. It is the story of an art form and an insiders look at the creative process of the artists who bring our heroes to life.