In this somewhat less than exciting blog I will examine the adventures that I have in life, mostly in front of the televison, while eating dinner or in my perpetual quest to finish all of my dammed grading. I hate grading!!!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Year of the Rat Reading 27: "Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the birth of the Superhero"


I don't know the title of this book. It seems to have changed. Let's just call it "Men of Tomorrow," and not worry about the subtitle. My book has a different subtitle.
This is the story of how a bunch of mostly Jewish immigrants created the popular culture known as the superhero comic. It is the story of two kids who created Superman, and how the companies that bought this type of material tried to rip off the creators. In the end it is about how a bunch of geeks got together and made sure corporate America didn't crap all over the little guy.
I thought this was a fascinating history because I am at heart a big old geek myself. I still remember fondly riding my bike to the flea market to try to find some lost comic classic. I remember the guy there; he charged the top price for his books no matter what the condition. He was a crook. He also had a lot of Playboys so I could deal with his crookedness up to a point. I wonder what happened to that old flea market?
So the story of the American comic book is the story of how America lived in the 20th century. It was full of promise and disappointment, bitterness and joy, and Jews and gentiles.
So I recomment this was highly.

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