Review of "Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book," by Gerard Jones

 Review of

Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones, ISBN 0465036562

Five out of five stars

Fascinating history of the comic book

 To many, the comic book was born in June 1938 with the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1. In some sense it is true, for it was the first appearance of a genuine superhero, although comics were published before 1938. In any case, it is the most valuable comic in the world, in 2014 a copy was sold for over three million dollars.

 The people that created the modern comic book in the 1930s were in many ways just trying to find a way to earn a living during the Depression. Young men in particular whose only real skills were drawing were recruited to work at was even then starvation wages. The history of the early years is amazing, some of the major players in building up the circulation were part of organized crime groups, therefore the use of the term “gangsters” in the title is legitimate.

The historical facts of the date of the first appearances of the main cartoon characters are all well known. What you learn in this book are the behind-the-scenes machinations that led to the creation, marketing and publication of the comics as well as how the publishing companies were formed and were managed in the beginning. Some of the leaders were at best slick operators and frauds at worst. The story of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, winds its way through the book.

 If you are interested in the history of how comic books were created, developed and went through some very rough patches due to social backlash, then this is the book for you. It is truly a story of selling for ten cents a copy at the beginning to a multi-billion-dollar industry today.

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