Broken Frontier

The comic book history of comic books takes us from the Golden Age of the superhero, through the second World War and into the dangerous years of the fifties and pre-code horror.

History was not my best subject in school. When there was a topic that fascinated me, I was all ears - Greek Philosophers, World War II, the Great Depression, etc. But most of history was kind of meaningless to me and I have retained very little of it, even the stuff I enjoyed. A few years back when my brother convinced me to plow through The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, I thought I learned a lot about the history of comics. It is amazing how much of this book feels familiar but new at the same time.

There is a passion on display here that is missing from your normal history text book. This isn’t rote recitation of statistics and moments of importance. This is an evolution of the work that Eisner was doing during the Great War. Not only are they making this history more accesible through the pictures, but with their humor and astute observations of the larger picture, Van Lente and Dunleavy also make the subject entertaining.

As with the first issue there are any number of things that I just didn’t know. For instance, did you know that the U.S. Government pretty much single handedly saved Walt Disney Studios, or that Jack Kirby was a scout for Patton’s Third Army, or that Archie Andrews was based on Mickey Rooney. These are the kind of details that make this history exhaustive, but the charm of the book is in the humor. The list of how Mr. Right and Mr. Wrong is the same today as it was in Young Romance #1.

Much of this issue deals with the War and its profound influence on the comic book medium. However, Kirby and Simon are still there changing things. The Kirby Style is born. Siegel and Shuster are stars. Superheroes abound in popularity and then crash into almost obscurity. It is a fascinating subject and a brilliant achievement by the creators. Of course, the end of this issue tells how a little Bible comic publisher brought about the age of fear, but the court cases will be saved for next issue.

What is most interesting is how much comics are in the exact same predicament they have always been in. There is a struggle for respectability, artists fight to get paid, deadlines mount, circulation numbers swell and fall, concerns over the adult content of books are raised, exclusivity is sought by publishers, etc. As many innovations as we have made and advances to get a different audience interested, the state of the industry is really not very different now than it was in the 1940's and 1950's.

Dunleavy continues his chameleon act. He brilliantly swaps styles around and showcases the various techniques the script discusses. He is showing a master cartoonist’s ability and range and adds to the charm and genius of the book.

Honestly, this book should be required reading for all comic fans. If your local shop is not carrying it, simply demand it. This is the stuff that got us where we are today. It shows us the potential of the medium by taking us on a journey of where it has been and in its execution shows us the best of what comics can be and do. It is simply the best book being published by any company and deserves to be fighting it out with Skrulls and Infinite Crises for the number one spot in not just sales but the heart of the comic reader.