Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution

by Ronin Ro

Book Overview

The spectacular life and times of Jack Kirby, the legendary forefather of American comic books. For fifty years, Jack Kirby drew more pages than any other comic book artist. As talented as he was... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582343454
• ISBN13: 9781582343457
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.2" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Incredible Book

I've been collecting comics for over twenty years, but this book blew me away. I'd read another review that said that everything in the book was common knowledge, and I can't see how anybody could say that. It was really in-depth and insightful, and surprisingly enough it was very well written. I don't usually read biographies, but this book was pretty much a bio on Jack Kirby. The only thing about it, is that after reading it, you may view the comics industry differently. It's a shame the way that the artists (and some writers) were treated by the comic companies. This book was incredibly detailed, and was full of many quotes from industry professionals throughout the years. Highly recommended, especially if you liked Kavalier & Clay.

Great Book

I've been looking for a compelling bio / non-fiction book about the comic trade for a long time, and one on the enigmatic Jack Kirby. I hadn't found one yet, until this. This book principally addresses the myth of Stan Lee - ie. that Stan did everything in Marvel, but focuses at the other lynchpin that really helped define the Silver Age of comic books: Jack Kirby. Often ignored and little understood because of the hype surrounding Stan Lee and Marvel, Ro tries to set the record straight about Kirby and I'm glad he did. Ro does a great job in illustrating a picture of the industry and trends through Kirby and cohorts. The book gives as balanced a view as possible by including comments from many other people. This is a highly readable book - and it doesn't try to address everything but still gives readers a snapshot of how the industry worked and how artists labored to create their heroes. Jack deserved a book like this to tell his tale. Stan Lee's autobiography was too glib for me and disappointing (ie. all PR and little depth) but books like this unearth the real dramas behind the creative process. I'm still reading it as I speak - any fan of marvel comics especially in the 60s thru 70s should get into this - but for true appreciation, you will need to know enough about marvel comics for the added kick. Those who do don't really need illustrations (the book has none). Those who do, will need to search out the comics! Comic book collectors should add this to their library. It's a poignant tale of the American dream - and more accurately, of Kirby's dream.

All hail King Kirby!!

As a lifelong fan of Jack Kirby's work, I was anxious to read Ronin Ro's biography of the great, tragic master artist. I wasn't disappointed. Tales to Astonish is a fascinating look at Kirby's life, from his early days as Jacob Kurtzberg in Manhattan, to his early art days, his days in the army during WWII it's easy to see how these dramatic and occasionally traumatic events provided the fuel and pathos for Kirby to co-create the Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Thor, the X-Men, the Avengers, and countless other characters for Marvel. Though this book goes in depth into Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's always dynamic, often dysfunctional relationship, it does try to present a balanced view by also quoting Stan and letting the reader draw their own conclusions. After the break with Marvel, it recounts the creation of Kirby's Fourth World at DC (my favorite era) and follows him through until the bittersweet end. Not only is it Kirby's story, but many other creators are featured, such as Stan Lee, John Romita, Joe Simon, Mark Evanier, and many more. Roz Kirby, the Queen mother of comicdom also has her tale told. This is not only an invaluable lesson in comic history, but in the human condition. It's the story of one man's life that is more extraordinary than any of the characters he created. It should not only be read by every comic book fan, but every student of pop culture, and every artist who even thinks about working freelance. Highly recommended to all!

The Sad Tale of the King

I thought it was very thorough and informative. There have been several Stan Lee bios (and an autobio) and "King" Kirby pretty much got short shrift in those. He is painted here as Stan Lee's "be-yatch" because his depression-era upbringing made him fear unemployment, so he took years of financial and professional abuse from Marvel. It is noteworthy though that Kirby had trouble writing coherent dialogue; he was an artist and a story plotter but could not write many decent stories. Oh...the reason there are no illustrations here is because they are copyrighted and the copyright owners chose not to contribute to a book that makes them look pretty bad.

Long live the KING!

I think Ronin Ro should be commended for putting so much time and effort into a book celebrating the life and work of Jack Kirby. According to Kirby scholar Mark Evanier, one of Jack's biggest fears was that he would be forgotten, and thanks to Ro, future scholars of the comic book medium--as well as students of intellectual property creation--will have access to this relatively comprehensive biography if they want to learn more about one of the greatest creators in the history of multimedia -- Jack Kirby.