The Great Comic Book Heroes

by Jules Feiffer

Book Overview

Fantagraphics is proud to publish Jules Feiffer's long out-of-print and seminal essay of comics criticism, The Great Comic Book Heroes , in a compact and affordable size. In 1965, Feiffer wrote what is arguably the first critical history of the comic book superheroes of the late 1930s and early 1940s, including Plastic Man, Batman, Superman, The Spirit and others. In the book, Feiffer writes about the unique the place of comics in the space between...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560975016
• ISBN13: 9781560975014
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Fun for Babies and Toddlers

The simple words describe the action on each page - short and easy for babies. The pictures tell an adorable story with a sweet ending - fun for toddlers.

Kitty a Joy

"Kitty Up" is a charming and comforting book that delights tots and pleases their parents. It is a wonderful introduction to reading and the love of books.

An enjoyable look into the background of the heroes

Comic books are a passion for many young people, and since they are more fantasy than fiction, close scrutiny of their purpose and meaning is often unproductive. Using the laws of chemistry, physiology and physics to examine the powers of Superman and Wonder Woman is equivalent to peeking behind the curtain in the great hall of the wizard of Oz. That fatal flaw does not apply to this critique. While Feiffer occasionally raises issues with the factual justification of the super hero, he does so in such a way that it does not offend anyone that wants to maintain the illusion. The unpretentious way in which he discusses the comics and their role in the world overwhelms the stripping of the veneers. He begins with the comics that appeared in the newspapers, descriptions of adventurers, lawmen and bad guys. His explanation of the greatest change ever to take place in the comics, the development of the super hero, is superb. The creators of Superman were geniuses, not only in his origins, but the development of the alter ego and the inclusion of his weaknesses. An invulnerable super being would soon become boring, as there would never be any real threat to his success and human interaction would be the equivalent of a Greek god interacting with a pathetically weaker human. His role as Clark Kent forced Superman to be a person, with feelings, weaknesses and emotions, even if only feigned. His vulnerability to Kryptonite meant that even humans could have a chance of defeating him. This history of the development of the comic book super hero is well written and very informative. It describes some of the inside maneuvering, including a few involving the legal system, between the creators of the heroes. Sometimes there were even understandings regarding what kind of costume the different heroes could wear. I enjoyed reading it very much.

WHAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THEIR SUPER POWERS?

My review is based on the original 1965 hardbound Bonanza Books edition. I mention this because, according to another reviewer, the more recently released softbound edition is both abridged and without some or all of the color comics that make this book such a joy.Feiffer writes several pages of introduction that trace both the history of comics from newspapers to comic books and his own development from a child infatuated with everything about comics and super heroes to an adult writer/cartoonist.I grew up following the adventures of many of the comic book super heroes he presents here. (Comic books were in their heyday and cost 10 cents.) By the time I was "into" comics, these super heroes were already well established and their super powers were taken for granted. In THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES, Feiffer includes many of the comic book sequences that reveal how these super powers came to be. Here's some of what I learned from Feiffer:Superman, as most of us do know, was sent to earth as a baby from a planet whose destruction was imminent. Inhabitants of that planet were all endowed with what, on earth, were super powers.Batman didn't really have super powers. From the time when, as a child, he saw his parents killed by gangsters, he trained his body and mind to function as a crime fighting machine. The Human Torch was, in fact, not human. He was created in a lab.The Flash got his superhuman speed as a result of breathing gas fumes during a lab accident.The Green Lantern got his powers from a green ring made from a magic green lantern.Captain America got his super powers from an injection of a secret formula. He was supposed to be one of many superior beings created to fight "the Nazi menace," but the scientist who invented the secret potion was killed by the Nazis before he could make any more. He took it's "recipe" to the grave with him. Thus, only one super hero, Captain America.Plastic Man got his super powers from another lab accident in which he was exposed to a mysterious acid.These are but a few of the Super Heroes, in their original comic book form, included in Feiffer's book. These, in particular, fill in missing backgrounds for me. In these old comic books there was no confusion. There were "us good guys" and "those bad guys." And guess what - the good guys always triumphed.