Comix: A History of Comic Books in America

by Les Daniels

Great history of comics in America.

Genres: Comics, Nonfiction, History, Art

198 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Les Daniels was one of the earliest historians of comic books and an author of horror novels.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was one semester during my first stint in college that I didn't have any classes I enjoyed and frequently ditched one or more of them to hang out in the library. I unearthed this and read it from cover to cover a couple times. A few years ago, I found it at the used bookstore I always go to and snapped it up.

Les Daniels, of course, wrote a few coffee table books about comics years after this. This came out in 1971 and is charmingly out of date in places, like when it's suggested Captain Marvel will likely never fly again and no mention of Stan Lee and Bob Kane taking credit for other people's ideas.

This book starts at the newspaper strips at the dawn of the newspaper boom through the present day of 1970. Lots of companies of the '40s and '50s are covered, not just Marvel and DC, as are underground comics. EC gets a chapter and the Wertham hysteria that led to the comics code and the death of EC gets another chapter.

Tons of stories are reprinted in their entirety in here. The origin of the Old Witch from Haunt of Fear, a Barks Duck story, a story from Creepy, and a Steranko tale from Tower of Shadows are the standouts but there are a couple dozen more.

While a lot of the info is out of date, like I said earlier, the stuff from the beginning to the 1950s plus the underground stuff make it a worthwhile read if you can get it for a decent price.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1971, with graphic design assistance from Mad Peck Studios, this was one of the first attempts to break down the history of comic books and chart the creative high points for a general audience, and it was also one of the first attempts outside ZAP to try to make comics seem edgy and cool by sticking an “X” in there. Daniels gets s lot of stuff right. He gives roughly equal time to EC, Marvel, and the ‘60s underground, and provides little primers on the funny animal genre and the birth of the Comics Code Authority. And there are pages and pages of mostly well-selected comics pages. The problem is that, whether because of some kind of legal stipulation or a misguided effort to keep the book slim—it doesn’t crack 200 pages—the comics are shrunk down and laid out two pages side-by-side, and the black-and-White reproductions in particular tend to be muddy; they don’t pop. It reinforces the sense that they’re there for study purposes, which, combined with the way the text is laid out, gives the whole thing the feel of a textbook.

[Joshlynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gold standard by which all studies of comic books should be measured. Daniels sees his subject with a clear, unsentimental eye that's become all too rare towards a medium that, since this book was published, has run rampant with insidious nostalgia. He stumbles in a few places, namely in his flippant attitude towards feminism and his smug dismissal of the work of Rory Hayes. But other than that, this book is an absolute gem.

[Markel Tumlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 1971, and I have owned a copy for almost that long. It’s a good book to just pick up and flip through (which I’ve done many times), but I finally read it from cover to cover. It provides a good overview of the major trends during the early history of comic books, although some of it is presented in a somewhat dated fashion. Nonetheless, it’s an entertaining and informative read for comic book enthusiasts, and the selected samples do a good job of supporting the text.

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had to pick one comics reference book, I'd pick this volume, from 1971. Affordable used copies can be found. It's a genuine history of the art form taking in Golden and Silver Age superhero comics, ECs, undergrounds, all kinds of unusual material not commonly covered together.

And it has a LOT of reprints, so it's one of the best general samplings of the medium ever done.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this several times. The selection of underground comics are the stars of the show. A great mix of stuff.

[Regis Philbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

R.I.P. The Mad Peck.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the '70's there was a dearth of material related to comic books and their history. This was one of the early volumes that told the history of comics - including undergrounds, golden age, silver age etc. It was an amazing book for its time. It features complete stories - some even in color!

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 1970s I relied upon this book, one of the small but growing histories of the comics medium. Uniquely, in this book Daniels includes the Underground cartoonists along with liberal excerpts from classic stories, including a Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge fable. Great book.

[Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduced me to a lot great comics; early comics, experimental comics, superhero stuff I had never seen before, 60s hippie comics, on and on. It's a great collection.

[Ericpegnam Pegnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on comic books I read as a child. Well informed and funny with a good critical eye for strengths and limitations.

[Satyros Brucato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although dated by its publication era (the early 1970s), this remains the best book I've read regarding the history of comics.