American Daredevil: Comics, Communism, and the Battles of Lev Gleason

by Brett Dakin

Brett Dakin, Gleason’s great-nephew, opens up the family archives—and the files of the FBI—to take you on a journey through the publisher’s life and career. In American Daredevil, you’ll learn the truth about Gleason’s rapid rise to the top of comics, unapologetic progressive activism, and sudden fall from grace.

Genres: History, Comics, Nonfiction, Politics, Business, Biography

250 pages, Paperback

Published March 18, 2020

About the author

Brett Dakin is the author of American Daredevil: Comics, Communism, and the Battles of Lev Gleason (Chapterhouse) and Another Quiet American: Stories of Life in Laos (Asia Books). His writing has appeared in the New York Daily News, the International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, and The Guardian. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Brett grew up in London and now lives in New York City with his husband—and their dog, Carl.

Reviews

[Alister Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hidden history of Golden Age comics pioneer.

A fascinating biography of a pioneer of golden age comics. The context of Red Scare McCarthyism and the 'Seduction of the Innocents' campaign against comics is compelling. The book outlines how comic publishing became so successful and how it fitted in to American and world history.

[Kent Archie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting insight into the history of comics. I had never heard of any of this and I have many thousands of comics in my house. Throw in a collision with the House Un-American Activities Committee and you have a fascinating story

[Kent Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love comics and their history so it's rare that I give a low rating to any book claiming to tie in with the history of comics. I say claiming because this one didn't have much about comics in it. It was mostly about Gleason's politics but it does mention communism in the title so I can't say I wasn't warned. As for the book itself, it probably shouldn't have been written by a relation of the subject. To say Dakin gushed over his uncle Lev would be an understatement. Even though they never met. It's interesting that I had recently discovered the word hagiography because this definitely fits. It might also have benefitted from an author who stuck more to facts rather than conjecture. There were so many instances of 'we can assume' or 'it's possible' that it became apparent the author wasn't worried about actual events but skewing the narrative to make his uncle look more like a hero. Towards the end, Dakin even admits he's going to 'imagine' a certain scene. Pretty interesting technique for a 'biography'. All in all, it was too evident that the author had a definite purpose in mind outside of simply telling the story of Lev Gleason and he didn't seem concerned about accuracy so much as getting his point across.

[Sophia Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed *American Daredevil*. I went into it mostly interested in the history of comics, but I ended up finding Lev Gleason himself just as fascinating as the comics he helped publish.

What makes this book especially interesting is how it goes beyond the usual comic-book history. Gleason’s politics, his progressive views, his business ambitions, and his eventual troubles all come together to paint a picture of someone who was clearly willing to take risks and stand by what he believed in. The family archives and FBI material also give the story a personal and sometimes surprising feel.

I especially appreciated that the book doesn’t try to make Gleason into either a hero or a villain. He comes across as complicated, ambitious, outspoken, and very much a product of his time. That made the story feel much more real to me.

If you’re interested in Golden Age comics, publishing history, political history, or biographies of people who operated outside the mainstream, I’d definitely recommend this one. It’s a relatively quick read, but there’s a lot packed into those 250 pages.

A really interesting and overlooked piece of comics history. Definitely worth reading.

[Dave Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating juxtaposition of biography and history. Loved the ways the author wove the sordid history of the anti-communist lunacy of the 1950s into his uncle's active anti-fascism as well as how both spilled over into Congress's efforts to censor comics. Very well-written amd documented. It could have been "just" a deep dive into one of the earliest and leading publishers of comics in the U.S. in tthe 40s and 50s, but the author made it so much more. Highly recommended.

[Jessika Hoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every now and then, I like to dabble in non-fiction, particularly about subjects that interest me. As a fan of both comic books and history, I expected to enjoy this one, and I did. I found it very interesting at times and somewhat dry at others, but for the most part, I enjoyed my time reading this. I don’t regret picking it up as I learned a bit about early comic book history.