1,000 Comic Books You Must Read
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Product Description
Product Description
The volume of stunning artistry and memorable characters in this one-of-a-kind guide is staggering, and entices both avid collectors and casual fans. Readers will find comic books from various genres, produced between 1930 and the present, each represented by its cover and background details including publisher, year of imprint, series and issue numbers, intriguing story notes and the reason it was chosen for this unique book.
About the Author
Tony Isabella is a life-long fan of comics. During his 36-year career in the comic book industry, he created Black Lightning and contributed to Captain America, Ghost Rider, Tarzan, Hawkman, among others, was a pioneer among comic book distributors and storeowners, served as the first columnist in Comics Buyer's Guide and is currently its lead reviewer.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the book for you if you are either: 1) a comic book reader, 2) interested in the history of comics, 3) a fan of comic book writer Tony Isabella or 4) a human being.
It covers, as the title implies, 1000 of the best comic books ever produced in the USA. Isabella, a veteran comic book fan and writer, has selected these for both the casual comic book reader and the seasoned veteran. Lots and lots of information about the time period, the creators, the publishing history and the characters.
Absolutely top notch!
It covers, as the title implies, 1000 of the best comic books ever produced in the USA. Isabella, a veteran comic book fan and writer, has selected these for both the casual comic book reader and the seasoned veteran. Lots and lots of information about the time period, the creators, the publishing history and the characters.
Absolutely top notch!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As any kind of reference book on comics, this just doesn't cut it because of the limited number of titles mentioned which, because numerous titles have multiple entries, is considerably less than 1000. As a critical guide to comics it is, bluntly, a joke. 40 words per entry (actually this was the highest of several entries I counted) doesn't allow much space for anything other than the most superficial of comments. On these levels alone the book is a complete failure.
That doesn't mean, however, that it's a complete waste of time. What it does succeed at being is as a nice piece of nostalgia because of the wonderful and often garish covers it reprints. While it does cover a broad range of comics it's still difficult to find a page that doesn't have at least one super-hero title and usually more. This a colourful and undemanding fun and very lightweight read where the illustrations are far far more important than the text. If you're looking for a decent historical survey of American comics (manga barely gets a mention) then look elsewhere.
Update, 22nd Feb.
Actually, the more closely I look at this book, the more annoyed I get. Now you may well think I'm over-reacting about something which is basically designed to be a fun piece of trivia but it's inconsistent even on its own terms. The title alone, and this may well be its intent, is silly. Personally I'd call it unreasonable. Given that huge numbers of its entries are effectively unobtainable unless you're earning seven figures a year or have vast personal wealth, it's effectively impossible for you to even get your hands on hundreds of the titles included if they weren't published by Marvel or DC.
It's also unlikely that you'd enjoy them all even if you could. More than a few are pretty dire comics by most standards (several of them written by the author himself who is including them out of sheer mischief or misguided vanity -Astonishing Tales featuring It! The Living Colossus for example which I wouldn't include in a list of 50,000 titles) and included for historical reasons or appalling taste on the part of the writer. That apart, because of the sheer variety included no-one will have a taste broad enough to enjoy them all. I doubt if there are many, if any, British readers who understand the appeal or, and actually enjoy, the Archie-Betty-Jughead-Veronica long-running series.
Isabella is also inconsistent in that he includes Graphic Novels and Trade Editions (i.e. collected series). I don't mind him including these but he's inconsistent even on his own terms by including the comic Love & Rockets by the Hernandez Brothers but also the massive hardback collections Palomar and Locas which originally appeared there. I said earlier that Manga doesn't get much of a look in though he does include the American edition of the graphic story by Osamu Tezuka of MW (a brilliant piece of work) but omits Tezuka's seminal and widely available Astro Boy series.
I could go on but I've spent enough time on what is basically an otherwise likeable piece of nostalgic ephemera.
That doesn't mean, however, that it's a complete waste of time. What it does succeed at being is as a nice piece of nostalgia because of the wonderful and often garish covers it reprints. While it does cover a broad range of comics it's still difficult to find a page that doesn't have at least one super-hero title and usually more. This a colourful and undemanding fun and very lightweight read where the illustrations are far far more important than the text. If you're looking for a decent historical survey of American comics (manga barely gets a mention) then look elsewhere.
Update, 22nd Feb.
Actually, the more closely I look at this book, the more annoyed I get. Now you may well think I'm over-reacting about something which is basically designed to be a fun piece of trivia but it's inconsistent even on its own terms. The title alone, and this may well be its intent, is silly. Personally I'd call it unreasonable. Given that huge numbers of its entries are effectively unobtainable unless you're earning seven figures a year or have vast personal wealth, it's effectively impossible for you to even get your hands on hundreds of the titles included if they weren't published by Marvel or DC.
It's also unlikely that you'd enjoy them all even if you could. More than a few are pretty dire comics by most standards (several of them written by the author himself who is including them out of sheer mischief or misguided vanity -Astonishing Tales featuring It! The Living Colossus for example which I wouldn't include in a list of 50,000 titles) and included for historical reasons or appalling taste on the part of the writer. That apart, because of the sheer variety included no-one will have a taste broad enough to enjoy them all. I doubt if there are many, if any, British readers who understand the appeal or, and actually enjoy, the Archie-Betty-Jughead-Veronica long-running series.
Isabella is also inconsistent in that he includes Graphic Novels and Trade Editions (i.e. collected series). I don't mind him including these but he's inconsistent even on his own terms by including the comic Love & Rockets by the Hernandez Brothers but also the massive hardback collections Palomar and Locas which originally appeared there. I said earlier that Manga doesn't get much of a look in though he does include the American edition of the graphic story by Osamu Tezuka of MW (a brilliant piece of work) but omits Tezuka's seminal and widely available Astro Boy series.
I could go on but I've spent enough time on what is basically an otherwise likeable piece of nostalgic ephemera.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a collector with 20+ years of reading mainstream comics I've been looking at the less well known publishers in the last few years. This book highlights the popular Batman, Superman issues and the more obscure titles.
If you're interested in which of your comics are rated, or want to broaden your horizons and pick up something you wouldn't normally look at I can recommend this book.
A good read and manages to make the topic fun again; even after all these years.
If you're interested in which of your comics are rated, or want to broaden your horizons and pick up something you wouldn't normally look at I can recommend this book.
A good read and manages to make the topic fun again; even after all these years.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
High On Visuals - Lower On Substance
This is a tricky product to assess - it's certainly a very attractive book & on the plus side there are stacks of comic book covers that have been reproduced to a high standard -... Read more
Published 29 days ago by S Wilko, Derby
Very pleased
This book makes you want to find loads of others, and cry at the comics you know you wont get, but it is wonderful to see them all in one please.
Published 9 months ago by Bee
1000 comic books you must read
A superb collection of front covers and artworks from American Comic books,
I purchased as I like the style of the old comic drawings and as I was hoping to follow the... Read more
I purchased as I like the style of the old comic drawings and as I was hoping to follow the... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mr. M. Sanders
Fantastic
This comic was great it was everything I expected and more. Gave very good details on all the comics and will save me alot of wasted money buying useless comics.
Published 21 months ago by Bobo..
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