William B. Jones Jr. (1) (1950–)

This is a comprehensive history of Classics Illustrated comics -- comic versions of "serious" literature -- that ran from the 1940s to the early 1970s. Jones tells the stories of the creators, the artists, the writers, and the fans and weaves in quite a bit of the general history of the great age of comics. Alternately snubbed by comics fans who thought they were too educational and educators who though they were tainted by the evilness of comics, Classics Illustrated nonetheless had a big fan base during its heyday, and a solid cadre of collectors today. Probably not worth reading unless you are really into comics or are a collector, but still interesting enough for an amateur like me to enjoy. The tons of illustrations (including two sets of color plates) really help.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2012/06/classics-illustrated-cultural-history.html ]… (mere)

One would think it necessary to have grown up with the Classics Illustrated works, or at least harbor a nostalgia for them, in order to fully appreciate Jones' incredibly detailed treatise. Not so. He handles the material in such a manner that even those new to the old favorites will appreciate the depth of the study without being overwhelmed by it. By deftly introducing each core component of the exhaustive Classics Illustrated history with thorough explanation, and, yes, illustrations, Jones feels more a brilliant friend discussing an interest than a dry lecturer. Do not be fooled however; the storyteller tone in no way creates a casual approach to the subject, and even well-versed readers will find something well worthwhile in the definitive text.

Highly recommended for any with an interest in the development of Americana, comics, literature adaptations, and culture studies.… (mere)

This book was great fun for a comic nerd like me. Classics Illustrated were among some of the first comics I read, although I learned by reading this book that I was on the very tail end of the phenomenon and most of my reads were reprints of earlier editions.

The publishing history was interesting but seeing the creators -- especially the illustrators -- who contributed over the years, who I was familiar with mainly from reading WAY TOO MANY super hero comics, was the highlight for me.

Probably not a general interest book and the level of detail, while impressive, limits the books appeal to golden, silver and bronze age comic fans and/or students/scholars of pop cultural history.… (mere)