Comic Books 101, released under IMPACT Books, is a 288-page prose-with-illustrations primer to the comic-book industry, discussing:
- The history of comics
- The top publishers
- Most popular characters
- Pioneering creators
- A full rundown of Hollywood movie and TV adaptations
The material is presented through prose chapters, personal asides, anecdotes and sidebars, and contributions from comic-book luminaries, and features over 100 full-color illustrations detailing historic moments, characters, covers and creators.
Comic Books 101 features an all-new introduction from comic-book great Stan Lee, and includes all-new sidebar contributions from Clive Barker, Joe Casey, Paul Dini, Joe Hill, Brian Lynch, Gene Simmons, Mark Waid, Marv Wolfman, and many more. Harlan Ellison contributed a brand-new, 1,500-word recollection detailing the first comic book he ever read as the book’s "outroduction." The book also features many all-new chapter illustrations and cartoon images from artists like Mark Engblom, David Messina, and Nick Roche, dozens upon dozens of images of classic covers, characters, and creators, and a cover by
Locke & Key artist Gabriel Rodriguez.
“It’s been a pleasure to assemble
Comic Books 101 for many reasons, not least of which was the chance to get recollections and remembrances from so many creators we’ve long admired,” said
101 co-writer Chris Ryall. “The book offers plenty of entertaining stories for longtime fans as well as offering new fans or comic-curious folks an easy, illustrated intro to all facets of the industry. If you want to know who Western Publishing is, where Superman—and his creators—came from, the different types of manga, the differences between a comic and a graphic novel or which TV and movie adaptations were the best and the worst, all of that and so much more is right here in this book.”
“The motivation behind the column has always been a simple one,” asserted 101 co-writer Tipton. “Introduce new readers to the world of comics with entertaining history lessons that celebrate both the grand and the goofy, the silly and the sublime. Comic Books 101 allows us to take that philosophy to the next step, with both a more detailed historical approach and 'Guest Lectures' from some of the biggest names in comics and popular culture.”
Comic Books 101 is the natural outgrowth of the long-running
Comics 101 column run by Scott Tipton at
the Web site of the same name. In recent years, Scott has crossed over from comics historian to comics creator, writing such comics as
Spike: Old Wounds, Spike: Lost and Found, Angel: Auld Lang Syne, Klingons: Blood Will Tell, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Intelligence Gathering, Star Trek: Mirror Images and
Angel: Smile Time for IDW Publishing. The
Comics 101 weekly column has been running since its launch at Kevin Smith’s Movie Poop Shoot.com site in 2004. Prior to becoming the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at IDW Publishing, Chris Ryall served as
Comics101.com’s Editor-in-Chief. Rydall is also an Eisner-nominated writer of comics such as
Groom Lake, Zombies vs. Robots, Beowulf, Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show, George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead, Gene Simmons House of Horrors, Doomed, and
Shaun of the Dead.
Readers looking for Scott's latest ruminations on comics past and present need only tune into
Comics101.com, where a new column is posted every Wednesday without fail.
Comic Books 101, (ISBN: 978-1-60061-187-2), will be available on
June 5th for the retail price of $22.99.
Check out more details on the
Comic Books 101 Guide!
