The Golden Age of Comics

[Buddy Bradley]

I just finished reading this. It's not that tangentially related as it's absolutely a history of the Golden Age of comics, being mostly set in the comics world between 1938 and 1954, drawing on conversations with key comic figures from the time and, as you say, is based on real people and events. It's also a fucking fantastic book. Just thinking about Sam & Tracy makes me sad and angry. My only criticism is that it's so good I kept going to sleep really late because I didn't want to stop reading and now I'm knackered.

Cool, glad you enjoyed it so much; I really need to go back and re-read it, it's been quite a while since I first read it and I don't remember much about the plot apart from a bunch of golem-related stuff that seemed a bit out of place.

 

[Spandex]

I don't remember much about the plot apart from a bunch of golem-related stuff that seemed a bit out of place.

That relates to the idea that the Jewish golem legend is an inspiration for Superman and superpowered heros. The golem is, in many tellings of the legend, a super strength being that comes to the rescue of the downtrodden, a proto-superhero.

Many of the early comic book artists and writers were Jewish. Being frozen out of well paying, 'respectable' illustration work in advertising, newspapers and the commercial worild due to widespread antisemitism in the US, they were able to find work in the looked-down-on world of comic books. Siegel & Shuster (Superman), Jack Kirby (Captain America), Bob Kane (Batman), Will Eisner (The Spirit), Stan Lee (Marvel), publisher Lev Gleson, loads of others, were all Jewish. Jobs in the comic industry were often given by word of mouth to people they knew, which made the early world of comics very Jewish.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

This is even more tangential, but was quite interesting and is comic-related if not Golden Age (maybe a little Silver Age, I forget what specific years that relates to) - but I watched this today:

 

[Spandex]

This is even more tangential, but was quite interesting and is comic-related if not Golden Age (maybe a little Silver Age, I forget what specific years that relates to) - but I watched this today:

Black Bomber

"An insult to practically everybody with any point of view at all".