Men of Tomorrow Gerard Jones Geeks Gangsters Comic Book History

Produced by Basic Books. This 2004 hardcover is written by Gerard Jones, a longtime insider of the comic book industry. It chronicles how a crew of young men from working-class Jewish neighborhoods in New York and Cleveland created a series of blue-eyed crime fighters during the Great Depression, drawing on the immigrant experience and an outsider mentality to shape the modern vision of the superhero. The narrative also reveals how a bizarre melting pot of left-wing politics, mob money, and pulp publishing brought these comics to millions, and how the industry survived a devastating backlash in the 1950s to inspire generations of artists and filmmakers.

This collectible edition is a winner of the 2005 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book. Its striking cover design, composed of vintage comic panels, pays homage to the golden age of the medium. Drawing on exhaustive research and firsthand interviews, the 384-page volume offers a riveting portrait of the creators who established the superhero's crucial place in the modern imagination.