The Golden Age Of Comic Books 1937-1945
(1977 - Ballantine Books)

(by Richard O'Brien) The first job of this book is to deliver 40 plates of comic book covers (with all their logos & typography). It does so, keeping each one in isolation, by facing it with a blank page carrying just an artist identification, the series & issue-number, and the copyright. The reproductions in my 40-year-old edition are still colorful & striking. There are also 14 pages of expository text about the comics, and particularly these artists whose covers are featured: Bernard Baily, C.C. Beck, Jack Binder, Charles Biro (3), Jack Cole (2), Will Eisner (2), Bill Everett, Lou Fine (9), Creig Flessel, Paul Gustavson, Bob Kane (3), Harry Lucey, Leo Morey, Dennis Neville, Irv Novick, Harry G. Peter, Howard Purcell, Mack Raboy (2), Fred Ray, Harry Sahle, Howard Sherman, Joe Shuster, Vin Sullivan, Frank Thomas, Basil Wolverton, and Dan Zolnerowich. (There's also six pages of black-&-white reproductions of other color seminal covers and sequential art.)