Rating: 
Summary: This Is It!
Review: Any serious reader of comic books should own this book. Scholars interested in the comic book as a form of popular culture will find the thorough and thoughtful research invaluable. At the same time, adult readers of comics will find the writing style interesting and easily accessible. Wright offers a clear, interesting, and often funny history of the comic book as a unquely American art form.
Rating: 
Summary: Look... Up in the Sky!
Review: Bought this book and devoured it in three days. Informative for the comic book fan and non-fan alike, though the fan will likely know much of the historical/anecdotal material about the creators and creation of the key superheroic icons.Wright clearly establishes that the comics were/are very much part of the cultural milieu from which they emerge and he parallels the various shifts in narrative and focus to what was happening in American society at that specific time. I believe he is less successful in establishing the material represented by his sub-title: how youth culture is transformed by the comics rather than how youth culture is reflected by the comics (I came away with more of the reflection aspect after reading this book). The book does not address the "Image-era" of comics; that is, when the youth of America became swayed by badly written, poorly drawn, highly and gratuitiously violent comics of little substance. Here, I think, is an additional chapter in which the symbiotic (and not always positive) relationship between pop-culture and society should have been addressed... especially since the Image books were a direct, if unexpected, outgrowth of the ultra-violence and star-making power of Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns which Wright does discuss in some depth. The Vertigo line of books also gets short shrift... perhaps because the audience for these is older? Still and all, as Wright himself states, there are woefully FEW "serious" or "academic" texts about comics. No true fan, especially the perennial fans like myself who outgrow the intended audience of the comics but refuse to let go, should be without this text. Well done.
Rating: 
Summary: i gave up after 3 tries
Review: Bradford W. Wright in Comic Book Nation (The Transformation of Youth in Culture in America) looks at the history of comic books as reflected in the form of culture presented within the comic books themselves and the changing culture of youth, who were the largest market for these comic books. It is not a definitive look at comics but it is an interesting examination of culture that will take the reader on a tour through much of the changes in comic books and society since the thirties using the books themselves as a form of primary evidence. It brilliantly continues the work of William W. Savage, Jr. in his pioneering Comic Books and American, 1945 - 1954. This book will be loved by comic book fans, of course, but should also prove quite interesting to any reader interested in matters of popular culture. It is the right balance between scholarly and fun and is a joy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Look at the Culture Depicted in Comic Books
Review: Bradford W. Wright in Comic Book Nation (The Transformation of Youth in Culture in America) looks at the history of comic books as reflected in the form of culture presented within the comic books themselves and the changing culture of youth, who were the largest market for these comic books. It is not a definitive look at comics but it is an interesting examination of culture that will take the reader on a tour through much of the changes in comic books and society since the thirties using the books themselves as a form of primary evidence. It brilliantly continues the work of William W. Savage, Jr. in his pioneering Comic Books and American, 1945 - 1954. This book will be loved by comic book fans, of course, but should also prove quite interesting to any reader interested in matters of popular culture. It is the right balance between scholarly and fun and is a joy to read.
Rating:
Summary: Finally--The Definitive History of Comic Books
Review: Bradford Wright has gone where no historian has gone before, delving deeply into an area largely ignored by "legitimate" scholars of history. Not content to simply present a chronology of events, Wright takes the time to analyze each trend in the industry from a socio-historical perspective. The result is a fascinating analysis of an industry that has been shaped by--and (arguably) shaped--the cultural trends of the past 60 years. Rife with documented examples, Wright--an actual historian as well as a fan of the genre--traces comic books from their earliest days of the Depression era, when super-heroes like Superman and Batman battled such societal vices as corporate greed and political corruption. The next stop is World War II, when comics books featuring super-heroes battling Nazis and Japanese soldiers largely served as propaganda to support the war effort. The industry saw its darkest days in the 1950s, when the proliferation of horror and crime comics with graphic depictions of gore and violence led to accusations of comics as corrupters of children. Never mind that many of those same comics also advocated such progressive notions as racial integration and social justice--the anti-comic book crusaders were determined to shut down the presses. The result was trifold: the formation of a self-censoring body called the Comics Code Authority; the closing down of many publishers, inlcuding E.C. Comics, one of the most innovative in the business; and a return to formulaic stories of one-dimensional super heroes. Wright's narrative of these events is as detailed and complete as anything previously published pertaining to the matter. The early 1960s marked a pivotal period for the industry as Marvel Comics abandoned the interchangeable, cardboard cutout characterizations of super-heroes for a new breed of "anti-heroes"--super-powered beings who reluctantly took up the call to serve and protect. By instilling in its characters like the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and the Hulk the same doubts and concerns shared by its young readers, the comic book industry was able to rekindle interest when sales had been lagging. The late 60s and early 70s saw a similar trend in making comics books "relevant" for their readers by attacking such issues as social justice, drug addiction, and opposition to the Vietnam War. By the 1980s, comic books had gained enough respect as an art form that the creative forces behind them began to struggle against their corporate masters for control. No longer content to work as mere cogs in a machine, many artists and writers jumped shipped from the two major players, DC and Marvel, to work for smaller, independent publishers that promised greater creative control as well as higher pay. In the meantime, the entire industry--DC and Marvel included--moved away from the traditional distribution channels like convenience stores to selling directly to the thousands of comic-book specialty stores that began popping up all over the country. Wright leaves readers to ponder the future of the industry in an America where comic books must now compete for the attention of its readers from such alluring alternatives as cable television, video games and the Internet. In the end, he posits, comic books are really nothing more than a consumer product in a culture of consumers. Without question, Comic Book Nation is a must read for anyone who grew up with comic books. Even those who did not will find Wright's journey through the history of comics a fascinating ride.
Rating: 
Summary: Comic Book Nation
Review: I enjoyed this book up to a point. His look at the Green Arrow/Green Lantern series was enlightening. The EC comics coverage was excellent. The author failed to cover the re-emergeance of superheroes in Kurt Busiek's "Astro City" series. Sales may not be great, but it does deserve some coverage. R. Crumb deserves some attention. And a look at Cerebus would have added to the book. These topics, along with Image, should have been covered. I would have liked to read something about the failure of Valiant Comics.
Rating:
Summary: i gave up after 3 tries
Review: i'm into comic book culture even though i haven't bought a comic book in years.
this book was taking me for a long ride somewhere but i did not have the patience.
it is poorely edited with the same information popping up in different places and it just felt like i was going 3 steps up and 2 steps down on a powdery snow covered hill.
i bought this from amazon based on a recommendation...now i am going to the exact opposite hoping that this will save somebody the frustration.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough survey of the business and culture of comic books
Review: In jargon-free, exuberant prose, Bradford Wright has written what may well be the definitive history of comic books. As Wright notes in his introduction, however, since his investigation is also a survey of mass adolescent culture, he properly focuses on "popular" commercial magazines--especially on superhero-themed comics--to the exclusion of newspaper funnies (like Dick Tracy and Li'l Abner), underground comics and graphic novels (such as works by R. Crumb and Daniel Clowes), and cartoon series for children (Archie and the Disney characters). Painstakingly researched, "Comic Book Nation" is really three books in one. Wright provides both plot outlines and summaries of trends in subject matter, from the launch of Superman to the sinister underworld of the Watchmen. He also places those themes and developments in the larger cultural context, from Depression-era longings and liberalism, through the patriotism induced by World War II and the Cold War, to the anti-crime vigilantism of the Reagan era. Finally, he charts the multiple peaks and valleys experienced by the business itself: its unpredictable sales patterns, the unhappiness of its work force, the rise and fall of the largest publishers, and the takeover of the industry by corporate and licensing interests. Along the way, he examines the 1940s and 1950s backlash against the violent and sexual nature of comic books (which resulted in the Comics Code Authority, an agency of censorship unparalleled in its broad sweep and its power); the heyday of EC Comics, purveyor of classics ranging from "Tales from the Crypt" to "Mad Magazine"; and the brilliant, original creation of "Spider-Man" and the succeeding generation of reluctant, misunderstood heroes. Wright wisely avoids making aesthetic judgments, and it's a tribute to his objectivity that readers would have a difficult time figuring out which series rank among the author's own favorites. Likewise, although Wright's left-of-center political judgments are on display throughout (and I confess I often found myself in agreement with him), he is consistently even-handed and empathetic when discussing the advocates of censorship (like Fredric Wertham) and the creators of more "patriotic" and even propagandistic comic books (such as Charlton Publications). Not having read a superhero-themed comic book in years, I admit I was drawn to buy and read this book by Michael Chabon's "Kavalier and Clay," and I can confirm that this is a great book for readers of that novel who want to learn more. Although I imagine that some comic book fans (especially young readers) might find Wright's study long on analysis and short on comics, "Comic Book Nation" is truly a seminal contribution to the field of culture studies.
Rating:
Summary: The Apex Of Serious Study Of The Comic Book in America
Review: In my humble opinion, the very best work that examines this mass media form and how it reflected the changes in American culture during the past six decades. Wright has done meticulous research but presents his material in such an easy style that it is easy to forget that this is a scholarly tome. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Very easy to read
Review: Since I am not a huge fan of comic books myself & was only required to read this book for a very interesting class, I was very pleased with how easy it was to read Dr. Wright's intriguing look at the comic book industry. I don't have a lengthy commentary to give, however, if you want to read a book which combines comic book history with a personal touch this is the book for you. It is very thoughtfully written. And it is the perfect book to give to readers who may be a bit ignorant when it comes to the ups and downs of the comic book industry. It is especially important to read the introduction so you can see where Dr. Wright is coming from. He, along with his comic book collection, just may have been a contributing factor in the downfall of East Germany... One will never know.
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