Category: Book Reviews

Taschen’s Spider-Man Vol 1: 1962–1964

Taschen’s Spider-Man Vol 1: 1962–1964

Big, beautiful, and nearly (but not quite) perfect book of the dawn of Spider-Man The initial volume in Taschen's Marvel Comics Library, Spider-Man. Vol. 1: 1962–1964, brings the first stories of Marvel's web-slinging superhero to a sumptuous, large, high-quality format. The book is massive. The pages measure 11 by 15.6 inches. Its 698 pages make … Continue reading Taschen’s Spider-Man Vol 1: 1962–1964

Seeing Is Believing – or Is It the Other Way Around?

Seeing Is Believing – or Is It the Other Way Around?

The essays in Errol Morris's recent book Believing Is Seeing (Observations on the Mysteries of Photography) explore a series of mysteries, each based on one or more photographs. Writer and documentary filmmaker (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War, Tabloid) Morris uses the photos as the starting point for explorations of what the photos … Continue reading Seeing Is Believing – or Is It the Other Way Around?

J. D. Salinger’s ‘Explosion of Candor’

J. D. Salinger’s ‘Explosion of Candor’

In the wake of the death of J. D. Salinger this past Wednesday there was, as one would expect, an outpouring of accolades and reminiscences about his work. Salinger's demise also renewed speculation about what the famously reclusive writer has been doing since his last published work, "Hapworth 16, 1924," appeared in The New Yorker … Continue reading J. D. Salinger’s ‘Explosion of Candor’

The Story Behind the Stories of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange

The Story Behind the Stories of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange

"Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko" by Blake Bell Steve Ditko was one of the greatest artists from the "Silver Age" of comic books in the 1960s. After illustrating the horror and suspense comics that were prevalent in the 1950s, Ditko, along with Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee, created two of the most … Continue reading The Story Behind the Stories of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange