It started years ago with a 'good story'. #129 'Davy Crockett'. Thus began a lifelong devotion to Classics Illustrated by author William B. Jones, Jr.
Jump to 1992. An abortive account of Bill Clinton's rise to the White House leads Jones into a bout of writers block. His editor instructs the writer to craft a list of ideas; one of which is a historic account of Albert Kanter and his dream of creating a line of comic books that inspire countless generations to further explore the classics of world literature.
After a 1993 phone interview with former Classics Illustrated artist Rudy Palais, Jones began a near decade of research, interviewing artists, writers, editors and fans to craft an extensive history of the line. Starting as Classic Comics as an imprint of Elliot Publishing in 1941, Kanter took the series private with the creation of the Gilberton Company, Inc. the following year. As comic books came under fire as the leading source of juvenile delinquency by 'experts' such as Dr. Wertham, Kanter made a brilliant attempt to distance his volumes from the industry by rebranding them as Classics Illustrated.
While Kanter's decision saved Classics Illustrated through the tumultuous 1950s, the move would ultimately halt production of new works at the beginning of the hopeful 1960s. The United States Postal Service ruled that Gilberton was publishing books, not periodicals. This decision would remove the much needed second class parcel classification essential for direct sales subscriptions. The company appealed and was overruled resulting in Gilberton ceasing publication of all-new works in 1962.
For another decade, Classic Illustrated would exist only in reprint form. Kanter would update the existing books with new scripts and art. Its most popular and iconic update were the painted covers. In 1967, the line was sold to Frawley Corporation who unfortunately didn't understand how to properly publish comics. The original Classic Illustrated would cease entirely 4 years later. Over the next 3 decades, various companies would attempt to revitalize the brand. But none of them could ever match the success of Gilberton.
Jones second edition would expand upon the writers and authors that graced the Gilberton doors. Not a fan of the witch hunt of the Senate hearings that resulted in the creation of the Comics Code, Albert Kanter became a lifeline to a number of EC Comics staff including Joe Orlando and 'Ghastly' Graham Ingels. Even a pre-coronated Jack Kirby worked for a time on Classics Illustrated as did cover painting genius George Evans and comics strip maestro Al Williamson.
The updated volume would also research Canadian Jack Lake's digital reproductions of both the main series and its sister publication Classics Illustrated Junior. Jim Salicrup would end up licensing the brand from Jack Lake Productions to create brand new titles in the mid 2000s with Papercutz. Jones would close out his updated research with a look at fanzines devoted to collecting any and everything Gilberton and the fans that collect it.
Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History is 381 pages long. However, only about 300 pages are what I would determine to be readable. There are over 50 pages of appendices that read like the Dewey decimal system. What can you expect from a series of 170 comics that were collectively reprinted nearly 1,400 times!
The binding for this book is similar to a college textbook. Add in appendix A-J, extensive chapter notes that were cross-referenced and perhaps the largest index on comic book history and you've got a reference book that comic book historians will salivate over. Almost a balanced look at Gilberton, warts and all. A little bit of the commentary does dote too far over the complaints and praise on multiple aspects of the books chronicled over the years from fans collective. Otherwise, this would be a required reading for any History of Sequential Arts course.
Completing this review completes Task #50 (Prose non-fiction about comic book history) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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