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Tales To Astonish (Hardcover)

by Ronin Ro (Author) "Jacob Kurtzberg was tired of being poor ..." (more)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Price:	CDN$ 27.50 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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Product Details

Hardcover: 388 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury US (July 15 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1582343454
ISBN-13: 978-1582343457
Product Dimensions: 24.4 x 16.5 x 2.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 567 g

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #1,071,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Booklist

Jack Kirby is arguably the most influential comic-book artist of all time: In the early 1940s he cocreated Captain America and drew dozens of other superheroes, essentially creating the template for the genre. But his best-known work comes from the 1960s, when he and writer Stan Lee created the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, and most of the rest of the innovative Marvel Comics cast. Kirby's rough-and-tumble Lower East Side childhood and maverick approach to his art must have seemed a promising subject to Ronin, whose previous books have been on rap music. He paints a colorful portrait--the real-life analog of Kavalier and Clay--of the comic book's early days, and his accounts of Kirby's acrimonious split with Lee and battle with Marvel over ownership of his original drawings show that the industry remained cutthroat. Ultimately, Ronin's treatment is more dutiful than inspired (oh, for some of Kirby's fervor!) and marred by minor errors. The definitive Kirby biography is yet to come; until it arrives, Ronin's is a useful, readable stopgap. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Compellingly depicts the codependent relationship between the charismatic Lee and the rough-edged Kirby�The story packs as much pathos as any of the duo's signature supersagas." (Entertainment Weekly )

"Ro cleanly lays out Kirby's story�He does well by the facts." (The Onion )

"Ro deftly handles Kirby's relationships�Tales to Astonish celebrates the stubbornness that kept Kirby, a superhero of comic books in his own right, creative as if against his will." (San Francisco Chronicle ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Jacob Kurtzberg was tired of being poor. Read the first page

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Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

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4 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Fair balanced account of Kirby and Lee but is lacking, July 11 2004

By	Wayne Klein "If at first the idea is not absu... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"Tales to Astonish" by Ro provides an account of the creation of the modern comic book. Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Stan Lee, John Romita, Steve Ditko and other great comicbook writers/artists all contributed to this unique American artform. Ro's book provides a pretty comprehensive look at the forces that drove the industry and drove the men that changed the industry to shape the comicbook world we have today.

Ro's book, though, lacks an important part of the story--illustrations of the art form itself and pictures of those who played key roles in this ongoing story. Kirby's cover art gives a sense of his work but it doesn't provide context; we don't really know (except by Ro's description)what the early comicbooks looked like prior to Kirby's arrival. Some examples to contrast the change in storytelling over time might have been helpful as well. There are enough of these "classic" comic books that must be in the public domain by now so that he could have included them as examples for readers not as familiar with the changes these giants of the industry created.

Ro's book comes across as pretty accurate although there are a few minor errors and omissions that crop up. Still, with as large a canvas as he's working with, he's done a very good job of summing up what made the comic book world tick from the 30's through today. Comic books were America's attempt at creating a cultural context, in a sense its own mythology and legends that so many older cultures have. Their enduring popularity has as much to do with the snapshot they provide of life or what they reflect from the real world as their value as escapist entertainment.

This book on Kirby, Lee, Ditko and others really is much broader than a cultural history; it focuses on many of the movers and shakers that changed the industry. While it's Kirby's story, it's also, in a sense, about the rise of the American culture that has come to dominate much of the world. Although it might not be called definitive, it does give a sense of Kirby's (and others as well)contribution to an emerging American art form that was once derided for corrupting the morals of society.

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5.0 out of 5 stars 2004's Very Best Nonfiction Book, July 8 2004

By	"daniellk" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Tales to Astonish was a welcome surprise after decades of books that purported to tell the story of Marvel but simply reassembled overwrought anecdotes into a different configuration. While I'm unfamiliar with this author's previous work, his literary style, encyclopedic knowledge of comic books, epic sweep, and in-depth interviews have inspired me to investigate his earlier work. Furthermore, his depiction of the personal and professional relationship between artist Jack Kirby and writer and editor Stan Lee, and heartfelt ode to the days when super heroes were, as one person says in the book, super and heroic is haunting, hilarious, and definitely Pulitzer-worthy. Fans of riveting narrative nonfiction, gripping World War II adventure, American history, and an old fashioned, street-tough love story, will enjoy this true modern classic.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Just a Note to Clarify..., July 1 2004

By	dave (Vallejo, CA) - See all my reviews

Since I can't edit my review, I just wanted to clarify a poorly-worded section that willzep noticed: it was not my intention to accuse Jack Kirby of being "embarrassed" by the "kids' stuff" of working in the comic book field - Kirby's attitude was exactly the opposite. However, that was the way the industry treated all comic book creators, Kirby included. What limited Kirby's choices and forced him to play along was the fact that there were only two comic book companies he could reasonably expect to work for - DC and Marvel - and in the end, it wasn't really a choice at all. (BTW, guess I can edit my reviews! But that would be wrong...)

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Long live the KING!
I plowed through the Ro book and wanted to say that I think it's
INCREDIBLE!!

Ro has taken hundreds of different accounts/viewpoints on/of JK's
story, distilled them into... Read more

Published on Jun 22 2004 by RS

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book About Comics
Ronin Ro's Tales to Astonish is an amazing and factual history of comic artist Jack "King" Kirby. Read more

Published on Jun 22 2004 by willzep

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Introduction to How Kirby Got Screwed
If you don't know the Jack Kirby story, this is a good place to start. Ro covers all the major points and interviews the few major players who are still alive (Kirby and his wife,... Read more