American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1980s

I've read a lot of books on comic history over the years and while all of them told a complete history, the writing is very textbook like, straightforward, kind of like a dull history class about your favorite subject. All the cool anecdotal stories are being told in all the fanzines, but you would have to track them all down and where are they in relation to the history, daunting task.Well, Twomorrows has done all the legwork, the American Comic Book Chronicles is THE encyclopedia for comics, it brings together all the history AND the great personal stories AND highlights important stories and characters from each year.1980's was the decade of great expansion and high sales for Marvel and DC, Secret Wars, Crisis, gimmick Covers, the rise of the independent publishers First, Capital, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jim Shooter, Dark Knight, I could go on, it was quite the decade.I think the 1980's was THE most important decade, as far as showing how the comics industry got to where it is now.Keith Dallas does a great job putting everything in perspective, tying in what is happening in the comic book world to the ever growing changes in the real world.If you collected comics during the 80's or if you're a youngin' and want to find out how comics got to where they are today, this is the book you need. Me, I'm getting them all, it's a great series.

An in-depth exploration of the comic book industry during the decade of excess. This book is a wealth of information on an industry that changed so dramatically. The book explores each year chronologically and covers all the major events, including: the maturation of the direct market; the birth of the crossover; the rise of independents; the power of movie and promotional tie-ins; comic books as art; important (social) changes to the Comic Code; comic book writers and artists as celebrities.The level of detail is intense, and the author does his best to remain objective. As a result, the narrative definitely takes a backseat to the facts; sometimes it feels like you're reading an encyclopedia. It's still worth the time investment if you're a fan. Don't be surprised if you go looking for the other volumes when you're finished (I did).

I had been a comic book fan/collector ever since I was a kid, however during the 80's istopped getting comic books. I started up in 1990 again when I found out that therewas such a thing as comic book shops !! In the 10 years I was out of comics a lot ofthings happened---new characters, new titles, new writers and artists and amongother things, the FLASH was dead and BATMAN had become more darker.This book tells me what all I missed about the 80's decade ( which was a lot ) andthe photos are just amazing. I can't recommend this book and the silver age book1960-1964 enough. Buy both of them. I can't wait for the 1950's book that will beout in a few months.

This is the 5th in the series that I've read -- previous include American Comic Book Chronicles the 1950s, 1960s (2) & 1970s -- & I found it very informative & an easy read. Looks like the author ran into a time crunch since several of the later chapters were written by others, but overall the prose is clear & concise, if not particularly flashy. My one complaint is that the binding seems a little weak & I can see it giving way after only a few readings.

The book was interesting. On the quality of the book, I'd give this five stars. Substantively, though, there was one flaw -- the authors cover a year at a time, and sometimes told part of a story in one chapter and finished the story in a later chapter, with no attempt to cross-reference the two.However, my biggest complaint was with the durability of the packaging. The title was written in a nice gold-colored lettering on the book's spine and, after I carried the book around, reading a chapter at a time over a number of days, the printing wore off. Had I not been carrying the book while traveling and missed the end of the return period, this is a serious enough flaw that I would have exchanged it. So, one star for the packaging.

A great addition to the American Comic Book Chronicles. I have 1960-1979 volumes. If you've enjoyed the the other books, this one will not disappoint. A great coverage of the final years of the bronze age. One caveat. My first order arrived with damage to the spine. I saw this mentioned on a previous review. The book that replaced it had damage in exact same place. Amazon, to their credit, has since resolved the problem.

If you grew up during the heyday of the X-men, the birth of the New Teen Titans, and the endless Crisis on Infinite Earths/Secret Wars events, you'll love this book. Each page tugs at the nostalgia heartstrings with art and behind-the-scenes stories covering not only the changes in the big two publishers, but also those first green shoots of the modern indie comic movement (Comico, First Comics, etc.). Hands down my favorite comic-related book to date.

Keith Dallas does a fantastic job of contextualizing the development of the comics art form with the changing comics business/industry. Although I felt quite knowledgable about comics history (and the 1980s in particular, as I really developed my collection then), I had forgotten many details, the actual timing of concurrent events. Dallas' writing is clear and engaging, and he draws from sources (both written and pictorial) that are quite difficult to find. Great job!

This series is the BEST historical overview of the comics industry. Profusely illustrated, and cleverly formatted. What I liked most is how the authors cover all of the comic book companies and the events of the day.