Rise of the Superheroes by David Tosh is a fun autobiographical and historical journey through the Silver Age of comics in the 1960s. Tosh breaks up the era into four distinct time periods as he follows the evolution of the heroes and his own love of the genre. He explains the boon of many of our favorite characters (The Hulk, Iron Man, The Avengers) as a response in part to the passing of the Comics Code of 1954. While hitting on the most popular stars of the era, he makes strong connections to the current versions, Black Panther, the surge in superhero films and TV shows in recent years, and even Sheldon’s love for The Flash!
I enjoyed Tosh’s personal anecdotes and the story of his developing appreciation growing up in the 60s in the “In My Neighborhood” sections. Also of interest are the pictures of many covers and pages which are chosen to highlight the iconic characters: Superman, Spider-Man, Thor, Batman, and The Silver Surfer. He includes recent auction prices on each piece of memorabilia and a short chapter at the end about collecting.
Rise of the Superheroes is a very good reference book for a niche of collecting and research in one of the best eras of comic book lore. Check your grandmother’s storage locker! She might have stashed away those old comic books, or get this book and dive in.
4 out of 5 stars.
Comes out on May 8th, 2018.
Thank you to NetGalley, F+W Media, and David Tosh for the advanced copy for review.
https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Superheroes-Greatest-Silver-Characters/dp/1440248168
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