{"product_id":"men-of-tomorrow-geeks-gangsters-and-the-birth-of-the-comic-book","title":"Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnimated by the stories of some of the last century's most charismatic and conniving artists, writers, and businessmen, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eMen of Tomorrow\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003ebrilliantly demonstrates how the creators of the superheroes gained their cultural power and established a crucial place in the modern imagination. \"This history of the birth of superhero comics highlights three pivotal figures. The story begins early in the last century, on the Lower East Side, where Harry Donenfeld rises from the streets to become the king of the 'smooshes'-soft-core magazines with titles like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eFrench Humor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eHot Tales\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Later, two high school friends in Cleveland, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, become avid fans of 'scientifiction,' the new kind of literature promoted by their favorite pulp magazines. The disparate worlds of the wise guy and the geeks collide in 1938, and the result is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eAction Comics #1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the debut of Superman. For Donenfeld, the comics were a way to sidestep the censors. For Shuster and Siegel, they were both a calling and an eventual source of misery: the pair waged a lifelong campaign for credit and appropriate compensation.\" -\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eby Gerard Jones (Author)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003ePaperback, 416 Pages, Published 2005\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HACHETTE BOOK GROUP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47770176520379,"sku":"9780465036578","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0548\/0444\/7419\/files\/Temp_7d84b7c5-f4c6-48e7-af9d-83ae87827d5a.jpg?v=1777509761","url":"https:\/\/shop.skirball.org\/products\/men-of-tomorrow-geeks-gangsters-and-the-birth-of-the-comic-book","provider":"Audrey's Museum Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}