Comics / Press Releases

1960s American Comic Book History

By The Editor
May 24, 2014 - 07:17

The American Comic Book Chronicles is TwoMorrows Publishing's ambitious series of full-color hardcovers, where the company's top authors document each decade of comic book history from the 1920s to present. These books comprise over 2000 pages of heavily-researched information, in a friendly, searchable year-by-year format. Taken together, the series forms a cohesive, linear overview of the entire landscape of American comics history.

Shipping this week is author John Wells latest volume on 1965-1969, covering all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details of comics during the stormy cultural upheaval of late 1960s. It presents a year-by-year account of that era's most significant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends. It details the transformation of Marvel Comics into a pop phenomenon, Wally Wood’s Tower Comics storming the scene with the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Charlton’s Action Heroes striking a blow of their own. There's an examination of how Batmania swept the nation as the smash Adam West Batman TV show pushed superhero comic sales into orbit, while Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, and Denny O’Neil led a wave of fresh young voices in the comic book industry. Not to be forgotten are Gold Key, which unlocked a new format with its digest line, while The Archies and Josie & the Pussycats sang their way to the top of both the comics and music charts. These are just a few of the events chronicled in this exhaustive, full-color hardcover.

"In many ways, the ACBC series is the culmination of what I started back in 1994 when I launched TwoMorrows Publishing," explained publisher John Morrow. "With 20 years of documenting comics history through our magazines and books, TwoMorrows is the ideal publisher to produce such a far-reaching series. Any comics enthusiast, researcher, or follower of comics history will find these books an invaluable resource."

In August 2014 (and debuting at Comic-Con international: San Diego), TwoMorrows will be releasing the 1970-79 volume. The next two years will also bring a 1920s-30s volume, two 1940s books, and a 1990s edition to round out the 20th Century.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12