I’VE GOT THE STRANGEST FEELING
I’M BEING TURNED INTO A PUPPET.
—The Flash, from the cover of 1962’s The Flash #133
There is a kind of delightful absurdity that you can only find in comic books—a world where a character can say, in all sincerity, that he has the feeling he is turning into a puppet and the audience just keeps reading on as if that statement makes perfect sense. This book is a celebration of that special absurdity, as we dissect the history of comic books with a series of lists. The lists are based on the various features that I have been doing at my comic book blog, Comics Should Be Good, for the past seven years. A number of the lists feature the results of popularity polls voted on by readers of Comic Book Resources (the largest online comic book community in North America) while others detail strange pieces of comic book history, like the craziest items Batman has carried in his utility belt (including, as you might have guessed, a particular type of aquatic animal repellent).
The lists are grouped into six parts. One for lists about comic book characters, one for lists about comic book creators, one for lists about comic book storylines, one for lists that go “beyond the panels” (like comic book covers and strange comic book ads, like ones for X-ray glasses), one for lists about the crossover between comic books and pop culture (like notable rock bands that have taken their names from comic books), and finally, one for lists about movies and television shows based on comic books. Intermixed among my lists are a number of lists from various notable comic book writers and artists, including Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, cocreator of Watchmen.
Something you’ll likely realize after you are finished reading is that while, yes, comic books do enjoy that special kind of absurdity I mentioned before, there is a certain nobility to them as well. After all, one of the most famous comic book quotes is the mantra Peter Parker lives his life by: “With great power comes great responsibility” (a quote, by the way, that Peter credits to his uncle Ben even though we never actually see Uncle Ben say it in the comics—see, you’re learning stuff already!).
I hope you enjoy this collection!
Brian Cronin