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The Behind the Book Series on Comic Book Heroes and Creators

Comic Revelations

Blue Ribbon Comics : Issue 15 Volume Issue 15 (by Mlj/Archie Comics)
Crack Comics : Issue 31 Volume Issue 31 (by Quality Comics)
Ha Ha Comics : Those Bank Robber Blues :... Volume Issue 59 (by American Comics Group/Acg)
Feature Comics : Issue 133 Volume Issue 133 (by Quality Comics)
Feature Comics : Issue 77 Volume Issue 77 (by Quality Comics)
Giggle Comics : Issue 28 Volume Issue 28 (by American Comics Group/Acg)
Crack Comics : Issue 21 Volume Issue 21 (by Quality Comics)
Giggle Comics : Issue 42 Volume Issue 42 (by American Comics Group/Acg)
Crown Comics : Issue 1 Volume Issue 1 (by Crown Comics)
Crown Comics : Issue 5 Volume Issue 5 (by Crown Comics)
Feature Comics : Issue 114 Volume Issue 114 (by Quality Comics)
Ha Ha Comics : Issue 92 Volume Issue 92 (by American Comics Group/Acg)
National Comics: Issue 15 Volume Issue 15 (by Quality Comics)
National Comics: Issue 6 Volume Issue 6 (by Quality Comics)
Hit Comics : Issue 27 Volume Issue 27 (by Quality Comics)

From our childhoods to the big screen, comic book heroes have grown up with us. They have assumed a cultural weight today that cements them into the Western lexicon. With such popularity comes the cultural impact, and with the cultural impact come the cultural critiques, questions, and theories. Does Doctor Strange respect the Eastern philosophies from which he was derived? How does Captain America's latest revelation as an undercover Hydra agent comment on the current political state of America? What do the variations of Spider-Man represent of the cultures that birthed them?

These questions deserve discussion. Beginning in January, World Library's Behind the Book video series will tackle these topics through multiple, in-depth features that will focus on the origins and impacts of various comic books and their creators. Media Producer Shivang Mehta and his team will work with renowned professors, comic store owners, and writers in order to create videos that will bring us closer to the essence of our modern heroes.

As noted in previous issues, comic books draw much more gravitas today than their early years suggested. Comic book historian Bradford W. Wright wrote,"To critically examine the history of comic books is to better understand the changing world... as well as the historical forces intersecting to shape it" (Comic Book Nation, XIII). Masked at times by deceptively simple plot lines (and, at other times, grandiose and convoluted plots), comic book heroes often raise big questions of philosophy, theology, and culture, all the while perpetuating mythological tropes that have been at the core of our heroic foundations since ancient times.

"We're going to discuss the creation of superheroes and find their roots in mythological figures," Mehta says. "There are more obvious examples like Thor from Norse mythology, or Wonder Woman from the Amazons. And then there are also lesser known characters like Shazam, formerly known as Captain Marvel, whose name and powers were born from an acronym of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury."

Mehta and the team mean to keep the exploration of these stories as open-ended as comic books are themselves. The series will also take a look at the long-running comics of non-superheroes like Tarzan, Tonto, and The Lone Ranger.

"I'm excited to get to talk to experts on some of my personal favorite superheroes," Mehta went on to say. We are, too! In the meantime, peruse the World Library’s gigantic graphic novels collection, and watch our past Behind the Books series features which include The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Das Kapital by Karl Marx, and the Bhagavad Gita. Year 2018 will also see Behind the Book features on Homer's The Iliad and Confucius, so stay tuned!

By Thad Higa