Filled with real-life anecdotes and insights, this is a history of the talented creators who brought us Superman, Captain America, Archie, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, and dozens of other comic book favourites, as well as the stories of the other people who helped shape comic book history. Meet the crime comics editor who would himself be accused of a gruesome murder; the horror artist who was periodically released from a mental hospital in order to meet his publishing deadlines; the famous Senator Estes Kefauver, whose subcommittee investigated comic books as a cause of juvenile delinquency; and dozens of other fascinating personalities. The volume also tells stories of the birth of the American comic book industry - deals brokered in publishing offices, epic collaborations and terrible feuds among the creators, and the working conditions and industry practices that left the creators of these legendary characters destitute while the publishers made fortunes. Illustrated with hundreds of examples of these artists' dynamic works, it provides documentation of a time looked upon with nostalgia and not to be forgotten.