"Secret History Of Marvel Comics" are in da (my) house!

Co-Authors Blake Bell and Dr. Michael J. Vassallo give man-birth to a weighty tome.

Okay, they are in Michael's house, here in upstate New York City, but it's not often in life when you have that opportunity to hold a book, for the first time, that you've written. Last night was one of those, to date, nine times with the arrival of advance copies of our "The Secret History Of Marvel Comics". (Today, I get to hold a copy of "Impossible Tales: The Steve Ditko Archives vol. 4".)

I'm down here in NYC for "The Secret History Of Marvel Comics" Official Book Release Event in New York City (tonight at 7pm, hosted by the Society Of Illustrators, at 128 E 63rd St., between Park and Lexington Ave). I'll also have a very limited number of copies available of the Ditko Archives vol. 4 for sale at the event. This will be your first chance to get signed copies of both books, weeks before they hit stores.

Other reasons why you should come out to the event tonight:

1) We'll be joined by artists Al Jaffee and Stan Goldberg to discuss their memories of working for Martin Goodman during the halcyon days of Marvel Comics in the 1940s and 50s!

2) Attendees will receive a signed, limited edition, tipped-in plate for the book.

3) Come and see the unveiling of the "Martin Goodman Exhibit!" Get a first hand look at all those Martin Goodman publications, from the 1930s to the 1950s, up close and personal!

4) The cost of admission also gives you access to an exclusive signing session and catered reception afterwards (with cash bar).

"The Secret History Of Marvel Comics" also has a YouTube channel featuring me and Michael J. Vassallo discussing the secrets behind the book in a 10-part video series. Plus, we'll continue to add more videos throughout the next two months.

More Secrets from the History of Marvel Comics

We're rushing to the end of the production cycle of the Secret History of Marvel Comics, from myself and noted 1930s-50s historian Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, published by Fantagraphics Books, Inc.

Today, I'm adding to the captions list because, even after we submitted the design mock-up for the book back in late August, we're still coming up with potential new additions to our 300-page tome.

The book's all about the earliest days of Marvel Comics owner Martin Goodman and the Golden Age Marvel artists like Jack Kirby et al. who crossed over to do work in Goodman's other businesses. Since we thought we had closed the book on the design, we've uncovered two new pictures of Martin Goodman from the 1950s that are buried in his magazine line, including a nifty one with Charlton Heston from 1953.

This picture would have been taken just right after Heston's breakthrough role in The Greatest Show on Earth that won the Oscar for best picture of 1952. It was also three years before Heston played Moses in The Ten Commandments and six before he played Ben-Hur and won the Oscar for best actor. But, there he is, sitting with Goodman at Gogi La Rue's in New York City. The other picture has Goodman on a horse wearing a cowboy hat!

Our book won't make the Christmas rush, but that's what you get when you expand the scope of a book from 168 pages to 300! And we're still getting more artwork and Goodman magazines in that we never knew existed. (Finally nailed a copy of that Zippy mag with the Joe Simon cover, plus an Elvis magazine cover from 1957!) Just how many titles did that man produce? And you thought he flooded the market with his comics?