Inside Look: TASCHEN’s The BRONZE AGE OF DC COMICS by Paul Levitz

The much-delayed third in the series looks splendid…

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I was one of those people who got that massive, hernia-inducing 75 Years of DC Comics from Taschen that could kill any number of woodland creatures, timid or otherwise. It listed at $200 and came in at, oh, I don’t know, half a ton or something.

The thing was HUGE. I got it because, y’know, I almost felt like I should. And while I’m glad I own it, I’ll be damned if I can properly sit and read it. So I was pretty glad that Taschen, with the able assistance of former DC chieftain Paul Levitz, the tome’s original writer, set about cannibalizing the original volume and produced individual coffee-table books on the Golden Age and the Silver Age. (Read about them here.)

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The Bronze Age was to follow but there were delays, as often happens in life and publishing. But this week, finally, we get The Bronze Age of DC Comics, which just might be the edition I’ve been looking forward to the most.

What’s great about these books is not just that they’re eminently readable — large yes, but manageably so — it’s that they include material that wasn’t in that original slab (which has a Marvel counterpart, by the way).

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“There’s a ton of new art included — almost doubling the number of images,” Levitz told me. “There’s a new interview with Denny (O’Neil). The rest of the text is a modest expansion and clean-up from the big book. … I spoke with Denny about his relationships with the people, his collaboration with artists (he has the most economical art directions of anyone I worked with), his effect as a teacher, and his view of the Batman films, since he’s often been a film critic.”

Anyone reading this site knows of my obsession with the Silver and Bronze Ages. These were the comics of my youth. So any chance to revisit them in such gorgeous fashion is welcome.

Check out this glimpse of what’s coming in October. The book lists for $60, but as you know, there are plenty of places that’ll be selling it for less:

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Author: Dan Greenfield

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4 Comments

  1. When Paul puts his name on a piece of comic history, it is no joke. This is something for the history books. An accurate depiction of comic book history. Who could tell it better?

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  2. I have been waiting for this for over a year–even thought for a time it wasn’t going to come out! I can’t wait to see it!

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  3. Please tell me they’re planning to do the same with it’s counter part 75 YEARS OF MARVEL. And come out with 3 large volumes.

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