The Big Book Of

Last updated
The Big Book Of
Publication information
Publisher Paradox Press (DC Comics)
Format Ongoing series
Publication date1994–2000
No. of issues17
Creative team
Written by Doug Moench
John Wagner
Paul Kirchner
Jonathan Vankin
Artist(s) Rick Geary
Bob Fingerman
Eric Shanower
Lennie Mace
Randy DuBurke
Roger Langridge
Frank Quitely
Alec Stevens
Editor(s) Andy Helfer
Bronwyn Taggart
Jim Higgins

The Big Book Of is a series of graphic novel anthologies published by American company DC Comics imprint Paradox Press.

Contents

Publication history

The Big Books were published between 1994 and 2000. Just over half of them (ten out of seventeen) were written by a single author (including Doug Moench and John Wagner), with Jonathan Vankin taking over the writing of the later volumes.

A wide range of artists worked on the stories. Notably it was the first American work for Frank Quitely. [1] Rick Geary reckons[ weasel words ] he is the only artist to contribute to all seventeen volumes. [2] E.C. alums Joe Orlando, George Evans and Marie Severin are present as are Russ Heath and Gray Morrow. The Big Books were the last stands of masters of horror Tom Sutton and Pat Boyette. Other artists who were regular contributors to the series as a whole include Bob Fingerman, Eric Shanower, Lennie Mace, Randy DuBurke, James Romberger, Salgood Sam, Steve Leialoha, Joe Sacco, Roger Langridge, and Alec Stevens.

Wild Women

Slated for a 2001 release, Paradox had planned to publish the 18th book in the series, The Big Book of Wild Women. The book is narrated by "Susie the Floozie" and was to profile notable women throughout history who had made an impact on American culture, while pushing the envelope of unconventional behavior. Among the women to be profiled were risqué nightclub singer-comic Rusty Warren, B-movie goddess Tura Satana, presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull, 19th century sex star Lola Montes, legendary seductress Cleopatra, scandalous writer Anaïs Nin, and kinky pin-up icon Bettie Page. According to DC, however, the book is in a perpetual "pre-production", even though much of the work on the book was completed by the contributing artists. [3]

Titles

Urban Legends

Published in 1994 with writers Robert Boyd, Jan Harold Brunvand, and Robert Loren Fleming, [4] The Big Book of Urban Legends won the 1995 Eisner Award for Best Anthology. [5] Collected by Brunvand, the two hundred tales in this volume are folklore for our times.

Weirdos

Published in 1995 and written by Carl Posey, [6] the Big Book of Weirdos illustrates the biographies of sixty-seven of the world's greatest eccentrics. Among those covered are Caligula, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Henrietta Howland Robinson, Harry Houdini, and the Marquis de Sade. The book features an introduction by Gahan Wilson.

Death

Published in 1995 and written by Bronwyn Carlton, [7] the Big Book of Death begins by providing the inside story on execution methods — from drawing and quartering to the electric chair. From there it moves on to bizarre suicides, weird deaths, burial methods, and the great beyond. The reader learns the origin of the guillotine, visits cryogenically preserved bodies, and even sees how cheese can be used as a murder weapon.

Conspiracies

Published in 1995 and written by Doug Moench, [8] the Big Book of Conspiracies won the 1996 Eisner Award for Best Anthology. [9] It focuses on plots and cover-ups, including the Watergate scandal, Silkwood, the Iran-Contra scandal, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. This book explores all these schemes and more, using a stream of real and imagined "facts" to explain how shadowy forces — including the CIA, the Freemasons, the Holy See, the Trilateral Commission, and even extraterrestrials — may be conspiring to shape world events.

Freaks

Published in 1996 and written by Gahan Wilson, [10] the Big Book of Freaks features an introduction from stage magician-turned-film star and "scholar of the unusual" Ricky Jay, who has written a number of books on related subjects.

The book features stories on all manner of odd and interesting people, from sideshow freaks to legendary creatures (including giants), the subjects of Tod Browning's famous film and exhibitors including P. T. Barnum.

Little Criminals

Published in 1996, [11] the Big Book of Little Criminals details some of the world's most incompetent felons, such as Shanghai Kelly, who kidnapped men and forced them to work on ships. It also contains the stories of U.S. Senators caning their colleagues, colonial counterfeiters, the Hitler Diaries forgeries, and a crook who nearly succeeded in buying Portugal.

Hoaxes

Published in 1996 [12] and written by Carl Sifakis, The Big Book of Hoaxes illustrates history's great hoaxes, pranks, and scams, including such notable put-ons as Mary Toft, the "Bunny Mommy", who convinced the court of England that she had given birth to at least sixteen rabbits. Other scams from the book include Charles Ponzi and his get-rich-quick schemes, the infamous "Princess Caraboo", the Hitler Diaries, and a plan to saw Manhattan in half.

Thugs

Published in 1996 and written by Joel Rose, [13] the Big Book of Thugs documents criminals who get what they want not through any sort of cleverness, but through direct action and pure force, including the Thuggee of India, and the "Ohio Gang", which disgraced the Harding administration.

Losers

Published in 1997 and written by Paul Kirchner, [14] the Big Book of Losers proves that the misfortunes of others (such as Elisha Gray, who invented a telephone prototype before Alexander Graham Bell) really can be funny.

The Unexplained

Published in 1997 and written by Doug Moench, [15] the Big Book of the Unexplained features an introduction and narration by the ghostly image of Charles Fort (a deceased writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena). The book contains the stories of impossible animals, lost continents, and bizarre phenomena, such as the mummy's curse, living dinosaurs, the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, alien abductions, and rains of frogs.

Martyrs

Published in 1997 and written by John Wagner, [16] the Big Book of Martyrs examines the lives and deaths of Christian martyrs, including Saint Valentine, Joan of Arc, Saint Ursula, and Saint George. The last chapter deals with people who have been tortured for their faith in more recent history, demonstrating that religious fervor is not a thing of the past.

Scandal!

Published in 1998 and written by Jonathan Vankin, [17] the Big Book of Scandal features an introduction & afterword by Stephen DeStefano. The twelfth Big Book wallows in the lurid world of tabloid news. Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, John DeLorean, Richard Nixon, Oliver North, and O. J. Simpson are all examined.

Bad

Published in 1998, [18] the Big Book of Bad is written by Anina Bennett, Jonathan Vankin, and Paul Kirchner.

The thirteenth Big Book examines evil, like Heinrich Himmler, the architect of the Nazis' "Final Solution"; the depraved emperors of ancient Rome; and various serial killers. Then there are proponents of the banal, like poet Rod McKuen and real estate developer William Levitt. Finally, there are fictional villains like Professor Moriarty, Lady Macbeth, and Dracula.

The Weird Wild West

Published in 1998 [19] and written by John Whalen, the Big Book of the Weird Wild West offers up over sixty stories of the unusual, the bizarre, and the downright creepy stuff that happened on the American frontier. It contains Weird West stories and the stories of Western characters like George Maledon, "The Prince of Hangmen"; homosexuality among macho cowboys; and the various ghosts that haunted the American West.

Vice

Published in 1998, [20] and written by Dave Stern and Steve Vance, the Big Book of Vice examines alcohol, drugs, tobacco, sex, and gambling. Subjects range from the history of tobacco, to sexual slavery and pinball machines.

Grimm

Published in 1999 and written by Jonathan Vankin, [21] the Big Book of Grimm examines fairy tales. Writer Vankin transcribes the original, unsanitized folk tales that the Brothers Grimm collected in the mid-19th century, detailing child abuse, incest, cannibalism, severed limbs, and gouged-out eyes.

The '70s

Published in 2000 and written by Jonathan Vankin, [22] the Big Book of the '70s documents ten years of "tackiness and tumult". From disco to polyester fashion, the final Big Book itemizes the fads, personalities, slang, and social insanity that infected the 1970s (as well as the Vietnam War and some classic films).

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ Khoury, George. MEET FRANK QUITELY, Pop!, Comic Book Resources, April 6, 2008
  2. ↑ Hooper, Terry. "Rick Geary — The Man Who Draws Gumby!" Archived 2008-08-07 at the Wayback Machine , Comics Bulletin (Aug. 5, 2006). Accessed Oct. 5, 2008.
  3. ↑ Fleener, Mary. "Rev. Susie the Floozie". The Comics Journal #237. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
  4. ↑ The Big Book of Urban Legends at the Grand Comics Database
  5. 1 2 1995 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners
  6. ↑ The Big Book of Weirdos at the Grand Comics Database
  7. ↑ The Big Book of Death at the Grand Comics Database
  8. ↑ The Big Book of Conspiracies at the Grand Comics Database
  9. 1 2 1996 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners
  10. ↑ The Big Book of Conspiracies at the Grand Comics Database
  11. ↑ The Big Book of Little Criminals at the Grand Comics Database
  12. ↑ The Big Book of Hoaxes at the Grand Comics Database
  13. ↑ The Big Book of Thugs at the Grand Comics Database
  14. ↑ The Big Book of Losers at the Grand Comics Database
  15. ↑ The Big Book of the Unexplained at the Grand Comics Database
  16. ↑ The Big Book of Martyrs at the Grand Comics Database
  17. ↑ The Big Book of Scandal! at the Grand Comics Database
  18. ↑ The Big Book of Bad at the Grand Comics Database
  19. ↑ The Big Book of the Weird Wild West at the Grand Comics Database
  20. ↑ The Big Book of Vice at the Grand Comics Database
  21. ↑ The Big Book of Grimm at the Grand Comics Database
  22. ↑ The Big Book of the '70s at the Grand Comics Database
  23. ↑ 1997 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Bagge</span> American cartoonist (born 1957)

Peter Bagge is an American cartoonist whose best-known work includes the comics Neat Stuff and Hate. His stories often use black humor and exaggerated cartooning to dramatize the reduced expectations of middle-class American youth. He won two Harvey Awards in 1991, one for best cartoonist and one for his work on Hate. In recent decades Bagge has done more fact-based comics, everything from biographies to history to comics journalism. Publishers of Bagge's articles, illustrations, and comics include suck.com, MAD Magazine, toonlet, Discover, and the Weekly World News, with the comic strip Adventures of Batboy. He has expressed his libertarian views in features for Reason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Wagner</span> American comics artist and writer (born 1961)

Matt Wagner is an American comics artist and writer who is best known as the creator of the series Mage and Grendel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Quitely</span> Scottish artist

Vincent Patrick Deighan, better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as New X-Men, We3, All-Star Superman, and Batman and Robin, as well as his work with Mark Millar on The Authority and Jupiter's Legacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Pope</span> American cartoonist (born 1970)

Paul Pope is an American alternative cartoonist. Pope's work combines the precision and romance of European comics artists with the energy and page design of the manga tradition. Pope's two protagonist types are the silent, lanky outsider male of The One Trick Rip-Off, Escapo, and Heavy Liquid; or the resourceful, aggressive, humorous young teenage girls of THB. He has self-published some of his work, most notably THB, through his own Horse Press, with other work for such publishers as DC Comics/Vertigo and First Second Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Dorkin</span> American comics artist

Evan Dorkin is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books Milk and Cheese and Dork, the latter of which features his comic Eltingville. His comics often poke fun at fandom, even while making it clear that Dorkin is a fan himself. Dorkin also served as a writer on the Adult Swim animated series Space Ghost Coast to Coast from 1994 to 1999, and created a pilot for an animated adaptation of Eltingville for Adult Swim in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Gulacy</span> American comics artist (born 1953)

Paul Gulacy is an American comics artist best known for his work for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and for drawing one of the first graphic novels, Eclipse Enterprises' 1978 Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, with writer Don McGregor. He is most associated with Marvel's 1970s martial-arts and espionage series Master of Kung Fu.

Edvin Biuković was a Croatian comics artist.

James H. Williams III, usually credited as J. H. Williams III, is an American comics artist and penciller. He is known for his work on titles such as Chase, Promethea, Desolation Jones,Batwoman, and The Sandman: Overture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradox Press</span> Former division of DC Comics

Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton, the imprint was renamed. Paradox was best known for publishing the graphic novels A History of Violence and Road to Perdition, both of which were later adapted into feature films. Jim Higgins edited the line after Helfer's departure, and Heidi MacDonald briefly took the helm in 2000 at the time of the line's final three Big Books, none of which ever saw publication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Fisher</span> American comic book artist

Seth Fisher was an American comic book artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Leialoha</span> American comic artist

Steve Leialoha is an American comics artist whose work first came to prominence in the 1970s. He has worked primarily as an inker, though occasionally as a penciller, for several publishers, including Marvel Comics and later DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Lieber</span> American illustrator

Steve Lieber is an American comic book illustrator known for his work on books such as Detective Comics and Hawkman, and the critically acclaimed miniseries Whiteout, which was adapted into a 2009 feature film starring Kate Beckinsale. His other works include the Eisner Award-winning sequel Whiteout: Melt, and the thrillers Shooters and Underground. With writer Nat Gertler, he co-authored The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mojo Press</span> Defunct American small press

Mojo Press was a small press which primarily published science fiction, horror, and western books and graphic novels between 1994 and 1999.

Jonathan Vankin is an American author, journalist and comic book writer/editor.

Richard Piers Rayner is an English comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Road to Perdition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Noomin</span> American comics artist (1947–2022)

Diane Robin Noomin was an American comics artist associated with the underground comics movement. She is best known for her character DiDi Glitz, who addresses transgressive social issues such as feminism, female masturbation, body image, and miscarriages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Eichhorn</span> American writer (1945-2015)

Dennis P. Eichhorn was an American writer, best known for his adult-oriented autobiographical comic book series Real Stuff. His stories, often involving, sex, drugs, and alcohol, have been compared to those of Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, and Charles Bukowski.

Gary Spencer Millidge is a British comic book creator best known for his series Strangehaven. He has also written and contributed to books about comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Pruett</span> American comic book writer, editor, and publisher

Joe Pruett is an American comic book writer, editor, and publisher.

<i>Twisted Sisters</i> (comic) All-female underground comics anthology

Twisted Sisters is an all-female underground comics anthology put together by Aline Kominsky and Diane Noomin, and published in various iterations. In addition to Kominsky and Noomin, contributors to Twisted Sisters included M. K. Brown, Dame Darcy, Julie Doucet, Debbie Drechsler, Mary Fleener, Phoebe Gloeckner, Krystine Kryttre, Carol Lay, Dori Seda, and Carol Tyler.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.