Lots of pretty pictures. What? Oh, excuse me -- I got lost in looking at the Comic Book Encyclopaedia, a book I think any comic fan would love to find waiting for them to unwrap this holiday season! Though it might not quite live up to its subtitle ('The Ultimate Guide to Characters, Graphic Novels, Writers, and Artists in the Comic Book Universe') it is both an entertaining and useful addition to the library of any comic fan.
Any regular reader of this 'zine will know that I covet reference material with a passion approaching that of Gollum lusting after his preciousssss. So when I saw a certain blog writer mention his dislike for the Comic Book Encyclopaedia, I asked the good folk in publicity at HarperCollins to send along a copy for review. (Thanks, Julia!) Now I am not a hardcore fan, but I must say that I have more than a passing acquaintance with the field, its products, and its creators. Certainly I know enough about the last forty or so years to know if Goulart is doing a better than decent job of covering what's important. I've read more than a smattering of both DC and Marvel titles, but it was the independents which I always sought out -- Grimjack, American Flagg, Grendel, and even The Sandman were what I liked best. Oh, did I mention Pogo? I should have! But I also have a soft spot for Batman in its Dark Knight years, not to mention Green Arrow, Justice League, and Daredevil. I may not read what we now generally call graphic novels much now, but a good title will still draw me in, as did The Hellboy collections after publicity for the film made me aware of them. And I have a weakness for collectibles -- indeed the eighteen inch Hellboy 'action figure' sits just to the left of Grimjack, my iMac flat screen computer!
Now where this will live is not in my reference section but in the Green Man Pub. Why so? Because this encyclopaedia, like a good sports encyclopaedia, demands friendly arguments over what's in it and what's not. But before I explain, grab a Guinness and some salted nuts as I have a few comments about this work in general. Measuring a generous nearly ten inches by ten inches (more or less), it's printed in full color on high gloss paper. Most of the entries are either specific to a creator, say Will Eisener or Stan Lee, or specific works such as The Spirit, Hellboy, or Spider-Man. Entries run from fairly terse, such as the one for Hellboy, to two page spreads like the one Spider-Man gets. Each entry has, no surprise, illustrations for that creative work. Sometimes a work has an entry (i.e., Hellboy) but no separate one for the creator (who would be Mike Mignola in this case). Would I have like a longer Hellboy entry with more on Mignola? Yes. Am I surprised that it's not here? No.
According to the HarperCollins site, 'Ron Goulart is an award-winning mystery and science fiction writer who is also considered one of the leading experts on comics, both nationally and internationally. He has written numerous comics and published many books on the subject, including Great American Comic Books and Comic Book Culture. He lives in Connecticut with his wife.' What it neglects to emphasise is what should be obvious to anyone -- Ron, like anyone who writes anything, has his biases. I, and you too, would have quite obviously selected differently than he did. I was very surprised when I found no entry for a favorite of mine from the DC universe, Green Arrow, and I'm a little surprised at the absence of Grimjack. I was pleased that Hellboy was here, not to mention Howard the Duck, Little Lulu, and Tintin. But no Pogo?!? Feh.
So now you see why the Comic Book Encyclopaedia will live in The Snug off the main area of the Green Man Pub. It's perfect bar material for any two fans to discuss and, yes, argue over for hours on end. Is it perfect? No. Is it well-worth the fifty dollars it will cost you? Oh, indeed it is. In its own way, it's every bit as entertaining as the Encyclopaedia of Fantasy is, or as the most current edition of the Rock Record is for serious music fans. Serious comic fans will want a copy for themselves as will anyone else whose childhood was in part spent waiting for the latest issue of their favorite monthly comic to arrive at the local shop. It's that good!
