Comic Book Comics

Comic Book Comics #1 is a good read, full of information presented in an entertaining way, but it’s not a very good COMIC, if that makes any sense. The art by Ryan Dunlavey is fantastic–packed with lots of clever, biting humor–and the script from Fred Van Lente plays off the art well, deadpanning the narration even as the images offer sly gags to the reader. Unfortunately, there’s little sequential art really happening here, more like illustrated prose. It’s a minor complaint, because this is still a great read packed with detail and framing the hugeness of comic book history in an entertaining, accessible way. But there it is–this comic book about the history of comic books isn’t the best example itself of a comic book.