John Wells

Keith Dallas

The American Comic Book Chronicles is an ambitious new series of FULL-COLOR HARDCOVERS, where TwoMorrows' top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today! John Wells leads off with the first of two volumes on the 1960s, covering all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details of comics in the JFK and Beatles era! You'll get a year-by-year account of the most significant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends, including: DC Comics' rebirth of Green Lantern, Hawkman, and others, and the launch of Justice League of America and multiple earths! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's transformation of superhero comics with the debut of Marvel's Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men, Avengers, and other iconic characters! Plus Batman gets a "new look", the Blue Beetle is revamped at Charlton Comics, and Creepy #1 brings horror back to comic book form, just as Harvey's "kid" comics are booming! These are just a few of the events chronicled in this exhaustive, full-color hardcover. Taken together, the series forms a cohesive, linear overview of the entire landscape of comics history, sure to be an invaluable resource for ANY comic book enthusiast!

American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64

John Fortune

First published in 1971 and set in the middle England of the 1960s, A Melon for Ecstasy takes the frustrated passion of one repressed young man and shows that sex in the suburbs can be a very twisted affair. Step into the feverish world of Humphrey Mackevoy and discover the thrills of split bark, the unplumbed joys of virgin wood, and the erotic pull of a laburnum in moonlight. Humphrey risks nasty splinters under cover of darkness as his love affair with “Labby” unfolds. But can he defend himself against the local busybodies who are determined to save their trees from the mysterious drill holes that keep appearing overnight? As Humphrey struggles to protect his dark secret, he becomes drawn into a dramatic plot of subterfuge and downright confusion. He might conquer his passion for the soft contours of a young sapling, but will he ever escape the clutches of Mummy—a darkly comic figure drawn to give the best of us nightmares? Read this, and a walk through the park may never be the same again.

Melon for Ecstasy

Things looked bleak for comic books throughout the 1970s because of plummeting sell-through rates. With each passing year, the newsstand became less and less interested in selling comic books. The industry seemed locked in a death spiral, but the Powers That Be at DC Comics had an idea to reverse their fortunes. In 1978, they implemented a bold initiative: Provide readers with more story pages by increasing the price-point of a regular comic book to make it comparable to other magazines sold on newsstands. Billed as "The DC Explosion," this expansion saw the introduction of numerous creative new titles. But mere weeks after its launch, DC's parent company pulled the plug, demanding a drastic decrease in the number of comic books they published, and leaving stacks of completed comic book stories unpublished. The series of massive cutbacks and cancellations quickly became known as "The DC Implosion." TwoMorrows Publishing marks the 40th Anniversary of one of the most notorious events in comics with an exhaustive oral history from the creators and executives involved (Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz, Len Wein, Mike Gold, and Al Milgrom, among many others), as well as detailed analysis and commentary by other top professionals, who were "just fans" in 1978 (Mark Waid, Michael T. Gilbert, Tom Brevoort, and more)--examining how it changed the landscape of comics forever! By Keith Dallas and John Wells.

An Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978

Comic Book Implosion

Her True Story

Princess Caraboo

William Moulton Marston

Phil Jimenez

Alphabetical entries provide detailed information on the diverse and often contradictory histories, adversaries, and adventures of Wonder Woman as depicted in comic books and graphic novels.

The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia

Richard Ingrams

Bottoms Up!

Detailed guidance on over 225,000 pronunciations. This best-seller includes the Pronunciation Coach CD-ROM, allowing students to listen to and practise pronunciation in both British and American English, plus thousands of exercises for improving knowledge of pronunciation and the IPA system.

Longman Pronunciation Dictionary

The Collected Letters of Denis Thatcher

Dear Bill

WONDER NO MORE—GET ALL THE FACTS ON DC COMICS’ FOREMOST SUPER HEROINE! She’s as beautiful as Aphrodite and as wise as Athena, stronger then Hercules and swifter than Hermes. Blessed at birth by the gods themselves, Princess Diana left an idyllic island paradise ruled by wise and brave women to bring the peace, love, and nobility of the Amazons to the tumultuous world of humankind. In January 1942, Wonder Woman took the world of comics—and its pantheon of superpowered males—by storm. Wielding her impervious silver bracelets and golden Lasso of Truth, she’s battled forces of evil from the Axis powers to a slew of super-villains worldwide, teamed up with the likes of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash, and become a high-flying feminist icon and pop-culture superstar. Now, for the first time in more than thirty years, here’s a definitive A-to-Z volume that draws together all the knowledge about the star-spangled, action-packed history of Wonder Woman. In more than 400 fact-packed pages you’ll find • the complete story of Wonder Woman’s origins, as imagined and reinterpreted by generations of comics writers—including her groundbreaking creator, William Moulton Marston • biographies of every major character in Wonder Woman’s universe, including her mother, Hippolyta; sister, Donna Troy; and mortal ally Steve Trevor—as well as such classic foes as Ares, Cheetah, Hades, and the members of Villainy Inc. • classic black-and-white comic book artwork throughout • two sixteen-page full-color artwork inserts—plus a dazzling original cover illustration by fan-favorite artist Adam Hughes Written by veteran Wonder Woman artist and writer Phil Jimenez and comics historian John Wells, The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia is the ultimate archive, proving that die-hard devotees of the gorgeous go-to goddess don’t have to visit Paradise Island for a taste of heaven on earth. From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Barfly Boys is a fast-paced thriller about the trials and tribulations of four young men in Charlottesville, Virginia trying to keep alive their dreams of rock 'n roll stardom. The book chronicles the lives of the Mean Streets band: Chris, the bass player and songwriter, struggling to keep his relationship with Sarah intact while being tempted with the excesses of a rock 'n roll lifestyle. Dutch is the rhythm guitar player who writes beautiful, lyrical poetry, but cannot find any beauty in his own life. Billy, the lead singer, has been beaten down by a hard factory life, abandoned by his mother, and carries a gigantic chip on his shoulder. Finally, the reader encounters Todd, the drummer, who is slowing descending into violent madness and schizophrenia as he confuses MTV with the book of Revelation in the Bible. In the end, readers will become emotionally attracted to these four "beautiful losers" who yearn to escape the stultifying confinement of small town life and the bitter road to nowhere.

The Barfly Boys

Number 10

Is that really how people say that? What a fascinating sound!

Further Observations on English Phonetics and Phonology

Sounds Fascinating

This volume of articles covers a wide range of artists in the world of popular music including Bob Dylan, the Doors, Bruce Springsteen, Robert Johnson, Tracy Chapman, Lou Reed, and The Rolling Stones. Wells looks at the lyrics, themes, and issues from a sociological point of view, examining the content of their songs against the backdrop of modern society. Many of these artists write and sing about a sense of loss, alienation, and frustration with the American socio-economic system. In addition, the volume shows how these artists use creative language to communicate a sense of the grotesque, absurd, disharmony, and dread in the lives of the characters in their songs.

Readings in the Sociology of Popular Music

Bent Out of Shape from Society's Pliers

In 1978, DC Comics implemented a bold initiative to combat plummeting sales: Give readers more story pages with a higher cover price, to better compete on newsstands. This “DC Explosion” brought with it many creative new titles, but just weeks after its launch, they pulled the plug, cancelling numerous titles and leaving stacks of completed comic book stories unpublished. It quickly became known as “The DC Implosion”, and TwoMorrows Publishing marks the 40th Anniversary of one of the most notorious events in comics with an exhaustive oral history from the creators involved (Jenette Kahn, Paul Levitz, Len Wein, Mike Gold, and others), plus detailed analysis of how it changed the landscape of comics forever!

John Wells

Books

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