( #MichaelChabon )
Michael Chabon has a well documented love affair with comic books. He wrote the script for the first Spiderman movie, he has written his own comics, and he wrote “The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” which may be one of the finest books about the funny pages in recent memory (if not all time).
This book might as well be a history of the comic industry. The plot focuses on two cousins that write comics right before World War II. Sammy Clay is a struggling writer who discovers his cousin Joe, who just escaped Nazi Germany, is an excellent artist. Together they invent a character named “The Escapist” that is able to fulfill fantasies that they could never manage in the real world. As the situation in Germany becomes increasingly dire, “The Escapist” comics become more politically charged as the hero regularly fights Nazis.
The cool thing about this book is that it parallels the origins of Superman. Superman was created by two Jewish kids that were frustrated with the situation in Germany and had the man of steel regularly beat the hell of out the Nazis back in the 40’s to drum up support for the war effort. The book touches on women’s rights, the whole comic code being introduced, and the accusation that the introduction of sidekicks promoted homosexual activity (and how many real life artists found themselves being interrogated by police and media because of the fad) and the eventual decline in popularity (due in some part to the comic code).
“The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” is an outstanding book. Chabon used real stories of the comic industry to paint a picture of life during WWII and what it is like to be an immigrant during that time. It won the Pulitzer Prize when it was released, which I think was well deserved. I highly recommend this book.
