I remember when Barry Smith drew his first comic for Marvel Comics. It was an issue of the X-Men that we all thought was THE WORST DRAWN COMIC BOOK IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. It turned out that Smith, newly arrived from England, drew the issue on park benches in NYC. When the first issue of Conan the Barbarian arrived it was clear he was not that bad. By the time his run as artist on "Conan" ended it was even more clear he was something special and the fact that the illustrative style that had evolved in those two-year span was not feasible within the demands of producing monthly issues of a comic book was a depressing irony.

Barry Windsor-Smith has long been my favorite "comic book artist," and this collection traces his evolution as such quite admirably. Indeed, not other collection could better serve that purpose. A simple comparison of the covers from Conan #1 and Smith's swansong issue #24 ("The Song of Red Sonja") evidences the transformation from artist to illustrator. For that matter you can also consider Smith intermediary style (e.g., #13 "Web of the Spider-God"). This transformation is as impressive because of how quickly in took place while he was drawing Conan as it is for the artistic growth. But even in his work today you can see how it is grounded in the style he developed while working on this comic.

These reprinted stories are presented in black and white, which is certainly better than nothing, but I look forward to Smith's work being presented in color as it originally appeared. I notice this most particularly in the Epilogue to Conan #20, "The Black Hound of Vengeance," which was originally presented in muted tones of gray, blue and brown. Smith abandoned panels in an interesting change of pace that underscored the emotional impact of the sequence. Without color that impact is most decidedly lost. One of the things that is still discernable is the increase in the number of panels per page from issue to issue through Smith's tenure as he became more comfortable with using art rather than dialogue to advance parts of the story. The best example of this is the hanging sequence on page 14 of Conan #10.

From a writing stand point it should be noted that there is a nice balance between stories adapted from Robert E. Howard's Conan work and original stories by Roy Thomas. For the former "The Tower of the Elephant" (#4) is usually considered the high point. The appearance of Michael Moorcock's Elric in issues #14-15 seems a bit forced, while the Fafnir character (original a quick tribute to Fritz Leiber's famous pair of thieves) becomes a wonderfully integrated character into an ongoing story line.

Thomas' ability as a storyteller capable of crafting bigger and longer storylines would continue to grow, and while John Buscema's artwork on Conan was quite excellent (especially when inked by Ernie Chan), Barry Smith's work will always stand on a plateau. Jim Steranko cracked open the door on stylized illustration in color comics, but Barry Smith was the one who gets credit for busting all the way through.

While this book is published by Disney, it isn't all perfume and flowers about either Walt, or his older brother, Roy. Roy was a tenacious and shrewd businessman committed to seeing his younger brother's brilliance to fruition. Walt is a creative genius with limited interpersonal skills but a great vision and gift as a storyteller. This work is an insightful look at how midwest work ethic and strong family values tied to Irish determination gave these two brilliant men the courage and guile to succeed in the cutthroat entertainment industry for five decades, including a depression, a world war, and an endless parade of naysayers.

Author Bob Thomas is a former AP journalist who interviewed the Disneys in his earlier years, and must have some personal sentiment regarding Roy and Walt to have thoroughly researched and written this book at 76. His polished style is that of a storyteller and he entertains with hundreds of anecdotes from key members of the Disney family an! ! d co-workers of all ages.

I highly recommend this book to Disney fans. They will get an understanding the role Roy Disney played in the building of the company. I think everybody else will find this book a bore.

After reading this book I now realize how co-dependent Roy and Walt were on each other. As mentioned in the book, if they had not gone into business together, there was a good chance that Walt would have ended up working for Walter Lantz and Roy would have been the Manager of the Bank of America branch in Glendale.

It was a simple partnership, Walt had the ideas and Roy got the money to make them into reality. I think only two brothers that trusted each other completely could have pulled this off.

I would have liked to have more details on exactly how Roy got the money, especially before Disneyland opened. During the construction of Disneyland, Joe Fowler needed $400,000 to setup the mill in what is now the Opera House. When he asked Roy for the money, Roy said he simply did not have it. The next day he did and the work progressed. This was a very good story about a key turning point in the history of Disneyland. Where did Roy get the money??

I now have a much greater respect for Roy Disney's contribution to the Walt Disney Company.

It was essential that this book be written. Bob Thomas has done a masterful job of telling the story of Walt Disney's older brother, Roy O. Disney. The life and work of this man has gone under-reported and under-appreciated for too many years. The book is filled both with wonderful stories of the early years for the Disney family, and of the struggle and hard work involved in establishing one of the most influential American companies of the 20th Century. Roy's story is told through the first hand accounts of both his family and co-workers. An absolutely fascinating read. Don't be surprised to see a television mini-series grow out of this one!!

I have browsed a copy of this book in an animation gallery and was impressed by the work within - certainly a marvellous way to explore the drawings that make up these films.

Let's hope Disney continue this series and quickly release Glen Keane's awesome character sketches and pencil development from 'Beauty and the Beast'! That is what I'm *really* waiting for!

Bambi is a nice drama of real life. It states how life goes. It shows that sometimes you have to go on without your parents that they wont always be there. It also states that your friends & loved one's can be there to lean on & help you get on your feet again. If you're looking for a good book to explain life to kids then this is it. It is a good book to start conversations about life to little kids as well.

This fine addition to the Disney Sketchbook series has many of the wonderful sketches done by Disney's animation department for Bambi, including many pieces from the storyboards, and several sketches of scenes that never made it into the final film. Artists that would like to study the Disney style of drawing and animation should find this volume a terrific addition to their collection despite its rather high price. As a student of art, and a fan of the Disney style, I highly recommend any of these books for your library.

I know I could never tell you where Jim Steranko came from before he started drawing Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division), in Marvel's "Strange Tales" comic book in 1966. Actually, way back when, I was more interested in Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystical Arts. Besides, it was hard to believe Nick Fury, from "Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos," was a one-eyed spymaster. But the development of Steranko's signature style as an artist became THE reason for bothering with a comic that was, in many regards, the bottom of the line at Marvel. Steranko began by doing the finished artwork over layouts by Jack "King" Kirby and ended up not only drawing the series but scripting it as well. The rest was most definitely comic history.

Included in this collection are "Strange Tales" 150-168, which provides one of the greatest examples of artistic growth ever seen in the field of comic books (Barry Windsor-Smith's legendary run on "Conan the Barbarian" is the only other example on the same plateau). Here we have Nick Fury's one-man assault on Hydra and the epic battle with the Yellow Claw. Early in the Sixties Marvel had labeled its comics as "Pop Art," in a feeble attempt to market themselves as more than just comics for kids. Well, when Steranko started incorporating elements from the psychedelic films and art of the time you could argue he achieved "Pop Art" in comics. Steranko used photography, optical art effects and unorthodox page designs to create his own unique style. Ultimately, his work had much more to do with cutting-edge cinema than it did with traditional comic books, which is why his reputation endures.

It is hard not to look at these Steranko's striking designs in these super spy stories and find yourself thinking more of "Bladerunner" and "The Matrix" more than James Bond. But as much as we admire Steranko's use of fine, defined ink line we also need to pay attention to his use of pacing, which is undeniably cinematic. I heard Steranko went on to do storyboards for movies, including "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula," which is fitting, but also rather ironic. Speaking of irony, Steranko's best work in comics, both with Nick Fury and other characters (most notably Captain America and The X-Men) was yet to come. So while this collection does not represent Steranko's best work, it does capture the evolution of a major talent in comics. Besides, it will probably cost you more than the price of this collection to pick up just ONE of the comics reprinted within.

Reading level: ages 4-8. Ages 4 to 8?!?! Come on, Amazon, how many four year olds are going to pick up a 60's mod spy books? Have some common sense, please. I'm twenty-two and these books aren't exactly "Goodnight Moon". Why America has such a disrespect for graphic storytelling, when it is highly respected in essentially the rest of the world, is beyond me. [...]

Nick Fury, Agent Of SHIELD is a great collection of Jim Steranko tales done for Strange Tales. It is amazing that these were written and drawn in the mid-60s. You can see the growth of Steranko as an artist as you turn the pages from basic comic book artist to the futuristic styles mimicked by many of today's comics artists. Steranko's style is very cinematic and I would not be surprised if many moviemakers of today did not read these stories in their youth. As beautiful as the artwork is, the stories are exciting and quickly paced (the Fury segment in Strange Tales was usually 10 to 11 pages long). Hope to see more of Steranko's work reprinted, particularly his Captain America, X-Men, and other Nick Fury stories. Too bad he left the series after the Scorpio saga and left monthly comics shortly thereafter. I loved his work while I was growing up and felt that every character he touched stepped up to a higher level.

My decision to read Elric of Melnibone was based solely on the reviews I read right here on Amazon.com. I must say that I was not disappointed! This book now ranks as one of my all time favorite fantasy novels.

THE GOOD: 1) It is easy to read. The book is short (180 pages) and divided into chapters of about 10 pages each. The author's style of writing also makes for quick reading as he gives only the important details. Thus, a few pages might be devoted to intense action that is taking place over a few minutes, or they might cover a half-year of searching for a missing person. I like this style, but if you are into super detailed accounts of everything then you may not like it. 2) It is a good story. I really liked the blend of story elements. It seems to be part adventure story, part love story, part hi fantasy and part ruler-fighting-against-all-the-treacherous-relatives. It keeps the book interesting, and makes it move at a fast pace - not many dull moments here! 3) There are a lot of familiar fantasy elements that we all know and have come to love. There is the wise and talented king, dragons, powerful sorcerers, and all kinds of good and evil gods. 4) There are a lot of unique elements of hi fantasy. One of the reasons that I read fantasy books to come in contact with new ideas that really stretch the imagination - this book did not disappoint me in that regard! There is a ship with a unique way to travel, a mirror with a capacity for more than looks, a nice pantheon of elemental gods and a twist on the Greek Labyrinth maze!

THE BAD: While I liked the brevity implored by the author, there are a few times that his brief writing style fails to fully capture the feelings of the characters. So while we believe that there is a lot of love between Elric and Cymoril, the author doesn't make a great effort to convince us. Personally, I don't mind this style of writing (being brief), but if you are more into nice, long, enriched accounts of great detail then you may not like the book as much.

OVERALL: If you like classic fantasy, then you should give this book a try. It is a good read and a great story with lots of ideas that make people like me read and totally enjoy fantasy novels!

Moorcock's literary fantasy models tend to share more with Peake and T.H.White than Tolkien and people who expect a version of The Lord of the Rings are often disappointed, if LoTR-type fantasy is all they read. However, if you like Graham Joyce, Jonathan Carroll and M.John Harrison -- if you read Le Guin and Russ for their arguments as well as their invention -- if you have an engagement with the political world -- if you love romantic language and characters -- if you don't like sentimental Disney-type movies -- if you do like warm stories about human courage and pain -- then you'll probably like Moorcock a whole lot! Read Elric of Melnibone and his latest King of the City if you want to get some idea of the astonishing range and career of this literary giant! The same jackhammer prose for forty years!

This series starts off in a rather subdued, moody tone and gathers momentum as it goes. Very little in Moorcock is unexplained and apparent loose ends often get tied up in a different series altogether! His trick is always to leave you with a new set of mysteries, rather like the best detective story writers. It's one of the reasons you keep turning the pages and, indeed, keep reading the series! Exploration with Moorcock promises a great journey, some interesting discoveries and some mighty mysteries, just like space exploration, really, or 19th century exploration. This is what maintains the sense of wonder, even through his non-fantasy books like the great MOTHER LONDON or the Pyat series. As Angela Carter says in her introduction to Moorcock's book on writing technique DEATH IS NO OBSTACLE, he is a writer driven by a generous talent and an enormous curiosity. It is that curiosity which constantly drives him to explore new ideas, new ways of story telling and new ways of looking at the world! His influence has been immeasurable on the science fiction field alone. His ideas infuse the field. I read this first when I was a teenager. It led me to some of America and France's greatest modern writers, several of whom have already acknowledged Moorcock as a contemporary master! In England and France he is known as an important literary talent. This is a great introduction to the Eternal Champion series, but it is only a fraction of the mighty multiverse that is Michael Moorcock (as one of his own music hall characters might proclaim)! If you want wit and farce and Elric, try Elric at the End of Time. If you want dark melodrama and moody characters, Elric of Melnibone is the guy for you!

Though I have never read Thomas Hardy before, I shall again very soon. I greatly enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd. I kept associating Bathsheba, the heroine, with Scarlett O'Hara. They are both women from the past who are struggling for a place where only men typically tread. Unlike Scarlett, Bathsheba's emotions are more restrained. She's so young, but matures through the book. The reader yearns for the day she finally matures to the point that realizes she needs a partner in life, and her perfect partner is Gabriel Oak, her steadfast mate of fate.

I definitely recommend this book for one of those cold rainy weekends curled up on the couch.

I am looking forward to diving into my next Thomas Hardy novel, Jude the Obscure.

I've always condidered myself to be sort of an optimist; so it is really odd that I've always really loved Thomas Hardy's books. I count Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure among my very favorites, and whether or not it is my favorite, I think that The Mayor of Casterbridge is marvelously written. Still though, reading all of that fatalism and cynicism can be a little much. It was really nice to pick up this novel and not read so many grim scenes.

Far From the Madding Crowd is a pretty simple love story driven by the characters. First, there is Bathsheba Everdeen. She's vain, naive, and she makes the stupidest decisions possible. Yet, you still like her. Then there are the three guys who all want her: Troy who's like the bad guy straight out of a Raphael Sabatini novel, Boldwood who's an old lunatic farmer, and Gabriel Oak who is a simple farmer and is basically perfect. The reader sees what should happen in the first chapter, and it takes Bathsheeba the whole book to see it. The characters really make the book. The reader really has strong feelings about them, and Hardy puts them in situations where you just don't know what they're going to do. The atmosphere that Hardy creates is (as is in all of Hardy's novel) amazing and totally original. I don't think any other author (except Wallace Stegner in America) has ever evoked a sense of place as well as Hardy does. Overall, Far from the Madding Crowd is a great novel. I probably don't like it quite as well as some of his others, but I still do think it deserved five stars.

This book was a required read for Academic Decathalon but I was handed the cliff notes and told to study them if I didn't have time to read the book. I dislike cliff notes unless I have already read a book and I need to review so I chose to listen to it on tape. I was thoroughly surprised to find myself laughing at the overly-honest Gabriel Oak proposing marriage to Bathsheba Everdene, I had been informed that this book was something of a rural comedy but I had not expected such preposterous situations and ironies. The novel centers around Bathsheba though I would not label her the heroine because the reader is often frustrated by her behavior and even annoyed by it. She is quite poor but a smart girl and a particularly beautiful one as well. Gabriel meets her and soon decides he must marry this young woman. She declines deciding that she can't love him and soon moves away. Gabriel loses his farm in an unfortunate event and through circumstance comes to be in the same part of Wessex as Bathsheba. She has inherited her uncle's farm and is now running it herself and she is in need of a sheperd and sheperding happens to be Gabriels forte so he is hired. Farmer Boldwood who runs the neighboring farm becomes smitten with Bathsheba too when he recieves a prank valentine saying "marry me" on the seal(this valentine was sent by Bathsheba and her maid/companion). He soon asks for Bathsheba's hand and Bathsheba who feels guilty for causing this man's desire says she will answer him upon his return in two months time. The union with Boldwood is not to be since Bathsheba falls deeply in love with Frank Troy and soon marries him. An ex-girlfriend of Troy's shows up but dies shortly after giving birth, Troy is heartbroken and tells Bathsheba that he loved Fanny more and still does. Troy leaves and soon is assumed dead but is truly only missing. Boldwood moves in one Bathsheba again but in a set of bizarre events Troy returns to take Bathsheba from Boldwood once more. Boldwood is infuriated and turmoil ensues. This is an escapist novel in these times and is well worth reading. Weatherbury and Casterbridge will charm you and allow you to experience the little oddities of Victorian Era rural life in the pleasantest way imaginable.

Unlike the X-men's "Dark Phoenix Saga", I missed this story as a kid (Avengers were for popular kids -Spidey, the Defenders and X-men were for misfits like me), but I was a fan of that era of Marvel, plus I loved cosmic stories and even liked old Mar-vell (Cpt. Marvel). Despite all those things going for it, including me wanting to like this story, I was greatly dissapointed. There are plenty of graphic novels out there, both old ('Dark Phonix Saga', 'Dark Knight', 'Crisis') and new ('Astro City', 'Planetary') which are money better spent then on this cosmic flop. I'd easily take "The Morgan Conquest" or "Avengers Forever" over 'The Kree-Skrull War' anyday.

Those who read the original and remember it fondly (and maybe your childhood to) might enjoy this. Otherwise, I suggest looking elsewhere - there's too much good stuff out there to waste time here.

With the exception of the much more recent "Avengers Forever" by Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco, this yarn is the pinnacle of Avengers "big" storylines. Marvel's most popular -- and infamous -- interstellar races, the Kree and the Skrulls, are going at it yet again, and this time Earth is caught square in the middle (literally -- it's at the midway point between both empires, although astronomy buffs know this is actually silly!)

The Kree Supreme Intelligence, even though a captive of the malevolent Kree Ronan the Accuser, has used his mental might to maneuver one Rick Jones into his possession. He unlocks Jones' "Destiny Force" (whose effects are played to much greater detail in "Avengers Forever") to ultimately quell the cosmic war and become the rightful Kree ruler again.

Featuring guest stars out the wazoo (Captain Marvel, The Inhumans, Super Skrull), this compilation also showcases one of the greatest artists of all time, Neal Adams, as well as one of the premier scripters, Roy Thomas. This is easily in the top three Avengers stories of all time, if not THE best.

Marvel is starting to release bound volumes of their classic issues. Neal Adam's artwork is stellar, however his interpretation of the Thing is somewhat lacking. This is a great story, marred only by the issues that Adams did not pencil. This is a perfect companion to the Avengers: The Celestial Madonna volume just released. If you like the Avengers now, you would have liked them then. No angst, no beserkers, minimal teen presence; just great storytelling and a sense of adventure.

The five issues of the class Forties series ALL-STAR collected here show a transitional period with the Justice Society of America: this is, is Roy Thomas explains in his intelligent introduction to the volume, just before the great series of Justice Society stories that have been so classically remembered by comics enthusiasts. This has the first of those stories, the marvelous "Revenge of Solomon Grundy," with its superb artwork (especially in the Joe Kubert Hawkman chapter) and terrific narrative suspense. The other stories collected here are a mixed blend: the Psycho-Pirate story is enormously disappointing, but the Brain Wave story "The Dreams of Madness!" is particularly surreal and nightmarish, and the Landor story has a nifty gimmick. There's too much dreary Johnny Thunder antics for my own personal taste in these stories, and not enough Wonder Woman (why wouldn't they let her participate in the adventures?), but it's got a great Forties feel to it.

I never grew up durring the Golden Age. And you don't need to be to enjoy this book. This book reprints All-Star JSA issues #3 - 6. The book features the VERY first Super Hero Team! The stories are corney, sure, but it's still fun and entertaining to this day. Like one reviewer said, if you get one Archive you'll want to get them all - it's that good! Comic fans will love this book, and it's other volumes.

This story features interesting characters, like Spectre, Dr. Fate, Golden Age Flash and Green Lantern, Hour Man, The Atom, Hawkman (also features Hawk girl in one issue) and my favorites Sandman and Jonny Thunder!!! All are classic heros that even appear today, like in Comics such as "Spectre" (Who is Hal Jordon now) and "JSA" written by Awsome Writer Goeff Johns.

Buy this book if your a comic fan! Even if you aren't into comics, it's a great place to start and learn. (May as well Start at the begining of Comic Histroy)

Anyone who is a true fan of comic books will truly appreciate this hard cover edition of the first Super Hero Team--The Justice Society of America. This team of heroes set the stage of their silver age counterparts, as well as, the Justice League of America. I am glad DC has put together these Archive Editions as an easy way to capture hard to find and out of print titles. You could easily spend thousands of dollars and long hours at comic conventions to buy back issues. I for one am hooked. Once you buy one, you'll want to buy the whole set.

This answers the question, "When exactly did AMAZING SPIDER-MAN as a series go completely to HELL?" No-it WASN'T when John Romita stopped inking. It WASN'T when Gwen Stacy was murdered (which, after all these years, it turned out it was John Romita's...idea). And no-it WASN'T even when Stan Lee stopped writing "his" main character!!! NO!!! It was when GIL KANE started DRAWING the [darn] book, THAT'S when!!! Kane's people are UGLY, his anatomy is AWKWARD, and his storytelling has NO sense of fun or humor about it at ALL!!! Most of these I'd never read before, and I got the book mainly because it was a CHEAP way to fill these huge gaping holes in my Spidey collection. MY GOD!! Reading these is like watching the 6th season of HUNTER. Sure, Dee Dee McCall was still there, but the whole tone, balance and focus of the show had gone terribly astray, thanks to Fred Dryer's massive ego getting in the way.

There's a few issues with pure JOHN ROMITA art, which are a joy to behold compared to the rest. (Romita plotted "Vengeance In Viet Nam" all on his own, it was his big Milton Caniff tribute!) There's also a couple near the end which had Romita pencilling over layouts by JIM STARLIN! But overall, the tone of the series had gotten very dark, downbeat and pessimistic. In a word-- unbearable.

For anyone who'd wonder why I have NO interest in reading ANY new Spider-books ever again, here it is. I have BOXES of the stuff in my back room, and don't have the time for that right now-and that's the GOOD stuff! To me, there are 2 and ONLY 2 Spider-Man artists who matter-- Steve Ditko and John Romita. Everybody else is just wasting their time trying to fill their shoes. 30 years is a LONG time for a character to be living off his past reputation!

Volume 5 of the "Essential Spider-Man" covers the end of Stan Lee's run as the writer on his most famous comic creation. Lee wrote through issue #100, then Roy Thomas penned issues #101-104, Lee returned for issues #105-110, and then Gerry Conway (the man who killed off Gwen Stacy) became Spidey's scripter with issue #111. Spider-Man's artwork features some major revolving door action as well, with John Romita (Sr.) inking Gil Kane and then doing the pencils again, then Kane taking over with a different inker, then... (you get the idea). Anyhow, the cover is wrong because John Buscema does not do any of the artwork (brother Sal does some of the inking); it is Conway's name that should be there instead.

Anyhow, this volume includes several pivotal moments in Spider-Man's history: the death of Captain Stacy, the infamous Green Goblin/Harry Osborn on drugs trilogy where the comic did not receive Comics Code approval, and the 100th issue where Peter Parker decides to concoct a magic formula to take away his spider powers and ends up growing two extra sets of arms instead (talk about weird science, huh?). The Marvel tendency to try and be realistic pops up as well as Flash Thompson returns from Vietnam with a story to tell. There is a nice bookend effect to this volume, which begins and ends with Doctor Octopus. I know the Green Goblin is the most important of Spider-Man's villain (knowing Spider-Man's secret identity sort of makes that a moot point), but overall I think some of the best Spider-Man stories involve Doc Ock, and it is not just because of the similarities of their animal totems. Also includes in these issues are Spider-Man visiting Ka-Zar in the Savage Land and the first appearance of Morbius the Living Vampire (a character that I could never take seriously). But then there is the Gibbon, a "villain" so bad even Spider-Man laughs at him.

It looks like Volume 5 might be the last of the "Essential Spider-Man" series, although this is just a bad hunch on my part. After all, Stan Lee stopped writing the comic at this point and the key issues of what would be the next volume are currently available as "The Death of Gwen Stacy." I have to admit that I do not mind that these comics are in black & white; certainly this helps to keep this a remarkably inexpensive series and the strengths of some of these artists (most notably Steve Ditko) actually stand out more without the color being added. There is also something to be said for not having to take your comics out of their bags to read them (or for having to pay big bucks to go out and buy all these back issues). I am looking forward to picking up some more of the classic Marvel comics from the Sixties in this format.

My only complaint is that the book opens halfway through a continued comic with Spidey battling Dr. Octopus that should have included the comic just before. I actually haven't finished reading this yet because I have been enjoying it so much that I don't want it to end! I have read a chapter or two (monthly issue) each night. After just seeimg the movie SPIDER-MAN, I bought this on an impulse. I found it fascinating to see the "real" story as told by Stan Lee of how Peter Parker felt about Mary Jane (MJ), and there is an exciting battle with the Green Goblin that explains much about that character. In fact, even the first storyline of how Peter became Spider-Man is retold. What made me sad, however, was to realize that the movie messed up a wonderful opportunity of bringing these "classic" comics to life and instead followed a mediocre script that was inaccurate to the early comics. No wonder I hate how Hollywood retells historical events just for "entertainment value!" Still, these are fun and priced inexpensively.

Mahl does an excellent job unearthing data that the British secret services sorely wish had remained secret. With copious footnotes, Mahl shows how Britain manipulated public opinion, lied to the American people, and subverted the democratic process. Mahl also demonstrates how Britain could not have pulled this off without the complicity of American Anglophile elites with stronger devotion to a foreign power than to their own country.

While the information is interesting and well-supported, I found the writing style of this book to be tedious. Despite the fascinating material, this book is not written in a way that grabs your attention for a sustained read. Still, it's history, not a novel, so at least some of this is to be expected. If you have any interest in the intelligence field, and particularly the effect of covert operations on politics, policy and civil society, I recommend this book.

Professor Mahl provides and excellent overview of British covert efforts to drag America into WWII. Mahl's writing style is a bit dry, but the book compels the reader to seriously consider that a foreign power could again control out media, politicians, and polling data.

The book's thesis is that British and U.S. "elites" maneuvered us into WWII to serve the interests of the State. The corrupt Churchill and FDR and their respective intelligence agencies blindfolded the American public into believing that U.S. entrance into the war was justifiable on moral and political grounds.

As usual, the docile masses were swept away in all the rhetoric. Every attempt was made to smear the isolationists as Hitleresque and un-American. More often than not, with such media rhetoricians as Walter Lippman, the attempts were successful. Even today, the uneducated public is convinced that the Old Right anti-interventionist movement was Communist!

Mahl covers some old ground--for those who are familiar with the FDR-Churchill deception--but he writes a compelling story.