Skip to main content

BAM! POW! A History Lesson In Comic Book Heros

By Stefan Doyno Apr 8, 2013 1:00 AM

It all started in 1938 when Action Comics introduced a costumed character with two identities. The man possessed powers and extraordinary strength. He used these gifts to protect the defenseless. This man went by the name Man of Steel, and not only was he a superhero; he was a prototype for all future models, including Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Recommended Videos

The Golden Age of DC Comics by Taschen is a comic book nerd’s study guide to the world of superheroes and comic book history. And we all know you don’t have to wear tape around your glasses to be a nerd.

The book chronicles from 1935 to 1956 and traces DC Comics’ first decades, which starts out with pulp origins and continues on to discuss topics like book burnings and McCarthyism. Taschen’s latest book also includes an exclusive interview with Joe Kubert, a legendary comic book artist who is well known for Sgt. Rock and Hawkman.

Taschen explores the origins of well known legends but also gives the reader a behind the scenes look with stories about the men and women responsible for bringing colorful fiction to the many happy kids of yesteryear.

Author Paul Levitz is a comic book fan and has worked as an editor and publisher of The Comic Reader. He was an editor of the Batman titles and has written more than 300 stories. H also acted as the president of DC Comics from 2002 – 2009.

So come on, embrace your geeky side and pick up a copy here.

Stefan Doyno is a native New Yorker who grew up on the Upper East Side before moving to Westchester. He is a graduate of the… Read Full Bio

Elevate your elegance: Choosing your first cigar

Face, Head, Person

Earlier this year, I was strolling the streets of New York and ended up sitting in the Carnegie Club with an Old Fashioned in one hand and a cigar in the other while My Way by Frank Sinatra played from a speaker flanking leather-bound books behind the couch I had been using as my perch. It was my first cigar, but it led to a slight obsession that recently found me on the back deck of a lodge in Kenya, staring at Mount Kilimanjaro and smoking a stick while giraffes meandered by. Admittedly, there has been no intention in my budding hobby; I am aimlessly choosing the cigars that look good (the ones that look like those smoked by Arnold or Stallone in the movies, obviously). But I have decided to approach these in a new way, with a little help from my friends over at La Aurora, who graciously decided to navigate my ignorance with some info compiled by Brand Manager John Gaglio, with input from Master Blender Manuel Ynoa, CEO Ed McKenna, and Brand Manager Elvis Batista.

What to look for in your first cigar

FIFA’s Gianni Infantino Is Uglifying the Beautiful Game With $20 Billion Plot — But the Global Soccer Community’s Punching Back

People, Person, Crowd

For the better part of two decades, perhaps even more, corruption has allegedly run rampant within FIFA. Sepp Blatter, in particular, became the face of alleged extortion schemes, and he operated with impunity while at the helm of the organization for 17 years, from 1998 until his forced resignation in 2015 amid an FBI corruption probe. He’s banned for life from all football-related FIFA activities. If you’re new to the organization’s alleged deep connection to corruption, Netflix offers a brilliant 2022 documentary, FIFA Uncovered. In that documentary, Gianni Infantino appears in his previous capacity as Secretary General of UEFA (2009-2016) and later as the newly elected FIFA president, who vowed to root out corruption and hand the beautiful game back to the people where it belongs.

That, as it turns out, was all wishful thinking.

Escobar Cigars, Co-Owned by Nas, Drops Four-Profile Robusto House Blend Collection

Blade, Knife, Weapon

Imagine that, Nas is getting closer to ruling the cigar world. The legendary rapper’s Escobar Cigars, which he co-owns, is making waves with the launch of a new four-profile House Blend collection. The launch is in partnership with Cigar Chief, one of North America’s largest premium cigar retailers.

The Manual has not yet had the chance to do a taste review (a pack is on the way), but Escobar Cigars says the four-profile House Blend collection (Maduro, Premium Blend Connecticut, Habano, and Connecticut Robusto) “has its own distinct wrapper, filler, and strength profile,” and that “all four are rolled in 5 x 52 Robusto format using classic Cubano entubado construction.”