Harare Review of Books

288 pp. June 3, 2025, Andrews McMeel Publishing. Non-fiction.

---

I wasn’t sure I’d be quite the right kind of nerd for this book, and in a way I was right—but it was, nevertheless, fascinating to read about the history of comics (in the US). This is also, as the book explains, the history of the development of newspaper printing and all of the changes over the last century (again, in the US).

Fleishman provides a great deal of detail, organising it into chronological phases, from the early days of hand-drawn comics, through mid-century photographic reproduction, to today’s digitally produced ones, and the rise of webcomics. There are also tons of images—this is very much a visual history—and that makes the book wonderfully immersive. It would be terribly dry otherwise, as that aforementioned detail is almost at the level of academic treatise. I did, however, get to learn such fun terms as “flong” (a mould made of paper and paste that offered advantages over flat layouts for printing using cylinders), and all about Ben Day artists.

So, who is this book for? As proposed in the publisher’s blurb, it’s for those interested in the history of comic-making, specifically for newspapers. Also, as mentioned, for those who want to learn about the evolution of the newspaper printing industry. In addition, parts of this book were absorbing to me for I’m also, among other things, an amateur printmaker. If any of that sounds like it’s up your street, then definitely get a copy.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for early DRC access.

Affiliate link: Support independent bookshops and my writing by ordering it from Bookshop US here.