L is for Lev Gleason Publications: Crime, Comics, Controversy

From Comics A-Z Podcast · 48:27

Show by ComicsA-ZPodcast

L is for Lev Gleason Publications: Crime, Comics, Controversy Lev Gleason Publications helped establish crime comics as a major American comic-book genre. Its most successful publication, Crime Does Not Pay, introduced millions of readers to sensationalized accounts of gangsters, murderers, bank robbers, con artists, and other criminals. The book combined documentary-style narration, lurid illustrations, moral warnings, and the dramatic storytelling techniques of the superhero comics that had preceded it. It was enormously successful and helped demonstrate that comic books could appeal to readers interested in subjects beyond superheroes and traditional children's entertainment. The company's success was built primarily through the partnership of two very different personalities: publisher Leverett Stone Gleason, an intellectually curious, politically progressive businessman with an interest in social issues, and Charles Biro, a prolific writer, artist, and editor who possessed an extraordinary understanding of comic-book storytelling and popular entertainment. Recommended reading list for this episode: American Daredevil: Comics, Communism, and the Battles of Lev Gleason by Brett Dakin Kindle edition only $9.99! Dr. Werthless by Harold Schechter & Eric Powell The Comic Book Makers by Joe Simon and Jim Simon Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History by Mike Benton The Comic-Book Book — Don Thompson & Dick Lupoff, editors All in Color for a Dime — David G. Hartwell, editor Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones Comic Book Nation by Bradford Wright The Ten-Cent Plague by David Hajdu One the best books about comics ever! COMICS A-Z is the podcast that showcases the history of sequential art: comic books, comic strips, the characters, their creators, one letter at a time. Each episode highlights an interesting aspect of the long history of comics, as a creative medium and a growing industry. COMIC A-Z is hosted by Kevin Cleary, a former executive with First Comics, Classics Illustrated Comics, and TV Comics. Kevin was also the Sales Director for the Dream Factory chain of 22 stores and Purchasing Director for Heroes World Distribution, the 3rd largest comic book, trading card, and toy distributor in the country. Kevin was an advisor to the Overstreet Price Guide, The Overstreet Premium Ring Guide and a columnist/feature writer for the Comic's Buyers Guide, Overstreet Monthly, and Wizard Magazine. He was the founder of Quantum Licensing, a company that produced pins, rings, and other licensed comic book related merchandise. He even wrote issue #4 of THE MUNSTERS from TV Comics. Kevin currently works in Hollywood as a literary manager and occasional producer. This podcast is made by humans. Accept no substitutes. © Kevin Cleary 2026

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