The Rise of Comic Book Fever

by Vince Brusio

Knowing history is important if you want to wrap your arms around the comic industry, and “get it.” Knowing the difference between “golden age” and “silver age” books is important, but author George Khoury wanted to go beyond technicalities when he developed Comic Book Fever (MAR161774). He wanted to show the glory of comics as they changed over the years, and the people who changed with them. In this PREVIEWSworld Exclusive interview, we look into five years of hard work and sweat that gives us the tome Khoury titles Comic Book Fever, now available at your local comic book shop.

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PREVIEWSworld: Why has this been a passion of yours for the past 5 years?

George Khoury: For the longest time I just wanted to make a book that could be enjoyed by everyone – the lifelong fans and comic book beginners alike. If you ever wanted anyone to understand your fondness for this medium, Comic Book Fever is the place to start.

Also, Fever isn’t just about nostalgia because pretty much everything covered in this tome will endure since it has survived the test of time. Pretty much everything covered inside it is still relevant today.

PREVIEWSworld: What emotional and professional investments have you made into bringing this book to the market?

George Khoury: Everything I had. After 19 years of covering comics, I just wanted to come back home to the era that made me a fan.

To make this reading experience as authentic as possible, I re-acquired and re-read many of the comics that I had as a boy. Also, I was very meticulous with my research and wrote a ton of notes to make sure I didn’t miss a thing since I was interviewing more than seventy people for this book.

Perhaps, the most important thing was that I took my time writing Fever. Each interview, chapter, and sidebar got my full attention and respect. I took nothing for granted. I wanted to give readers everything I had. No matter what real life crisis emerged during the years I worked on this book, I was very determined to get this book done. No house fire or illness was going to stop me from completing it.

PREVIEWSworld: What do you say in this book that you think hasn’t been said before about the books in this era?

George Khoury: There’s never been a book that captured our industry's spontaneity and charm.  I wanted to catch that overwhelming rush that comes with discovering an entire world of appealing titles from all types of genres in all types of styles. I always say that what I love the most about comics are the endless possibilities that exist the moment you set foot inside any comic book store. In this book, I did my best to capture that feeling.

PREVIEWSworld: If you could preview the book for our readers, calling out particular highlights, what would you like to mention?

George Khoury: I wouldn’t know where to start because there’s so much in this book and seeing all of it together excites me.

One personal highlight was the chance to interview John Romita Sr., Neal Adams, and the late Jack Davis. I mention those three comic book creators because I knew their work, their art styles, before I ever knew their names. As a four or five-year-old, I grew up in a world surrounded by their work in the mid-1970s. To know that all three are featured in my book is something that just feels surreal to me.

PREVIEWSworld:  If you had to summarize the change that comic books went through during this period of time, what would that change be, and what’s your reaction to it?

George Khoury: As Alex Ross wrote in the introduction, “The flashpoint era of 1976 to 1986 was when one age ended and another began. This book is a testament to that period when most of the popular concepts we follow today were born, thrived, and became legend.”

The era covered in Fever shows the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Modern Age. We see how the medium evolved and matured. We see the birth of the direct market. We see the rise of independent comic book creators. And we see how the industry became what it is today.