During the movie the director Ron Mann attempts to tackle many aspects of comic (not book) history. Political struggles, sexism, artistic freedom are just a few that are covered. In order to discuss such a broad range of situations and evidence the movie starts to jump around a bit. It is just too much to cover in such a short film and certain key points are not covered well.*possible spoiler*During the film a short period of time is dedicated to how much impact wars had on comic books. More time is spent discussing one of the comic book writers characters and leads to nothing.*End Spoiler*This film is worth at least a once through to see the quirky side of some artists, but should have spent less time being a back stage documentary and taken better direction of the film's layout.

Not being an avid comic book reader, I found Ron Mann's insightful documentary to be revealing and informative. This film sheds light on how much of an impact comic books and their artist have in our culture, history, and society. From political satires, to old tales of classic superheroes, horror and action filled comics, Mann covers a base on all genres in the comic book world. The style in which Mann delivers this film has the viewer flying across the pages of some of the most cherished comic books. I thought it was a create and balancing introduction to those who have never even heard of some of the artists and comic books that are still well known to this day. Those new to comics and those who are proud junkies can enjoy this pleasant and informative documentary that will have the viewer turning the "page" to find out what happens next.

In a short amount of time, this movie executed its information in a quirky witty way. It was great to get the basic information about how the comic book started, how it affected society, and all the different transitions it went through in different time periods. It didn't go terribly in depth with its information, but it was a good starting point. What made the movie even better to me, was their use of animation and graphics. This took the movie to a very contemporary atmosphere, where parts of the movie became a comic book, while visually explaining the artist intentions of their comic, and showing the different styles each era had. This movie was visually cleaver, artistic, and very informative.

Ron Mann's playful documentary works in two ways, first and foremost as an affectionate thumbnail history of comic books and the social attitudes that nurtured them, from the super patriotic fervor of the Second World War to the right-wing paranoia of McCarthyism to the counterculture underground of the '60s and beyond. Elsewhere it's an introduction to almost two-dozen comic artists (the tag cartoonist doesn't do them justice) still plying their trade, all of them misfits, rebels, radicals, and malcontents. Snappy graphics and sample art combine to make the film a colorful celebration of an enduring and popular form of self-expression, with one drawback: most of the highlighted artists could have inspired their own full length feature, and the film simply isn't long enough to examine them individually to the depth they each deserve. Also, parents please note: despite the subject matter this is certainly not a film for children.