'Tales to Astonish' (298 pp) was published in hardback by Bloomsbury in 2004.
Author Ronin Ro (I have a faint suspicion that the name is a pseudonym) has written a number of nonfiction works, many of them on rap music and rap musicians. In 2000 he published a novel, titled 'Street Sweeper', which has a tie-in CD (?!) of rap songs by various artists, including Ludacris and Ja Rule.
'Tales' is a biography of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, the two men who, of course, were responsible for bringing in the Marvel Age of Comics with their collaborative effort on the inaugural issue of Fantastic Four in 1961, and the string of innovative titles that followed.
Ro covers the lives of each man, from their birth in modest circumstances in New York City, up to 2004 (Jack Kirby died in 1994, ten years after the book was published, while Stan Lee of course passed away in late 2018).
I found the book to be a very engaging read, one that not only showcases Kirby and Lee, but also the other artists they interacted with, and businessmen that they worked for. Ro documents he triumphs and conflicts that characterized the collaboration between the two men in an objective manner, leaving it for the reader to decide whether Kirby's multiple grievances against Lee and Marvel were as justifiable as they have been made out to be.
The book is rich with 'insider' anecdotes that illuminate what went on 'behind the scenes' in the offices of Marvel and DC.
Where 'Tales' fails to achieve a five-star rating is in its lack of detailed sourcing; there are no endnotes or footnotes. The book's brief bibliography states that Ronin Ro interviewed a large number of Kirby and Lee's associates; however, there are no details given on when and where the interviews were conducted (nor who conducted them), nor whether the interviews were in-person, or generated from email exchanges.
The book also suffers from a dearth of illustrations. While it's highly likely that Ro faced difficulties in securing permissions from Marvel and DC to reproduce comic book covers and interior art, it's disappointing that he couldn't access even a small number of personal / open source photographs of the major characters.
Summing up, if you're a fan of Marvel comics, Jack Kirby, or Stan Lee, then 'Tales to Astonish' may be worth picking up (used copies can be had online for modest prices). Just be aware that the lack of detailed sourcing means it has limited value as a reference work.
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