Originally posted August 31, 2002. Excerpted from Cinescape online. Click pic for full review.

In the midst of the Silver Age reflorescence of super-hero comics, as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s verve and energy steered Marvel to its great age of glory, media interest in the comics revival took many forms. From the introduction of the beloved campy BATMAN television series to BARBARELLA (the movie), it was the first of the many periodic expressions of interest in and enthusiasm for the comic book from Big Media.

Playing a key element in this wave of coverage was certified New York intellectual Jules Feiffer. Feiffer was well-established as a thoughtful, razor-sharp cartoonist frequently seen in the pages of THE NEW YORKER and other upscale magazines and occasionally contributing equally well-crafted essays to the same market. In 1965, Feiffer published a book (and a magazine piece covering the same ground in PLAYBOY) titled THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES.