The Comics Reporter brings word of the passing of comic book historian Les Daniels. For me and many others, his oversized tomes Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Comics and DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World’s Favorite Comic Book Heroes were invaluable resources in the days when such information wasn’t easy to come by. Daniels also worked as a writer of five vampire fiction novels including Yellow Fog. And definitely check out this link over on The Comics Reporter, for a thoroughly before-its-time passage from Daniels’ 1971 book Comix: A History of the Comic Book in America.
November 8th, 2011 at 3:32 am
Sad news. Especially if it’s true (can’t remember my source now) that he started work on a sixth Don Sebastian novel years ago and quit because his publisher wasn’t interested. I’ve always hoped someone would give him some money and say ‘Finish that sucker!” My sympathies to his family and friends.
November 8th, 2011 at 8:23 am
I didn’t know the guy wrote novels, I’ll have to check those out. But I have and treasure all the comics-related coffee table books he did. Sad he isn’t around to do more.
November 8th, 2011 at 10:30 am
This is sad news. You hit the nail right on the head Albert, when you said his books were “invaluable resources in the days when such information wasn’t easy to come by”. I remember finding the Marvel one in a bookstore as a kid, boggling at it’s pricetag (a fortune for a kid with a $2 a week allowance), but then soaking up as much of the book as I could. It was… amazing. Thank you to Les and condolences to those who knew him.
November 8th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
This is particularly sad news for the artistic community in Providence, RI. Les was a longtime friend and mentor. He wrote (with input from me and independent film director, Jim Wolpaw)a short horror/comedy film called “Comediac” over 30 years ago (it has never been released). He also was a talented musician who had a band with Martin Mull back in the 1960′s called Soop. A truly amazing artist.
November 8th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
LES DIED AT HIS LONG TIME HOME ON BENIFIT STREET.HE WAS A GOOD FRIEND AND PARTNER 1980-1983 IN A PROJECT TO REVISE THE SHORT FILM “COMEDIAC” STARRING RUDY CHEEKS,AND TO PRODUCE A FULL LENGHT FEATURE MOVIE! IT WAS FUN BUT NO “EXPLODING”CIGAR
R.I.P.