One of the (many) nice things about ITHACON earlier this month was the hosting the TwoMorrows Publishing booth. In a unique collaboration, the students from Ithaca College’s unique Pop-Up Start-Up class ran it all. They pitched ideas to TwoMorrows, accepted feedback, and then planned, promoted, and managed the booth. The idea was to promote the publishers’ magazines (Back Issue Magazine, Alter Ego, Jack Kirby Collector, RetroFan—natch!— etc.) and those wonderful books they publish (Comic Book Implosion, American Comic Book Implosion, Pacific Comics Companion, etc.).

I’ve been a big fan of Mark Voger ever since I interviewed him back in 2017 for his groovy book, in my “It’s My Groovement” weekly entry in my old ComicMix column. You can still read it here.

But at ITHACON, I finally got around to scooping up his two latest books – Britmania and Zowie. What fun they each are! Mark Voger is a master at simultaneously tickling your nostalgia nerve endings while teaching you something new. And it’s usually something you didn’t even realize you wanted to know, but once you learn it, you wonder how you ever lived your life not knowing it?

Here’s the official descriptions of these books:

Britmania: The British Invasion of the Sixties in Pop Culture
By Mark Voger

Remember when long-haired British rock ’n’ rollers made teenage girls swoon ― and their parents go crazy? Britmania plunges into the period when suddenly, America went wild for All Things British. This profusely illustrated full-color hardback, subtitled “The British Invasion of the Sixties in Pop Culture,” explores the movies (A Hard Day’s Night, Having a Wild Weekend), TV (The Ed Sullivan Show, Magical Mystery Tour), collectibles (toys, games, trading cards, lunch boxes), comics (real-life Brits in the DC and Marvel Universes) and, of course, the music! Written and designed by Mark Voger (Monster Mash, Groovy, Holly Jolly), Britmania features interviews with members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Who, the Kinks, Herman’s Hermits, the Yardbirds, the Animals, the Hollies and more. It’s a gas, gas, gas!

Zowie!: The TV Superhero Craze in ’60s Pop Culture
By Mark Voger

Holy phenomenon! In the way-out year of 1966, the action comedy “Batman” starring Adam West premiered and triggered a tsunami of super swag, including toys, games, Halloween costumes, puppets, action figures, and lunch boxes. Meanwhile, still more costumed avengers sprang forth on TV (“The Green Hornet,” “Ultraman”), in movies (“The Wild World of Batwoman,” “Rat Pfink and Boo Boo”), and in animation (“Space Ghost,” “The Marvel Super Heroes”). “Zowie!” traces the history of the superhero genre from early films, through the 1960s TV superhero craze, and its pop culture influence ever since. This 192-page hardcover, in pop art colors that conjure the period, spotlights the coolest collectibles and kookiest knockoffs every ’60s kid begged their parents for, and features interviews with the TV stars (West, Burt Ward, Yvonne Craig, Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Julie Newmar, Van Williams), the artists behind the comics (Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang, Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella), and others. Written and designed by Mark Voger (“Monster Mash,” “Holly Jolly”), “Zowie!” is one super read!

Here’s an excerpt of from the Animation Section that you can read right now!  Each one of these volumes is full color and a hardcover, in that current trend without a dustjacket. (I’m fine with that. Are you?)

Both books are available at comic shops (you are going out for free comic book day, right?), Amazon and even the publishers site: TwoMorrows.com.

Anyhoo- these books are both a treat. I’m really enjoying them!