You can always count on publisher First Second to publish the most interesting stories.
I have played pinball before and the prospect of reading a graphic novel published by First Second about its rich history intrigued me.
And, I was absolutely blown away by the story.
Great research by the author Jon Chad and so brilliantly illustrated and told.

This book is an illustrated history of pinball. It traces pinball’s early origins from a table-top version of a lawn game called Bagetelle in the court of King Louis XIV to more portable versions brought to the U.S. by immigrants to the invention of the flipper to the incorporation of electricity to the modern version of pinball we see today.

FUN FACT: Pinball was illegal in New York for years because it was considered a game of chance.

A comic book about the history of pinball? Yes, please! I’ve never been much of a gamer myself, but when my siblings or friends dragged me to an arcade growing up, I usually ended up in front of either Ms. Pacman or a pinball machine. I liked the “Rube Goldberg machine” feeling of the game. Pinball was more tangible than some of the other games because it involved a physical ball rolling through a real playing field rather than a simulated character moving around on a screen.

The book is both visually interesting and highly informative. The back of the book includes tips for actually playing the game like flipper skills, basic pinball field layouts, a glossary, and a list of additional resources. If you have any interest in gaming or microhistories, I recommend giving it a try.

Never did I think I would be so fascinated by pinball and yet here I am. Going into this graphic novel I didn’t have much if any knowledge of pinball. I knew it was the preface to the arcade, and I knew the lyrics to the song, but that’s where my knowledge ended and now I feel like a pinball wizard myself. This is an incredibly well-researched and engaging memoir about pinball as it is analyzed not only as a technological marvel but as a cultural superpower as well. With striking art reminiscent of the iconic silver ball games themselves and writing that’s able to both educate and entertain. This is a love letter to pinball, and whether it be you’re a die-hard fan, new to the hobby, or just fascinated by pop culture, there’s something to enjoy and appreciate in here for everyone.

I've been to a pinball bar and had a great time playing a few games, but I didn't know anything about the history of pinball. This was an engaging read with fantastic art that goes through the history and evolution of the game. It was particularly interesting to learn about the history of the games I've played. I also love that the end of the book is dedicated to tips and a glossary for pinball novices like me.

I came into this never having played pinball, however, now I want to find the nearest machine and give it a go. The choice to make this a graphic novel was well made, as the bright colors and imagery held my attention, even when I felt that there was an overwhelming amount of information on pinball. Because of this, I probably would not recommend this to a general audience, but more towards people who already have an interest in pinball and gaming.
As usual, I felt that this book would have benefited from staying more chronological, as it bounces back and forth occasionally, but overall this was a very comprehensive history of pinball and I feel much more knowledgeable about the subject coming away from this.

I was inspired to immediately read Pinball after watching Licorice Pizza last weekend when I heard Gary Valentine say that they were planning to make pinball legal again. I had no idea that it was ever illegal and I just couldn’t imagine why an innocent ol’ arcade game like that would be against the law; I had no idea what was in store for me.

I didn’t know that the game of pinball had such a wild and rich history, but this book covered the extensive history of pinball that spans centuries and continents. This particular historical recollection truly benefited from being told in a graphic novel format because pinball machines themselves are so visually engaging and that’s something that would not have translated well to a just-words kind of book; the art was beautiful and colorful and engaging and made it easy to really see how pinball and its predecessors have changed and evolved over the years.

I would like to propose the idea that from here on out we make all history books as graphic novels; then I would actually learn stuff AND REMEMBER IT! Like the part about how Fiorello H. LaGuardia (for whom the performing arts specialized high school in Manhattan is named, from which I was rejected twice, but I’m not still salty about it) was mayor of NYC for almost twelve years and spent two thirds of that trying to outlaw pinball in the city, which he succeeded at!

-- Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review --

Wow, what an incredible love letter to pinball! Growing up in the 80's I've played a lot of pinball, and thus I got excited when I spotted this title on NetGalley. I was quite amused, but it also became a bit too technical for me, and my interest faded during some of the more explanatory passages. However, I still enjoyed this graphic novel and I'm amazed and happy to learn that the popularity of pinball is rising yet again. Good artwork too and nice build-up. Would definitely recommend it to anyone with a love for pinball.

No matter what, there is always something new to learn. Did I ever think I would read a whole book just about Pinball? Nope. But here I am, with another bubble of *probably* useless knowledge tucked in my brain.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It's always fun learning new things, and as someone terrible at socializing, I'll use some of the information from this book as conversation starters (Is this a good idea? Probably not, but it's who I am).

That said, the book was slow and long, and I feel like there was a lot of information that I didn't really need and won't retain. However, it did leave me wanting to play the game, and the guide at the back of the book is fun for anyone who becomes inspired to learn to play after reading.

I really enjoyed the art style of this graphic novel. This is my third historical graphical novel and one about pinball was really fun!

• A copy of this book was given by NetGalley in return for an honest review •

Rating: 4 Stars

The Review

Pinball is a great graphic novel that covers the history of the game from its roots in bagatelle to its heyday during the Great Depression to its dwindling popularity and subsequent revival. Utilizing the graphic novel format with dynamic art perfect for the topic at hand, it’s an easy yet comprehensive read that keeps your interest the whole way through.

I finished it in two sittings, quickly devouring the colors, art, and well-conveyed information. There’s a genuine and infectious love for the silver ball that has gone into this book. It speaks of a passion for the art and nuances of what most, I think, see as a wild, unpredictable game, while at the same time opening a door to those new to it without overloading them with jargon. With easy-to-understand analogies, beginner tips visualized with art, and a glossary at the end, anyone new to the game will get to know it better through this book (and fall in love with it too). I know I’ll be looking for pinball machines to put what I learn to use.

I genuinely appreciate books like these that give me insight into a topic I previously knew little about. And as a graphic novel, it makes it all the better for me who learns visually.

I initially picked this book up in hopes it would be a exploration of the pinball's impact on society, similar to Box Brown's Tertris graphic novel, but I found this to be so dry and technical my eyes glazed over. That being said, I liked the art work and I hope folks in the pinball community enjoy this book as a whole.

4 stars - It was really good

As a fan of pinball, I knew this would be an interesting comic. This is a wonderfully illustrated history of the pinball machine from ancient Greece to modern day. I never knew how resilient this machine was but I am glad it has made it to the modern day because it's my favorite thing to play when I go to arcades.

Overall, this is a detailed and beautifully illustrated look at one of the world's most iconic games and I highly recommend it, especially if you are a pinball fan.

Jon Chad has created a visual history of pinball, ideal for readers who are gamers and those who are interested in pop culture lineage. As a literacy teacher, I’m always on the lookout for books that can hook a wide variety of readers, young and old. The gaming connection is wonderful in this book for making those links for readers and I’m already thinking of people I know who I can recommend this book for. The design is appealing, and the topic is engaging — altogether, a win and nicely done.

Many thanks to the publisher for an electronic ARC in exchange for which I provided an honest review.

When I was in Junior High School, back when such things still existed, one of my favorite things to do was to take the bus down to Santa Monica boardwalk and play on the pinball machines. I was no great player, and realized I may not even have gotten the point of the game, when I used to play, but I loved doing it. This was before video games were available in the home, and before arcades were just about everywhere.

So, although I was never a great player, I was quite interested to read this very thorough history of pinballs from their humble beginnings, pre-electricity, to their explosion in the Depression, and on into today.

Even if you are interested, or think you aren't interested, you will learning things about Pinball that you didn't know, such as that flippers weren't even invented until 1947. Hard to think of playing without those.

Good for a good time. And hopefully you won't get "Pinball Wizard" stuck in your head.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

Unfortunately i cant read this do to not having any available software to open it. I did want to say that I thought this book would be very interesting and would check it out if i was out and saw it.

Before there was Atari, there was pinball. The first pinball machine made its debut around 1930 and captivated players from the beginning: so much that banned for being a "racket that fleeces children" and drive them to petty thievery". In 1976, champion player Roger Sharpe played the game in a Manhattan courtroom to prove that pinball was a game of skill, not chance. Graphic novelist Jon Chad 's (Science Comics) graphic novel Pinball is the graphic history of the game, tracing its roots back to the Court of King Louis XIV, through its scandalous era in the 1930s, and renaissance in the 1970s, all the way up to the present day. It's like Science Comics and History Comics, all put together in great volume. Jon Chad examines not only the artwork and cultural significance of the game - gaming fans, and pinball fans in particular, know all about the collectible, incredible artwork that went into the back glass and the game floor itself - but the physics of the game, and what makes it a game of skill.

Jon Chad's artwork is colorful, filled with movement and amazing detail. He writes with expert knowledge and a true love of the game. This is an essential purchase for nonfiction graphic collections and anyone with a gaming collection.

This book explores pinball as a gaming technology and a cultural force and follows its rise and fall and recent internet-fueled renaissance. I found the art to be really well done - sometimes graphic non-fiction finds it difficult to balance the words and pictures, but here the specific pieces of pinball technology or game design were illustrated superbly and were much easier to understand than if this was just a normal nonfiction book. The history lesson was also really well structured. The other very interesting part of this book was its triumphalism about the recent rise and rebirth of pinball culture. I had *no idea* that pinball was having a internet-fueled renaissance! This is a reminder of the promise of the internet, when communities could use the internet to find each other an organically share and grow their passions.

Pinball was an enlightening read about the history and making of the game! It was fascinating to read about a game that the author is so clearly passionate about, and the book also read like a cultural criticism. Pinball is a very American sport, and developed because of the American people. The graphic novel format was especially fantastic, as graphic novels and pinball both have something in common: they both had been banned in the 1940s!

I can’t claim to have any prior academic interest in Pinball and have never been more than a very casual and infrequent enthusiast for playing the game, but this nonfiction graphic novel was loads of fun to read even for this pinball naïf.

This illustrated history, packed with information at close to 200 pages, is probably more than anyone needs to know about pinball. And yet while reading it, I wanted to know all of it anyway.

Chad gives us an interesting and well-balanced to blend of the game’s history and the nuts and bolts (literally, at times) of how pinball works.

There are some interesting psychological observations as well about how our brains process the game and other games like it. This and the evolution of the game from Bagatelle in Louis XIV’s France through many iterations into what the game looks like today were my favorite components of the book.

But the real standout is the art, which is truly outstanding. It’s visually reminiscent of pinball itself, a riotous cacophony of detail and color, cleverly and beautifully rendered to represent the subject.

An informative and beautifully drawn history of pinball. The books tracks the journey of the game from its origins to the banning in many cities through the height and decline. The art is incredibly detailed and adds quite a lot to the story. Each time a new technology is added to the game it is illustrated in detail on the page. This is especially helpful for a game where many of the improvements are inside the case and not outwardly visible. The only issue I see is one of audience. Toward the end of the book it is shown how pinball mainly survives as a niche option today. Younger generations may not see the value in reading on a niche hobby that seems inordinately expensive. If they do pick it up though they will be pleasantly surprised.