The Superhero Book



		THE SUPERHERO BOOK: THE ULTIMATE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMIC BOOK ICONS AND HOLLYWOOD HEROES
		THE SUPERHERO BOOK: THE ULTIMATE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMIC BOOK ICONS AND HOLLYWOOD HEROES Published by Visible Ink Press Edited by Gina Misiroglu with David A. Roach In stores November 2004. 748 pgs., 156 illustrations, 150 pages in color, Trade Paperback (ISBN: 1-57859-154-6) $29.95 Click here to purchase THE SUPERHERO BOOK at Amazon With entires written by Andy Mangels, Michael A. Martin, Michael Eury, Gina Misiroglu, David A. Roach, Adam McGovern, Marc McKenzie, and Frank Plowright. See FULL description below. Andy Mangels has written 50 of the 300 in-depth entries for this massive and authoritative volume from the publishers of VideoHound's Movie Guide! Andy's entries are as follows: Alpha Flight Astro City The Authority Batman in the Media Big Bang Heroes Birds of Prey Buffy the Vampire Slayer Camp Heroes in the Media Captain America in the Media Captain Canuck Captain Marvel in the Media Civilian Heroes in the Media Daredevil in the Media ElectraWoman and DynaGirl Extreme Studios Heroes Fantastic Four in the Media Gen13 Greatest American Hero Hulk in the Media International Heroes Isis Justice League Justice League in the Media Man From Atlantis Manimal Miracleman Nightman Northstar Rising Stars Savage Dragon Superhero Movie Serials Shadowhawk Space Ghost Spider-Man in the Media Spider Woman Static Shock Superboy in the Media Super Friends Superhero Cartoons Superman in the Media Teen Titans Tick Ultraverse Vertigo Heroes WildCATs WildStorm Heroes Wolverine Wonder Woman Wonder Woman in the Media X-Men in the Media Full description of book: Superhuman strength. Virtual invulnerability. Motivated to defend the world from evildoers. A secret identity. And a penchant for looking good in long underwear. These are the traits that define the quintessential superhero whose impossible feats graced the pages of comic books during comics’ Golden and Silver Ages. They are Batman, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Superman, Wonder Woman, and dozens of others—with names like Ant-Man, Daredevil, Hawkman, the Human Torch, the Spectre, the Spirit, and Sub-Mariner—whose death-defying acts and altruistic motives have come to characterize heroism for generations of fans. By the end of the twentieth century the real world had become a darker place, necessitating a new kind of hero. Popular heroes of yesteryear were reinvented to meet the demands of a new age. The popular culture witnessed the rise of the anti-hero, the fresh breed of brazen, gritty adventurer that includes the likes of Elektra, the Punisher, and Wolverine. Heroes that aren’t typically defined as super—Buffy, Hellboy, Sandman, and Spawn—became associated with the word because they possessed superhuman qualities. But they were often nearly paralyzed with angst, doubt,and disillusionment, identifying with their audience in a way reminiscent of existential sixties superheros like Spider-Man. With 150 full-color illustrations, including dozens of classic comic covers, *The Superhero Book* is the ultimate A-Z compendium of everyone’s favorite superheroes and their mythology, sidekicks, villains, love interests, superpowers, and modus operandi. Almost 300 entries cover the best-loved and historically significant comic book, movie, television, and novel superheroes—mainstream and counterculture, famous and forgotten, best and worst—including classics like Green Lantern and Plastic Man, cult favorites like the Rocketeer and Madman, and timeless entities like the XMen. Each significant era of the superhero is explored—the Golden Age (1938–1954), the Silver Age (1956–1969), the Bronze Age (1970–1979), and the Modern Age (1980–present)—providing the reader with a perspective of the hero over the twentieth century and beyond. With *The Superhero Book, you’ll be reminded why you love them (Who wouldn’t want to get their hands on Wonder Woman’s lasso for just one day?), why they were chosen to save the world (”We shall call you Captain America, son! Because like you—America shall gain the strength and will to safeguard our shores”), what they do for their day jobs (world traveler Oliver Queen . . . Hollywood star and America’s sweetheart Linda Turner . . . billionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne . . . college student and free-lance photographer Peter Parker), and their very human faux pas (As the Flash, he could outrun the wind, but as alter ego Barry Allen he was hard-pressed to show up for a date on time!). In an uncertain age, what we need is a superhero. Use our book to find the right one. SEE ALSO* THE SUPERVILLAIN BOOK: THE ULTIMATE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMIC BOOK AND HOLLYWOOD MASTERMINDS, MEGALOMANIACS, AND MENACES Published by Visible Ink Press Edited by Gina Misiroglu and Michael Eury In stores August 2006. Trade Paperback			Send Email to Andy Mangels


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