The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes

By Gina Renée Misiroglu

Book Overview

The ultimate compendium to everyone's favorite participants in the eternal battle between good and evil! Profiles of more than 1,000 mythic superheroes, icons, and their place in popular culture.

Superhuman strength. Virtual invulnerability. Motivated to defend the world from criminals and madmen. Possessing a secret identity. And they even have fashion sense--they look great in long underwear and catsuits. These are the traits that define the quintessential superhero. Their appeal and media presence has never been greater, but what makes them tick? their strengths? weaknesses? secret identities and arch-enemies? The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes is the comprehensive guide to all those characters whose impossible feats have graced the pages of comic books for the past one hundred years.

From the Golden and Silver Ages to the Bronze and Modern Ages, the best-loved and most historically significant superheroes--mainstream and counterculture, famous and forgotten, best and worst--are all here: The Avengers Batman and Robin Captain America Superman Wonder Woman Captain Marvel Spider-Man The Incredibles The Green Lantern Iron Man Catwoman Wolverine Aquaman Hellboy Elektra Spawn The Punisher Teen Titans The Justice League The Fantastic Four and hundreds of others.

Unique in bringing together characters from Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse, as well as smaller independent houses, The Superhero Book covers the best-loved and historically significant superheroes across all mediums and guises, from comic book, movie, television, and graphic novels. With many photos and illustrations this fun, fact-filled tome is richly illustrated. A bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness. It is the ultimate A-to-Z compendium of everyone's favorite superheroes, anti-heroes and their sidekicks, villains, love interests, superpowers, and modus operandi.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578593751
• ISBN13: 9781578593750
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: Visible Ink Press
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.7" x 9.6"
• Age Range: 9 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 4 and higher

Customer Reviews

Good book

Good book for the money. Couldn't see paying big bucks for a new one. Good reference on comic and super heros.

A fine companion volume using the same A-Z reference format

Gina Misiroglu works with David A. Roach on THE SUPERHERO BOOK: THE ULTIMATE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMIC-BOOK ICONS AND HOLLYWOOD HEROES, which provides a fine companion volume using the same A-Z reference format and surveying all significant characters in almost 300 alphabetically indexed entries. Together these are key references for any comprehensive cartoon or comic library holding, accenting histories with a peppering of color and black and white illustrations from source materials. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

Got a comic fan in your life? Make his/her day with this one

Their are other comic book encyclopedias out their. Some of them have flashier art (not that this doesn't) or higher page counts. But a when I read through this one I was impressed. I challenged the book by looking for characters other than Spider-Man, such as MiracleMan and Phantom Lady and was pleased with the coverage they were given. Lots of nice tidbits and indepth coverage of many heroes including their crossovers into other media. Buy it for the comic fan in your life.