Download or read book Creators of the Superheroes written by Thomas Andrae and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interviews and commentary about Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner.
Download or read book Empire of the Superheroes written by Mark Cotta Vaz and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2021-01-05 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet, but even he can't outrun copyright law. Since the dawn of the pulp hero in the 1930s, publishers and authors have fought over the privilege of making money off of comics, and the authors and artists usually have lost. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman, got all of $130 for the rights to the hero. In Empire of the Superheroes, Mark Cotta Vaz argues that licensing and litigation do as much as any ink-stained creator to shape the mythology of comic characters. Vaz reveals just how precarious life was for the legends of the industry. Siegel and Shuster—and their heirs—spent seventy years battling lawyers to regain rights to Superman. Jack Kirby and Joe Simon were cheated out of their interest in Captain America, and Kirby's children brought a case against Marvel to the doorstep of the Supreme Court. To make matters worse, the infant comics medium was nearly strangled in its crib by censorship and moral condemnation. For the writers and illustrators now celebrated as visionaries, the "golden age" of comics felt more like hard times. The fantastical characters that now earn Hollywood billions have all-too-human roots. Empire of the Superheroes digs them up, detailing the creative martyrdom at the heart of a pop-culture powerhouse.
Download or read book Superheroes written by Laurence Maslon and published by Crown Archetype. This book was released on 2013-10-01 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, the Avengers, the X-Men, Watchmen, and more: the companion volume to the PBS documentary series of the same name that tells the story of the superhero in American popular culture. Together again for the first time, here come the greatest comic book superheroes ever assembled between two covers: down from the heavens—Superman and the Mighty Thor—or swinging over rooftops—the Batman and Spider-Man; star-spangled, like Captain America and Wonder Woman, or clad in darkness, like the Shadow and Spawn; facing down super-villains on their own, like the Flash and the Punisher or gathered together in a team of champions, like the Avengers and the X-Men! Based on the three-part PBS documentary series Superheroes, this companion volume chronicles the never-ending battle of the comic book industry, its greatest creators, and its greatest creations. Covering the effect of superheroes on American culture—in print, on film and television, and in digital media—and the effect of American culture on its superheroes, Superheroes: Capes, Cowls, and the Creation of Comic Book Culture appeals to readers of all ages, from the casual observer of the phenomenon to the most exacting fan of the genre. Drawing from more than 50 new interviews conducted expressly for Superheroes!—creators from Stan Lee to Grant Morrison, commentators from Michael Chabon to Jules Feiffer, actors from Adam West to Lynda Carter, and filmmakers such as Zach Snyder—this is an up-to-the-minute narrative history of the superhero, from the comic strip adventurers of the Great Depression, up to the blockbuster CGI movie superstars of the 21st Century. Featuring more than 500 full-color comic book panels, covers, sketches, photographs of both essential and rare artwork, Superheroes is the definitive story of this powerful presence in pop culture.
Download or read book On the Origin of Superheroes written by Chris Gavaler and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2015-11-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most readers think that superheroes began with Superman’s appearance in Action Comics No. 1, but that Kryptonian rocket didn’t just drop out of the sky. By the time Superman’s creators were born, the superhero’s most defining elements—secret identities, aliases, disguises, signature symbols, traumatic origin stories, extraordinary powers, self-sacrificing altruism—were already well-rehearsed standards. Superheroes have a sprawling, action-packed history that predates the Man of Steel by decades and even centuries. On the Origin of Superheroes is a quirky, personal tour of the mythology, literature, philosophy, history, and grand swirl of ideas that have permeated western culture in the centuries leading up to the first appearance of superheroes (as we know them today) in 1938. From the creation of the universe, through mythological heroes and gods, to folklore, ancient philosophy, revolutionary manifestos, discarded scientific theories, and gothic monsters, the sweep and scale of the superhero’s origin story is truly epic. We will travel from Jane Austen’s Bath to Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Mars to Owen Wister’s Wyoming, with some surprising stops along the way. We’ll meet mad scientists, Napoleonic dictators, costumed murderers, diabolical madmen, blackmailers, pirates, Wild West outlaws, eugenicists, the KKK, Victorian do-gooders, detectives, aliens, vampires, and pulp vigilantes (to name just a few). Chris Gavaler is your tour guide through this fascinating, sometimes dark, often funny, but always surprising prehistory of the most popular figure in pop culture today. In a way, superheroes have always been with us: they are a fossil record of our greatest aspirations and our worst fears and failings.
Download or read book Stan Lee s How to Draw Superheroes written by Stan Lee and published by Watson-Guptill. This book was released on 2013-07-09 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The third installment in comics icon Stan Lee's series showing readers how to draw some of the most exciting and dynamic superheroes of all time. Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the Avengers all share a common trait -- these hugely popular Marvel Comics superheroes were co-created by the legendary Stan Lee. Now, Lee shows readers everything they'll need to make their own mighty superheroes, just like his classic creations. Lee exposes his secret tools and techniques for bringing strong, inspiring heroes and heroines to life. He even shows aspiring creators how to expand their super-universes with evil villains, trusty sidekicks, brutes and monsters, super-pets, secret hideouts, and more! These invaluable insights from one of the greatest superhero creators of all time are must-haves for all fans of Lee's legendary superhero comic work.
Download or read book From Krakow to Krypton written by Arie Kaplan and published by Jewish Publication Society. This book was released on 2010 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jews created the first comic book, the first graphic novel, the first comic book convention, the first comic book specialty store, and they helped create the underground comics (or "Comix") movement of the late '60s and early '70s. Many of the creators of the most famous comic books, such as Superman, Spiderman, X-Men, and Batman, as well as the founders of MAD Magazine, were Jewish. From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books tells their stories and demonstrates how they brought a uniquely Jewish perspective to their work and to the comics industry as a whole. Over-sized and in full color, From Krakow to Krypton is filled with sidebars, cartoon bubbles, comic book graphics, original design sketches, and photographs. It is a visually stunning and exhilarating history.
Download or read book Batman and Captain America written by John Byrne and published by Dc Comics. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: /John Byrne As World War II rages on, Batman and Captain America, along with their teenaged sidekicks Robin and Bucky, must become allies to combat the villainy of their greatest foes, the Joker and the Red Skull. This fun, fast paced tale is co-published with Marvel Comics and is drawn in a style reminiscent of the 1940s Golden Age of
Download or read book The Meaning of Superhero Comic Books written by Terrence R. Wandtke and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For decades, scholars have been making the connection between the design of the superhero story and the mythology of the ancient folktale. Moving beyond simple comparisons and common explanations, this volume details how the workings of the superhero comics industry and the conventions of the medium have developed a culture like that of traditional epic storytelling. It chronicles the continuation of the oral/traditional culture of the early 20th century superhero industry in the endless variations on Superman and shows how Frederic Wertham's anti-comic crusade in the mid-1950s helped make comics the most countercultural new medium of the 20th century. By revealing how contemporary superhero comics, like Geoff Johns' Green Lantern and Warren Ellis's The Authority, connect traditional aesthetics and postmodern theories, this work explains why the superhero comic book flourishes in the "new traditional" shape of our acutely self-conscious digital age.
Download or read book Super Black written by Adilifu Nama and published by Univ of TX + ORM. This book was released on 2011-10-01 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A welcome overview of black superheroes and Afrocentric treatments of black-white relations in US superhero comics since the 1960s.” –ImageTexT Journal Winner, American Book Award, Before Columbus Foundation Super Black places the appearance of black superheroes alongside broad and sweeping cultural trends in American politics and pop culture, which reveals how black superheroes are not disposable pop products, but rather a fascinating racial phenomenon through which futuristic expressions and fantastic visions of black racial identity and symbolic political meaning are presented. Adilifu Nama sees the value—and finds new avenues for exploring racial identity—in black superheroes who are often dismissed as sidekicks, imitators of established white heroes, or are accused of having no role outside of blaxploitation film contexts. Nama examines seminal black comic book superheroes such as Black Panther, Black Lightning, Storm, Luke Cage, Blade, the Falcon, Nubia, and others, some of whom also appear on the small and large screens, as well as how the imaginary black superhero has come to life in the image of President Barack Obama. Super Black explores how black superheroes are a powerful source of racial meaning, narrative, and imagination in American society that express a myriad of racial assumptions, political perspectives, and fantastic (re)imaginings of black identity. The book also demonstrates how these figures overtly represent or implicitly signify social discourse and accepted wisdom concerning notions of racial reciprocity, equality, forgiveness, and ultimately, racial justice. “A refreshingly nuanced approach . . . Nama complicates the black superhero by also seeing the ways that they put issues of post-colonialism, race, poverty, and identity struggles front and center.” –Rain Taxi
Download or read book Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics written by Frederick Luis Aldama and published by University of Arizona Press. This book was released on 2017-10-10 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics offers the first thorough exploration of Latino/a superheroes in mainstream comic books, TV shows, and movies--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book Boys of Steel written by Marc Tyler Nobleman and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2013-06-11 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two high school misfits in Depression-era Cleveland, were more like Clark Kent--meek, mild, and myopic--than his secret identity, Superman. Both boys escaped into the worlds of science fiction and pulp magazine adventure tales. Jerry wrote his own original stories and Joe illustrated them. In 1934, the summer they graduated from high school, they created a superhero who was everything they were not. It was four more years before they convinced a publisher to take a chance on their Man of Steel in a new format--the comic book. The author includes a provocative afterword about the long struggle Jerry and Joe had with DC Comics when the boys realized they had made a mistake in selling all rights to Superman for a mere $130.
Download or read book Supermen written by Greg Sadowski and published by Fantagraphics Books. This book was released on 2009-04-20 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The enduring cultural phenomenon of comic book heroes was invented in the late 1930s by a talented and hungry group of artists and writers barely out of their teens, flying by the seat of their pants to create something new, exciting, and above all profitable. The iconography and mythology they created flourishes to this day in comic books, video, movies, fine art, advertising, and practically all other media. Supermen! collects the best and the brightest of this first generation, including Jack Cole, Will Eisner, Bill Everett, Lou Fine, Fletcher Hanks, Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Basil Wolverton.
Download or read book Super History written by Jeffrey K. Johnson and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2012-04-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the less than eight decades since Superman's debut in 1938, comic book superheroes have become an indispensable part of American society and the nation's dominant mythology. They represent America's hopes, dreams, fears, and needs. As a form of popular literature, superhero narratives have closely mirrored trends and events in the nation. This study views American history from 1938 to 2010 through the lens of superhero comics, revealing the spandex-clad guardians to be not only fictional characters but barometers of the place and time in which they reside. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Download or read book The Big Book of Superheroes written by Bart King and published by ReadHowYouWant. This book was released on 2014-09-02 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a child, Bart King discovered he could punch people into outer space. Sadly, he lost a lot of friends that way. Today, Bart is one of the world's most in-demand superhero experts. So if you're wondering if you have what it takes to be a superhero--of course you do! All you need is a burning desire to fight evildoers. Oh, and also a secret identity, the perfect name, a cool costume, some terrific superpowers, and an archenemy.
Download or read book My Super Hero Is Black written by John Jennings and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2025-10-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 New York Times bestselling author John Jennings and acclaimed producer Angélique Roché illuminate some of the most important Black creators and characters through Marvel Comics history. From the introduction of Black Panther in the 1960s and publisher Stan Lee’s early efforts at addressing systemic racism, to the groundbreaking work of creators like Billy Graham, Christopher Priest, Reggie Hudlin, and Ta-Nehisi Coates, My Super Hero Is Black offers a rich examination, celebration, and historical overview of Marvel’s Black characters and creators. It also includes accounts from prominent Black creators and luminaries about their personal relationships with Marvel superheroes. Presented by John Jennings—the notable comics scholar, illustrator, editor, writer, teacher, publisher, and #1 New York Times bestselling author—and Angélique Roché—the acclaimed content creator, producer, and the popular host of Marvel Entertainment’s Marvel’s Voices podcast—this milestone work is destined to become a classic and will speak to generations of comics fans and storytellers.
Download or read book Midnighter The Complete Wildstorm Series written by Garth Ennis and published by DC Comics. This book was released on 2017-07-18 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Written by Garth Ennis (PREACHER), Keith Giffen (JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL), Brian K. Vaughan (Y: THE LAST MAN) and others, with art by Chris Sprouse (TOM STRONG), Karl Story (NIGHTWING) and others including Glenn Fabry (THE AUTHORITY: KEV), John Paul Leon (Earth X) and Darick Robertson (TRANSMETROPOLITAN) comes a complete collection of MIDNIGHTER Midnighter tales in MIDNIGHTER: THE COMPLETE WILDSTORM SERIES. The Midnighter, is the most dangerous man on the planet„able to plan a fight a million moves ahead, capable of killing ruthlessly, relentlessly and without remorse. Fed up with his teammates in the Authority (including his husband, Apollo) and their lost mission of saving the world from itself, Midnighter strikes out on his own. Despite possessing superhuman abilities to see every move his opponents will make, Midnighter canÍt see whatÍs ahead for himself. HeÍs blackmailed into assassinatinge Hitler before the start ofs World War II; heÍs given a chance to find out about his past, before he became a superhuman killing machine; and heÍs hunted by an assassin with unlimited means. HeÍs the Midnighter, what soldiers dream of becoming„what children see when they first imagine what death is like. This collection includes the entire WildStorm series, MIDNIGHTER #1-20 and MIDNIGHTER: ARMAGEDDON #1!"
Download or read book Superheroes and Identities written by Mel Gibson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-22 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Superheroes have been the major genre to emerge from comics and graphic novels, saturating popular culture with images of muscular men and sexy women. A major aspect of this genre is identity in the roles played by individuals, the development of identities through extended stories and in the ways the characters inspire audiences. This collection analyses stories from popular comics franchises such as Batman, Captain America, Ms Marvel and X-Men, alongside less well known comics such as Kabuki and Flex Mentallo. It explores what superhero narratives can reveal about our attitudes towards femininity, race, maternity, masculinity and queer culture. Using this approach, the volume asks questions such as why there are no black supervillains in mainstream comics, how second wave feminism and feminist film theory may help us to understand female comic book characters, the ways in which Flex Mentallo transcends the boundaries of straightness and gayness and how both fans and industry appropriate the sexual identity of superheroes. The book was originally published in a special issue of the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics.
