So prepare yourself for such not-ready-for-prime-time heroes as Bee Man (Batman, but with bees), the Clown (circus-themed crimebuster), the Eye (a giant, floating eyeball; just accept it), and many other oddballs and oddities. Drawing on the entire history of the medium, The League of Regrettable Superheroes will appeal to die-hard comics fans, casual comics readers, and anyone who enjoys peering into the stranger corners of pop culture.

    The lines have been drawn in final battle!In an epic story arc that began with Avengers Disassembled - and extended through the House of M, Civil War and Secret Invasion - the greatest villains of the Marvel Universe are ready to make their final move against a target from time immemorial: the hallowed halls of Asgard!But with this the last piece in Norman Osborn's insane bid to seize total control of the world, is the siege of Asgard the proverbial bridge too far for the former Green Goblin? And will his machinations with Loki be the thing which loses the war, or wins him the world?With all-out action that explodes across artist Olivier Coipel's (Thor) gorgeously rendered pages, writer Brian Michael Bendis (New Avengers) fulfills the promise of a story years in the making - starring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Nick Fury and other greats of the Heroic Age!Collecting the Siege prologue, Siege: The Cabal, Siege #1-4, and Avengers: The Way Things Are

    It's the beginning of a new era for Iron Man, and he must face up to a new era of terrifying technologies that threaten to overwhelm fragile mankind! He must find out what Extremis is - and, more importantly, he must figure out who has unleashed it and what its emergence means for the world.Collecting: Iron Man 1-6

    As Asgardia's one-man secret service, he's ready to lie, cheat, steal, bluff and snog his way through the twistiest, turniest and most treacherous missions the All-Mother can throw at him...starting with a heart-stopping heist on Avengers Tower! And that's just the beginning, as Loki takes on Lorelei in Monte Carlo's casinos, and heads back to the dawn of Asgard to join its greatest heroes on a quest for a certain magical sword! But when Loki puts together a crew to crack the deepest dungeons of Asgardia itself, there may be one plot twist too many for even Loki to handle!COLLECTING: LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD 1-5, ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE (LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD STORY)

    Who is the Serpent? As Odin and the Asgardians leave the Earth to fend for itself, the Avengers and the world's remaining heroes battle the unstoppable tide of terror! And then - the Serpent's Hammers fall! Who shall rise up and join the Serpent as the Worthy, living avatars of his evil? And how can the Avengers respond...to fear itself? Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen bring fans the biggest Marvel event since Civil War!Collecting: Fear Itself: 1-7, Book of the Skull

    Comics insider Peter Sanderson recounts Marvel's main story lines and delves into the lives of major characters, showing how different writers shaped their fates. The illustrations include scenes from ground-breaking stories, showcasing the best work of important Marvel artists.

    After nearly two decades away, Miracleman uncovers his origins and their connection to the British military's "Project Zarathustra" - while his alter ego, Michael Moran, must reconcile his life as the lesser half of a god.

    1 in 1938, introduced the world to something both unprecedented and timeless: Superman, a caped god for the modern age. In a matter of years, the skies of the imaginary world were filled with strange mutants, aliens, and vigilantes: Batman, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men—the list of names as familiar as our own. In less than a century, they’ve gone from not existing at all to being everywhere we look: on our movie and television screens, in our videogames and dreams. But what are they trying to tell us?For Grant Morrison, arguably the greatest of contemporary chroniclers of the “superworld,” these heroes are powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them we tell the story of ourselves, our troubled history, and our starry aspirations. In this exhilarating work of a lifetime, Morrison draws on art, science, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this shadow universe to provide the first true history of the superhero—why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are . . . and what we may yet become.

    You've heard Thor's - now it's time to hear Loki's. Odin's least favorite son rewrites Asgardian lore from his perspective in this groundbreaking collection, featuring the breathtaking painted artwork of Esad Ribic (Wolverine). In this story, Loki's insatiable lust for power, his conflicted sentiments toward Sif, his antipathy toward Balder, and his deep-seated feelings of longing and resentment toward his older brother, Thor, and uncaring father, Odin, will take on new meaning. And if that's not enough, just stare at the lush painted art by Ribic - you won't be disappointed!

    This book by one of Wired magazine's art directors traverses the graphic world through a collection of pie charts, bar graphs, timelines, scatter plots, and more. Super Graphic offers readers a unique look at the intricate and sometimes contradictory storylines that weave their way through comic books, and shares advice for navigating the pages of some of the most popular, longest-running, and best-loved comics and graphic novels out there. From a colorful breakdown of the DC Comics reader demographic to a witty Venn diagram of superhero comic tropes and a Chris Ware sadness scale, this book charts the most arbitrary and monumental characters, moments, and equipment of the wide world of comics.

    For more than three quarters of a century, he has cycled from a figure of darkness to one of lightness and back again; he’s a bat-shaped Rorschach inkblot who takes on the various meanings our changing culture projects onto him. How we perceive Batman’s character, whether he’s delivering dire threats in a raspy Christian Bale growl or trading blithely homoerotic double-entendres with partner Robin on the comics page, speaks to who we are and how we wish to be seen by the world. It’s this endlessly mutable quality that has made him so enduring.And it’s Batman’s fundamental nerdiness—his gadgets, his obsession, his oath, even his lack of superpowers—that uniquely resonates with his fans who feel a fiercely protective love for the character. Today, fueled by the internet, that breed of passion for elements of popular culture is everywhere. Which is what makes Batman the perfect lens through which to understand geek culture, its current popularity, and social significance.In The Caped Crusade, with humor and insight, Glen Weldon, book critic for NPR and author of Superman: The Unauthorized Biography, lays out Batman’s seventy-eight-year cultural history and shows how he has helped make us who we are today and why his legacy remains so strong.

    Loaded with never-before-seen images, this book is a guide to the epic battle between the Autobots and Decepticons, as it began with toys and television, and continued to comics, film, games, and other media. There's something here for all generations, from classic toys that have become sought-after collectibles to the amazing, high-tech visuals of the three live-action films.Hasbro has opened its official archives, gathering more than 250 images and several featured pieces of memorabilia. Look inside for a sheet of Generation One tech specs with a secret revealer, a rare pencil sketch from comics artist Casey Coller, an unseen character profile for Hot Rod from the 1986 film, an animation cel, and much more. Exclusive photos of Japanese Transformer prototypes, archival development art, and brand-new information about the future of the Transformers make this the ultimate package for every fan.

    But Silk's quest has taken her down a darker path than expected, and now she's in cahoots with the most ferocious feline in the Marvel Universe: the Black Cat! But not everyone in the Cat's criminal crew is happy about the arrangement. Nor is a certain friendly neighborhood CEO of Parker Industries, and that will bring Cindy into conflict with Spider-Man and the Goblin King! What could have led her to this? Who is Espectro? And will Cindy go so far there's no redeeming the Sinister Silk? Collecting: Silk (2016) 1-6 & material from Amazing Spider-Man 1

    Child of the streets. X-Man. X-23 has lived many lives, but none of them have ever felt right. She knows she's a killer, but she's not sure she can be anything else. The X-Men offer her a home and help facing her demons, but she's done being someone's project. She wants to be her own woman, and she'll do it on her own terms. Leaving the X-Men's island home of Utopia on a mission all her own, she's already found trouble. Even with the mutant thief Gambit at her side, her past haunts her. With new enemies rising, can X-23 trust herself not to succumb to her deadly ways? Or is it all just in her head? Free of her chains, can this killer finally taste true freedom?COLLECTING: X-23 #1-6.

    maintain the status quo in a world full of gamma-powered rage monsters, hammer wielding gods and men in iron suits? What exactly is the Avengers Initiative? If you thought you knew everything there was to know about Director Nick Fury and the elusive Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - think again!COLLECTING: Prelude to Avengers 1-4