Book picks similar to
Wonder Woman: The Complete History by Les Daniels
comics
non-fiction
history
nonfiction
Catwoman: The Life and Times of a Feline Fatale
Suzan Colon - 2003
Sleek and sexy, the greatest cat burglar of all time sank her claws into the Caped Crusader back in 1940 and hasn't let go since. Part homage, part how-to, this handsome treatise divulges Catwoman's stellar techniques at everything from scaling walls to tickling a gentleman's fancy without mercy. With a brief history of her many incarnations over the years, loads of terrific vintage illustrations, sections on fashion and romance, and personal tips on getting ahead, this spunky vinyl-covered volume (oooh! purple PVC!) will attract both new fans of the slinky girl kitty and time-tested aficionados. It's the purr-fect ode to The Feline Felon, The Mistress of Malevolence, The Princess of Plunder . . . a.k.a. Catwoman.
Superman: The High-Flying History of the Man of Steel
Larry Tye - 2012
Now Larry Tye, the prize-winning journalist and "New York Times" bestselling author of "Satchel, " has written the first full-fledged history not just of the Man of Steel but of the creators, designers, owners, and performers who made him the icon he is today. Legions of fans from Boston to Buenos Aires can recite the story of the child born Kal-El, scion of the doomed planet Krypton, who was rocketed to Earth as an infant, raised by humble Kansas farmers, and rechristened Clark Kent. Known to law-abiders and evildoers alike as Superman, he was destined to become the invincible champion of all that is good and just--and a star in every medium from comic books and comic strips to radio, TV, and film. But behind the high-flying legend lies a true-to-life saga every bit as compelling, one that begins not in the far reaches of outer space but in the middle of America's heartland. During the depths of the Great Depression, Jerry Siegel was a shy, awkward teenager in Cleveland. Raised on adventure tales and robbed of his father at a young age, Jerry dreamed of a hero for a boy and a world that desperately needed one. Together with neighborhood chum and kindred spirit Joe Shuster, young Siegel conjured a human-sized god who was everything his creators yearned to be: handsome, stalwart, and brave, able to protect the innocent, punish the wicked, save the day, and win the girl. It was on Superman's muscle-bound back that the comic book and the very idea of the superhero took flight. Tye chronicles the adventures of the men and women who kept Siegel and Shuster's "Man of Tomorrow" aloft and vitally alive through seven decades and counting. Here are the savvy publishers and visionary writers and artists of comics' Golden Age who ushered the red-and-blue-clad titan through changing eras and evolving incarnations; and the actors--including George Reeves and Christopher Reeve--who brought the Man of Steel to life on screen, only to succumb themselves to all-too-human tragedy in the mortal world. Here too is the poignant and compelling history of Siegel and Shuster's lifelong struggle for the recognition and rewards rightly due to the architects of a genuine cultural phenomenon. From two-fisted crimebuster to Uber-patriot, social crusader to spiritual savior, Superman--perhaps like no other mythical character before or since--has evolved in a way that offers a Rorschach test of his times and our aspirations. In this deftly realized appreciation, Larry Tye reveals a portrait of America over seventy years through the lens of that otherworldly hero who continues to embody our best selves. Praise for "Superman"" ""Engaging, fun, inspiring--like the Man of Steel."--The Huffington Post "Powerful . . . wonderfully readable."--"The Plain Dealer" "A story as American as Superman himself . . . The best origin story pulsing through "Superman" is not the one about the Krypton-to-Kansas alien baby, but rather the one about the superhero's mortal and sometimes star-crossed creators."--"The Washington Post"" " "Fun, enlightening pop-cultural history."--"Kirkus Reviews" "A rich history full of lively heroes and villains' much like a comic book. Essential for Superman fans.""--Library Journal "(starred review) "[A] comprehensive, definitive history.""--Publishers Weekly"
The Marvel Comics Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to the Characters of the Marvel Univers
Tom DeFalco - 2006
A comprehensive overview of all of Marvel's greatest heroes and villains furnishes profiles of more than one thousand characters that document their individual superpowers and their careers, in a reference that traces the history of Marvel Comics and encompasses stunning artwork by some of Marvel's greatest artists.
Wonder Woman & Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour
James Tynion IVRomulo Fajardo Jr. - 2019
The only problem? The source of its power lies deep inside one of their own--the soul of their leader, Wonder Woman!Hecate, the witch-goddess of magic, always knew that this day would come, when the monsters from which she originally stole the power of magic would return. All these millennia, she's been hatching a plan, and now is the time to take back and use the power she's hidden across Earth inside The Witchmarked, human beings with vast reservoirs of power secreted inside them. And the most powerful Witchmarked of all...? Wonder Woman!In an event that will change the face of DC's Dark universe forever, James Tynion IV (Detective Comics) and a team of all-star illustrators present Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour! Collects Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour #1-2, Wonder Woman #56-57 and Justice League Dark #4.
Superman/Wonder Woman, Volume 1: Power Couple
Charles Soule - 2014
Daniel (Batman) to tell the tale of a romance that will shake the stars themselves. These two super-beings love each other, but not everyone shares their joy.Some fear it, some test it – and some will try to kill for it. Some say love is a battlefield, but where Superman and Wonder Woman are concerned it spells Doomsday!Collects: Superman/Wonder Woman #1-7.
Hip Hop Family Tree, Vol. 1: 1970s-1981
Ed Piskor - 2013
Originally serialized on the hugely popular website Boing Boing, The Hip Hop Family Tree is now collected in a single volume cleverly presented and packaged in a style mimicking the Marvel comics of the same era. Piskor's exuberant yet controlled cartooning takes you from the parks and rec rooms of the South Bronx to the night clubs, recording studios, and radio stations where the scene started to boom, capturing the flavor of late-1970s New York City in panels bursting with obsessively authentic detail. With a painstaking, vigorous and engaging Ken Burns meets- Stan Lee approach, the battles and rivalries, the technical innovations, the triumphs and failures are all thoroughly researched and lovingly depicted. plus the charismatic players behind the scenes like Russell Simmons, Sylvia Robinson and then-punker Rick Rubin. Piskor also traces graffiti master Fab 5 Freddy's rise in the art world, and Debbie Harry, Keith Haring, The Clash, and other luminaries make cameos as the music and culture begin to penetrate downtown Manhattan and the mainstream at large. Like the acclaimed hip hop documentaries Style Wars and Scratch, The Hip Hop Family Tree is an exciting and essential cultural chronicle and a must for hip hop fans, pop-culture addicts, and anyone who wants to know how it went down back in the day.
Enigma
Peter Milligan - 1993
Michael Smith lives a meaningless life of routine and boredom. But when Enigma, his favorite childhood comic book hero, inexplicably comes to life, Smith finds himself on an obsessive crusade to uncover the secret behind his improbable existence. Teaming with Enigma's comic creator, Smith encounters an insanity-inducing psychopath, a brain-eating serial killer, and a suicide-inciting clown posse as his quest uncovers hidden truths about both his idol and himself.
Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics
Tom Scioli - 2020
Critically acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Scioli breathes visual life into Kirby's life story--from his days growing up in New York during the Great Depression and discovering a love for science fiction and cartoons to his time on the frontlines in the European theatre of World War II where he experienced the type of action and adventure he'd later imbue his comic pages with, and on to his world-changing collaborations at Marvel with Stan Lee, where the pair redefined comics as a part of pop culture.Just as every great superhero needs a villain to overcome, Kirby's story also includes his struggles to receive the recognition and compensation that he believed his work deserved. Scioli captures his moves from Marvel to DC and back again, showing how Kirby himself and later his family fought to preserve his artistic legacy.Drawn from an unparalleled imagination and a life as exciting as his comic book tales, Kirby's super-creations have influenced subsequent generations of creatives in the comics field and beyond. Now, readers can experience the life and times of a comics titan through the medium that made him famous.
Bombshells: United, Vol. 1: American Soil
Marguerite Bennett - 2018
1, continuing the hit franchise!Author Marguerite Bennett (DC BOMBSHELLS, BATWOMAN) unites the women of DC BOMBSHELLS in an alternate history tale with Wonder Woman on the front lines of battle.The Bombshells are back in an all-new series! As our new tale begins, the year is 1943 during WWII, and Wonder Woman is called to Arizona for help by two young girls named Cassie Sandsmark and Donna Troy! The girls' friends and families are being displaced from their homes and forced into internment camps! To save them, can Wonder Woman fight against the same people she once fought alongside?To make matters worse, Clayface has infiltrated the camp and is disguised as loved ones to throw Wonder Woman off. Collects issues #1-6.
9-11, Volume One: Artists Respond
Will EisnerDaniel Acuña - 2002
In vivid pictures and intensely autobiographic words, graphic artists celebrate the skyscraper heroes who still sustain us. Contributors include Frank Miller, Dave McKeon, Jeph Loeb, Will Eisner, Trina Robbins, Mike Diona, and dozens of others.
Showa, 1926-1939: A History of Japan
水木しげる - 2013
This volume deals with the period leading up to World War II, a time of high unemployment and other economic hardships caused by the Great Depression. Mizuki's photo-realist style effortlessly brings to life the Japan of the 1920s and 1930s, depicting bustling city streets and abandoned graveyards with equal ease. When the Showa era began, Mizuki himself was just a few years old, so his earliest memories coincide with the earliest events of the time. With his trusty narrator Nezumi Otoko (Rat Man), Mizuki brings history into the realm of the personal, making it palatable, and indeed compelling, for young audiences as well as more mature readers. As he describes the militarization that leads up to World War II, Mizuki's stance toward war is thoughtful and often downright critical--his portrayal of the Nanjing Massacre clearly paints the incident (a disputed topic within Japan) as an atrocity. Mizuki's "Showa 1926-1939" is a beautifully told history that tracks how technological developments and the country's shifting economic stability had a role in shaping Japan's foreign policy in the early twentieth century.
Wonder Woman: Lifelines
John Byrne - 1996
Facing off against her former fallen ally, Green Lantern's deceased archnemesis, and the creature that killed Superman, Princess Diana tries to piece together what is behind these miraculous resurrections. But even the answer to their mysterious return might not be enough to save Wonder Woman from the combined onslaught of these deadly adversaries.
Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special #1
Gail SimoneJim Lee - 2016
An immense special issue celebrating seventy-five years of the Amazing Amazon, through phenomenal new stories, art, and stand-alone illustrations! Featuring a roster of incredible creators-some who’ve laid down legendary runs with the character, and some who’ve never drawn her before-including Rafael Albuquerque, Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, Renae De Liz, Brenden Fletcher, Adam Hughes, Karl Kerschl, Gail Simone, and many, many more to be announced!
Uber, Volume 1
Kieron Gillen - 2014
The world holds its collective breath as the war is only days away from ending. Russian troops move through Germany to the final objective...Hitler himself. As those around the mad dictator crumble, the much ridiculed threats of the "Wunderwafen" materialize. A new weapon is delivered, one with unstoppable power -- a weapon like no other and with a madman pulling the trigger. The Ubers change the direction of World War II, providing a dark and uncompromising alternative history in a way that you've never seen. Kieron Gillen and Caanan White deliver one of the best new series of 2013 with Uber Volume 1, collecting issues #0-5 the startling first chapter of this new horror series that reimagines the super soldier in a stark, new, bloody vision.
Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World
Pénélope Bagieu - 2018
Against overwhelming adversity, these remarkable women raised their voices and changed history.With her one-of-a-kind wit and dazzling drawings, celebrated graphic novelist Pénélope Bagieu profiles the lives of these feisty female role models, some world-famous, some little known. From Nellie Bly to Mae Jemison or Josephine Baker to Naziq al-Abid, the stories in this comic biography are sure to inspire the next generation of rebel ladies.