Blessed at birth by the gods themselves, Princess Diana left an idyllic island paradise ruled by wise and brave women to bring the peace, love, and nobility of the Amazons to the tumultuous world of humankind. In January 1942, Wonder Woman took the world of comics—and its pantheon of superpowered males—by storm. Wielding her impervious silver bracelets and golden Lasso of Truth, she’s battled forces of evil from the Axis powers to a slew of super-villains worldwide, teamed up with the likes of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash, and become a high-flying feminist icon and pop-culture superstar. Now, for the first time in more than thirty years, here’s a definitive A-to-Z volume that draws together all the knowledge about the star-spangled, action-packed history of Wonder Woman. In more than 400 fact-packed pages you’ll find • the complete story of Wonder Woman’s origins, as imagined and reinterpreted by generations of comics writers—including her groundbreaking creator, William Moulton Marston • biographies of every major character in Wonder Woman’s universe, including her mother, Hippolyta; sister, Donna Troy; and mortal ally Steve Trevor—as well as such classic foes as Ares, Cheetah, Hades, and the members of Villainy Inc.• classic black-and-white comic book artwork throughout• two sixteen-page full-color artwork inserts—plus a dazzling original cover illustration by fan-favorite artist Adam Hughes Written by veteran Wonder Woman artist and writer Phil Jimenez and comics historian John Wells, The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia is the ultimate archive, proving that die-hard devotees of the gorgeous go-to goddess don’t have to visit Paradise Island for a taste of heaven on earth.

    Mike Mignola returns to draw Hellboy's ongoing story for the first time since _Conqueror Worm._ It's a story only Mignola could tell, as more of Hellboy's secrets are at last revealed, in the most bizarre depiction of Hell you've ever seen. * Mike Mignola writes and draws the next phase of Hellboy's story. * Dark Horse horror gets under your skin! **Death was only the beginning!**

    The phrase "super hero" had yet to be coined when ACTION COMICS #1 hit newsstands in 1938, but once Superman entered the scene, effortlessly lifting a car above his head on that first iconic cover, the character paved the way for each of the hundreds (if not thousands) of super-powered heroes written since. SUPERMAN: A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS gathers a range of stories featuring the first and greatest super hero, highlighting the many roles the Man of Steel has played over the decades. In these celebrated stories, Superman is in turns the Herculean champion, the lonely alien survivor, the super-powered Boy Scout and the soul-searching leader. Over the course of seventy-five years, watch as the character grows from a simple strongman to the beloved international symbol he is today!This Volume Collects:("Superman, Champion of the Oppressed") / ("War in San Monte") -- ACTION COMICS #1-2 (1938) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Artist: Joe Shuster"How Superman Would End the War" -- Look Magazine (1940) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Artist: Joe Shuster"Man or Superman?" -- SUPERMAN #17 (1942) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Penciller: Joe Shuster, Inker: Joe Sikela"The Origin of Superman" -- SUPERMAN #53 (1948) Writer: Bill Finger, Penciller: Wayne Boring, Inker: Stan Kaye"The Mightiest Team in the World" -- SUPERMAN #76 (1952) Writer: Edmond Hamilton, Penciller: Curt Swan, Inker: John Fishchetti"The Super-Duel in Space" -- ACTION COMICS #242 (1958) Writer: Otto Binder, Artist: Al Plastino "The Girl From Superman's Past" -- SUPERMAN #129 (1959) Writer: Bill Finger, Penciller: Wayne Boring, Inker: Stan Kaye"Superman's Return to Krypton" -- SUPERMAN #141 (1960) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Penciller: Wayne Boring, Inker: Stan Kaye"The Death of Superman" -- SUPERMAN #149 (1961) Writer: Jerry Siegel, Penciller: Curt Swan, Inker: George Klein"Must There Be a Superman?" -- SUPERMAN #247 (1972) Writer: Eliot S. Maggin, Penciller: Curt Swan, Inker: Murphy Anderson "Rebirth" -- ACTION COMICS #544 (1983) Writer: Marv Wolfman, Artist: Gil Kane"The Living Legends of Superman" (excerpt) -- SUPERMAN #400 (1985) Writer: Elliot S. Maggin, Artist: Frank Miller"For the Man Who Has Everything" -- SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 (1985)Writer: Alan Moore, Artist: Dave Gibbons"The Name Game" -- SUPERMAN #11 (1987)  Writer/Penciller: John Byrne, Inker: Karl Kesel"Doomsday" -- SUPERMAN #75 (1993)  Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens, Inker: Brett Breeding"What's So Funny About Truth Justice and the American Way?" -- ACTION COMICS #775 (2001)  Writer: Joe Kelly, Pencillers: Doug Mahnke, Lee BermejoInkers: Tom Nguyen, Dexter Vines, Jim Royal, Jose Marzan, Jr., Wade Von Grawbadger, Wayne Faucher"Question of Confidence" -- Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross (2003)  Writer: Chip Kidd, Artist: Alex Ross"The Incident" -- ACTION COMICS #900 (2011)  Writer: David S. Goyer, Artist: Miguel Sepulveda"The Boy Who Stole Superman's Cape" -- ACTION COMICS #0 (2012)   Writer: Grant Morrison, Artist: Ben Oliver

    She shows how the female hero in modern mythology has broken through the traditional boy's club barrier to reveal the pivotal role of high-heeled crimefighters in popular culture. Chapter topics include love and compassion, spies and sexuality, daddy’s girls, and the complicated roles of superwomen who are also mothers. The book also includes a glossary of modern mythic women, as well as a foreword by acclaimed cultural commentator Roz Kaveney, author of Superheroes! Capes and Crusaders in Comics and Films.http://www.ink-stainedamazon.com/

    Through twenty-eight full reproductions of vintage Golden Age comics, Divas, Dames & Daredevils reintroduces their ingenious abilities to mete out justice to Nazis, aliens, and evildoers of all kinds.Each spine-tingling chapter opens with Mike Madrid’s insightful commentary about heroines at the dawn of the comic book industry and reveals a universe populated by extraordinary women—superheroes, reporters, galactic warriors, daring detectives, and ace fighter pilots—who protected America and the world with wit and guile.In these pages, fans will also meet heroines with striking similarities to more modern superheroes, including The Spider Queen, who deployed web shooters twenty years before Spider Man, and Marga the Panther Woman, whose feral instincts and sharp claws tore up the bad guys long before Wolverine. These women may have been overlooked in the annals of history, but their influence on popular culture, and the heroes we’re passionate about today, is unmistakable.Mike Madrid is the author of Divas, Dames & Daredevils: Lost Heroines of Golden Age Comics and The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines, an NPR “Best Book To Share With Your Friends” and American Library Association Amelia Bloomer Project Notable Book. Madrid, a San Francisco native and lifelong fan of comic books and popular culture, also appears in the documentary Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines.

    These celebrated stories made an indelible impression on all those who grew up with them.

    Today, a time when many of these characters are billion-dollar global commodities, there are more female superheroes, more queer superheroes, more superheroes of color, and more disabled superheroes--but not many more.Superwomen investigates how and why female superhero characters have become more numerous but are still not-at-all close to parity with their male counterparts; how and why they have become a flashpoint for struggles over gender, sexuality, race, and disability; what has changed over time and why in terms of how these characters have been written, drawn, marketed, purchased, read, and reacted to; and how and why representations of superheroes matter, particularly to historically underrepresented and stereotyped groups.Specifically, the book explores the production, representations, and receptions of prominent transmedia female superheroes from their creation to the present: Wonder Woman; Batgirl and Oracle; Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Star Wars' Padmé Amidala, Leia Organa, Jaina Solo, and Rey; and X-Men's Jean Grey, Storm, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, and Mystique. It analyzes their changing portrayals in comics, novels, television shows, and films, as well as how cultural narratives of gender have been negotiated through female superheroes by creators, consumers, and parent companies over the last several decades.

    The only snag? A certain botany-obsessed super-villain. When Poison Ivy enlists her bestie, Harley, to kidnap both Veronica Lodge, daughter of Riverdale’s most important citizen, and her friend Betty, she’s counting on some assistance-and the mayhem that ensues will probably work as well! DC Comics and Archie are proud to present the adventure of a lifetime for all these best pals. Their hijinks are brought to you by the real-life team-up of Paul Dini (HARLEY QUINN) and Marc Andreyko (WONDER WOMAN ’77), with art by Laura Braga (DC BOMBSHELLS)!

    An authoritarian regime, the SCI controls everything to do with superhumans. Those supers who don't register with the SCI are excluded from society. Most become criminals, having no other choice. This is the story of heroes and villains living under the SCI. ----------------------------------------------------- The setting is a world of superheroes and sci-fi, and the main character is not a hero. He is a villain, with mental abilities. He is a bad man who does bad things. If you are looking for a golden age superhero story, you've come to the wrong place. If you're looking for a tale where the bad guy wins, keep reading. Rated R: Definite language, sex, and all the horrible things that can happen in the world. If you have triggers, consider this your warning.

    Plastic Man is more than just a putty face--with his bad-boy past, he literally embodies the comic book form: the exuberant energy, flexibility, boyishness, and subtle hints of sexuality. And as cartoonists "become" each character they create, it can be said that Jack Cole himself resembles Plastic Man. Cole revealed the true magnitude and intensity of his imagination and inner thoughts as Plastic Man slithered from panel to panel--shifting forms and dashing from male to female, or freely morphing from a stiff upright figure to a being as soft as a Dali clock. With a compelling history, a V-necked red rubber leotard, a black-and-yellow striped belt, and very cool tinted goggles, Plastic Man is truly a cult classic, and this art-packed book will delight any fan.

    Octopus or the X-Men's eternal rival Magneto, are so scary and so much fun? It's not just their diabolical talent for confounding our heroes, it's their unrivalled techno-proficiency at creating global mayhem that keeps comic book fans captivated. But is any of the science actually true? In The Science of Supervillains, authors Lois Gresh and Bob Weinberg present a highly entertaining and informative look at the mind-boggling wizardry behind the comic book world's legendary baddies. Whether it's artificial intelligence, weapons systems, anti-matter, robotics, or magnetic flux theory, this fun, fact-filled book is a fascinating excursion into the real-world science animating the genius in the comic book world's pantheon of evil geniuses.Lois Gresh (Scottsville, NY) and Bob Weinberg (Oak Forest, IL) are the authors of the popular Science of Superheroes (cloth: 0-471-0246-0; paper: 0-471-46882-7)

    20 years ago he disappeared, and everyone forgot about him - almost. This text collects all the original black and white issues of the award-winning superhero comic.

    The Turtles' final battle with Shredder begins here! This book will take us inside the minds of key characters in the TMNT universe, revealing the epic moments that have led to the present, as well as setting the stage for the biggest storyline yet with all new material!

    31 will die.The superhero battle royale you can’t get from Marvel or DC! In the spirit of BOOM!’s flagship title, IRREDEEMABLE, this series appeals to fans of superheroes looking for a smart take on a classic trope. A powerful and mysterious supervillain has imprisoned the world’s greatest superheroes, forcing them to fight to the death until there is but one victor. It’s kill or be killed as we settle the score on all those hypothetical superhero match-ups in the ultimate DEATHMATCH. The mystery of who their captor is, what his ultimate motivations are, and why these heroes keep agreeing to the matches will drive readers from volume to volume! Written by industry legend Paul Jenkins (SENTRY, INHUMANS) and drawn by comics superstar Carlos Magno (PLANET OF THE APES, TRANSFORMERS), DEATHMATCH is a dark, psychological deconstruction of the superhero genre that can’t be missed. This hard-hitting, emotional first volume collects the first four issues of the smash hit comic series that introduces the audience to brand new superhero universe they won’t be able to get enough of!

    A brief history, this book includes some rare detail and trivia. A must for anyone interested in Deadpool, whether you are a newbie or a seasoned fan. Deadpool has appeared in over 7000 comic books, yet still is quite an unknown character. While he might have a cult following, his presence is almost always seen here and there in the comic book realm. Starting as a villain, Deadpool developed into a wise-cracking vigilante, mostly working as a mercenary. This book is an introduction into the history and presence of Wade Wilson, also known as the Merc with a Mouth, better known as Deadpool.