Book picks similar to
Superman: The Complete History by Les Daniels
comics
non-fiction
history
superman
Supergirl, Volume 1: Last Daughter of Krypton
Michael Green - 2012
She's got the unpredictable behavior of a teenager, the same powers as Superman - and none of his affection for the people of Earth. Crash landing on a strange new planet, Supergirl must come to grips with Krypton's destruction with her cousin Superman and learn about her own recent past. But an ingenious new foe wants that same information - and will do anything to get it.Supergirl, Vol. 1 presents an all-new take on the Superman's cousin Kara, and her standing in the DC Comics - New 52 universe!Collecting: Supergirl #1-7.
Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame
Neil GaimanMark Buckingham - 2000
The drunken Janos Prohaska and Weng Chan of the Blackhawks go down into a deserted bunker and find some corpses in strange costumes (apparently the Justice Society of America) and a strange green lamp.Today. Hal Jordan is feeling lonely, and visits Clark Kent for a chat. They accompany each other to a museum convention Clark is supposed to cover for the Daily Planet, and find the green lamp in an exhibition. Hal recognizes it as a power battery, and tries loading his power ring with it. The effect is disastrous and a wave of magic energy kills both heroes. They wind up in the Region of the Just Dead and encounter Deadman, who explains that their deaths are not irrevocable until they have gone "into the light". Hal then tries using his ring to take them back to their bodies, the worst thing he could have done...Meanwhile, the Phantom Stranger sits in the apartment given to him by the Lords of Order, his current masters. Sensing that something else needs his attention, he finally leaves the apartment forever and dismisses the Lords. Now and forever, he is on his own.Superman and Hal have wound up in Hell, where Superman's super-senses can't experience anything but suffering, fear and pain. Horrified by realizing that he can't save these innumerable souls, he is slowly going mad. The catatonic man of steel can't do anything but float around and cry, while a terrified Green Lantern desperately tries waking him up. When the two of them are attacked by blood-thirsty demons, Hal once again uses his ring, and they disappear.Superman and Green Lantern encounter the power that killed them - the sentient Green Flame, the remains of the magic energies of Maltus. The Green Flame explains that their deaths were a result of Jordan trying to load his scientific ring with supernatural energies. Then it tempts Hal to give in for the supernatural power of the Green Flame instead. At that point, the Stranger appears, and teaches Hal how to tame the corrupt Flame. Hal reads the oath of Alan Scott, loads his ring, and the threat of the Green Flame is neutralized. The Stranger then returns Hal's and Superman's souls to their bodies, disposing of the lamp.Alive after this experience, Hal is feeling better. After a warm good-bye, the two heroes part.
Divas, Dames & Daredevils: Lost Heroines of Golden Age Comics
Mike Madrid - 2013
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.
Superheroes!: Capes, Cowls, and the Creation of Comic Book Culture
Laurence Maslon - 2013
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. "From the Hardcover edition."
All in Color for a Dime
Richard A. Lupoff - 1970
The reprint from the 1970 Arlington House original sports an all-new introduction by Comics Buyer's Guide Editor Maggie Thompson and includes 16 pages of full-color comic-book art.
Superman for All Seasons
Jeph Loeb - 2001
Living in a small Kansas town, the boy who would grow to be the Man of Steel must come to terms with his true origin and his uncanny abilities. In this mythic tale, we witness the experiences and adventures that transform a simple country boy into the world's greatest hero.
The Batman Chronicles, Vol. 1
Bill Finger - 2005
Presenting an exciting new way to experience the rich history of the Dark Knight in an affordable trade paperback collection of every Batman adventure, in color, in chronological order!Batman Chronicles, Volume 1 reprints Batman stories from DETECTIVE COMICS #27-37 and BATMAN #1, featuring the earliest adventures of the Dark Knight by Batman creator Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, Jerry Robinson and Sheldon Moldoff.
Comic Book History of Comics
Fred Van Lente - 2012
Crumb, Harvey Kurtzman, Alan Moore, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, Fredric Wertham, Roy Lichtenstein, Art Spiegelman, Herge, Osamu Tezuka - and more! Collects Comic Book Comics #1-6.
Dial H, Vol. 1: Into You
China Miéville - 2013
What would happen if you discovered a powerful artifact that turned you into a super hero? What if that device threatened the entire world? These are just some of the questions asked in this thrilling and inventive storyline written by the bestselling, award-winning novelist China Mieville!
The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America
David Hajdu - 2008
No sooner had this new culture emerged than it was beaten down by church groups, community bluestockings, and a McCarthyish Congress--only to resurface with a crooked smile on its face in "Mad "magazine. The story of the rise and fall of those comic books has never been fully told--until "The Ten-Cent Plague." David Hajdu's remarkable new book vividly opens up the lost world of comic books, its creativity, irreverence, and suspicion of authority. When we picture the 1950s, we hear the sound of early rock and roll. "The Ten-Cent Plague "shows how--years before music--comics brought on a clash between children and their parents, between prewar and postwar standards. Created by outsiders from the tenements, garish, shameless, and often shocking, comics spoke to young people and provided the guardians of mainstream culture with a big target. Parents, teachers, and complicit kids burned comics in public bonfires. Cities passed laws to outlaw comics. Congress took action with televised hearings that nearly destroyed the careers of hundreds of artists and writers.
The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told
Dick GiordanoMike Mignola - 1987
27).
Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes
Christopher Knowles - 2007
Occult students and comicbook fans alike will discover countless fascinating connections, from little known facts such as that DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz started his career as H.P. Lovecraft's agent, to the tantalizingly extensive influence of Madame Blavatsky's Theosophy on the birth of comics, to the mystic roots of Superman. The book also traces the rise of the comic superheroes and how they relate to several cultural trends in the late 19th century, specifically the occult explosion in Western Europe and America. Knowles reveals the four basic superhero archetypesthe Messiah, the Golem, the Amazon, and the Brotherhoodand shows how the occult Bohemian underground of the early 20th century provided the inspiration for the modern comic book hero. With the popularity of occult comics writers like Invisibles creator Grant Morrison and V for Vendetta creator Alan Moore, the vast ComiCon audience is poised for someone to seriously introduce them to the esoteric mysteries. Chris Knowles is doing just that in this epic book. Chapters include: Ancient of Days, Ascended Masters, God and Gangsters, Mad Scientists and Modern Sorcerers, and many more. From the ghettos of Prague to the halls of Valhalla to the Fortress of Solitude and the aisles of BEA and ComiCon, this is the first book to show the inextricable link between superheroes and the enchanted world of esoterica.
The Batman/Judge Dredd Collection
John Wagner - 2012
Mutants From Hell!
Superman: The Wedding Album
Dan Jurgens - 1996
A special historical one-shot issue featuring the marriage of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, with appearances from characters throughout the DC Universe and with stories and art by creators from throughout the Man of Steel's career!Written by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelinie, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern.Illustrated by John Byrne, Terry Austin, Kerry Gammill, Murphy Anderson, Gil Kane, Bob McLeod, Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr, Paul Ryabn, Brett Breeding, Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, Kieron Dwyer, Dough Hazlewood, Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, Dick Giordano, Art Thibert, Jim Mooney, George Perez, Curt Swan, Jackson Guice, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ray McCarthy, Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, Dan Jurgens, and Jerry Ordway.Lettered by Bill Oakley. Coloring by Glenn Whitmore, with Color Separations by Digital Chameleon.
Tales of the Batman: Tim Sale
Tim Sale - 2007
One of the influential and popular illustrators of the Dark Knight is Tim Sale, who, in addition to providing artwork for the hit TV series Heroes, illustrated the Eisner Award-winning graphic novels BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN, BATMAN: DARK VICTORY and SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS. Sale's distinctive vision of the Dark Knight put the iconic hero back in the shadows and updated his image for a new generation of fans. Now, for the first time ever, these Batman tales drawn by Tim Sale early in his career are collected in one sensational volume.