Customer Reviews

How to Be a Superhero: Your Complete Guide to Finding a Secret Headquarters, Hiring a Sidekick, Thwarting the Forces of Evil, and Much More!!

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Many of us, regarding assorted schoolyard bullies, office tyrants, and annoying in-laws, have naturally thought, "Man, I would certainly enjoy having an awesome superpower with which to smite, annoy, and generally terrorize my enemies and to impress attractive members of the opposite or even same sex." Thankfully, these idle daydreams need no longer be mere fantasies. Follow the advice of Dr. Metropolis and head for your nearest toxic waste dump, poorly-guarded high-tech science lab, or nuclear bomb testing range and get your own powers today! Expose yourself to radiation, Chemical X, a super-serum (whose inventor must immediately be slain by Nazi saboteurs), or beryllium lasers to become transmogrified into a Flight or Speed Class Super Hero, or simply don a cape and mask and start beating up thugs.

Whether you're new to the game or an experienced pro, Dr. Metropolis offers useful tips on:

--crafting a marketable origin story
--developing your superheroic brand identity through cutting-edge and fashionable outfits
--choosing the secret lair that's right for your style
--padding your resume to gain a berth in your local super legion
--working your way up from lowly sidekick to global guardian
--practicing action poses for those inevitable moments when you must scream out "Noooo!" or "Why?!!"
--attracting and retaining the quality arch-nemesis of your dreams ("You fiend, you killed Mega-Hound!")

Regardless of whether you're a brooding lone avenger depending only on your Olympic-level physique, immense fortune, scientific genius, and vast armament of weaponry, or the world's foremost sorceror and wielder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, you can benefit from the good doctor's common-sense advice and personality tests. Plus, the book features numerous excerpts from Mr. Mental's annual guide to super-villains, and is handsomely illustrated throughout.

This is definitely a five Ka-Pow! book and a must-have for any serious member of the community of masked vigilantes and science heroes. And for those erstwhile heroes who are beginning to question their conscience and virtue, there's a handy concluding chapter to assist you in your conversion to Pure Evil. Hop on your cybertronic hoverbike and pick up a copy today!

As a human with newly acquired superpowers, I found this book invaluable in my quest to become a Superhero. I especially enjoyed the chapters on writing a secret origin bio, choosing the right costume combinations to enhance my physique and adding a secret headquarters to my existing domicile.

You can't go wrong with this book in my opinion and I am sure the next time I am facing my arch enemy, Reduction-in-Force Man­™, I will be well prepared for battle.

Two gauntlet covered thumbs up. Go get it and begin a rewarding career as a Superhero thwarting the Forces of Evil.

So says Captain Cubicle™.

Unlike the Worst Case Scenario books, this is written with tongue planted firmly in cheek, and answers burning questions for the would be Superhero such as: Should I buy a secret headquarters or rent? does spandex make me look fat? This is a great gift on its own, or a perfect add on to a superhero DVD (X Men, Spiderman, etc.) or graphic novel gift. And at the price, you can't go wrong.

This is a hilarious spoof of the world of superheros written in the form of a self-help book. Imagine if a world famous psychologist, who also happened to be a superhero, reached out to the superhero community in an attempt to help those with super problems. Want to be a super? Try to hang out at toxic chemical dumps. Is your relationship with your archenemy getting soft, or even romantic? Learn to communicate for maximum hate to keep that relationship popping. You'll be laughing out loud as you recognize familiar superheroes being parodied (no real names are give, to protect identities of course). This would be a great gift for anyone who loves comics or superheroes in general. Also it's great if you're planning to join the ranks of costumed superheroes!

Cosmic Guy, Paragon of Power, my superhero mentor recomended this book to me shortly after careless use of esoteric knowledge turned me into the Avatar of an Ancient Egyptian Goddess. Doctor Metropolis' Guide helped me find my feet in the high rolling, fast moving world of super-crime fighting and I heartily recommend it to the newly super-empowered.

The uninitiated might find the chapters on name creation, costuming, headquarter seeking and hooking up with your very own archnemesis a bit of a giggle but these are things you absolutely *must* know if you're to get ahead in the demanding field of super-crime fighting.

I gave this to my step-brother -- a die hard comic book fan -- for christmas and he LOVED it. this is not one of those books that has a clever concept and that's about it. it's really funny and smart and appears to entertain even the most discriminating superhero fan.

This superhero guidebook is brought to you in first person narrative by 'Dr. Metropolis'. You're given a breakdown into the 8 power classes of superheroes (Flight, Super Strength, Psionic, Magus, Invulnerability, Super Speed, Transmutation, Energy Projecting, and Crimefighter) as established by the fictional Bureau of Meta Human Affairs. The Dr teaches you how to pose correctly, establish your headquarters, choose a costume, find a sidekick, join a league/team, and choose your archenemy with the help of quizzes and personality establishments. You also get a bonus chapter on the possibility of turning evil/villainous.

This is a better detailed book than some others and filled with humorous lines throughout. The writing style in first person is quite good and I kept imagining John "J. Peterman" O'Hurley as the narrator's "voice". It adds to the book and you can imagine the sideblock helpful hints being voiced by John Ratzenberger or Kelsey Grammer. A vivid book for one with imagination. Possibly the best "How to be a superhero" book out there. The art could have been better though.

This one should be subtitled How To Make Readers Smirk, Snort and Laugh Out Loud! Considering it's all based on a concept that doesn't exist in reality, this book is EXTREMELY tongue-in-cheek... but the best How-To guide I've ever read! A subtle parody--and sometimes not-so-subtle parody--of not only the classic mythos of superheroes, but also of the business world and self-help books in general. Highly recommended!

The best thing about HOW TO BE A SUPERHERO is its refusal to settle for a single type of joke. Sometimes it's a business book, dedicated to helping superheroes refine their evil-battling business plans and making cost-effective additions to the home (or secret lair). Sometimes it's a self-help book with suggestions for those who don't feel as "super" as they used to. Sometimes it's a set of gags for comic book insiders, taking sly potshots at WATCHMEN and other classics. Sometimes it's a mock Zagat's guide, with reviews of supervillains based on customers' "ratings." And then there are just plenty of finely tuned costume-based cracks (which I won't repeat for fear of spoilage). Dr. Metropolis (not his real name, I assume) isn't afraid to dip into the erudite or the vulgar for a joke, but he never strays far from the heart of the matter: that the whole concept of superheroes is hilarious if you don't take it too seriously.

How to Be A Superhero has been a great resource book for our elementary school show. Funny stuff.