Customer Reviews

The Superhero Handbook

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

 

 

This delightfully brilliant and silly book called my name in the Public Library in San Francisco's Mission district. And I have since bought two copies. It is a semi-serious little handbook with quite pragmatic advice on being a superhero. It contains warnings about possible pitfalls, and some sound advice on how to juggle jobs, relationships, liability issues while saving the world from evil. It is a must-have for any superhero or as a gift for that special superhero in your life. Excuse me, I need to go and work on my cape.

Whether you are a mutant or some crazy guy who loves capes this is one of the most instructive books you'll ever read on how to be a super hero.

Important topics such as breaking through walls, catchphrases that should never be used, excuses for breaking a date, hideout and mode of transportation, and of course the ever important rules to think about when hiring a side-kick (and coming up with a more ridiculous costume for them).

For those unsure about the dark side, this manual discusses some of the downfalls of being a bad guy (such as the dumb henchmen you'll constantly be forced to destroy) and questions to consider before joining that guy who keeps trying to convince you to help him take over the world.

Possibly the funniest book of its type.

It might be easy to forget, but superheroes are not born super. In fact, they're pretty normal at first. That's why some of them, especially those lacking a Fortress of Solitude with a chatty hologram version of their biological father, need a little help learning the ropes. That's where The Superhero Handbook (2005) by Michael Powell comes in.

Did you know that as a counterpoint to their impressive superhero exploits, many heroes spend their teen years as bumbling goofball misfit loaners with some high-end eccentricities? That's because there's a fine balance between Superhero Awesomeness and Nerd Quotient--the apparent dorkiness that keeps a superhero's identity safe. For instance if you wear glasses, constantly adjust them, and enjoy wearing t-shirts with words that aren't brand names or band names, you might be a superhero waiting to happen.

Whether you are naturally amazing, have been sent here from a distant dying solar system, or just enjoy fooling around with radioactive slurry, this handy book can tell you everything you need to know about becoming a superhero--and saving the world. Broken into chapters with titles like Dreams of Destiny, Denting the Sidewalk, and You and Your Total image this book includes crucial advice everything you need to know about your early beginnings, finding a mentor, creating a persona, dealing with a fatal flaw and even how to decide if it's time to hang up that cape. And, for any dark heroes in the crowd, there is also a section on the pitfalls of using your powers for evil. One being that stupidity or pride will always prevent super villains from fulfilling their true potential.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: There aren't really superheroes out there, and they certainly wouldn't use how-to manuals if there were, but isn't it better to play it safe when the future of the human race could be hanging in the balance?

Michael Powell presents us with a short and humorous text on what you need to do to be a superhero. Beginning with symptoms/traits of superheroism budding inside you, selecting a name and costume, accessorizing with sidekicks, tips for wisely choosing you arch-nemesis, selecting appropriate catchphrases and headquarters, carefully choosing your day-job and how to protect your alter (civilian) ego, even what to do once you get on in years and shouldn't be mainstream superheroing anymore.

Quite a funny little book. It's another off-the-wall satyrical look at comics. While the author doesn't specifically name many heroes, he does insinuate the likes of Superman, Spider-man, Batman, Wolverine, Darth Vader(?), and... George Foreman. It really is worth the read and it won't take but a few hours to finish it. Plenty of artwork throughout the book so the written text is only about half the book. There's a few other similar books out and this one holds its own against them.

This book had the single virtue of being short, so that the suffering was not prolonged, so I will be similarly brief. There's been an outburst of faux-manuals about how to become a superhero, or survive robot or zombie attacks. Some are quite excellent. Others are just average. And a few are coming in at the tail end of the trend in a naked bid to cash in. This book is of the last variety. Overpriced for its skimpy content and exceptionally unfunny attempts at humor, it is to be avoided. It is not one-tenth as good as Barry Neville's definitive "How to be a Superhero". Put this book down, back away, and run for the door. Run, I say! And go buy the Neville volume.

I had high hopes for this book because it had 4 1/2 stars. Wow, it was not really that good! It was a great idea for a book, but it was so wordy and long-winded, it just lost all of its humor in my opinion. It seriously reminded me of a textbook - the blue background, the small type, the complex language. Sorry, but definitely not worth the money...

I did not feel this was a very good book or manual. I did like the Batman: Handbook but this handbook was less than spectacular and quickly became a chore to shift through the dry humor and lame jokes. All in all, I would not buy or read this book again if given the chance.

A little rediculousness mixed in with some well thought out ideas. I think now I know everything I need to know to become a superhero...now all I need is to find that radio-active spider I bought...here spider, spider, spider.