Customer Reviews

The Encyclopaedia of Superheroes

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When I first came across this encyclopedia years ago I thought that it was one of the greatest research books that you could find on the subject of super heroes.And there has been nothing in the ensueing years to change my opinion.This book covers more than just the obvious comic book heroes like Superman,Captain America,Batman and Captain Marvel.It also includes the biblical hero Samson and the western hero the Lone Ranger.Of course there isn't a listing for every super hero, but realistically that couldn't have been done in a single volume.I for one lament that not one Mexiluchahero was listed in this book.But there are enough listings of obscure and one-shot heroes like Hell-Rider and the Copperhead to make up for it.I highly recommend this book.Actually I can't recommend this book enough.

Because of its early 80s publication date, the book doesn't cover the more modern heroes, like those found in Image or Valiant comics. But it is still the most useful resource on superheroes I have ever seen. Information includes costume descriptions, first appearances, short biographies and an extremely interesting "comments" section. Very useful for tracking down info on old Golden Age characters that are now long gone. If you're into this kind of reference tool, by all means buy this book. I've already spent hours with it.

I've owned the Encyclopedia of Super Heroes for about 10 years, and although it might be considered a useless book for comic junkies, it's much more than that. I am not a comic book junkie, but love the cultural history of my generation and this is a book that traces the history of super heroes from their sources, whether it is comics, television, or films. Taken as a whole - and it is a lofty examination at more than 400 pages - The Encyclopedia of Super Heroes is about our hopes and dreams for society, our desire to imagine the ability to face all challenges, and the history of our culture. It's an excellent book.

For years, I have read that this was THE superheroes book. Well, it is light on the minor and some major 40's superheroes and and heavy on both major and minor 70's and 80's types. Plus, the few color covers feature either bizarre picks...off-beat,"joke", wimpy types or, as I said, the 70's-80's. A book on superheroes should have, at least,line drawings of the bulk of them and the color pages (which in this book are few)should be of, as an example of an egegrious omission, the JSA. If you want the color pics of the superheroes plus color, try Mike Benton's books!