Heroes Have Histories, Too
Date of Review:
01/16/2005Published Work:
The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood HeroesReviewer:
Samantha GonzagaSource:
Pasadena Daily NewsReview Excerpt:
Fans will appreciate the efforts of editors Gina Misiroglu and David A. Roach in "The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes."
"The Superhero Book" . . . attempts to be issue-curious by devoting entries on societal trends such as feminism, addiction, war-tinged patriotism, and homosexuality. It doesn't shy away from including heroes outside print or U.S. borders, either. DC and Marvel's International cast of crime-fighters get credit as do Europe's and Asia's crusaders, from Australia's Crimson Comet and Sir Falcon, India's cyborg Inspector Steel and Fauladi Singh, to the Philippines' Captain Barbell to femme fatale Darna.
You'd just as likely find an entry on Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series between Blue Beetle and Bulletman, as easily as a 15-page primer on Clark Kent.
Purists won't be disappointed by the wealth of background information, and neither will nontraditionalists. Misiroglu and Roach willingly spotlight the ever-growing, ever-changing canon of super-myths forged by crossovers, and movie and television adaptations.
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