Superhero Comics

Beginning with a novella by Spider-Man's co-creator Stan Lee and veteran Marvel writer Peter David retelling the wall-crawler's origin, this exciting anthology has original stories featuring one of the world's most enduring heroes.

The fate of the entire Marvel Universe hangs in the balance as Earth's mightiest heroes face their greatest challenge! Summoned across the stars by the mysterious and unbelievably powerful Beyonder, the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men are set against their deadliest foes on the mysterious planet known as Battleworld - with the winner promised the ultimate prize. But as battle lines are drawn, new alliances are forged, and old enemies clash, one among them is not willing to settle for anything less than godhood.

This work dissects the origin and growth of superhero comic books, their major influences, and the creators behind them. It demonstrates how Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and many more stand as time capsules of their eras, rising and falling with societal changes, and reflecting an amalgam of influences. The book covers in detail the iconic superhero comic book creators and their unique contributions in their quest for realism, including Julius Schwartz and the science-fiction origins of superheroes.

The defining, behind-the-scenes chronicle of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and dominant pop cultural entities in America’s history -- Marvel Comics – and the outsized personalities who made Marvel including Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby. “Sean Howe’s history of...

Born to a rarified breed of Russian aristocracy, Kraven the Hunter had stalked and killed every animal known to man and considered himself the world's best big-game hunter. It was this confidence that brought him to New York years ago, in an obsessive quest to hunt what he considered the city's greatest prey: Spider-Man. But his target eluded him time and again, mocking him at every turn.

After surviving a holiday to Italy without his parents (which included jellyfish and giant watermelons), Stan reckons he deserves a bit of a break. Or at a least a break in between trying to act in his school play. But when he’s offered the chance to take a tour around a TV studio, he thinks it can’t do any harm. How wrong he is.

On several occasions, a half-dozen of Spider-Man's greatest enemies have banded together as the Sinister Six. Now, at the behest of a deadly benefactor known only as the Gentleman, the Chameleon has been tasked with assembling a new Sinister Six with the most ambitious scheme yet! Soon, he has recruited the Vulture, freed Electro and Dr. Octopus from prison, and been joined by the Gentleman's mysterious ward, Pity. That only leaves Mysterio, but the master of illusion has a plan of his own.

In a dark and dangerous future, the mutant-hunting machines known as the Sentinels rule America with an iron fist. Almost all mutants and superhumans have been exterminated. Only a handful of imprisoned mutants remain to fight against their oppressive robotic overseers! Now Kate Pryde, former X-Man, must travel back in time and warn her present-day teammates of the coming danger - and hopefully prevent this horrible future from ever taking place!

Two years have passed, and Peter Parker struggles to cope with the demands of life as a college student, a Daily Bugle photographer, and a crime-fighting superhero. But it hasn't gotten any easier. Condemned by the press, tormented by secrets he can never reveal, forced to give up the girl of his dreams, at times the lonely burden of Spider-Man seems almost too great to bear...and the temptation to give up grows stronger by the hour.

Growing up in Bay View City, Connor just wants to survive high school and avoid the dangerous world of metas. But when he finds himself with a new set of metabands, he must embrace his destiny as the meta known as Omni. With the guidance of Midnight, a mysterious vigilante, Connor sets out on a thrilling journey to unlock the secrets of his powers and uncover the truth about The Battle that changed the world forever.

With over eighty-five years of comics published since their founding, the Marvel Comics archive is a vast universe of iconic stories and legendary characters. Marvel Comics for Dummies is your shortcut to navigating this immense collection of heroes and their adventures.

Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, the Avengers, the X-Men, Watchmen, and more: the companion volume to the PBS documentary series of the same name that tells the story of the superhero in American popular culture.

In this insightful and provocative book, comics-industry veteran Danny Fingeroth explores the backgrounds of the most well-known superheroes and their creators—largely young American Jewish men from Eastern European backgrounds. These innovators include Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Will Eisner, and Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In Disguised as Clark Kent, Fingeroth explores how the creators’ Jewish backgrounds helped make superheroes the most familiar popular-culture icons of all.

In the year 2012, Liquin Sonos and his friends return to the San Diego Comic-Con in a last bid to achieve their Hollywood dreams. But the bonds of friendship strain under the pressure to succeed, and Liquin fears the emergence of his nemesis, Ragnar Wortham, signals his doom. In the year 2047, Ashlyn, a freedom-fighting refugee, struggles to survive among plague, poverty and factional warfare. But a frightening revelation into her past offers a way to end the bloodshed once and for all, and the death of Liquin Sonos is the key.

Superhero fiction has been with us for almost a century; high-octane tales crammed with concepts and contrasting themes, from superpowers and the post-human, to masked vigilantes and immortality. In that time, superwomen have evolved from comic book caricatures (created by men, for men) to stronger representations of female power. The Science of Superwomen looks at this evolution, from its hypersexualized origins to today’s more nuanced diversity.

Professor X, the X-Men's founder and mentor, and Shi'ar Empress Lilandra have been forced to love each other from afar - he has to remain on Earth to lead the X-Men, and she must stay with the Shi'ar to run the empire. Now, Lilandra must turn to the X-Men for help against a threat to her domain - and possibly the Earth as well. Shi'ar scientists have learned of a creature that devours galaxies and is heading toward Shi'ar space.

Why are so many of the superhero myths tied up with loss, often violent, of parents or parental figures? What is the significance of the dual identity? What makes some superhuman figures “good” and others “evil”? Why are so many of the prime superheroes white and male? How has the superhero evolved over the course of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries? All these topics, and more, are covered in this lively and original exploration of the reasons why the superhero—in comic books, films, and TV—is such a potent myth for our times and culture.

The Science of Superheroes takes a lighthearted but clear-headed look at the real science that underlies some of the greatest superhero comic books of all time, including Spider-Man, Batman, Fantastic Four, and many more. Each chapter presents the story of the origin of one or more superheroes and asks intriguing questions that lead to fascinating discussions about the limits of science, the laws of nature, and the future of technology.

What can you learn from the world’s most successful companies? Marvel characters have been shaping pop culture for decades and when comic books were no longer keeping the company afloat, Marvel Studios was born. Marvel Studios is the multibillion-dollar home to iconic franchises. They are...

Skye's a comic book superhero with a gun in his hand and a gripe against his author. Every girl Skye's ever dated is either dead or trying to take over the world, and in the series finale, Skye's best friend kills him. Or so he thinks. The weapon meant to disintegrate Skye lands him in his author's universe. With a shot at revenge. Skye, meet Jace. Jacen Howard's a brilliant #blerd math whiz and comics aficionado. Jace doesn't see himself as a hero; he's just trying to survive. Jace might be just the hero Skye needs.