Superhero Comics

Over the last 60 years, the Marvel superhero comic books have grown into a gigantic mountain in the middle of contemporary culture. They are the longest continuous, self-contained work of fiction ever created: over half a million pages to date - and growing. Thousands of writers and artists have contributed to it. Every schoolchild recognises its protagonists: Spider-Man, the Avengers, the X-Men. And not even the people telling the story have read the whole thing - nobody's supposed to. So, of course, that's what Douglas Wolk did.

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!

For more than 75 years, Catwoman has forged her own path in a clear-cut world of stalwart heroes, diabolical villains, and damsels in distress. Her relentless independence across comic books, television, and film set her apart from the rest of the superhero world. When female-led comics were few and far between, Catwoman headlined her own series for over 20 years. But her unique path had its downsides as well.

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.

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.

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.

Welcome to Sector House 301, the isolated dumping ground for Mega-City One's every misfit and foul-up Judge. Nicknamed The Pit, the sector house holds many dark secrets and the discovery of one of them may have led to the death of Sector Chief Rohan. Sent to take over The Pit is Judge Dredd. Together with a small team of trusted Judges, he uncovers a trail of deceit and murder that leads to the very top levels of command. The only question is, will Dredd live long enough to bring the culprits to Justice? 

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.

After he and his wife are murdered, Marine Ray Garrison is resurrected by a secret team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine - “Bloodshot” - without any memory of his previous life. But some things can’t stay buried, and Ray refuses to back down when his memories begin to surface. Haunted by the face of his family’s killer, he will stop at nothing to take his revenge. And he discovers a conspiracy going deeper than he could have possibly imagined.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We're currently in the golden age of superhero blockbusters. Movies like Black Panther, Wonder Woman, Joker, and Avengers: Endgame routinely break box office records and compete for Oscars. Yet, Zack Snyder's 2017 behemoth Justice League - a veritable sure bet at the Hollywood casino - tanked miserably, and the behind-the-scenes reasons for the movie's demise are fascinating. 

Connor Connolly’s gambit to defeat Alpha Team worked, but not without significant cost. Those who helped him now find themselves without powers, and Bay View City is worse off than ever. Midnight stopped answering his calls, and no one has seen Iris in weeks. Connor's metabands may also finally be damaged beyond repair. Even an attempt to stop a nuclear meltdown blows up in his face and turns many throughout the world against him.

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.

In recent years, cosplay—the practice of dressing up in costume as a character—has exploded, becoming a mainstream cultural phenomenon. But what are the circumstances that made its rise possible? Andrew Liptak—a member of the legendary 501st Legion, an international fan-based organization dedicated to the dark side of Star Wars—delves into the origins and culture of cosplay to answer this question. Cosplay: A History looks at the practice’s ever-growing fandom and conventions.

After being adopted at a young age, Wanda Maximoff knows only life as part of the Parker family. She’s been raised along side Peter Parker—aka New York’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man—and the pair of them are well known amongst the city’s community of superheroes. Yet when Captain America is found brutally murdered, Wanda finds that her trusted community of mentors and friends accuse her. Feeling isolated and questioning everyone, Wanda turns to her other sibling, a new-found twin who is the only one who seems to believe in her.

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.

What can you learn from the world’s most successful companies? The Marvel Studios Story will help you understand and adopt the competitive strategies, workplace culture, and daily business practices that enabled a struggling comic book publisher to parlay the power of myth and storytelling to become one of history’s most successful movie studios.