Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It starts out slow and can be a bit dry at times. There is a lot of material that introduces the comic book superhero. Once the author gets through that and into the meat of the book, things get interesting quick.
This feels like it was approached similar to an academic paper to some degree. It starts out by looking at early American adventure stories. He examines character tropes, themes, and cultural influences that shaped these stories and ultimately led to the creation of superheroes. The book benefits from this because it is very thoughtful and thorough. But it has the potential to turn off readers that are more interested in the later periods discussed.
The payoff to this slow buildup is worth it though. The author is able to draw comparisons between those earlier pieces and their creators with the superheroes that came out in comic books and those creators. He does give a good overview of the history of comic books as well. That information might not be as useful to diehard fans that are familiar with it. I felt like it was well presented and gave me a lot of knowledge that I didn't already have.
There is a bit of focus on major comic book series from Marvel and DC. This works well to establish the tone of the books and eras discussed. I would have liked some mention of independent comic books that follow along the path that he creates through the book. Overall this is a great read for anyone that has an interest in comic books, specifically superheroes.
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