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hellocookie's review against another edition
5.0
In an era where the female characters known worldwide to geeks and non-geeks alike can be counted on one hand (ie. Wonder Woman, Batgirl), The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen couldn’t come at a better time. Highlighting countless comic book heroines, Hope Nicholson’s well-researched and enlightening book takes us through the eras that these characters came out of.
Nicholson is no stranger to research and has been doing work as a comics historian for quite some time now. Her reprints and restorations of the Canadian heroes Nelvana of the Northern Lights and Brok Windsor got noticed by many and helped launch her career forward as a smart, and meticulous researcher, always on the lookout for interesting projects that the market is in need of.
It makes a lot of sense that Nicholson was brought on for this project and I honestly can’t think of a better person to have put this together with precision, accuracy and genuine affection for the characters and the content.
While there are other books such as Jon Morris’ The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains and The League of Regrettable Superheroes which poke fun at some of the sillier characters in a delightful way, The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen does a fantastic job of taking characters, silly and all, relatively seriously and giving them a proper history that you may or may not have known about prior to picking the book up.
The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen gives you enough information and teaches you about amazing female characters throughout the years and makes you (or maybe just me!) want to read more about them and find their comics or campaign to have some of these characters in new and modern comics.
Quirk Books has been putting out a TON of great geek-related content lately. The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen along with Wonder Woman, and Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs and other such books are much sought after and needed. They’re appeasing a demographic within the geek industry that has long been neglected (and is STILL largely neglected) and finding a market with a crowd that is desperate for quality non-fiction (and fiction) that caters to things that that they care about.
Verdict:
The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen is an absolute MUST BUY. It’s something that I truly believe should not just be on the shelves of every girl but every person, period. It’s a great reminder that strong women and great characters have been around for ages and there are more names that we should know besides Wonder Woman and Batgirl.
This book is a great book for a collection or as a coffee table book – as a present for a friend or a present for yourself. It’s just great and I really and truly believe that you need to pick up a copy ASAP.
NOTE: I’ve worked with Hope before on The Secret Loves of Geek Girls so my review isn’t completely impartial. That being said upfront, if I felt I couldn’t provide you all with a honest review of this book, I would have passed it on to someone else so please trust that this review comes with integrity.
Nicholson is no stranger to research and has been doing work as a comics historian for quite some time now. Her reprints and restorations of the Canadian heroes Nelvana of the Northern Lights and Brok Windsor got noticed by many and helped launch her career forward as a smart, and meticulous researcher, always on the lookout for interesting projects that the market is in need of.
It makes a lot of sense that Nicholson was brought on for this project and I honestly can’t think of a better person to have put this together with precision, accuracy and genuine affection for the characters and the content.
While there are other books such as Jon Morris’ The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains and The League of Regrettable Superheroes which poke fun at some of the sillier characters in a delightful way, The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen does a fantastic job of taking characters, silly and all, relatively seriously and giving them a proper history that you may or may not have known about prior to picking the book up.
The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen gives you enough information and teaches you about amazing female characters throughout the years and makes you (or maybe just me!) want to read more about them and find their comics or campaign to have some of these characters in new and modern comics.
Quirk Books has been putting out a TON of great geek-related content lately. The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen along with Wonder Woman, and Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs and other such books are much sought after and needed. They’re appeasing a demographic within the geek industry that has long been neglected (and is STILL largely neglected) and finding a market with a crowd that is desperate for quality non-fiction (and fiction) that caters to things that that they care about.
Verdict:
The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen is an absolute MUST BUY. It’s something that I truly believe should not just be on the shelves of every girl but every person, period. It’s a great reminder that strong women and great characters have been around for ages and there are more names that we should know besides Wonder Woman and Batgirl.
This book is a great book for a collection or as a coffee table book – as a present for a friend or a present for yourself. It’s just great and I really and truly believe that you need to pick up a copy ASAP.
NOTE: I’ve worked with Hope before on The Secret Loves of Geek Girls so my review isn’t completely impartial. That being said upfront, if I felt I couldn’t provide you all with a honest review of this book, I would have passed it on to someone else so please trust that this review comes with integrity.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
A very beautifully designed overview of the history of female characters in (mostly American) comics, starting in the 1930s, 12 ladies a decade. This isn't comprehensive, but Nicholson has tried for a cross-section of ALL female characters not just the "best", including some that are problematic. A fun read and Nicholson tries to point out where one can track down the original adventures.
karimorton33's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful book inside and out! I haven't read a lot of comics, so I loved the snippets and commentary about so many different characters from the 1930s to 2010s. So many quirky gems!
jodyladuemcgrath's review against another edition
3.0
This is about female superheroes, mostly unique, obscure ones. It is spread in decade format and has a lot of good information about them. I think I would have liked it more if they would have hit on a few more of the major ones though. It went through a lot a deifferent comic genres, and a lot of them felt demeaning,which didn't surprise me at all. Maybe not my kind of book, but I have a friend who is really into female superheroes and she will probably right a glowing review!
* I read an ARC of this book and gave an honest review *
* I read an ARC of this book and gave an honest review *
stefan_lennemyr's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
This is a slice of history that you fare well to indulge yourself in. We are introduced to all sorts of female characters from the (North American) comic’s history, and there are wide range of archetypes and personalities in that bunch. The author strives to showcase a variety of motivations and agendas and puts an emphasis on LGBT-characters.
jocyvondoom's review against another edition
4.0
This book taught me a lot of things about the comics world I had no idea existed... it introduced me to oldies but goodies and current comics that aren't very well known. While this book gives the reader a brief description of the female character, it also sheds a light on the circumstances of its time. This basically meant why it flopped or why it shined, which was sometimes not because of the story itself, but rather the comics market. The reason the book is not 5 stars is because some characters that are highlighted aren't exactly awesome... several characters were pretty terrible and there are others that could have been highlighted instead. Also, too many Riverdale references.
Nonetheless this is a good book to flip-through, it's divided by decades so should you can jump in at any time. Another addition I found cool is that at the end she gives some recommended reads, which are usually where you can find reprints or just to encourage you to take a look around your local comic shop to find some in their original print.
Nonetheless this is a good book to flip-through, it's divided by decades so should you can jump in at any time. Another addition I found cool is that at the end she gives some recommended reads, which are usually where you can find reprints or just to encourage you to take a look around your local comic shop to find some in their original print.
reanimatedreader's review against another edition
3.0
I’m not a huge comic reader and most of the classic characters I don’t have a clue about. There’s a few I do know about though and they were nice to see (Ms Marvel, iZombie and Lenore gets a mention). Only one character stood out enough for me to add to my to-read list. Very short synopsis of each one made it hard to distinguish between them all. I would have preferred more of the comics themselves, although maybe not possible?