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carroq's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a free ecopy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'll admit that this book wasn't my favorite. It is very academic, which makes it a bit dry to read. As a result, I took a long time to finish it because I could only read it in small chunks.
There are two major sections of this book: history and analysis. The history portion is quite in depth. It begins by examining adventure books that are a precursor to superhero comics. I've read a couple other books that delve into the history of comics this way and I felt like this one did a good job of not just rehashing what I had read before.
Once it gets into the appearance of comics, it starts to get better. There are a few distinct eras that Gavaler covers. Each one has its own defining characteristics that help to identify them. I think I enjoyed this portion more than the earlier history because I was more familiar with the characters discussed, if not the specific series'. It seemed like there was a diverse choice of characters used, which is nice to show off that this genre of comics can provide readers with more than just white, male heroes.
The best part of the book has to be what I've referred to as analysis. Again, some of what is discussed here has been covered in other books I've read, but the coverage on different artistic techniques that are used and the effects they have is great. I think this book is worth picking up for that alone because it is presented so well. It wraps up with an application of this artistic knowledge to an actual comic, followed by a list of important or influential comics for each era. The book can be a bit heavy at times, but I feel like it has a lot to offer serious comics readers.
I'll admit that this book wasn't my favorite. It is very academic, which makes it a bit dry to read. As a result, I took a long time to finish it because I could only read it in small chunks.
There are two major sections of this book: history and analysis. The history portion is quite in depth. It begins by examining adventure books that are a precursor to superhero comics. I've read a couple other books that delve into the history of comics this way and I felt like this one did a good job of not just rehashing what I had read before.
Once it gets into the appearance of comics, it starts to get better. There are a few distinct eras that Gavaler covers. Each one has its own defining characteristics that help to identify them. I think I enjoyed this portion more than the earlier history because I was more familiar with the characters discussed, if not the specific series'. It seemed like there was a diverse choice of characters used, which is nice to show off that this genre of comics can provide readers with more than just white, male heroes.
The best part of the book has to be what I've referred to as analysis. Again, some of what is discussed here has been covered in other books I've read, but the coverage on different artistic techniques that are used and the effects they have is great. I think this book is worth picking up for that alone because it is presented so well. It wraps up with an application of this artistic knowledge to an actual comic, followed by a list of important or influential comics for each era. The book can be a bit heavy at times, but I feel like it has a lot to offer serious comics readers.
spicygeek's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed how it paired philosophy with comic books and superheroes. I'd never really thought that much about it but this book made some great points and comparisons. Unfortunately, there were many parts that felt like a bunch of rambling and at parts, things were repeated but just using different phrasing.
quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition
4.0
I received an advanced copy of Superhero Comics by Peter M. Coogan from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I’m fairly new to the world of comic book fandom, having only gotten into them in the last couple years. My attempt to get into reading comics as a child was thwarted by my shyness and a jerk at the register who told me “girls can’t read comics” (I regret to this day that I believed him), if only this book had existed back then, maybe I would have felt more confident striking out into the comic world on my own.. Having a complete history such as Superhero Comics is greatly appreciated. It provided a lot of context and explanation for the way things development. What was wonderful about it is it covered beyond my scope of reading and experience, explaining comics from the beginning up to now, and how the evolved in the meantime.
What I really loved about Superhero Comics was that is started at the most basic concepts (for example the reason why only Marvel and DC use the term superhero) and advanced from there (why female figures are drawn and portrayed the way they are). It made for a fascinating read and enhanced my comprehension of the subject at the same time.
I can picture this book sitting in a classroom – say in an art room full of students who one day hope to become comic book artists; or in a writing classroom. I’m happy I had the chance to read it, and frankly think I’ll be giving it a second read through as well, to increase my command of the subject matter.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
I’m fairly new to the world of comic book fandom, having only gotten into them in the last couple years. My attempt to get into reading comics as a child was thwarted by my shyness and a jerk at the register who told me “girls can’t read comics” (I regret to this day that I believed him), if only this book had existed back then, maybe I would have felt more confident striking out into the comic world on my own.. Having a complete history such as Superhero Comics is greatly appreciated. It provided a lot of context and explanation for the way things development. What was wonderful about it is it covered beyond my scope of reading and experience, explaining comics from the beginning up to now, and how the evolved in the meantime.
What I really loved about Superhero Comics was that is started at the most basic concepts (for example the reason why only Marvel and DC use the term superhero) and advanced from there (why female figures are drawn and portrayed the way they are). It made for a fascinating read and enhanced my comprehension of the subject at the same time.
I can picture this book sitting in a classroom – say in an art room full of students who one day hope to become comic book artists; or in a writing classroom. I’m happy I had the chance to read it, and frankly think I’ll be giving it a second read through as well, to increase my command of the subject matter.
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
rosienreads's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: I received free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Superheroes are everywhere nowadays; it is near impossible to go into town and avoid seeing something superhero-related, be it a toy, a DVD or even a logoed shirt. That being said, I am not complaining. Superheroes have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; yet, despite that, the comic side of the superhero world has mostly been a mystery to me. When I saw Superhero Comics on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it.
I will admit, I don’t often read non-fiction. I find it hard to get into and hard to stick to. However, Superhero Comics managed to keep my attention throughout most of the book and I found myself completely fascinated by what it had to say. The book essentially covers three main topics: the history of comics, the social and cultural context of comics and the actual structure and formatting of comics.
Of these three categories, the first two were the ones which particularly interested me and it would be an understatement to say I learnt a lot. The book goes back to before the dawn of heroes to explore what it was that led to their appearance in the world; then, from there, moves forward, going through the various ages of comics before investigating how comics have evolved based on the cultural and societal pressures of the time. This includes superhero roots in the KKK and Nazi ideals, the ups and downs of comic popularity and even tackles why female heroes are drawn the way they are. The chapter which stuck out to me the most was the one which covered female and LGBTQ+ representation, whereas the final part of the book, where it starts to analyse various artist techniques and comic book structure was a little difficult for me to get into.
My main concern with the book was, simply, for a book about comics there were not that may pictures. As someone who has yet to be fully initiated into the world of comic books, a lot of the references were lost on me and so it would have been helpful to have examples of these mixed in with the text. Towards the end, when Superhero Comics was talking about the appearance of comics, this did change a little, although the fact I was reading on a kindle did make it difficult to flip back to the images when they were being discussed. This meant a lot of what was being described ended up being lost on me.
Overall, Superhero Comics is a fascinating read for anyone even mildly interested in the comic book world. It is clear and, for the most part, the terminology is described so that a layperson could understand. The pages are filled with facts that I had not even considered (such as why DC and Marvel are the only companies to use the term ‘superhero’) and, for those just getting into comics, there is also a key text section which covers the main, defining comics of each era – a great place to get started. I recommend this for anyone who is interested in comics, even if you aren’t necessarily an avid comic book reader yourself.
Superheroes are everywhere nowadays; it is near impossible to go into town and avoid seeing something superhero-related, be it a toy, a DVD or even a logoed shirt. That being said, I am not complaining. Superheroes have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember; yet, despite that, the comic side of the superhero world has mostly been a mystery to me. When I saw Superhero Comics on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it.
I will admit, I don’t often read non-fiction. I find it hard to get into and hard to stick to. However, Superhero Comics managed to keep my attention throughout most of the book and I found myself completely fascinated by what it had to say. The book essentially covers three main topics: the history of comics, the social and cultural context of comics and the actual structure and formatting of comics.
Of these three categories, the first two were the ones which particularly interested me and it would be an understatement to say I learnt a lot. The book goes back to before the dawn of heroes to explore what it was that led to their appearance in the world; then, from there, moves forward, going through the various ages of comics before investigating how comics have evolved based on the cultural and societal pressures of the time. This includes superhero roots in the KKK and Nazi ideals, the ups and downs of comic popularity and even tackles why female heroes are drawn the way they are. The chapter which stuck out to me the most was the one which covered female and LGBTQ+ representation, whereas the final part of the book, where it starts to analyse various artist techniques and comic book structure was a little difficult for me to get into.
My main concern with the book was, simply, for a book about comics there were not that may pictures. As someone who has yet to be fully initiated into the world of comic books, a lot of the references were lost on me and so it would have been helpful to have examples of these mixed in with the text. Towards the end, when Superhero Comics was talking about the appearance of comics, this did change a little, although the fact I was reading on a kindle did make it difficult to flip back to the images when they were being discussed. This meant a lot of what was being described ended up being lost on me.
Overall, Superhero Comics is a fascinating read for anyone even mildly interested in the comic book world. It is clear and, for the most part, the terminology is described so that a layperson could understand. The pages are filled with facts that I had not even considered (such as why DC and Marvel are the only companies to use the term ‘superhero’) and, for those just getting into comics, there is also a key text section which covers the main, defining comics of each era – a great place to get started. I recommend this for anyone who is interested in comics, even if you aren’t necessarily an avid comic book reader yourself.
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