Superhero Comics

The lives of six female superheroes and the girlfriends of superheroes. A ferocious riff on women in superhero comics. From the New York Times best-selling author Catherynne Valente comes a series of linked stories from the points of view of the wives and girlfriends of superheroes, female heroes, and anyone who's ever been "refrigerated": comic book women who are killed, raped, brainwashed, driven mad, disabled, or had their powers taken so that a male superhero's storyline will progress.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The world is still reeling from the devastation of the final battle between the world’s strongest metahumans. Empire City has been left in shambles as it struggles to rebuild. Overnight, the world’s metabands, mysterious bracelets that offer their owner’s superhuman powers and abilities, have all ceased working. Guilt ridden over his possible hand in all of this, the masked vigilante Midnight has hung up his cowl.

Avi Hirsch has always known his daughter was different. But when others with incredible, otherworldly gifts reveal themselves to the world, Avi realizes that her oddness is something more - that she is something more. With this, he has a terrifying revelation: Emmeline is now entering a society where her unique abilities unfairly mark her as a potential threat. And even though he is her father, Avi cannot keep her safe forever.

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.

Victimized by a psychic teenage prankster, Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, and Dr. Zarkov find themselves instantly transported to the planet of Mongo, where Flash is captured and drugged by the ravishing witch Queen Azura and her evil cohort - none other than Ming the Merchiless, Jr! But Zarkov and Dale escape to Arboria, and enlist the aid of Prince Barin, who, by use of a brilliant ruse, sets in motion a series of violent encounters and hair's breadth escapes that place Flash's life in imminent peril.

Ron Lionel is the hottest creator working in comic books today. Joe Cotter, on the other hand, gave up his dreams of being a writer years ago and now lives for a steady paycheck as the security chief for America's Finest Comic Book Expo. Enter Velma, an obsessed fan with some disturbing questions about Lionel's series The Enduring. When her righteous plan to gather answers backfires, the two men are swept into a dangerous world where heroes and villains don't come from spider bites or alien planets and don't have simple back stories.

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.

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.

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.

Enter our heroes. Dark Guardian chases off an angry drug dealer in Manhattan. Mr. Xtreme charges in and breaks up a San Diego bar brawl. T. O. Ronin hugs a homeless man on the snowy streets of Toronto. These aren't the big-screen or comic-book heroes that have been increasingly dominating pop culture. They're real-life superheroes: individuals who take on masked personae to fight crime and help the helpless. They don't have superpowers, but they do try to make the world a better place.

Award-winning writer Bill Schelly relates how comics and fandom saved his life in this engrossing story that begins in the burgeoning comic fandom movement of the 1960s and follows the twists and turns of a career that spanned 50 years. Schelly recounts his struggle to come out at a time when homosexuality was considered a mental illness, how the egalitarian nature of fandom offered a safe haven for those who were different, and how his need for creative expression eventually overcame all obstacles.

50 Things to Know About Comic Books by Kevin offers an approach to beginning a new obsession with superheroes and comic books. Most books on comics tell you to “pick a side” between DC and Marvel. Although there’s nothing wrong with that, in these chapters you’ll discover how much more there is to offer. By the time you finish this book, you will know how much there is to read and see in the comic book universe.

The World Patrol Kids features a environmental multi-ethnic children's singing group that takes on polluters and traffickers in endangered species. Thoreau, their youngest member, is having nightmares about a garbage monster the size of Godzilla pursuing him through the streets of his hometown. He wakes to find it is only a dream. But is it? The World Patrol Kids uncover a sinister plot behind the town's garbage problem and set out to find the criminals.

A supernatural thriller about a young woman, Nikki Chang, the daughter of a Chinese Diplomat and his wife, a Mexican National, who loses her eye sight in a tragic accident. Then, before taking her own life, Nikki is given a pair of magical glasses that allow her to see into the spirit world, and offering her a chance to become a demon-fighter Seer.