Faster than a speeding bullet this ROUGH GUIDE brings you the mind-bending truth about the fantasy world's bravest and baddest, telling you all you need to know about the superheroes who save us and their vile enemies. Awesome features include:
Superheroes and Heroines The essential A-Z of the spandex-suited legends, including sidekicks, fatal weaknesses and implausible powers.
The Villains The Asbestos Lady to Violator...
The Origins and Creators The artists who created the superheroes, and the key comics and publishers.
The Influences How superheroes influenced such icons as Jerry Seinfeld, Elvis Presley and Donald Duck, inspired scientists and changed fashion.
Comics, Graphic Novels and Novels The high flyers and where to find them.
The Places, the Contexts and the Ephemera The what, where and why of superhero lore on TV, in the movies, in print and on the Internet.
The Background All you need to know about the legends from Batman to Namor The Submariner and now The Incredibles.
It is fitting that I begin a blog focusing on interpretations of comic-book characters in other media with a book which sets itself out as an entry-level guide to the larger-than-life characters and adventures which are so readily associated with comics. It is now somewhat out of date (with no sign of an update), but in the fast-changing world of comic books still manages to hit all of the essential facts which will provide a solid base for further reading. Much the same as with the Rough Guide travel books, there are good points as well as bad concerning layout and brevity – it manages to rattle through a lot of topics, but never does more than scratch the surface.The book is split into eleven sections, covering the history of comic books, notable creators, the characters, films, television, novels, and even a travelogue - though the relevance of which is questionable at best. The ephemera section highlights a range of costumes and masks, while ignoring the action figures, statues, replica weapons, and other – more collectible – items. There are similar oversights throughout the book, though none so serious that I would hesitate to hand this to anyone who doesn't regularly read comics. As a lightweight and jargon-free introduction to comics, it might get people thinking about picking up a comic or two.
There are some interesting one and two-page articles sprinkled throughout the text, laying out the influences comics have taken, and the influences given back. Though limited to the superhero comics for the most part – there are references throughout to other genres – the guide manages to present a solid grounding in the characters and publishers. Less satisfying is the sections where the text delves into the television shows, films and accompanying novels, presenting sound bites rather than meaningful reviews. The film section in particular veers off on a tangent with original movies rather than adaptations.
Since when was The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The Eighth Dimension a superhero movie? The television section can be just as bad, filled with childish retorts, bad puns, and a tendency to dismiss shows off-hand. A more serious tone is reserved for a two-page piece on comic-book culture attaining respectability in prose – Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay is given too little space, considering the importance of the text, though the same could be said of many articles in the guide.
The Context, where armchair analysis of the themes and subtext is given free reign, is the section with both the most possibility and the most problems. Distilling the work of the many different creators who have worked on long-running characters into simple themes is hard to take, even if the book acknowledges the limitations of its' format. The, often strong, opinions of the contributors are nevertheless entertaining, even if you find yourself disagreeing with the interpretations taken on certain points. It really isn't designed with regular comics readers in mind, so the cod-psychology on offer can be somewhat forgiven.
The Rough Guide To Superheroes is designed for anyone who wants to know more about comics, but might not know where to begin. For those of you familiar with the concept of multiverses, secret identities and strange visitors from other galaxies it will be rather less useful.
Edited by Paul Simpson, Helen Rodiss & Michaela Bushell.
Contributors: Richard Pendleton, Victoria Williams, Ann Oliver, Michelle de Larrabeiti, Dave Burton, Ian McLeish & Lesley Simpson.
2004, 320 pages; Rough Guides, Ltd. / Penguin Books.
ISBN-10: 1-84353-386-3
ISBN-13: 9781843533863
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