Superheroics in the 21st Century
351809
A great read for anyone who's ever wondered why superheroes don't have corporate sponsorship-- in this universe, they do!  One superhero, forced by scandal into retirement, comes back reluctantly to assist a group of corporate-sponsored heroes; they are not completely eager to receive his guidance and support, having had their share of bad experiences with publicity-hound superheroes.  While Titan is gay, this plays very little role in the story, which focuses far more on the interesting interplay of heroics and corporate and legal dangers.  Quite readable!
388972
Being a huge comic book fan and collector and having grown up reading comics in the 1970s and 1980s, I had to get the 445 page collection of the revitalization of the Justice Society of America collection called "All Star Comics."  The Justice Society of America was created in the 1940s and featured superheroes of the Golden Age, like the original Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Wildcat, Dr. Midnite, Hourman, Wonder Woman and Superman. DC Comics had the brilliant idea in the late 1950s to make these old characters superheroes of "Earth 2." The current iterations were on "Earth 1."
  When the JSA was revitalized in the 1970s, all of those characters came back, although in their 50s and 60s, and were joined by new, young heroes like a grown up Robin (Batman's partner), Power Girl (counterpart to Earth-1's supergirl), Star Spangled Kid (an actual character from the 1940s who was "transported" to the 1970s), and a new character called the Huntress (daughter of Earth-2 Batman and wife Catwoman - yes, they married on Earth-2).
  The stories were great, and it's pretty much all inclusive (there are references to the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" saga, but they couldn't reprint those here without including all 12 issues and you can get them separately). The stories, characterizations, and art work was great.
  It's an Outstanding collection of Earth-2 heroes as they should be, and I will always treasure it in my collection to read over and over again.
4212996
Sure, they're dated. Yeah, they're simple. But they are entertaining and fun, and the stories at least make some kind of sense, unlike the ludicrous "plots" of some of the other superhero collections from this age. Pretty good value for how long they'll keep you occupied.
1974393
For $19.99, this collection is very cheap given that it has 598 pages. The catch is that it is printed in black and white instead of color. However, I like the idea of having the series reprinted in two huge volumes instead of needing to get many trades.

Given that I never read this series in color, I don't know what I am missing, but what I can say is that Noble Causes as it is, is fantastic. The comic follows the Noble family, a family of superheroes. This superhero comic book differs from most in that the essence of the story does not boil down to fights with supervillains. The story is driven by characters. We get to meet very interesting superheroes in scenarios that we normally don't see in superhero comic books. A teenage heroine that gets pregnant. Marital problems between two superheroes. The whole series moves more like a soap opera than an action series, but it does in a very entertaining way. I can't help but care about these characters.

One character I like a lot is "Rusty". Rusty was a very powerful superhero that almost died in a battle. His father, being a scientific genius, transferred his mind to a robot (reminding me of Doom Patrol's Metal Man). Rusty has marital problems because of this and after the divorce he finds true happiness with a heroine that has the power of manipulating metal. All of a sudden, Rusty is able to feel again because of his new girlfriend. Rusty goes from being an annoying, mean character to being a very nice, kind character. The isolation he had because of being unable to feel had changed him, but love brought him back to the kind man he once was. This is the sort of thing I enjoyed a lot about Noble Causes, the characters change right in front of our eyes, little by little.

Another character I love is Gaia. She seems to be a really cold, calculating woman. She gives great one-liners that shut up everybody and she is cold when it relates to spinning the stories to the media about the family. However, Gaia has a bastard child, Frost, and when we see in flashbacks how Gaia was tender when seeing Frost and how Gaia loves Doc, we see another side of her. We see the personality that she wants to hide from the outside world, the vulnerability that only her husband and Frost have seen. She was hurt by her husband before, so now she shields that from everyone else with extra zeal. This is the sort of thing that the author conveys to us through images and dialogue. A fantastic job.

The series has very clean pencils, which I think help the story move smoothly. This story is not about exploring with beautiful images, but about understanding characters.

I liked the art and I love the writing. This is a great series to check out and for a very good price.
4076703
Insufferable is what I come to hope and expect from the modern comics/graphic novel industry: a nuanced story, interesting graphics, and very contemporary presentation (horizontal panels intended for E readers and screens). Now that the Big Two publishing houses have huge studio publicity machines backing them and many versions of their canon characters hitting all-time popularity levels, the anti-superhero is timely and popular again.  With Insufferable, we have  the dynamics of a relationship gone wrong (reportedly based upon the break up of two comic artists' business relationship) - this time a father and son superhero team.

Story: Superhero Nocturnus raised his son carefully to survive the cruelty of the superhero world. But the son wanted a father, not a teacher, and eventually a wall of emotion fatally breaks the relationship. Modern son that he is, Galahad overtly uncovers the identity of both to the public - forcing his father to desperately scramble for the shadows. But the sudden explosion of Nocturnus' wife/Galahad's mothers ashes - and the message that she might still be alive after all - send both into a tailspin for very different reasons. Someone is dredging up their past and divided, they may not have the strength to face it.

Although the blurbs initially describe the son as a 'douchebag', I honestly felt the responsibility of the relationship breakdown sat firmly on both men's shoulders. It's a kudo to the author for writing the story in such a way that we can understand the problems each have with the other. It's a bog standard "son doesn't want to follow his father's footsteps' story that also greatly illustrates the difference between the hyper modern world (publicity, sponsorships, the high life) and a reserved, self effacing, grounded past.

The two men's stories are contrasted in colors - Galahad is colored in bright warms where Nocturnus is a study of muted blues and greens. Of course, Nocturnus is drawn in the costume stylings of a bygone era whereas Galahad is all about the flash and glamor - a Ray Ban ad of "Never Hide."

The plot does take a backseat to this first volume's story of a dysfunctional family. Villains aren't given much time and the aggressive vs passive-aggressive grandstanding of both father and son is the focus. But a mystery is afoot as to who is targeting the two - and why. And in bringing the superheroes back together, setting up the situation for either a reconciliation or a very big implosion. I'm looking forward to either.  Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
3180267
A friend of mine who is way more into comics than me recommended this book to me, and I don't know if the world would ever be ready for a superhero team this groundbreaking.  Everything, from each individual's character and abilities to the threats they face and the epic presentation is so fresh and off-the-wall from your typical Avengers or Justice League, I could not wait to see what would be on each page.  You have a guy who can manipulate city infrastructure to do whatever he wants; a chick who is covered with nanomachines that can sprout anything she can think of, be itjet-packs, guns, or multiple copies of herself; a shaman who draws on the Earth to perform limitless magic and is also a heroin addict; and two characters as homosexual AND super-violent pastiches of Superman and Batman.

If you also like this, you need to pick up the Warren Ellis' Stormwatch Vol. 1, because those books chronicle some of the characters that end up on the Authority, and also where you see the no-holds-barred philosophy of the Authority taking seed.  Everybody whom I've recommended this book to has enjoyed it, there is something here for everybody, from over-the-top action, to dark humor, crazy powers, and also wild science and writing.

I was actually sad to get to the end of this book, and I tried picking up the New 52 Stormwatch since some of the characters were moved over into the DC continuity, but sadly they seem to be neutered by DC Comics' sensibilities.  Do yourself a favor, pick up this book and enjoy this superhero team as originally intended.
1340947
I just finished reading this book it and I highly recommend it.
 I loved "Stupdenous Sparkle," "The Kid," "All-Star," Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow," and "Need to Know."  My Favorites included "Need to Know" with a superman-like teenager and "Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow.  I loved and could see myself as the character in Maggie's great story: "A Marvelous New World. This story by Maggie Allen takes place in the aftermath of Janine Spendloves story, He was a Marvelous Man in the "Heroes" anthology (which I also really enjoyed). Maggie's follow-up story made me wonder how the appearance of a real, live superhero would affect the comic book geek community, and I also liked the idea of those geeks getting a chance to become a part of superhero mythology themselves.
2193065
Drew Hayes has created a world filled with superheroes that is believable and different from the mainstream. Corpies is his take on those heroes that are less powerful than the ones that fight super villians. Into this world, we are introduced to a flawed hero, who after years away returns to the superhero world as a corporate sponsored hero. He must adapt and change his methods to succeed. Related to his Super Powered Universe this is a great way to get into this universe. Pick it up now and you will not be disappointed.
3128459
This novel begins with every comic-reading kid's dream: acquiring superhero powers. But then what? Maybe it's not as wonderful as you thought it would be. Maybe power does corrupt. In this novel, set in 2001, the college students who become superheros are as blindsided as the rest of us on 9/11, and those developments are the crux of the plot. Poignant and serious; I loved this book.
4452148
It was a gamble: Four super-powered people who didn't have secret identities, didn't wear costumes (at first) and bickered with each other just as much as they fought super-villains. Heck, they didn't even consider themselves heroes! They were explorers, their leader a scientific genius whose thirst for knowledge always led them to new worlds and planes of existence. Created by a writer who had grown disillusioned with the comics industry and was about to quit, they were a last-ditch effort to create something new and exciting. In 1961 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby unknowingly created a comic revolution, and (thankfully) nothing would ever be the same again! Collecting Fantastic Four #1-30 and annual 1, this is the cornerstone of the Marvel Universe as we know it today
3172373
<div id="video-block-R2XM2NS20Y9GD3" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/B1QQ9YNmaLS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Te3ijkIIS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">&nbsp;The Art of Megamind is another nice large format art book published by Insights Editions. It's 156 pages and sports a non glossy dustjacket for a change.

The pages are filled with beautiful concept illustrations from DreamWorks artists. There are colour strips, character designs, background paintings, storyboards and designs on weapons of mass destruction, some robots and vehicles. The book is filled with plenty of vibrant colours besides blue of course.

There are actually more superheroes than there are shown in the trailers, and they are included in the book. There are sketches for each and you can see which ones made it and which were dropped. The variety is great. You might have seen Minion already, the gorilla robot with fishbowl head holding a piranha. Other designs for superheroes aren't as insane but still very creative.

It's interesting to see how the news reporter Roxanne's early sketches resembles Tina Fey (voice actor) and eventually moved away from that. On a side note, Megamind and Metro Man didn't look like Will Ferrell or Brad Pitt to start with.

The environment designs are also very beautiful and nicely painted. Much is on Metro City and there are also set locations which includes Megamind's lair. Right at the back are some fun designs for Megamind's army which are the robots, vehicles and gadgets. There are funny as well as weird outrageous designs. Donkey missile launcher, anyone?

The commentary is great and talks about the designs and characters.

Overall, a wonderful book for animation fans and artists.

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)
1943984
- Amelia: "No matter what, I have this moment. I'm in space in a suit I built. No one can ever take that away from me."

Yes! **pumps fist** I'd been waiting for this to drop. Unstoppable: Arsenal sequels up Jeffery H. Haskell's fantastic superhero novel&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Arsenal-Full-Metal-Superhero-Book-1/dp/B072JDLPKW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Arsenal (Full Metal Superhero Book 1)</a>, and it's a good enough read that I may have sprained my index digit, I was swiping over to the next Kindle page so fast. Unstoppable picks up some three months after the monster attack from the last book. 20-year-old Amelia Lockheart, latest wrinkle in the Arizona state militia super-team, the Diamondbacks, has settled in nicely to her situation. Except Amelia hasn't at all forgotten her 14-year-old mission to find her parents who were abducted by Category-7, the organization responsible for founding the state militia super-teams, except Cat-7 also happens to be an insidious criminal cabal. Of course, Haskell's plotting doles out more than just Amelia's search for her parents.

In a nod towards great minds thinking alike, Haskell bases the roots of superpowers in Amelia's universe on Nikola Tesla's mad experiments, same as with Andrew Seiple's DIRE books. In fact, Seiple has dubbed his superhero universe "Teslaverse." In Amelia's world, Tesla inadvertently triggered the advent of superpowers by activating his Wardenclyffe Tower experiment in 1903, causing three square miles of New York to vanish in an explosion that shattered windows in Manhattan. In essence, "Tesla had opened holes into other dimensions. Superpowers were nothing more than the physics or reality of another dimension inhabiting one person." It's an interesting take. Haskell further expands his world-building as Amelia runs into new characters, learns the startling truth behind the world's mightiest superhero, the Protector, and unearths an extinction-level threat lying in wait.

Superhero stories don't resonate squat unless the writer invests solid character work into the page. Haskell's character work is what sprained my finger. I wanted to see how Amelia - a paraplegic who is so self-sufficient, most times she doesn't allow you to dwell on her disability - keeps on beating the odds. As Arsenal, she's probably the most potent crimefighter in Arizona, let alone Phoenix. And she's always upgrading her tech armor. I love that while, on the surface, Major Force is the field leader, it's Amelia who actually runs tactics and strategies. And I love Kate Petrenelli almost as much as I love Amelia. Kate, codenamed Domino, is the Diamondbacks' empathetic teleporter and PR manager. More importantly, she's Amelia's best friend. There were times in the book when I was seriously worried about her.

What else? There's a troubled new teenaged girl member on the Diamondbacks whom I hope Amelia will take under her wing. There's development with Amelia's powerless childhood buddy, Carlos. Even Amelia's AI, Epic, seems more fleshed out with personality. So, there you have it. Characters that draw you in. Insane metahuman combat. Personal stakes and world-ending stakes. Amelia versus a global conspiracy. Not really a resolution with her parents. Some blah efforts at Amelia being romanced. And Amelia doing her very best Tony Stark/Cal Stringel imitation. Except, of course, Amelia Lockheart, a month away from turning 21, is very much her own fierce and distinct kickass person.
2352091
The squadron supreme has historically been Marvels analogs for the D.C. characters, with heroes that closely resemble superman or wonder woman for example. This volume focuses on an iteration of the team that is comprised of various either pre-existing or just different versions of characters that all had their home dimensions destroyed in secret wars and the lead up to it. The nighthawk in this book is from the supreme power (which I would highly recommend) universe for example. So what we have is a multiversial team that closely resembles the nucleus of most versions of the justice league in the main marvel universe. Their stated goal.is to protect this new world no matter the cost, and even if they have to go though the native scavengers teams to do it. Now the idea of a proactive and more violent superhero team is far from a new idea, actually it's a bit of a cliche at this point, but so far I like how James Robinson is writing this book to the point that I don't hold that against it. The art is also quite good, despite some minor questionable drawings of faces.
2842196
This is a superhero book that makes you believe in the great inspiration that superheroes can give. You don't need years of previous comic book knowledge to get into it, either. It's all right there and it's all great.
4778256
This volume is a collection of issues from a comic book miniseries that details some of the background of Jenny Sparks, founder of the superhero group The Authority, and how she recruited its original members. It is not necessary to have read any of the issues from the core series itself (or from its predecessor, Stormwatch), but it is certainly helpful. The first few issues of The Authority are collected in the volumes "Under New Management" and "Relentless".
In any case, the individual tales show Jenny Sparks, who wields the power of electricity, encountering certain critical superheroes (Apollo, the Midnighter, the Engineer, and so forth) and convincing them in her unique way to join her group. Because the ageless Ms. Sparks is the literal Spirit of the 20th Century, she was born on January 1 of 1900 and knows she will die at the approach of the new millenium. Her long lifespan and her key role in world history means that she has been present at practically every critical event over the past few decades and that she wields enormous power in the secret government of the world. (She arranges the election defeat of Gerald Ford because she's angered at the Nixon pardon and makes sure that Reagan "will be taken care of".)
There's a whole hidden history of which we, the plebeian masses, remain unaware, complete with thwarted alien invasions, secret bases, and contacts with parallel worlds, such as Sliding Albion. Thankfully, swashbuckling heroes such as Hemingway and Einstein are around to pitch in to help the lusty Ms. Sparks.
This is a glorious full-color world that's chock full of gadgets, byzantine plots, improbable encounters, thoroughly evil villains, buckets of blood, cigarettes, whisky, and sex. The tales span several decades, and include an encounter with the occult-obsessed Nazis (and a shoutout to a certain Indiana Jones) and a time-travelling sentient city from the future that's come back to our era to destroy humanity for religious reasons.
The irreverent and sloppily-dressed Ms. Sparks hates practically all governments, and since the secret cabals that rule the world are in some cases shown to engage in human sacrifice, it's easy to see why. Primarily, she's out to have a good time, and to kick a lot of butt.
Good stories and great fun, and excellent artwork. A must-have for those who enjoy The Authority or Planetary!
1991894
This is a wonderful superhero novel.  Perhaps more than any previous work of fiction, comicbook, prose, or other, SOON I WILL BE INVINCIBLE gives a reasonable, believable explanation for why a (mostly) sane, incredibly intelligent man would put on a colorful costume and try to conquer the world.  Dr. Impossible is a gift of a character, with wonderful bits of sarcastic wit and enough gray shadings in his morality to remind me of Severus Snape.  Alternate-chapter-narrator Fatale is not quite as interesting, but the information and twists in her chapters are.

Also, points to Austin Grossman for, basically, making Superman a dick.
524168
When we were young, considerably smaller and more vulnerable than most others in the world around us we had our fantasy heroes and our comic book heroes to fill the gaps.  Liesa Mignogna has gathered together a series of essays telling how various comic  book superheros played significant roles in each writer's life.  A few are mildly humorous.  Many are rather sad descriptions of horrible childhoods with rather abusive parents.  A fine book for the comic book fan. .