"Doomsday has returned in these tales from ACTION COMICS #900-904! The monster that once Superman's life in a battle that destroyed half of Metropolis is back for another round with the Man of Steel. Writer Paul Cornell (Doctor Who, KNIGHT AND SQUIRE) pens a tale that not only puts Superman in a fight for his life -- but in a fight for the life of Superboy, Supergirl and all members of the Superman family. "--Publisher.
The comic book that started it all. Superman’s very first appearance! In Action Comics #1 Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster not only launched one of the longest running comic book series of all time, they also captured the hearts of America as for the very first time they introduced the Man of Steel, the world’s most iconic superhero! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! The Man of Steel burst into the comic book world with a bang, kicking off the golden era of superheroes, paving the way for the hundreds if not thousands of super-powered heroes who have come since. As a distant planet takes its final breath, a scientist places his infant son into a space ship sending it to the planet Earth! Crash landing in rural Kansas, the boy is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, where the couple take in the boy as their own. Unbeknownst to them the boy will one day grow up to be Earth’s mightiest champion, Superman! The comic book that started it all. Superman’s very first appearance! In Action Comics #1 Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster not only launched one of the longest running comic book series of all time, they also captured the hearts of America as for the very first time they introduced the Man of Steel, the world’s most iconic superhero! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! The Man of Steel burst into the comic book world with a bang, kicking off the golden era of superheroes, paving the way for the hundreds if not thousands of super-powered heroes who have come since. As a distant planet takes its final breath, a scientist places his infant son into a space ship sending it to the planet Earth! Crash landing in rural Kansas, the boy is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, where the couple take in the boy as their own. Unbeknownst to them the boy will one day grow up to be Earth’s mightiest champion, Superman! The comic book that started it all. Superman’s very first appearance! In Action Comics #1 Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster not only launched one of the longest running comic book series of all time, they also captured the hearts of America as for the very first time they introduced the Man of Steel, the world’s most iconic superhero! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! The Man of Steel burst into the comic book world with a bang, kicking off the golden era of superheroes, paving the way for the hundreds if not thousands of super-powered heroes who have come since. As a distant planet takes its final breath, a scientist places his infant son into a space ship sending it to the planet Earth! Crash landing in rural Kansas, the boy is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, where the couple take in the boy as their own. Unbeknownst to them the boy will one day grow up to be Earth’s mightiest champion, Superman! The comic book that started it all. Superman’s very first appearance! In Action Comics #1 Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster not only launched one of the longest running comic book series of all time, they also captured the hearts of America as for the very first time they introduced the Man of Steel, the world’s most iconic superhero! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! The Man of Steel burst into the comic book world with a bang, kicking off the golden era of superheroes, paving the way for the hundreds if not thousands of super-powered heroes who have come since. As a distant planet takes its final breath, a scientist places his infant son into a space ship sending it to the planet Earth! Crash landing in rural Kansas, the boy is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, where the couple take in the boy as their own. Unbeknownst to them the boy will one day grow up to be Earth’s mightiest champion, Superman! The comic book that started it all. Superman’s very first appearance! In Action Comics #1 Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster not only launched one of the longest running comic book series of all time, they also captured the hearts of America as for the very first time they introduced the Man of Steel, the world’s most iconic superhero! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! The Man of Steel burst into the comic book world with a bang, kicking off the golden era of superheroes, paving the way for the hundreds if not thousands of super-powered heroes who have come since. As a distant planet takes its final breath, a scientist places his infant son into a space ship sending it to the planet Earth! Crash landing in rural Kansas, the boy is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, where the couple take in the boy as their own. Unbeknownst to them the boy will one day grow up to be Earth’s mightiest champion, Superman! The comic book that started it all. Superman’s very first appearance! In Action Comics #1 Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster not only launched one of the longest running comic book series of all time, they also captured the hearts of America as for the very first time they introduced the Man of Steel, the world’s most iconic superhero! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! The Man of Steel burst into the comic book world with a bang, kicking off the golden era of superheroes, paving the way for the hundreds if not thousands of super-powered heroes who have come since. As a distant planet takes its final breath, a scientist places his infant son into a space ship sending it to the planet Earth! Crash landing in rural Kansas, the boy is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, where the couple take in the boy as their own. Unbeknownst to them the boy will one day grow up to be Earth’s mightiest champion, Superman! The comic book that started it all. Superman’s very first appearance! In Action Comics #1 Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster not only launched one of the longest running comic book series of all time, they also captured the hearts of America as for the very first time they introduced the Man of Steel, the world’s most iconic superhero! Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! The Man of Steel burst into the comic book world with a bang, kicking off the golden era of superheroes, paving the way for the hundreds if not thousands of super-powered heroes who have come since. As a distant planet takes its final breath, a scientist places his infant son into a space ship sending it to the planet Earth! Crash landing in rural Kansas, the boy is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, where the couple take in the boy as their own. Unbeknownst to them the boy will one day grow up to be Earth’s mightiest champion, Superman!
Ages of Heroes, Eras of Men explores the changing depiction of superheroes from the comic books of the 1930s to the cinematic present. In this anthology, scholars from a variety of disciplines including history, cultural studies, Latin American studies, film studies, and English examine the superheros cultural history in North America with attention to particular stories and to the historical contexts in which those narratives appeared. Enduring comic book characters from DC and Marvel Comics including Superman, Iron Man, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Avengers are examined, along with lesser-known Canadian, Latino, and African-American superheroes. With a sweep of characters ranging from the Pulp Era to recent cinematic adaptations, and employing a variety of analytical frameworks, this collection offers new insights for scholars, students, and fans of the superhero genre.
In the early 1940s Superman was a much-needed hero for a nation on the brink of war. The Man of Steel was in his Golden Age, and with each new story, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were continuing to expand and enrich the world of their still-relatively-new creation. In these early adventures, Superman must protect the citizens of Metropolis from a variety of threats ranging from insurance scams and gangsters to spies and saboteurs. Plus, Lex Luthor returns to cement his place as Superman’s archnemesis, with more schemes and gadgets than any other villain facing the Man of Steel! Superman: The Golden Age Volume Four collects adventures from World’s Finest Comics #3-5, Superman #12-15 and Action Comics #41-47.In the early 1940s Superman was a much-needed hero for a nation on the brink of war. The Man of Steel was in his Golden Age, and with each new story, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were continuing to expand and enrich the world of their still-relatively-new creation. In these early adventures, Superman must protect the citizens of Metropolis from a variety of threats ranging from insurance scams and gangsters to spies and saboteurs. Plus, Lex Luthor returns to cement his place as Superman’s archnemesis, with more schemes and gadgets than any other villain facing the Man of Steel! Superman: The Golden Age Volume Four collects adventures from World’s Finest Comics #3-5, Superman #12-15 and Action Comics #41-47.
Since Superman first appeared on the cover of Action Comics #1 in 1938, the superhero has changed with the times to remain a relevant icon of American popular culture. This collection explores the evolution of the Superman character and demonstrates how his alterations mirror historical changes in American society. Beginning with the original comic book and ending with the 2011 Grounded storyline, these essays examine Superman's patriotic heroism during World War II, his increase in power in the early years of the Cold War, his death and resurrection at the end of the Cold War, and his recent dramatic reimagining. By looking at the many changes the Man of Steel has undergone to remain pertinent, this volume reveals as much about America as it does about the champion of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.
In the less than eight decades since Superman's debut in 1938, comic book superheroes have become an indispensable part of American society and the nation's dominant mythology. They represent America's hopes, dreams, fears, and needs. As a form of popular literature, superhero narratives have closely mirrored trends and events in the nation. This study views American history from 1938 to 2010 through the lens of superhero comics, revealing the spandex-clad guardians to be not only fictional characters but barometers of the place and time in which they reside. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Ever since the first appearances of Superman and Batman in comic books of the late 1930s, superheroes have been a staple of the popular culture landscape. Though initially created for younger audiences, superhero characters have evolved over the years, becoming complex figures that appeal to more sophisticated readers. While superhero stories have grown ever more popular within broader society, however, comics and graphic novels have been largely ignored by the world of academia. In Enter the Superheroes:American Values, Culture, and the Canon of Superhero Literature, Alex S. Romagnoli and Gian S. Pagnucci arguethat superheroes merit serious study, both within the academy and beyond. By examining the kinds of graphic novels that are embraced by the academy, this book explains how superhero stories are just as significant. Structured around key themes within superhero literature, the book delves into the features that make superhero stories a unique genre. The book also draws upon examples in comics and other media to illustrate the sociohistorical importance of superheroes—from the interplay of fans and creators to unique narrative elements that are brought to their richest fulfillment within the world of superheroes. A list of noteworthy superhero texts that readers can look to for future study is also provided. In addition to exploring the important roles that superheroes play in children’s learning, the book also offers an excellent starting point for discussions of how literature is evolving and why it is necessary to expand the traditional realms of literary study. Enter the Superheroes will be of particular interest to English and composition teachers but also to scholars of popular culture and fans of superhero and comic book literature.
Saturated in patriotic colors, Superman and Wonder Woman are about as American as baseball and apple pie. Superman, created in 1938, materialized as the brawny answer to the Great Depression, and when Wonder Woman arrived three years later, she supported her adopted country by fighting alongside Allied troops in World War II. As the proverbial mother and father of the superhero genre, these icons appeared to a society in crisis as unwavering beacons of national morality, a quality that lent them success on the battlefield—and on the newsstand. As new crises arise our comic-book champions continue to be called into action. They adapt and evolve but remain the same potent, if flawed, symbols of the American way. The artists in Men of Steel, Women of Wonder, an exhibition organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, wrestle with Wonder Woman’s standing as a feminist icon, position Superman as a Soviet-era weapon, and question the immigration status of both characters. Featuring more than seventy artworks that range from loving endorsements to brutal critiques of American culture, this exhibition catalog reveals the enduring presence of these characters and the diverse ways artists employ them.
Includes new and updated records with never-before-seen photography--from the new shortest living man and a slam-dunking parrot to the fiercest predators in the ocean.
