For a layman such as myself, this book is both good and bad. It's good because it introduces a variety of topics I wasn't aware of, being a comic book novice. However, the downside was that it was written in a more academic fashion, and isn't really "fun" to read. I can definitely see it being of interest to those who really like comics and would like the topics in this book, but for a newbie, it's a little dry.

This was an amazing guide, I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot about the history of this genre, definitely would recommend it!

A fascinating look at superhero comics, from it's history, to analysis of its graphical side. I love how deep into the history of the genre Gavaler goes and all of it's influences. I also love that he doesn't gloss over it's roots in bigotry, and that he pays respect to representation of women and queer people. All in all a bit on the academic side for the casual reader, but still a valuable book.

I love comic books, I love graphic novels... So this was the perfect read for me! It was so interesting to learn about the history of comic books and learn who some of the artists were for some of my favourite superheroes!

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.

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.

Really useful book with a lot of information and resources that can be used for reference, interest and education.

Superhero Comics is a bit on the academic side, but full of history and trivia that will thrill any fan of the superhero genre.

Superhero Comics is my second Chris Gavaler book looking at the genre (I read On the Origin of Superheroes: From the Big Bang to Action Comics No. 1), and considering how impressed I was with both of them, I will gladly pick up a third if there is one.

The book is part of the Bloomsbury Comics Study Series, which aims for the sweet spot between the academic and the lay reader in creating a text that can especially be used in the college classroom, one that can “satisfy the needs of novices and experts alike.” The end may push the boundaries of that “novice” more than a little, but until that point Gaveler does a nice job of keeping to that directive; Superhero Comics is a thoughtful, well researched academic work that is highly accessible.

Note: This review will suffer from some vagueness and lack of quotes thanks to my usually trusty Kindle somehow wiping out all of my notes/highlights. Apologies in advance (plus, you know, grrr)

Gavaler divides the text into these segments:
o Historical Overview (divided in pre-comics and pre-Comics Code/First Code eras)
o The Mythic Superhero
o The Imperial Superhero
o The Wellborn Superhero
o The Vigilante Superhero
o The Fascist Superhero
o The MAD Superhero
o Social and Cultural Impact
o The Black Superhero
o The Gendered Superhero
o Critical Uses
o The Visual Superhero
o Key Texts
o The Authorial Superhero

A prologue does some definitional groundwork, explain his working use of the term “superhero,” the various roles of everyone involved in creating a comic, such as the writer, penciler, colorer, etc. and how the genre breaks down in terms of eras depending on various categorizing systems.

Chapter One looks at the argument that superheroes are merely a continuation of the ancient myths and folktales humans have always told one another. Campbell’s monomyth makes an appearance, along with discussion of the MCI—a scale of how easily ideas are remembered and thus how more likely they are to be retold. Counterintuitive ideas (such as immortality) are easier to remember up to a certain point, the sweet spot number being labeled the “minimum counterintuitive” or MCI. In this context Gavaler points out that most superheroes have only one counterintuitive trait: “Flash moves inhumanly fast; Hawkgirl has wings; Plastic Man’s body is malleable.” When a superhero has more than one, they’re usually lined (think Professor X mental power encompassing a range of singular abilities or Spider-Man’s multiple powers all deriving from the base core “spider” quality). Other aspects of “myth” are evaluated as well, such as the tendency toward violence or how they exemplify (or not) moral development theories.

Chapter Two delves into the connection between superheroes and imperialism/colonialism, stepping back into pre-comic heroes such as SpringHeel’d Jack, John Carter, Tarzan, Doc Savage and others. The imperialism (and its accordant racism) are directly embedded in these tales, often declared outright. Moving into the modern era, Gavaler points to (slightly)more subtle examples, such as Orientalism—the way so many comic heroes are tutored by obscurely wise Asian folk in exotic and hidden Asian lands. Dropping back into the Nineteenth and then moving into the early Twentieth Century, Chapter Three makes the point that superheroes are direct descendants of the eugenics movement (and the idea of “the hybrid” as an off-shoot), with examples including the Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, Tarzan again, and Superman in both the Siegel and the Nietzschean form.

While most people may be familiar with the controversy over the superhero as vigilante, Chapter Three went down for me at least an unexpected path, with a long, detailed exploration of the superhero story’s connection to the Klu Klux Klan. At first blush this may seem a stretch (and admittedly at times perhaps at second blush as well), but Gavaler makes a thoughtful, supported case for it. Similar is the section on fascist roots/influence, or “the fantasy of benign totalitarianism [and] authoritarian violence” which lies at the heart of characters like Superman and Batman. After examining this through the wars and then anti-communism and the Red Scare, Gavaler points to the self-aware comics in this regard, such as the highly regarded Watchmen, and how Marvel shifted to heroes disliked and even actively pursued by the authorities) while DC “maintained” its Cold War sensibility for some time. Gavaler quotes Alin Rautoiu’s argument that the Marvel heroes began a “distinct genre,” one that “concentrated on reshaping or even destroying the original narrative.”

As strong as these sections are, the cultural focus on the Black and Gendered Superhero are especially good in their depth and detail, tracing the earliest of days to how the greater number of African-American writers and illustrators allowed for more sophisticated, complex African-American characters (to nobody’s surprise). Gavaler also goes beyond the big two (DC/Marvel) to discuss Milestone and Image. Meanwhile, in the Gendered Superhero, the focus on hyper-physicality is explained in terms of the impact on the creation and presentation of female superheroes, who are instead often hyper-sexualized. While things have improved, Gavaler makes clear it’s still a mixed bag, with comics such as Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel offering non-sexualized female characters even as other titles have “continued and expanded female hyper-sexualization,” such as the presentation of Harley Quinn. From there Gavaler moves into non-binary presentation, with a visit with everyone’s favorite pansexual, Deadpool.

From there we move into an impressively detailed look at the visual elements, particularly for a book that isn’t focused on the visual as a whole. Illustrative examples are simple and clear, allowing them to work even better as examples. As one might expect, Gavaler references Scott McCloud, but also brings in other reference works, all before entering into an uber-detailed analysis, or “case study” as Gavaler calls it, of Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz’s Electra: Assassin. To be honest, this one was a bit too dense/detailed for me, and it’s here that the text pushes that “layperson” aspiration, but I can’t complain about the commitment and certainly this sort of case study is an important model for college level classes.

Finally, there is a great list of “key texts” and resources for those interested in continuing their exploration of the topic.

As noted, there were times I thought Gavaler pushed too far in his links or conclusions for my liking. But in many other works where the same as held true my reaction is usually limited to “Oh, c’mon” since there’s so little support or substance or thought to engage with behind the claims. But when Gavaler stretches (I think) a point, instead of “Oh, C’mon,” I find myself backtracking, rereading some of what led to the point, and thinking more critically of my own stance, even if I eventually stick with my original view. In other words, Superhero Comics doesn’t simply inform but makes ones think, even about topics one is generally familiar with. Which is why it’s highly recommended, as was his first book, On the Origin of Superheroes, and why I’ll be picking up his next book on comics as well.

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.

Over the years, I've written several papers for school that attempted to elevate the subject of comics to scholarly discourse (always when the subject was of my own choosing, of course, never assigned), and I've read several books, including Superhero Comics, that actually achieve this goal. It does my heart good to see the evidence that you can now learn about comics in an academic setting.

The book's initial chapters do an excellent job of contextualizing the impact of history on the trends in comics. Later on, we learn how to talk about the styles of art and the structure of panels, which is important, but not nearly as page-turning. Finally, an analysis of an Elektra comic provides an example of how to really put those tools to use. Overall, an elucidating read, fascinating for those of us who know that comics are much more than a disposable diversion.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

I have to thank the author for his hard work because Ii think you would have to work really hard to make a book about comics as dry, dense and, in parts, as tedious as this one was. There were some bright spots in it, and while I admit I'm a proponent of inline references, when there are so many, and so densely-packed as to make a reader lose track of what he's reading, that, for me, is a problem. The book was the antithesis of a comic book - dry, verbose, and nary an image in it, but perhaps the worst problem with it was that it told us nothing we did not already know, at least in the general if not the particular. And most of the references were to works of others, so this has already been reported. Little if any of it was original research.

I appreciated that the book covered racism which is still rampant in comic books even today, misogyny which is even more rampant, and homophobia, which arguably is more prevalent than is superhero chauvinism, but I felt the work was very patchy. For example, the overview of World War Two comic books, which was quite well done, constantly referred the reader back to real world events, whereas the entire section covering gender issues by contrast made no almost references to real world events other than the comic book code.

There was one particularly interesting incident when we were referred to an excellent article by by Teresa Jusino, titled "Dear Marvel: Stop Sexualizing Female Teenage Characters Like Riri Williams" which appeared online in The Mary Sue. The article was great, and I realize that the writer of an article in a situation like this it has no control over what ads appear on the page where her article appears, but The Mary Sue sure does. Pot, meet kettle! One ad titillatingly invited people who had finished this article to "check out what Tiger Woods's ex looks like now." Another, which advised us to "do denim different" featured a guy facing the camera and a girl with her butt towards it, posing very much in emulation of the way comic book females are sexually depicted, butt sticking out to the voyeur, and deferring to the masculine guy. Who cares about her face, right, much less her mind!

Due to the flowing nature of ads online these days, the rotation means you may not see these ads when you look at that page, but I can pretty much guarantee you will see something equally hypocritical. When I went back just now, there was a different foot-of-page ad which suggested rather salaciously, "Nancy McKeon gave the crew more than expected." A refresh of the page gave an ad which had nothing to do with clothes or women's accessories or 'how good she looks now'. No, it was about a game you can play that allows you to follow your city through history. No problem, right? Wrong! The problem was that it showed a young girl playing the game wearing what was barely more than a long T-shirt, her thighs exposed.

In short, the problem isn't the comic books, it's society. Comic books are a mere reflection of that, Cure society and the comic book problem will go away, I guarantee it, but you will not exorcise the comic book problem while it's run by adolescent white males (regardless of their chronological age), who embody societal sentiments which are pressed on them from an early age, and the problem in the comics (and in the movies, and on TV, and in non-graphic literature, and in sports, and in the military, and in businesses, and in religion) will continue unabated as long as no one in power is seeking to change the way women and people of color are viewed and treated in society at large.

The problem was made quite clear by the response by the artist who drew the offending cover and who saw nothing wrong with hypersexualizing a fifteen year old girl: J Scott Campbell who I shall personally boycott from this day forward because he is proudly part of the problem. Also part of the problem is that this book reported his response, but made no condemnation of it. I honestly feel that a female author might have had more to say on the subject.

This lack of commentary was even more evident when I read, "Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s 2007 The Boys expands the critique to the genre as a whole, presenting all male superheroes, even a version of Superman, as endemic rapists." There was no comment from the author on this nor evidence presented in support or denial of the claim. It was like the author was simply reporting what others have said, yet was indifferent to what he was reporting. he offered no opinion of his own, not even analysis of others' claims. I don't buy the genderist claim that "all men are closet rapists" bullshit, and I resent the implication.

Whether comic book 'heroes' might be in such a category and what it says about the people who write their stories, is a different kettle of fiction, and an issue which could have been explored to some profit. Personally, I think James Bond as depicted by Ian Fleming was a shoo-in for membership of that club (and take 'club' to mean any variety). Even some of the movies, particularly Goldfinger, were traveling the same shameful path, but this author let it go without a word. This convinced me that he was simply and coldly reporting, and had no wish to get his hands dirty, which begs the obvious question: if he cares so little about what he's writing, then why should I care at all?

So there are abundant articles which complain about the hypersexualization of comic-book female characters, but nothing to suggest where this all comes from. An article by Laura Hudson in Comics Alliance online, makes the same mistake. It's a good article, but it once again misses the point. The Big Sexy Problem with Superheroines and Their 'Liberated Sexuality'. At least this page contained no suggestive ads (not when I read it!), but nearly all of the ads on that page, whether for comic books or other items, featured women. Yes! Woman sell, and this is part of the problem: a problem the size of which Laura Hudson and Comics Alliance have not yet begun to address I'm sorry to report.

The fact that this book did not raise these issues bothered me, but even this was not the biggest problem with it. I would like it to have been, but this was not the book's focus. The focus was on how the comic books have changed though, and been influenced by history, and how they're tied to society (at least during WW2!), and many comic book characters were mentioned, but for a book focused on comic books, there was curiously not one single instance of any one of these characters who were mentioned actually illustrated in the book! A book about graphic novels which contains no graphics?!

Nor was there any sequence showing how characters had been masculinized or sexualized over the history of the comic. There was one chapter of a comic book I had never heard of, depicted in black and white towards the end, and there was an ungodly long spread detailing how comic book panels are laid out - with illustrations! I failed to see the point of that since anyone who has read more than one comic is quite aware of it. There was nothing about the characters themselves in terms of how they looked or how they had changed. I felt this was a sorry omission. Yes, you can find most of them online, but it's a pain to have to stop reading and go look for characters you have never heard of so you call illustrate for yourself the point the author thinks he's making; and good luck finding the exact picture to which he's referring unless you're prepared to make a detailed and lengthy search in many cases.

I read at one point of a cover where a female character towered over two main male characters and I could not find that one, but I found many comic book covers where one cover character towers over others and so in this case, I failed to see the point the author was trying to make because there apparently was not one!

So overall, a disappointing read and not at all what I had hoped for, much less expected. I think I shall in future avoid pseudo-scholarly commentaries on comics and simply read the comics! As long as they're not illustrated by J Scott Campbell or others like him! I wish the author all the best, but I cannot recommend this one.

As a kid. I thought of comic books as akin to Saturday morning cartoons. I certainly didn't think of them as art, let alone literature. I would read a comic and then , a couple of weeks later, toss it in the trash. Would that I had kept them all. For now, the scholarly study of comics has become a cottage industry.
Case in point, This inaugural volume in the Bloomsbury Comics Studies series on superheros. The superhero genre resembles heavy metal rock, emotional, over the top and formulaic, but, at times capable of deeper insights than radio-friendly pop.
Superhero Comics begins by tracing the origins of the crime-fighting hero in 19th Century pulp novels. Gavaler shows the secret identity, double personalty of many superheros had persecutors in popular novels like The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Gavaler's assertion that the genre was influenced by the KKK and fascism are bound to be controversial. But he makes a case that the Klan's capes and flowing robes, along with their hidden identities were free adopted by Golden Age artists and writers.
The book concludes with a long chapter on the visual layout and design of comic books that really belongs in another book.
Recommended by series comic book fans. Casual readers may be intimidated by the wealth of detail.

Superhero Comics gives a history of various types of superheroes and superhero-related issues, with slightly more attention given to earlier history. Included as well is a detailed look at artistic page layout and techniques, which perhaps goes more in-depth than those not having a background in art or design might desire. I found the chapters on "Social & Cultural Impact" to be the most interesting. This book would likely appeal more to serious comic book/superhero fans than casual ones, but is informative and well-researched.

"Superhero Comics" gives a good overview over the development of superheroes in comics. I especially enjoyed the chapter on female and queer superheroes. It's an easy read and there some really interesting facts about the history behind superhero comics.

Very interesting and comprehensive history on comics that feature superheroes.

This is very good, pretty encyclopedic and the subject areas are interesting

There are gaps but the book would have to be so much bigger .

Recomended

This would make the perfect textbook for a class on the history of Comics. It’s great for comic fans who want to go beyond the pages of the latest DC or Marvel adventure to understand and appreciate how these stories evolved and what were their origins.

As a woman I’ve often been irritated that otherwise great stories get overshadowed by illustrations of female characters where you can barely see their faces/bodies because their breast size would rival a porn star. After all male characters generally aren’t drawn with a certain part of their anatomy outsizing their body so why should women be treated differently? I finally found the answer in this book.

You will learn how the aspects of male and female characters began and adapted as society changed over the years. What characteristics define someone as a ‘Super Hero’ as there must be more requirements than access to spandex? You’ll even learn some interesting legal history like finding out the word ‘Superhero’ is actually owned by Marvel & DC.

After reading this I definitely have a greater appreciation and understanding for what comics have given to our culture, how they’ve evolved and why we need them in society. Parents would be well deserved to read this so they can understand taking comics away from their kids because they don’t think they’re good education material or whatever is actually really stupid.

A great book for die hard comics book fans. All the history and much more. An enjoyable read.