How to Read Superhero Comics and Why
"A book like this is way overdue. I’m just glad someone finally had the balls to write it."—Joe Casey, writer of Wildcats and Automatic Kafk"Exceptional"—Today's Books"...a fascinating exegesis of superhero comics, outlining how the main movement of the genre since its inception has been toward self-cannibalization, which some have chosen to call metafiction...he does a pretty good job explaining why they are what they are and why they're never likely to really ascend to anything else. An entertaining read...it's nice for a change to see comics taken seriously as subjects of literary criticism. We could use more of it."—Comicbookresources.com"The strengths of the book are the many [...] connections made to literary and psychoanalytical figures, the attempt to explain the metamorphosis of a new type of superhero comic, and a close reading of the comic books used to support the book's thesis. The book does add new dimensions to the much-overworked subject of superhero comic books."—Choice, May 2002 & May 2003"Klock's strength lies in his commitment to looking at comics in a novel way, through the lens of literary analysis. He melds his encyclopedic knowledge of the superhero genre with the language of literary theory so as to join seemingly disparate worlds and to better inform the reader how comic book narratives have built upon and referenced one another throughout the history of their development." -Children's Literature Association Quarterly"The strengths of the book are the many [...] connections made to literary and psychoanalytical figures, the attempt to explain the metamorphosis of a new type of superhero comic, and a close reading of the comic books used to support the book's thesis. The book does add new dimensions to the much-overworked subject of superhero comic books."—Choice, May 2002 & May 2003