On the origin of superheroes
Subtitle: from the big bang to Action Comics no. 1
By: Chris Gavaler
Publisher: University of Iowa Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 295
ISBN-13: 9781609383817
Subjects: Superheroes in literature; Heroic virtue; Heroes; Mythology; Heroes in literature; History
Other titles: Superheroes
Description: "Most readers think that superheroes began with Superman in 1938, but that Kryptonian rocket didn't just drop out of the sky. By the time Superman's creators were born, the superhero's most defining elements--secret identities, aliases, disguises, signature symbols, traumatic origin stories, extraordinary powers, self-sacrificing altruism--were already well-rehearsed standards. Superheroes have a sprawling, action-packed history that predates Superman by decades and even centuries. On the Origin of Superheroes is a quirky, personal tour of the mythology, literature, philosophy, history, and grand swirl of ideas that have permeated western culture in the centuries that led up to the first appearance of superheroes as we know them today: Superman's appearance in Action Comics, no. 1 in 1938"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.