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Rating:  -
This book examines "more than 130" legends about comic book culture. Most of these stories deal with some of the stranger occurances in the comic book industry. The book heavily leans toward DC and Marvel, with much less written about other comic book companies, but that's understandable. I knew a lot of the stories in here beforehand, but there were also a lot that I hadn't heard before. A very enjoyable look at the quirkier side of the comic book industry.
Rating: -
Brian Cronin has expanded the comic book history discussions from his "Comic Book Legends Revealed" column on his "Comics Should Be Good" website into this paperback. The eleven chapters are divided into three parts: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Other Comics Creators. Cronin offers brief histories of the major American comic book companies and then groups his trivia nuggets by main characters: Chapter 1 is "Superman"; Chapter 5 is "Spider-Man", etc. Interspersed throughout the text are over 100 small black and white graphics of comic book covers, panels and sketches. While this book is at times interesting and enjoyable, the author's approach seems to work better on his blog than in a $14 book. Much of the information seems banal compared to the explosive promises of the back cover blurbs, especially the brief accounts of DC and Marvel which are probably already familiar to most hardcore fans, the book's supposed target demographic. As with many books that are compilations of shorter works, many of these segments flow awkwardly into one another, with some points repeated throughout the book (as aptly noted by other reviewers). The author's enthusiasm for the subject ultimately helps overcome these flaws and makes this a four-star review instead of a three-star one. This book seems best for a new comic book fan ready to learn some basic history of the genre as well as be enthused by some of the more obscure information herein.
Rating:  -
I wish this book was better than it ended up being. It started out fairly interesting but quickly rand out of steam and descended into bland fact regurgitation. It probably could have been better fleshed out and the author's
writing style is utterly forgetable.
Rating: -
A really solid, well written book. Being a lifelong comic book fan/historian myself... I knew a lot of the stories already. But it's always fun to discover again and fnd out new things while doing it.
Sometimes the chapters didn't flow together as smoothly as you'd like... but that fault was made up by the entertaining writing style.
Overall an excellent read! Any comic nut should own it!
Rating: -
WAS SUPERMAN A SPY? is a fun read and the author writes in an interesting manner. There are chunks of comic lore in the book -- i.e., the Hulk's real name? Robert Bruce Banner (and the story behind that name) -- and every segment is provided in a few short paragraphs, allowing for easy reading. Still, too much of the book is dedicated to only a few major comic characters. Superman, Batman, Spider-man and Captain America covered at length, as do the publishers, DC and Marvel...but only a tiny fraction of the book is dedicated to all of the other comic companies and characters in the world. If you're a fan of the author's internet "Comic Urban Legend" site, you'll likely be disappointed that he uses a different format for his book. At his site, he poses a reader's question and answers it, frequently with pictures. In the book, only one question is asked (Was Superman a Spy?...and nobody really asks the question, it's only there because it makes for a strong title for the book), there's a disappointing number of pictures offered, and the pictures are b&w tiny, tiny images. Worth the money but it could have been -- well, super.
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