Rating: - Novelty without the novelty
Written with the same idea as Max Brooks' "Zombie Survival Guide", this guide aims to give startup wannabe superheroes the basics. However, unlike Brooks' excellent ZSG, this book is written without the knowledge of comic book lore, without the zany and didactic wit, and most of all, without the substance. This book is merely a cash-in on the current superhero fad, and worst of all, the authors make almost no humorous allusions to heroes of the past.

Certainly there are overt references to Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man, none of which required more than watching the films of the same name. This reviewer understands the use of trademarked material, but knows also that the writers could have used thinly veiled references for any superhero fanatic (the people who would actually buy this book) to recognize and nod at. Instead it presents itself as a farce, which is fine, except for the fact that its title suggests a serious (and hopefully humourous deadpan) tone to it; in that regard it fails.

It is obvious to anyone who reads this book and knows their stuff that this book is a rarely amusing cash-in. At nearly eleven dollars for about 120 pages (with VERY large font and pictures), one cannot help but think that this book was pumped out in a weekend, with almost no research and even less wit.

Avoid this one.