On the origin of superheroes : from the big bang to Action Comics no. 1 /
Gavaler, Chris,
On the origin of superheroes : from the big bang to Action Comics no. 1 / Chris Gavaler. - Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, (c)2015. - 1 online resource
Includes bibliographies and index.
"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"--
9781609383824
Heroes in literature.
Superheroes in literature.
Heroic virtue.
Heroes--History.
Heroes--Mythology.
Electronic Books.
PN56 / .O584 2015
On the origin of superheroes : from the big bang to Action Comics no. 1 / Chris Gavaler. - Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, (c)2015. - 1 online resource
Includes bibliographies and index.
"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"--
9781609383824
Heroes in literature.
Superheroes in literature.
Heroic virtue.
Heroes--History.
Heroes--Mythology.
Electronic Books.
PN56 / .O584 2015