- Description
- 1 online resource (295 pages) : illustrations.
- Summary
- "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"--
- Uniform Title
- On the origin of superheroes (Online)
- Alternative Title
- On the origin of superheroes (Online)
- Subject
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-275) and index.
- Access (note)
- Access restricted to authorized users.
- LCCN
- 2015008647
- OCLC
- ssj0001555825
- Author
Gavaler, Chris.
- Title
On the origin of superheroes [electronic resource] : from the big bang to Action Comics no. 1 / Chris Gavaler.
- Imprint
Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, [2015]
- Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-275) and index.
- Access
Access restricted to authorized users.
- Connect to: