Was Superman a Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed
Posted in Graphic Novels on 20. Mar, 2010
$4.58
Product Description
Fascinating and often bizarre true stories behind more than 130 urban legends about comic book culture
Was Superman a Spy? demystifies all of the interesting stories, unbelievable anecdotes, wacky rumors, and persistent myths that have piled up like priceless back issues in the seventy-plus years of the comic book industry, including:
* Elvis Presley's trademark hairstyle was based on a comic book character (True)
* Stan Lee featured a gay character in one of Marvel's 1960s war comics (False)
* Wolverine of the X-Men was originally meant to be an actual wolverine! (True)
* What would have been DC's first black superhero was changed at the last moment to a white hero (True)
* A Dutch inventor was blocked from getting a patent on a process because it had been used previously in a Donald Duck comic book (True)
With many more legends resolved, Was Superman a Spy? is a must-have for the legions of comic book fans and all seekers of "truth, justice, and the American way."
Was Superman a Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed
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Brian Cronin’s Comics Should Be Good blog delves into comics mythology–the real-life kind. He debunks false stories, examines true one, and basically just presents the story behind the stories. Was Superman a Spy? collects some of his best entries, all in one compulsively readable volume.
Did I say compulsively readable? You bet. The stories are short enough that you find yourself saying, “Just one more” time and time again, until you’ve finished the book faster than you imagined you would. Was Superman a Spy? covers decades of comics lore, including the creations of its most pivotal and defining heroes. Along the way, it covers the whys and hows of many industry decisions, shows how business motives often trumped creative ones, examines the “could-have-beens” and “almost weres” of the format, and looks at how human foibles and strengths played into the creation of comics.
The book is divided up into three sections: DC, Marvel, and then a roundup of all the other companies. Some might see this as a slight to the indies and the lesser-known publishers, but at least Cronin gives ample time to many different characters, creators, and companies. That his book mirrors the focus of the marketplace seems natural.
Some of the stories inside are well-tread for most longtime comics readers (the creator of Wonder Woman, and her truth-cajoling magic lasso, was also the inventor of the lie detector; the sad and complicated story behind EC Comics’ troubles), but many are fascinating looks into the behind-the-scenes discussions and battles that went on in the industry (the creation of gay comics characters, for example).
Because Cronin is such a swift storyteller, one who gets to the point quickly and without cheekiness or coy rambling, Was Superman a Spy? is one of the easiest and most fun reads about comics. There’s tons to learn here, an array of things about the craft that prove why and how it has always been so interesting.
– John Hogan
Rating: 5 / 5
Brian Cronin’s book, “Was Superman a Spy,” purports to be an overview of urban legends and myths throughout the comics industry, with the intent to confirm or debunk them. Instead, it’s an overview of the history of superhero comics, with the majority of its attention given to the Big Two, Marvel and DC.
That doesn’t make it bad. Many chapters are thorough, and have enough new and interesting facts and factoids that keep the reader interested. However, certain problems arise from either a writing or an editing perspective, or possibly both.
First of all, Cronin includes chapters on “DC Comics Miscellanea,” “Marvel Comics Miscellanea,” and “Various Comic Book Companies.” While the information contained in these chapters is interesting, there seems to be little or no attempt at organization. While I understand that these chapters are intended to focus on miscellanea, there are no subheadings to sections, simply a lurch from topic to topic, seemingly at random. The chapter entitled “Various Comic Book Companies,” in particular, has elements regarding a lot of the litigation between companies and could have been an interesting and focused discussion about intellectual property while maintaining the interest level. Instead, it just…lurches.
Second, the tonal shifts are disconcerting. The overviews of DC and Marvel, as well as the chapters on major characters, tend to be interesting and entertaining, with a touch of the scholar about them. Other chapters seem slapdash, written from a highly opinionated perspective that jars with the rest of the book. In addition, Cronin loves exclamation marks the way metal bands love umlauts. It’s kind of sloppy.
Finally, Cronin seems preoccupied with Hollywood and film versions of characters. Sometimes the discussion is interesting (The Incredible Hulk), other times it seems pointless (does anyone care that Jonathan Frakes was once paid to dress up as Captain America for a Comic Convention?).
I think that, to a degree, Cronin suffered from an inattentive editor.
I somehow get the impression that this was rushed to meet a printing deadline, since parts of the book seem so unpolished. However, it’s still worth reading. The content and information provided gets 5 stars from me. The slapdash nature of many of the chapters and the tonal shifts/writing style get about 2.5 stars.
My advice is to pick up Scott Tipton and Chris Ryall’s Comic Books 101: The History, Methods and Madness first, for a better overview of the history of the industry. If you’re still interested, come on back and read Cronin’s book. It’s decent.
Rating: 3 / 5
As a longtime reader of the Author’s Comic Book Legends blog, I really got this to support him. I read it in a few days and really enjoyed it. The structure of the book feels kinda disjointed and the transitions between legends are so abrasive. I understand that the structure of the blog wouldn’t work because in the book 99% of the “legends” are true. If the description of the book sounds interesting you will be pleased.
Rating: 4 / 5
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: 4 / 5
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.
Rating: 4 / 5