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Book Cover
E-book
Author Gavaler, Chris, author.

Title On the origin of superheroes : from the big bang to Action Comics no. 1 / Chris Gavaler
Published Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, [2015]
©2015

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Description 1 online resource
Contents Introduction: Origin story -- In the beginning -- Revolution -- A parliament of monsters -- Indians & cowboys -- Evolution -- Thou shalt not kill -- The superhero guide to love & sex -- Best of both worlds -- Epilogue: Magneto's giftshop
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"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-275) and index
Notes Online resource; title from PDF title page (EBSCO, viewed September 22, 2015)
Subject Heroes in literature.
Superheroes in literature.
Heroic virtue.
Heroes -- History
Heroes -- Mythology.
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY -- Literary.
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- General.
Heroes
Heroes in literature
Heroes -- Mythology
Heroic virtue
Superheroes in literature
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2015008647
ISBN 9781609383824
1609383826