Book Review
With the summer of 2025 promising some particularly big superhero blockbusters on the screen, now is a great time to learn more about comics and the superhero background from the printed page.
American Comics: A History by Jeremy Dauber: The book for anyone looking for a thoroughly researched history of a medium that is, though not uniquely American, distinctly tied to the USA. Newspaper comics have entertained the public from lampooning politics in the 18th and 19th centuries (as just one beginning of a long tradition), to “weeklies” offering recurring characters, to strips such as Peanuts to Calvin and Hobbes to the present assortment running in full color on Sundays. “Graphic novels”, a term with greater socially allocated dignity, have more recently told stories about the Holocaust (Maus) to the experiences of second-generation immigrants (American Born Chinese) to memoirs about coming to terms with sexual identity (Fun Home). Comic books have used the medium to dabble in various genres across eras, such as love stories. And even the “superhero comic book” has faced a long history of ups and downs, from publishers screwing over creators, to the Comics Code Authority, to crossovers and reboots of all kinds. This book is proof that truth is often just as interesting as fiction, especially with Jeremy Dauber writing this well.
Slugfest: The “Epic” Battle Between DC and Marvel by Reed Tucker is largely a combination of preferences in the minds of fans and friendly rivalry between businesses. Each company has, whether on the big screen or in the comics, pushed each other to rise to the challenge of quality and attracting interest. The Superman vs. Fantastic Four: First Steps July showdown might not be the “Barbieheimer” event of 2025, but the twin releases of superhero movies that promise hope and the better kind of nostalgia sharpen attention on a movie “genre” that has been accused of too-frequent missteps recently. Without Action Comics #1, there would never have been Amazing Fantasy #15; without the game-changing teams and characters like the Fantastic Four or Spider-Man, DC might have never created or shaped some of its characters to be more dynamic or nuanced. Without the 1978 Superman or the 1989 Batman film, X-Men in2000 or Spider-Man in 2002 would have never existed. Comic authors/artists gaining name recognition has increased reader interest in any project/character they became involved in and drawn attention to characters in both companies. Marvel Comic’s “Distinguished Competition” (as Stan Lee would phrase it) has kept distinguishing itself and its “competition” for decades, and, as this distinguished book makes clear, will continue to do so.
DC Cinematic Universe: A Celebration of DC at the Moviesby Stephen Wiacek and Nick Jones: When DC seeks to reboot itself on-screen to rise to the level of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even as mass hits such as The Dark Knight Trilogy still rank as some of the best superhero movies ever created—and excellently received in their own right—taking a broader and deeper look at the long history of DC comic adaptations on the big screen makes for an educational and insightful ride. The book begins in 1941 and ends in 2023, even if the story never will, and it has plenty of information, pictures, and fun to keep readers turning the pages and eventually sitting down for a movie marathon. It includes side bits of trivia about notable small-screen adaptations, information on how some movies were significant enough to affect the source material, and plenty of new looks alongside old ones. Some sections are longer than others, dedicated to the more culturally significant—Superman in 1978, Batman Begins in 2005, Wonder Woman in 2017—but all the sections, regardless of the movie’s quality, are fun reads. And when put together like this, they make for an excellent book.
MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studiosby Gavin Edwards, Joanna Robinson, and Dave Gonzales: It seems impossible to believe in 2025 that the Marvel Cinematic Universe could have ever been anything other than a (perhaps mildly faltering) box-office juggernaut, but just as “Tony Stark…[built] this in a CAVE! With a box of SCRAPS!”, Kevin Feige and company built the MCU from Marvel’s less-appreciated heroes and turned them into A-listers. Whether heroes stormed the big screen in multiple showdowns or tackled the small screen on networks and/or streaming platforms, it’s safe to say that Marvel Studios has outdone anyone’s expectations—just like this book does. With an in-depth timeline, an honest perspective that bypasses mindless criticism or flattery in favor of fun and fact, quotes from a variety of sources to give a fuller picture of moving pictures, no matter where the MCU goes next, this book is a full account of where it’s been.
All of the Marvels: Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told: Douglas Wolk did what even the likes of Thor and Thanos would probably consider impossible: read every Marvel comic book (over twenty-seven thousand). His marvelous book does a comprehensive analysis of the universe created in 1961 and expanding ever since, neatly combining what could have been several books into one. It’s a history lesson that goes over the creation of what would become the Marvel universe and then on how real-life events have impacted the in-universe events of Marvel. It’s an in-depth discussion of characters and teams from the Fantastic Four to Spider-Man to the X-Men to Shang-Chi (a character that he, while reading and enjoying the strong character development, had not believed would see the light of film…but in a footnote, he was happy to retract said belief) to more. It’s a compilation of the timelines of comic publications, tracing the path of different eras of development and plotlines. And, most of all, it’s a tour through grand-scale adventures led by the most erudite guide in this specific field that anyone wanting to learn or share passion with could want.
Superman: The High-Flying History of the Man of Steelby Larry Tye: Once upon a time, two boys from humble beginnings Ohio came up with an idea that would one day reach spectacular heights…Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who created the first comic book superhero. Superman himself didn’t meet the world until 1938, and it was a long and uphill climb for his creators, especially in the aftermath of dealing with the legalese of publishers. He was an instant hit in an emerging medium primed to reach then-contemporary audiences and a genre-creating character that would make his way out of comics to several other mediums. Larry Tye flies in writing this book to heights that the Big Blue Boy Scout reaches, showing how something to believe in became someone who endured against the initial odds, in the face of a comic world jam-packed with superheroes, and sometimes less-than-stellar adaptations, showing that Supes has often competed against his own expectations that readers have created and demanded for their hero. Tights or no tights, shorts or no shorts, Tye shows us that Superman isn’t going anywhere, and for very good reason…just as there are plenty of very good reasons—from trivia big and small to the straightforward ability to absorb readers—to give this book a read.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clayby Michael Chabon: Sammy Klayman (renaming himself “Sam Clay”) teams up with his cousin Joe Kavalier to create and write their own superhero comics in the 1930s (the “Golden Age of Comics”). However, beset on all sides by publisher legalese, Nazis, forbidden love, and World War II, our heroes struggle to carve out a lasting place in the world and get their piece of the pie. This book deserved its Pulitzer; it’s The Godfather of literature, engaging and dynamic in every way, and just…well, amazing.
(No adaptation could ever so much as hope to replace the book, with its power of prose and ability to scope out and reach epic heights, but if nothing else, it would be interesting to see the adventures of Kavalier and Clay’s creations, including the Escapist and Luna Moth, in some visual format.)
By Grace Dietz
Grace is an Editorial Assistant at Technica Editorial
