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Was Superman A Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed (2009)

by Brian Cronin(Favorite Author)

3.63 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0452295327 (ISBN13: 9780452295322)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Plume

review 1: WAS SUPERMAN A SPY? is chock-full of information and dirty little secrets about comic book companies' pasts. The big two (DC and Marvel) are tackled, as well as other current and no-longer-existent independent comic book companies. The author, Brian Cronin, seemingly did a lot of research to uncover mysteries and validate (or disprove) urban legends. There was also quite a bit of information about subjects and situations that I never even thought about, but I'm glad I know now why they are like they are. Although I really enjoyed the book, I think it could have been presented better, and I'm not sure why the author (or his editor(s)) didn't consider it. The title of the book grabs you: Was Superman A Spy? Well, was he? The book is divided into the following section... mores: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Other Comic Book Companies. Within each of these sections, there are chapters for each super-hero or team (i.e., Superman, Batman, X-Men, Hulk). The chapter then tells you all of the "little secrets" about that hero in separated paragraphs. What happened to the questions to be answered? Cronin should have presented the questions (i.e., Was Superman a spy?, Why did Captain America's shield change after one issue? Who really created Batman?) and then answered them for the reader, not just present an essay on each superhero and then spill any and all related facts about that superhero. I think it would have made for a much more interesting and grabbing read if you knew what fact was coming up next. As it stands, I'm not sure what theory or story he's proving or disproving until at least halfway through the paragraphs. Don't get me wrong; it's still interesting, but it could have been presented to the reader SO much better.Lastly, Cronin should have stuck to discussing only events/situations in the past, or the text needs to be periodically updated. The current or upcoming events he references are no longer current and in the past (i.e., there's talk of a new Spider-Man movie (which was already filmed and released in 2012)). It makes the book feel very dated.All in all, though, I recommend this book for the longtime comic book reader who would love all these juicy details that bring to light circumstances and situations you never even knew you wanted to know about.
review 2: quick and light, interesting and readable, but the premise spelled out on the cover is a bit misleading. it's not so much the mythbusters of comic book history as a series of amusing anecdotes and odd trivia. there are maybe 5 instances of debunked rumors, which is just as well, but an odd inconsistency.the collection is poorly edited, and at times amateurishly written, as careless syntactic mistakes and unclear phrases occur far too often, sometimes even obscuring the intent of a given sentence. less

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