The Science of Superheroes |  | Authors: Lois H. Gresh, Robert Weinberg
Publisher: Wiley
List Price: $16.95
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Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 229639
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 224
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 0471468827
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.509
EAN: 9780471468820
ASIN: 0471468827
Publication Date: September 29, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
"Entertaining and informative."
-- Julius Schwartz, Editor Emeritus, DC Comics Praise for The Science of Superheroes "We comics fans have known it for years, of course: somewhere, in some nether dimension or on some alternate world, there is an Earth on which superheroes are real . . . and now Lois Gresh and Bob Weinberg have shown us how that's possible. To paraphrase an old DC Comics feature: Science says you're wrong if you believe that The Science of Superheroes isn't more fun than a barrel of genetically altered winged monkeys."
-- Roy Thomas, writer and editor of X-Men, Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Superman, Justice League of America, Legion of Superheroes, Star Wars, and many other comic book classics "Weinberg and Gresh tell it like it is-- and how it would be, if our favorite comic book characters actually existed. The Science of Superheroes is a fascinating and entertaining examination of everything from astrophysics to genetic biology to the evolution of the `superhero.' "
-- Mark Powers, editor of X-Men and Uncanny X-Men The Science of Superheroes takes a lighthearted but clear-headed look at the real science that underlies some of the greatest superhero comic books of all time, including Spider-Man, Batman, Fantastic Four, and many more. Each chapter presents the story of the origin of one or more superheroes and asks intriguing questions that lead to fascinating discussions about the limits of science, the laws of nature, and the future of technology. If gamma rays can't turn a 128-pound weakling into the Incredible Hulk, what could? Are Spider-Man's powers really those of a spider? Could a person ever breathe water like a fish? From telepathy to teleportation, from cloning to cosmic rays, this vastly entertaining romp through the nexus of science and fantasy separates the possible from the plausible and the barely plausible from the utterly ridiculous.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 29
 Lazy, Inconsistent, Outdated on the Science side / Condescending, Annoying on the Super-hero side March 29, 2009
B. Weidner
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I can only echo what the 2stars or lower reviewers said:
This is a lazily-written book that craps all over an interesting premise. Too much time on origin stories (apparently to bloat the page-count), when 95% of the target audience knows all this stuff.
If you're a comics fan who wants to know what's possible, impossible and if there's "any way these things could happen," you'll come away very dissapointed. The only part that rises above itself is the alternative, more plausible explanation for the Hulk's origins.
The X-Men chapter is awful (for an evolution vs creatonism 'debate,' google it, and any random piece will be better written).
Even the science is off, or at least not followed through. While the Square-Cubed Law is touched on (why Ant Men and Giant Ants will never happen), the same rules/restrictions are not factored into the issue of super-strength. I know why Spider-Man has almost nothign to do with a "six foot spider". But tell me why he (or any human sized living creature) is prohibited from "pressing 10 tons" (Marvel Universe stat). Or are they?
Too much of this book is about why all this is "impossible", using 9th grade physics. But none of it, or virtually none of it, exlores how it _could be_.
How strong could an Iron Man be in reality? If we could somehow alter the genes to strength bones/muscle, how powerful could a Spider-Man type be? Is there any way to circumvent Sqaure-Cube Law, or the restrictions of size-scaling? THAT'S what I wanted to hear about.
Buy it if it's avaialable used for a buck or two, but otherwise you'll be really dissapointed.
 Great Popular Sciece Book January 5, 2009
father of teen daughter
I found this to be a great popular science book that uses the interesting angle of "explaining" how there could be scientific explanations to what comic superheroes can do. A great way to learn both about science and about superheroes.
Informative and Entertaining January 3, 2009
Frederick Cellino
Fascinating, informative and entertaining book that speculates about
the possibilities that some of the superpowers that superheroes have
may be grounded in possible scientific explanations. A great way to be
entertained, while learning various interesting science and technology.
Highly original and informative book. Fun to read January 1, 2009
Richard-California
If you ever wondered if superheroes or supervillains can really exist, the Science of Superheroes and the Science of Supervillains are great books to read. The books are well written and entertaining. The Science of Superheroes was the first of its kind. Other books by other authors dealing with the similar issues, such as the Physics of Superheroes, have copied many of the ideas which were first presented in this classic. This classic and original book still beats all of the other imitations that followed it.
It is great reading.
 It should be titled `dispelling the myth of superheroes' September 23, 2008
Vincent M. Kelly (Atlanta, Ga)
I wasn't very impressed with this book. The writer is full of himself. Gresh and Weinberg use the opportunity to demolish the science in fiction behind superheroes rather than offer alternative theories for superhero origins that are palatable. It seems as if the main purpose of the book is to affirm the authors are a scientific authority. To make matters worst on pages 133 through 142 the writers go on a tirade against Creationism and not just in the pages of comic books but in general, offering no justification as to why the topic is included let alone covered in a book that by title leads one to think of a work highly objective and honest in investigation. Fortunately the writers do not include in their study superhero powers normally considered `outside' the realm of science such as the `Power Cosmic' (Marvel Comics/Galactus, Silver Surfer, etc.,) and the Supernatural (Thor, Dr. Strange, Shazam/Captain Marvel, The Spectre). It's just as well for both are clearly beyond the limited scope of this book, philosophically to say the least.
The only good thing that I can say about The Science of Superheroes is that it's an excellent resource for writers contemplating new superheroes who want to avoid highly publicized mistakes made by writers before them.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 29
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