Perhaps no fictional genre has endured and blossomed over the past eighty-five years the way superheroes have. Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Captain America, X-Men, the Justice League, the Avengers-they all represent our greatest hopes, and sometimes our darkest fantasies. From their origins in stories created by barely grown men during an era of global war and printed on cheap paper for consumption by children, superheroes have grown into a popular culture whirlwind that has attracted millions of fans and crossed over into every form of media. Encompassing early comic books, indie outliers, and the mammoth fictional universes managed by DC and Marvel, Superheroes!: The History of a Pop-Culture Phenomenon from Ant-Man to Zorro chronicles the rise of a distinctly American invention, the modern-day incarnation of the myths and legends of old. Pop-culture expert Brian R. Solomon gives an account that moves from the beginning of comic book history right up to the modern era of multimillion-dollar Hollywood movies and beyond. Along with illuminating deep dives into the backgrounds of leading heroes and villains, he also tells the stories of the creators and performers who have brought them to life: artists like Jack Kirby and Jim Lee, writers like Stan Lee and Alan Moore, actors like Christopher Reeve and Robert Downey Jr., directors like Tim Burton and Zack Snyder, and many more.

They're all here, in all their high-flying, eye-zapping, goon-punching glory. Up, up and away!.