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The Science of Superheroes  By  cover art

The Science of Superheroes

By: Lois Gresh,Robert Weinberg,Dean Koontz - introduction
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
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Publisher's summary

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.

With an introduction by author Dean Koontz.

©2002 by Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg
(P)2002 Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"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, X-Men and Uncanny X-Men)

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

To much irrelvent information

This book simply has too much irrelevant information. It also can't seem to stay on topic. For example, in the chapter about The Flash, it talks about the anatomy of a cheetah. At first you think that's it's trying to make a point, but then it goes on never to mention the cheetah again. Also, the analysis of the powers wore sorely lacking. A good example of this was Superman. The only thing about Superman that it talks about is his super-strength. Although the analysis of his strength was good, it could've at least went into more depth about flying.

There are other examples of going off topic, such as the chapter on Green Lantern and X-Men. It briefly mentioned the validity of telepathy, but then went on to talk about evolution vs creation. In some cases, for 20 minutes it starts to make an argument which would prove some powers possible, then spends another 10 minutes proving it wrong (such as the case with Superman). There are also situations in which it openly refuses to talk about certain powers (Ex. Spiderman, Superman, X-Men).

Overall, I would not recommend this book, especially if you getting it for a certain hero, like I did. Although the actual science it provides is good in it's own respect, when talking about superheroes it's irrelevant.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • LM
  • 02-25-03

Fun read

This is an interesting book and answers a number of questions that just aren't relevant when you're deep into comic book reading. It's a good step back from the fantasy world and provides intriguing explanations on how each superhero is able to do the things they do. I wish there were more analysis on other superheroes. Superman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Batman were either inadequate or just plain boring. Spiderman, Atom, and Submariner explanations were ok. Maybe the author will write a second version with analysis on characters from the Avenger, Xmen, Ironman, and DareDevil.

This first book is too long on the history of comic books and short on analysis of the superpowers. Hopefully version 2 (if it comes out) will jump directly into the analysis of each superhero's powers and analyze more Marvel characters.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

sort of dumb

This seems like it would be a fun book but it is sort of tedious. The book has this sort of tone: "Superman is a famous comic known all over the world. Superman was introduced in Action Comics issue number one in June 1938. Superman was suposed to be from another planet. Is life on another planet possible? Maybe!"

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I don’t recommend this to anyone

This isn’t a book for comic book fans wanting to learn the science behind super heroes, because the science is described poorly. This is not a book for scientists to learn about how comic book heroes connect to the science they know. This isn’t a book I’d recommend to anyone, and I regret buying it myself.

They describe the science wrong a good part of the time. It’s clear no one with a science degree was involved in writing this book. They get all kinds of concepts and terms wrong that a scientist would have corrected in a few minutes.

The whole book seems to be about showing how comic books are not getting the science right, so the book is basically a buzz kill. But then the irony is that they don’t get the science right themselves. Also, the authors never seem to ask themselves whether comic books are even meant to show accurate descriptions of science. They certainly didn’t listen deeply enough to the comic book artists they interviewed in Appendix B, who told the authors outright that getting the science exactly right isn’t usually the point.

Overall I was hoping this book would help me connect to my students who are interested in comic books and by extension might then get interested in science if I could show them the science in comic books. Unfortunately this book disappointed me in helping me making those connections for my students.


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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

History, science, or philospohy

The book makes some good attempts at exploring both side of the argument, but other times the scientific argument is extremely biased and irrelevant. For example: it discusses the physiology of the cheetah, efficient lungs etc..., yet fails to explore how these constraints (of the Flash) would impact his performance. It also describes the energy required for a typical human to do a certain feat, but i would not refer to the Flash as a typical human. With all thee figures being spouted, surely the argument for 100% efficiency of food consumption be explored.

By the time I reached the creationist versus science argument I was on auto-pilot, waiting patiently to finish the book.

I doubt the writers have had any thesis or science experience: commonly misusing the terms theory, truth or fact.

I was expecting a fun lighthearted exploration of comic super-heroes; I received a few interesting tid-bits hidden behind an overwhelming amount of pointless exposition.

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.
(oh gawd, there is another book too... )

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Fails to stay on topic

This is a terrible meandering mess of a book and I would advise you to avoid it at all costs. My main complaint is that the book seems to be deliberately 'bulked up' with page after page of superhero history. Most of us (comic book fans) are well aware of the histories of Superman, Spiderman and the X-Men; why then did the authors feel it was necessary to regurgitate these old stories when their main audience already knew them better than they did?
Furthermore, several of the chapters spin wildly off-topic into tangents barely related to the subject of the chapter. Case in point; the chapter on the X-Men could have been an in depth examination of the feasibility of such powers as Wolverine's Healing Factor or Professor X's Telepathy. Yet somehow the author's managed to turn the entire chapter into an examination of the conflict between Creationists and proponents of Evolution.
What a waste of time and space.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This is fun

This book, I admit, took me a few listens before I realised how good it was. To begin with, I found it boring, then I really listened to it. It's full of information that's both informative and funny (although some of it may be out of date by now). The narration is good and the prologue is particularly funny, having been written by Dean Koontz. It gets a bit boring again towards the end when the authors questions cartoonists about the future of comic books. All in all though, it's a good listen, showing where the story of a comic book very often neglects the science in preference to the storyline. For fans of both comics and science, it's illuminating.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring, ean spirited stuff

I bought this book because I've always been enthusiastic about the joy of superheros since I have been very young .. and now have young children of my own. Superheroes (and Superman in particular) to me,have always been entertaining and nearly always uplifting in that easy, childlike way that makes you wish they were real .. or that you could be at least a little like them !

I can't imagine anyone though, who would believe that this stuff was real - even as a kid.

The authors of this book though, are different... they are "scientists". They seem to imagine that superhero fans are a bunch of uneducated, deluded idiots and have taken it upon themselves to correct this grave flaw in the moral and mental make up of this shallow and silly community. And yes, they'd also like to tell you that if you had just a bit of sense and decency, you should actually prefer Donald Duck ! ..No, really !

Their "science" too is basic and as close minded as a pair of village school teachers.

And the entire delivery is done in that smug, sneering tone of the know-it-all, who sadly doesn't quite understand that he's quite out of touch with what the entire room thinks of his conversation and views.

Give this one a miss.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Super Discussion

The Science of Superhereos proved to be outstanding in two respects. First, it is a great history of comics for anyone who grew up reading comics.

But more than that, it excels ar discussing the science behond the fiction. Topics from many arreas of science are covered, including physics, astronomy, biology, evolution, and chemistry. The explanations are clear and easy to follow, even for someone with no background in science at all. It was also very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of black holes and stellar evolution.

This book is highly recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully done!

A grand mix of comic history, trivia, and science. Using the superheroes by nature or origin, they jump on subjects like black holes, relativity, genetics, evolution, probability of alien life, and more. As a follower of comics for decades, I was surprised at the detailed stories that were referenced and compared, some only a few years old. Whether a lover of DC or Marvel, you'll find something to interest you here. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Xmen -they're all here to some level or not.

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1 person found this helpful