DC Comics: A Celebration of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes

This book goes over the history of DC Comics. It is a "coffee table" type book with lots of colorful pictures. It does a good job of discussing most of the major characters and genres published by DC over the years. Of course, superheroes get more pages than anything else, but they also cover things like romance comics and horror comics. Movie and television adaptations of DC Comics properties are also covered. Very well produced book that should appeal to anyone with an interest in comic books.

This is a beautiful coffee table book, thoroughly illustrated and full of much fascinating trivia about comics. When reading it, though, it's important to remember that the book was fully approved and virtually coproduced by DC Comics, and so basically represents DC's PR department view of its history. For example, it mostly rationalizes or dismisses the company's appalling treatment of Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. For history, there are non-corporate approved books that do a much more realistic job. But for beautiful pictures and an overview of the comics themselves, this is great.

The best description of the power of Superman as a cultural icon is the answer that former science fiction writer Isaac Asimov gave to the question: "How is it possible that Superman is capable of flying faster than light?" His answer was, "Einstein's theory of relativity is based on theory, while Superman's powers are based on fact." While Asimov's answer is of course presented with tongue in cheek, it does demonstrate the influence Superman has over our lives. He, along with Batman, have been the primary characters in the DC comics group of characters. However, the DC comics group has featured many different characters over the years, and even the main characters have undergone dramatic changes. This book is a recapitulation of those characters as well as their origins and in some cases their demise and rebirth. Even Superman was once killed by a super villain, an event that made national headlines. Many people considered the death of a hero to be intolerable, yet the issue where Superman was killed sold more than any other issue that was not a premiere issue. Unusual and short-lived characters such as Deadman, the Creeper, and the team of the Hawk and the Dove are mentioned. If you are serious about comics, then this is a book you must read. The television and movie incarnations of the comic heroes are also included. Until I read this book, I never realized how many different television series and pilots featuring DC super heroes have been created. Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Batman, Flash, and Wonder Woman have all been the star of one or more television series. While some never progressed beyond the pilot stage, others are timeless. Even though the special effects are weak when compared to what can now be done, the strength of the characters still makes the Superman series starring George Reeves well worth watching

Buyers beware, apparently this is an updated edition of Les Daniels' earlier book, so don't fork out the money if you already own the earlier book, unless you think 16 pages of new material is worth the price. Otherwise, this is an excellent introduction to the world of DC Comics. It summarises the history of most of the major DC characters, from their humble origins to their glory days and beyond. Much more so than Marvel characters, DC characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League have, over the last half century or so, worked their way into the very cultural fabric and the psyche of the American public. With the advent of globalisation, their influence now extends well beyond the shores of America into the wider world - just show anyone in Australia, which is on the opposite side of the globe, a picture of Lynda Carter in her star-spangled costume, and they can tell you that she is Wonder Woman. A great reference for all comic book lovers, especially fans of DC characters.