The science of superheroes

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.

Contents

• Introduction: Men of Steel, Feathers of Fury ( Dean Koontz)
• More Powerful than a Speeding Locomotive: Superman
• Rays-Cosmic and Gamma: The Fantastic Four and the Incredible Hulk
• The Dark Knight: Batman
• Under the Sea: Aquaman and Sub-Mariner
• Along Came a Spider: Spider-Man
• Green Lanterns and Black Holes: Magic, Science and Two Green Lanterns
• Of Atoms, Ants, and Giants: Ant Man and the Atom
• Fast, Fast, Fast: The Flash
• Good, Evil, and Indifferent Mutants: The X-Men
• Mysteries in Space: Science Fiction Superheroes
• The Right Stuff: Donald Duck
• Appendix A: Who Missed the Cut?
• Appendix B: The Professionals Speak
• Bibliography and Reading List
• Acknowledgments
• Index