The Legendary Intellectual and Raconteur Talks to Hal Foster, Walt Kelly, Harvey Kurtzman, Howard Chaykin, Robert Crumb, and Other Artists.

Comic books and superhero stories mirror essential societal values and beliefs. We can be Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Black Panther or Rocket Raccoon through our everyday choices. We can't fly, fix hyper drives or hear human heartbeats a mile away, but we can think about what Matt Murdock would do in a conflict, how Superman would respond to natural disasters and how Captain America would handle humanitarian crises. This book analyzes the impact of dozens of comics by examining the noble personalities, traits and actions of the main characters. Chapters detail how superheroes, comic books and other pop culture phenomena offer more than pure entertainment, and how we can better model ourselves after our favorite heroes. Through our good deeds, quick thinking and positive choices, we can become more like superheroes than we ever imagined.

"X-men created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby"--Contents page.

Today, Churubusco is a residential suburb of Mexico City. In 1847, it was the stronghold of the San Patricios, a motley battalion of soldiers ― even some runaway American slaves ― who deserted the United States Army for a just, if suicidal, cause. In this graphic novel, Ferraris uses a bold charcoal technique to tell their story through the eyes of Gaetano Rizzo (based on a real U.S. soldier). A 22-year-old Sicilian immigrant, he joins the U.S. Army, who has promised him citizenship and a parcel of land if he will fight to take California away from Mexico. Soon, he sees sees the cruelty he is being ordered to inflict is no different from what he had escaped from in his home country.

Earth's star-crossed daughter is back! When Barbarella wanders into a war zone, the theocratic rulers of Parosia arrest and imprison her. A prison break is brewing, but now that she knows what the Parosians do to their own citizens Barbarella decides to make this fight her own...

Before Peter Parker lost the first great love of his life, her father fell toone of Spider-Man's greatest adversaries. This is the story of Captain GeorgeStacy and the dying wish he made to Spider-Man.

The very first appearance of one of DC's greatest heroes, Hal Jordan! Test pilot Hal Jordan traces a downed aircraft to the Southwest desert, where he finds the dying alien being, Abin Sur, one of the Green Lantern Corps, whose ring chooses Hal to be Earth's new Green Lantern! Plus, “THE SECRET OF THE FLAMING SPEAR!” and “THE MENACE OF THE RUNAWAY MISSLE!”