The Science of Superheroes

By Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg

The truth about superpowers . . . science fact or science fiction?

"An entertaining and informative guide to comic book wonders bound to come."
—Julius Schwartz, Editor Emeritus, DC Comics

Superman, Batman, The X-Men, Flash, Spider Man . . . they protect us from evildoers, defend truth and justice, and, occasionally, save our planet from certain doom. Yet, how much do we understand about their powers?

In this engaging yet serious work, Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg attempt to answer that question once and for all. From X-ray vision to psychokinesis, invisibility to lightspeed locomotion, they take a hard, scientific look at the powers possessed by all of our most revered superheroes, and a few of the lesser ones, in an attempt to sort fact from fantasy. In the process, they unearth some shocking truths that will unsettle, alarm, and even terrify all but the most fiendish of supervillains.

Lois Gresh (Rochester, NY) has written eight novels and nonfiction books as well as dozens of short stories and has been nominated for national fiction awards six times.
Robert Weinberg (Oak Forest, IL) is a multiple award-winning author of novels, nonfiction books, short stories and comics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Aug 15, 2007
• ISBN: 9780470250518

Lois H. Gresh

Lois H. Gresh is the author of over eighteen books, including The Fan's Guide to the Spiderwick Chronicles, The Truth Behind a Series of Unfortunate Events and The Twilight Companion. She lives in upstate New York.

Reviews for The Science of Superheroes

[elliots89 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating book on the science behind the powers of superhero's such as Batman, Superman and the Flash. The book is very detailed in its science as to prove why the powers are not actually possible and is a generally interesting book not necessarily just for a superhero fan but maybe someone just interested in the certain topics covered in the book.

[aliceap-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an absolutely FUN read The Science of Superheroes turned out to be! Lois H. Gresh & Robert E. Weinberg took several big name superheroes like Superman, Batman, The Flash, Ant Man, Aquaman, and the X-Men (just to name a few) and discussed in-depth their powers, origin stories, narrative continuity, and whether there was any basis in scientific fact for their superpowers. There were great recommendations both throughout the book and in the footnotes (ya'll know I love a book with excellent footnotes). They also went to great lengths to give a detailed, thorough history of comics in general which made this an altogether well-rounded and researched book. (I've read some so-called 'scientific' nonfiction that couldn't hold a candle to the amount of work that Gresh & Weinberg obviously put in for this book.) Another huge bonus was the extensive appendix which also included biographies and q&a responses with several popular 'current' writers of comics. (Am I gushing? I can't help it that I love a good set of biographical facts organized in an orderly fashion.) At any rate, whether you're a pop culture fan, comic aficionado, superhero movie nerd, or really into researched footnotes this is sure to fit the bill and be an excellent choice for a cozy autumn evening. 10/10

[daniexj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was an interesting book all around. Taking each of the big super heroes, like Superman, Batman, Spider-Man etc. and discussing how real or fantastical their powers/abilities are or could be. It was a very male superhero oriented book, but, the authors also explain even that.Truthfully though, my favorite part of the book had nothing to do with comic books, or super heroes, or any of that, but it was the small section where they totally and utterly took apart Creationism. Put a smile on my face.