Eric J. Moreels
Jul 22, 2002, 10:27 am
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/science4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/previews/science4t.jpg" align=left alt="The Science of Superheroes preview"></a>A full chapter from the upcoming hardcover book, The Science of Superheroes, by renowned authors Robert Weinberg and Lois H. Gresh has been made available at online e-tailer Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471024600/xfan03).
Here's how publisher John Wiley & Sons describe the 224-page book:
"The truth about superpowers . . . science fact or science fiction?
Superman, Batman, The X-Men, Flash, Spiderman . . . they protect us from evil doers, defend truth and justice, and, occasionally, save our planet from certain doom. Yet, how much do we understand about their powers? Do you ever find yourself wondering just how feasible their reported exploits really are? In this engaging yet serious work, authors 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, even terrify all but the most fiendish of supervillains."
To preview the chapter, as well as the introduction by best-selling author Dean Koontz, click the link above. Following are advance quotes on the book from some of the greats of the comic book industry.
Roy Thomas: "We comic fans have known it for years, of course: somewhere, in some nether dimension or on some alternate world, there is an Earth on which super heroes are real, living, breathing beings... and now Lois Gresh and Bob Weinberg have shown us how that's possible. Mutants... aliens... scientific geniuses with a perchant for wearing costumes and masks... or just plain Joes who've trained their bodies within an inch of their lives... all are probed, dissected, examined in loving details. To paraphrase an old DC Comics feature: Since says you're wrong if you believe The Science of Superheroes isn't more fun than a barrel of genetically-altered winged monkeys."
Mark Powers: "Weinberg and Gresh tell it like it is - and how it would be if our favorite comic book characters actualy existed. The Science of Superheroes is a fascinating and entertaining examination of everything from astrophysics to genetic biology to the evolution of the 'super hero.'"
Julius Schwartz: "What seemed impossible just sixty years ago during the Golden Age of Comics now increasingly appears plausible. The Science of Superheroes serves as a terrific guide to the comic book wonders bound to come."
The Science of Superheroes, which will carry a recommended retail price of $24.95, is scheduled for a November, 2002 release. The book will also be released in unabridged audio format later this year, and negotiations are currently underway as to a possible television series.
To find out more about The Science of Superheroes, head on over to Robert Weinberg's "Eternity Waits" (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=27) discussion forum right here at X-Fan and ask the author himself!
Here's how publisher John Wiley & Sons describe the 224-page book:
"The truth about superpowers . . . science fact or science fiction?
Superman, Batman, The X-Men, Flash, Spiderman . . . they protect us from evil doers, defend truth and justice, and, occasionally, save our planet from certain doom. Yet, how much do we understand about their powers? Do you ever find yourself wondering just how feasible their reported exploits really are? In this engaging yet serious work, authors 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, even terrify all but the most fiendish of supervillains."
To preview the chapter, as well as the introduction by best-selling author Dean Koontz, click the link above. Following are advance quotes on the book from some of the greats of the comic book industry.
Roy Thomas: "We comic fans have known it for years, of course: somewhere, in some nether dimension or on some alternate world, there is an Earth on which super heroes are real, living, breathing beings... and now Lois Gresh and Bob Weinberg have shown us how that's possible. Mutants... aliens... scientific geniuses with a perchant for wearing costumes and masks... or just plain Joes who've trained their bodies within an inch of their lives... all are probed, dissected, examined in loving details. To paraphrase an old DC Comics feature: Since says you're wrong if you believe The Science of Superheroes isn't more fun than a barrel of genetically-altered winged monkeys."
Mark Powers: "Weinberg and Gresh tell it like it is - and how it would be if our favorite comic book characters actualy existed. The Science of Superheroes is a fascinating and entertaining examination of everything from astrophysics to genetic biology to the evolution of the 'super hero.'"
Julius Schwartz: "What seemed impossible just sixty years ago during the Golden Age of Comics now increasingly appears plausible. The Science of Superheroes serves as a terrific guide to the comic book wonders bound to come."
The Science of Superheroes, which will carry a recommended retail price of $24.95, is scheduled for a November, 2002 release. The book will also be released in unabridged audio format later this year, and negotiations are currently underway as to a possible television series.
To find out more about The Science of Superheroes, head on over to Robert Weinberg's "Eternity Waits" (http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=27) discussion forum right here at X-Fan and ask the author himself!