The Science of Superheroes - by Lois H Gresh & Robert Weinberg

Book Synopsis

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

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.

From the Back Cover

"I found this book to be a hoot from beginning to end. Ms. Gresh and Mr. Weinberg must have spent some time in institutions for the deranged, because well-balanced minds could not have conceived of this project. But thank God for their derangement, for they have produced a package of pure fun from first page to last. If, like me, you admire superheroes from a distance, or if you are a hardcore fan of them, you will enjoy this book as surely as you would enjoy waking one morning to discover that you are invincible, able to fly, and in possession of a totally cool costume behind which to hide your true identity." --Dean Koontz, from the Introduction

"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, living, breathing beings . . . and now Lois Gresh and Bob Weinberg have shown us how that's possible. Mutants . . . aliens . . . scientific geniuses with a penchant 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: 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

Review Quotes

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

"The best part of this book is not the science, which is fine but somewhat perfunctory, but the material on the various superheroes." (Sci-Fi, December 2002)

"...Gresh and Weinberg's wonderful little book is both a potted history of superhero comics, and a pop science manual for the extremely lazy..." (hero.ac.uk-Higher Education and Research Opportunities, 28 October 2002)

"?children who enjoyed the Spider-Man and X-men movies will delight in The Science of Superheroes.... Perfect for turning a comic-book obsession into an enthusiasm for the laboratory..."(The Times, 7 December 2002)

"...This is definitely a fun book..." (The Alchemist, 9 January 2003)

"...All in all I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in science and at least a nostalgic fondness for comics..." (Chemistry In Britain, December 2002)

"...The Science of Superheroes could be a useful tool for encouraging comic fans to delve into science..." (Physics World, February 2003)

About the Author

LOIS GRESH has written dozens of suspense and science fiction stories, and has been nominated for national fiction awards six times. She is coauthor, along with Robert Weinberg, of The Computers of Star Trek.
ROBERT WEINBERG s fiction has been nominated for Hugo, World Fantasy, and Balrog Awards. He is a two-time winner of the World Fantasy Award as well as the recipient of a Bram Stoker Award. Weinberg also writes the comic book series Cable for Marvel Comics. He previously served for twenty-four years as chairman of the Chicago Comicon, the second-largest comic convention in the United States.