Fascinating and often bizarre true stories behind more than 130 urban legends about comic book culture. Was Superman a Spy? demystifies all of the interesting stories, unbelievable anecdotes, wacky rumors, and persistent myths that have piled up like priceless back issues in the seventy-plus years of the comic book industry, including: • Elvis Presley's trademark hairstyle was based on a comic book character (True) • Stan Lee featured a gay character in one of Marvel's 1960s war comics (False) • Wolverine of the X-Men was originally meant to be an actual wolverine! (True) • What would have been DC's first black superhero was changed at the last moment to a white hero (True) • A Dutch inventor was blocked from getting a patent on a process because it had been used previously in a Donald Duck comic book (True) With many more legends resolved, Was Superman a Spy? is a must-have for the legions of comic book fans and all seekers of “truth, justice, and the American way.”

Fascinating and often bizarre true stories behind more than 130 urban legends about comic book culture. Was Superman a Spy? demystifies all of the interesting stories, unbelievable anecdotes, wacky rumors, and persistent myths that have piled up like priceless back issues in the seventy-plus years of the comic book industry, including: • Elvis Presley's trademark hairstyle was based on a comic book character (True) • Stan Lee featured a gay character in one of Marvel's 1960s war comics (False) • Wolverine of the X-Men was originally meant to be an actual wolverine! (True) • What would have been DC's first black superhero was changed at the last moment to a white hero (True) • A Dutch inventor was blocked from getting a patent on a process because it had been used previously in a Donald Duck comic book (True) With many more legends resolved, Was Superman a Spy? is a must-have for the legions of comic book fans and all seekers of “truth, justice, and the American way.”

Writer of the "Comic book urban legends revealed" online column since 2005 "demystifies all of the interesting stories, unblievable anecdotes, wacky rumors, and persistent myths that have piled up ... in the seventy-plus years of the comic book industry."--Cover, p.4.

Outrageous, fascinating and bizarre facts from every corner of the comic book universeWhat comic book artist was the recipient of an on-stage thank you from Paul McCartney and an on-air apology from Johnny Carson? What superhero got his powers by being bitten by a mongoose? What popular NPR host was forever immortalized as a "bad boyfriend" in a notable comic book? In Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent?, author Brian Cronin will answer those questions and more by revealing the most obscure, wacky and surprising facts about comics—from the characters and creators, to the TV shows, movies and merch. Cronin has teamed up with some of the top comic book writers and artists of today to present 100 trivia lists, including: · Nine Celebrities That Guest-Starred in Comic Books…without Their Permission · Seven Bands That Got Their Names from Comics · Ten Crazy Items Found on Batman’s Utility Belt · Five Comic Book Inventions That Eventually Became Real · Five Stupidest Superhero Origins · And much, much more! From Batman to Spiderman, Aquaman to the X-Men, each list in Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? will entertain and inform whether you’re a hardcore geek or a casual fan.

The definitive origin of Superman kicks off as a young Clark Kent awkwardly discovers his new abilities while growing up in Smallville. Will he be able to accept his true origins as the last son of a dead planet? And get a whole new look at the beginnings of Superman's deadliest enemy--Lex Luthor!

Baghdad, 2003. The reign of Saddam Hussein is over. The Americans are in command. And no one is in control. Former cop turned military contractor Christopher Henry knows that better than anyone. HeÕs in the country to train up a new Iraqi police force, and one of his recruits has just been murdered. With civil authority in tatters and dead bodies clogging the streets, Chris is the only person in the Green Zone with any interest in finding out who killed him-and why. ChrisÕ inquiry brings him first to Sofia, an American-raised Iraqi who now sits on the governing council, and then to Nassir, a grizzled veteran of SaddamÕs police force-and probably the last real investigator left in Baghdad. United by death but divided by conflicting loyalties, the three must help each other navigate the treacherous landscape of post-invasion Iraq in order to hunt down the killers. But are their efforts really serving justice-or a much darker agenda? Inspired by his real-life experiences as a CIA operations officer in Iraq, writer Tom King (BATMAN) teams with artist Mitch Gerads to deliver a wartime crime thriller like no other in THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON VOL. 1: BANG. BANG. BANG., collecting issues #1-6 of their groundbreaking Vertigo series.

Lex Luthor is up to his old tricks again. Wearing his battle suit, the super-villain sets out to steal a special chip from S.T.A.R Labs, called the Mega Module with the help of a few friends. Superman shows up just in time to stop Lex's pals, but Lex manages to insert the Mega Module into his suit before Superman can stop him. Now, with power levels similar to Superman's, Lex is looking to steal Superman's claim to fame as the real Man of Steel!