Description
A fun, funny, and affectionate look at the strangest superheroes to ever appear in comics, some so hilariously odd that it's hard to believe they were ever published. Featuring vintage comic book art, with equally colourful commentary from a die-hard comic book blogger and cartoonist, The League of Regrettable Superheroes is a different window into the superhero phenomenon that's become so prevalent in movies, television and pop culture. For every Batman or Spiderman who hit the big time with a blockbuster movie, there are countless failures, also-rans, and D-listers. Some were shockingly ill-conceived, some were hilariously off-target, and some were justmind-numbingly weird. And now, finally, these long-forgotten heroes will get their day in the sun. The League of Regrettable Superheroes presents one hundred of the strangest superheroes to ever see print, complete with backstories, vintage art, and colourful commentary from author Jon Morris. Within these pages, you'll meet heroic characters like Captain Tootsie (Tootsie Roll spokeshero) Bee Man (like Batman, but with bees!) , Squirrel Girl (a rare bright spot in comics' darkest hours), Prez (America's groovy teenage president/vampire fighter) and Skateman (roller-skated avenger in a pre-Rollerblade world). The League of Regrettable Superheroes celebrates the artistic train-wrecks that can only happen in the anything-goes world of comics, where a creative misfire can produce entertainingly bizarre results. Drawing on the entire history of the medium, the book includes characters that haven't seen the light of day in decades, pulling from defunct and long-forgotten comics publishers as well as DC and Marvel. Author Jon Morris, cartoonist and founder of the comic book blog Gone and Forgotten, provides insight and context, as well as curation, for this astonishing roster of not-ready-for-prime-time heroes.
About the Author
JONATHAN MORRIS is a cartoonist and graphic designer. Since the late 1990's, he's operated the blog Gone and Forgotten, an irreverent, in-depth and occasionally vulgar look at the worst, the lowliest and most unfortunate stories and characters comic books have offered. In 2001, he was invited to participate on a superheroes-themed episode of the public radio program This American Life, which remains a popular and frequently-rebroadcast episode. Besides Gone and Forgotten, Jon also operates The Chronological Superman, a blog dedicated to holistically chronicling every individual appearance of Superman from his formative years beginning in 1938 through the end of 1949. He's a frequent contributor and contest judge on Project:Rooftop, a site dedicated to superhero redesigns, and has curated such comic book-related collaborative online events as DC FIFTY-TOO, CORNERED, THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE:REDUXE EDITION and others. He also writes about television, music and popular culture in general. His webcomic Jeremy: Just Turned Nine was nominated for the industry's Ignatz Award in 2001, and he is currently the editor for, and contributor to, the annual Halloween comic book event BOO! Halloween Stories, available through Comixology.
Reviews
"A volume rich with historical anecdotes and informed commentary on every era of comics history."-A.V. Club
"With its gorgeous full page images of the comics and humorous descriptions of the heroes, each second-stringer gets a few pages of glory."-Boing Boing
"Jon Morris has compiled the histories and art of some of the strangest and most unusual superheroes that ever saw print and collected them here for you. Definitely check it out!"-Nerdist
"This compendium of short-lived superheroes (from actual comics) will thrill and amaze."-Mental Floss
"A great idea, executed with adroit prose, attractive design and painstaking production quality. . . turning what could have been a merely dutiful archive into a vibrant, living, expertly curated tour of a long-neglected and seriously goofy facet of American cultural history."-NPR's Monkey See
"[A]n amusing collection of obscure wonderments."-Sci Fi magazine
"Forgotten but not gone, cartoonist and graphic designer Jon Morris has lovingly resurrected, wittily chronicled, and copiously illustrated these idiosyncratic super-D-list-ers-more than a hundred-for our enlightenment and-mostly-amusement."-PRINT magazine
"[Morris's] wealth of knowledge and whip-smart sense of humor add up to a book that's both deeply informative and quite funny."-Seattle Weekly
"This excellent book would be a worthy addition to any comic fan's collection, be they the hardcore enthusiast or the more casual fan of the superhero genre."-ComicBook.com
"This compilation is essential reading both old and new fans who revel in the art of comic books. . . This is a wealth of comic art and undeniable fun."-The New York Journal of Books
Praise for national bestseller The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains:
"Fascinating."-Entertainment Weekly
"A sequel to Morris's acclaimed The League of Regrettable Superheroes, this quick-read volume is a chronological encyclopedia of the strangest and silliest antagonists ever to appear in sequential art."-Vulture
"In the realm of comic books, the undisputed guru of all things ridiculous, forgotten, and regrettable is Jon Morris."-VICE
"[A] delightfully fun rundown of more than 100 of pulp history's most marvelous forgotten baddies."-Parade
"Full of gorgeous vintage comic art and poignantly entertaining character entries."-PRINT magazine
Praise for The League of Regrettable Sidekicks:
"A gorgeous technicolor reference tome."-Tor.com
"Entertaining, well-written and researched. . . Highly recommended!"-My Comic Book
Book Information
ISBN 9781594747632
Author Jon Morris
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Quirk Books
Publisher Quirk Books
Series Comic Book History
Weight(grams) 816g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 186mm * 26mm
About the Author
JONATHAN MORRIS is a cartoonist and graphic designer. Since the late 1990's, he's operated the blog Gone and Forgotten, an irreverent, in-depth and occasionally vulgar look at the worst, the lowliest and most unfortunate stories and characters comic books have offered. In 2001, he was invited to participate on a superheroes-themed episode of the public radio program This American Life, which remains a popular and frequently-rebroadcast episode. Besides Gone and Forgotten, Jon also operates The Chronological Superman, a blog dedicated to holistically chronicling every individual appearance of Superman from his formative years beginning in 1938 through the end of 1949. He's a frequent contributor and contest judge on Project:Rooftop, a site dedicated to superhero redesigns, and has curated such comic book-related collaborative online events as DC FIFTY-TOO, CORNERED, THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE:REDUXE EDITION and others. He also writes about television, music and popular culture in general. His webcomic Jeremy: Just Turned Nine was nominated for the industry's Ignatz Award in 2001, and he is currently the editor for, and contributor to, the annual Halloween comic book event BOO! Halloween Stories, available through Comixology.
Reviews
"A volume rich with historical anecdotes and informed commentary on every era of comics history."-A.V. Club
"With its gorgeous full page images of the comics and humorous descriptions of the heroes, each second-stringer gets a few pages of glory."-Boing Boing
"Jon Morris has compiled the histories and art of some of the strangest and most unusual superheroes that ever saw print and collected them here for you. Definitely check it out!"-Nerdist
"This compendium of short-lived superheroes (from actual comics) will thrill and amaze."-Mental Floss
"A great idea, executed with adroit prose, attractive design and painstaking production quality. . . turning what could have been a merely dutiful archive into a vibrant, living, expertly curated tour of a long-neglected and seriously goofy facet of American cultural history."-NPR's Monkey See
"[A]n amusing collection of obscure wonderments."-Sci Fi magazine
"Forgotten but not gone, cartoonist and graphic designer Jon Morris has lovingly resurrected, wittily chronicled, and copiously illustrated these idiosyncratic super-D-list-ers-more than a hundred-for our enlightenment and-mostly-amusement."-PRINT magazine
"[Morris's] wealth of knowledge and whip-smart sense of humor add up to a book that's both deeply informative and quite funny."-Seattle Weekly
"This excellent book would be a worthy addition to any comic fan's collection, be they the hardcore enthusiast or the more casual fan of the superhero genre."-ComicBook.com
"This compilation is essential reading both old and new fans who revel in the art of comic books. . . This is a wealth of comic art and undeniable fun."-The New York Journal of Books
Praise for national bestseller The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains:
"Fascinating."-Entertainment Weekly
"A sequel to Morris's acclaimed The League of Regrettable Superheroes, this quick-read volume is a chronological encyclopedia of the strangest and silliest antagonists ever to appear in sequential art."-Vulture
"In the realm of comic books, the undisputed guru of all things ridiculous, forgotten, and regrettable is Jon Morris."-VICE
"[A] delightfully fun rundown of more than 100 of pulp history's most marvelous forgotten baddies."-Parade
"Full of gorgeous vintage comic art and poignantly entertaining character entries."-PRINT magazine
Praise for The League of Regrettable Sidekicks:
"A gorgeous technicolor reference tome."-Tor.com
"Entertaining, well-written and researched. . . Highly recommended!"-My Comic Book
Book Information
ISBN 9781594747632
Author Jon Morris
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Quirk Books
Publisher Quirk Books
Series Comic Book History
Weight(grams) 816g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 186mm * 26mm
Reviews
-
Funny and educational
A well researrched, funny, and educational trip down the weird old days of superhero history. I especially like the variety of characters chosen to highlight. It would have been easy to fill the book with any ol' similar hero but Jon Morris & pals went out of their way to give us a real variety. I'm a sucker for Fantomah's nonsensical sadism, personally.
