The League of Regrettable Superheroes: Half-Baked Heroes from Comic Book History

Description

For every superhero hitting the big time with a blockbuster movie, there are countless failures, also-rans, and D-listers.The League of Regrettable Superheroesaffectionately presents one hundred of the strangest superheroes ever to see print-from Atoman to Zippo-complete with backstories, vintage art, and colorful commentary. Drawing on the entire history of the medium, the book celebrates characters that haven't seen the light of day in decades, like Natureboy, Dr. Hormone, Thunder Bunny, and more. It's a must-read for comics fans of all ages!

Jon Morris is a cartoonist and graphic designer. Since the late 1990s, he's operated the blog Gone & Forgotten, an irreverent look at the weirdest and most unfortunate stories and characters comic books have offered. In 2001, he was invited to participate in a superheroes-themed episode of the public radio program This American Life, a popular and frequently rebroadcast episode.

"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