Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Author: Mark Edlitz
Format: eBook, Paperback, Hardcover
Pages: 646
Publication Date: 05-29-15
http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Superhero 

How to Be a Superhero: The untold stories behind the great movie and television superheroes from the people who played them Written by Mark Edlitz. Foreword by David Mamet How to Be a Superhero takes the reader behind the scenes of the most popular superhero movies and television shows of the past seventy years. The book includes 35 penetrating interviews with actors and actresses who have played the world's greatest superheroes, supervillains, antiheroes and sidekicks, as well as 70 photographs. This is the first book to explore the superhero phenomenon from the actor's perspective. A must-read for any superhero fan!

My So-Called Review: 

How to Be a Superhero by Mark Edlitz’s is a wonderful collection of knowledge. It showcases photos and interviews with the actors and actresses who have portrayed some of the most well-known superheroes and villains in TV and movies. As a female child of the 80’s I didn’t have much knowledge surrounding the original superhero. I remember Superman (of course) and watching reruns of Batman, I loved when he and Robin showed up on Scooby-Doo J. I was surprised then to discover it was these interviews, with the actors and actresses who played some of the original superheroes that I enjoyed most. In today’s world where Marvel and DC Comics are taking over the universe it was fun reading about and seeing pictures of the actors who originated many of these roles. I found that Edlitz’s questions were smart and insightful thus allowing his subjects to give equally candid and thoughtful answers. Also entertaining was gaining insights from some of the people behind the characters; like learning the real reason why Stan Lee’s Spiderman is one of the only Superhero’s to wear a mask that completely covers his face. You have to read if you want to know why!

The inclusion of some “non” superheroes was, in my opinion, an added treat. In the section titled “Not All Heroes are Super”, Edlitz’s includes insights and interviews with actors whose roles fall outside the realm of your standard superhero. The legendary Leonard Nimoy, who played Sci-Fi’s most iconic superhero, Spock, was by far my favorite interview. This section also features several of the actors who donned the famous James Bond suit, as well as the most recent “non” superhero, Agent Phil Coulson.

How to Be a Superhero is a must have for any die-hard comic book fan and true TV/movie buffs! With its June 1st release date it will make an exceptional Father’s Day gift for husbands, dads, brothers and sons; I already have two on pre-order :)

I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the publisher, Bear Manor Media and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review



2 comments:

  1. You had me at Leonard Nimoy! What did was the interview like? (goodness I miss him so much!)

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  2. Well I promised the author that if I released an early review I'd give no spoilers to his interviews, so if ya want to know you'll have to grab a copy Lol it might still be on NetGalley, if you use them? I miss him tremendously too :( It was so much fun watching him re-establish himself in TV & movies in recent years. I think in some ways that made it more shocking when he passed, I don't think the Sci-Fi community was ready for that :(

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