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Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe
The comic book universe is adventurous, mystifying, and filled with heroes, villains, and cosplaying Comic-Con attendees. This book by one of Wired magazine's art directors traverses the graphic world through a collection of pie charts, bar graphs, timelines, scatter plots, and more. Super Graphic offers readers a unique look at the intricate and sometimes contradictory storylines that weave their way through comic books, and shares advice for navigating the pages of some of the most popular, longest-running, and best-loved comics and graphic novels out there. From a colorful breakdown of the DC Comics reader demographic to a witty Venn diagram of superhero comic tropes and a Chris Ware sadness scale, this book charts the most arbitrary and monumental characters, moments, and equipment of the wide world of comics.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2013
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1789 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
October 25, 2014
If you love graphics, statistics, and comics, this is your book. Ever wonder who all has been, for example, an Avenger? It's here. Want to know the relative strength of Galactus versus Apocalypse? It's there, too. Need to know which comic book heroes are associated with Rodents? Check: from Atomic Mouse to Mighty Mouse to Squirrel Girl.
And it's not just all about the characters. There is an intriguing swirl-graph showing the increase in Comic-Con attendance, The Chris Ware Sadness Scale (from Jimmy Corrigan to Quimby the Mouse), relative height and ride length of 15 different roller-coasters associated with superheroes . . . you get the idea.
As one would expect, the book is Marvel- and DC Comics-heavy, but there is plenty in here from independent and smaller presses referenced, as well. I was glad to see this, as I made mine Marvel as a kid in the '70s (remember Spider Man on The Electric Company?), had a brief love affair with several indies in the mid-'90s (Mostly Grimjack, Albedo Anthropomorphics, and Konny and Czu), and have recently been roped back into the comic fold by such excellent series as Fatale, The Manhattan Projects, and Prophet. There seems to be a bit of a renaissance happening now, with some great titles out there. Give it ten years, and this book may need to be rewritten with an even stronger emphasis on the indies. I'll look forward to that volume, should it appear, as well.
And it's not just all about the characters. There is an intriguing swirl-graph showing the increase in Comic-Con attendance, The Chris Ware Sadness Scale (from Jimmy Corrigan to Quimby the Mouse), relative height and ride length of 15 different roller-coasters associated with superheroes . . . you get the idea.
As one would expect, the book is Marvel- and DC Comics-heavy, but there is plenty in here from independent and smaller presses referenced, as well. I was glad to see this, as I made mine Marvel as a kid in the '70s (remember Spider Man on The Electric Company?), had a brief love affair with several indies in the mid-'90s (Mostly Grimjack, Albedo Anthropomorphics, and Konny and Czu), and have recently been roped back into the comic fold by such excellent series as Fatale, The Manhattan Projects, and Prophet. There seems to be a bit of a renaissance happening now, with some great titles out there. Give it ten years, and this book may need to be rewritten with an even stronger emphasis on the indies. I'll look forward to that volume, should it appear, as well.
June 28, 2017
The world of infographics has never been so much fun (or mind melting) it would seem. For me this was the first book that used such visual techniques to get its message across ( I have subsequently found many more examples including the Doctor Who version I commented on earlier)
However I would like it be said this book is not just about super heroes or villains but the whole comic book work - from Archie to Calvin and Hobbes and the Marvel universe there is something here for every comic and cartoon lover.
The book contains a massive amount of information - and never has the saying been more true that a picture paints a thousand words, well this book must cover off millions of words. Yes some are easier to follow than others and some feel a little too irreverent for my liking - however on the whole you can tell this book has been put together by someone who truly loves the subject matter and has spent many years enjoying and exploring it.
This book is a wealth of information - its just a shame I am not entirely sure when I would get to use it. However if there is such a place then this book would be invaluable. However till then its a great read and a book you cannot help but dip in and out of if its at hand,
However I would like it be said this book is not just about super heroes or villains but the whole comic book work - from Archie to Calvin and Hobbes and the Marvel universe there is something here for every comic and cartoon lover.
The book contains a massive amount of information - and never has the saying been more true that a picture paints a thousand words, well this book must cover off millions of words. Yes some are easier to follow than others and some feel a little too irreverent for my liking - however on the whole you can tell this book has been put together by someone who truly loves the subject matter and has spent many years enjoying and exploring it.
This book is a wealth of information - its just a shame I am not entirely sure when I would get to use it. However if there is such a place then this book would be invaluable. However till then its a great read and a book you cannot help but dip in and out of if its at hand,
January 16, 2014
Well, this was a lot of fun. Nearly 200 pages entirely covered with colorful infographics all related to comics. And not just American comics, European comics and manga are at least given a nod. Most of the infographics are at least vaguely informative, and mostly look great on the page. Sure, it's fluff, but it's fun, and there are moments that can be enlightening to comic fans. I doubt every page will appeal to every reader, but I found the majority of them fascinating, or at least fun to look at. I also appreciate that, index aside, it's 100% graphics, no text. I didn't pick this up for the text, after all.
February 7, 2025
This is an amazing book! But be warned: you REALLY have to be into comics to follow the graphs! Just one example: a chart of the Gotham City Police Department showing all members mentioned in Batman stories is included - and if the detectives 'work' day or night shift! Granularity that will not be appreciated (much less understood) by anyone who is not a 'true believer'!
June 16, 2014
Very cool coffee table/reference book about all things Comic (DC/Marvel/Image/Dark Horse/etc.) all done graphically with bright colours, tables, charts, pie graphs...mmm pie!
Not an old book (late 2012) but still already out of date on a couple things, that's no big issue, there's just cool info there for newbies (Kat) and seasoned pros (Sam, Mike, Anne, et al.). I enjoyed it, and were it not a library book, I'd be leaving it on my coffee table to generate conversation. Very cool nerd-gift. I'd have suggested it for Father's Day, but I'm a wee bit late now...
Worth a look, you can get through it in a couple hours tops.
Oh and Mike, it ALMOST counts as a grown up "real" book, since there aren't too many actual pictures...
Not an old book (late 2012) but still already out of date on a couple things, that's no big issue, there's just cool info there for newbies (Kat) and seasoned pros (Sam, Mike, Anne, et al.). I enjoyed it, and were it not a library book, I'd be leaving it on my coffee table to generate conversation. Very cool nerd-gift. I'd have suggested it for Father's Day, but I'm a wee bit late now...
Worth a look, you can get through it in a couple hours tops.
Oh and Mike, it ALMOST counts as a grown up "real" book, since there aren't too many actual pictures...
August 17, 2014
Aside from a few instances of casual sexism, it was a good read. Flipped through it in a few hours and found the detail and originality to be interesting. You can tell he put a lot of time into this and it really was enjoyable cause you never know what kind of graph or chart you're going to get next. Pleasantly surprised that he had one about Persepolis in here. I'd recommend it if you're into infographics
April 2, 2020
Una idea y ejecución maravillosa, que consiste básicamente en hacer infografías y gráficas de la variación en los colores de uniformes de superhéroes, en conformaciónes de grupos superheroicos de Marvel, ubicación de ciudades de cómics en el mundo, colores de portadas de Cerebus y así. Es una tonelada de información sobre cómics, super bien presentada y con sentido del humor, que gustará a fans del género que están recién empezando y a fans viejitos como yo.
December 28, 2017
You don't read this book as much as look at it. Turn it open to any page and you may find a graph of how tall each superhero is, or a Venn diagram of who wears a cape vs tights vs mask. Even my dad, who doesn't know much about comics, was intrigued at the way this book was set up.
January 29, 2015
Geek heaven - a melding of comic books and statistics.
Fun, colourful and completely useless in the best way, Tim Leong has masterfully created a varied selection of comic book facts, stats and arcana in a visually inventive succession of graphs, bar charts and diagrams.
There's lots to enjoy from the duration of death of major characters, the length of Wonder Woman's hem line, Charlie Brown's love life and which Flash is the most useless.
I was particularly taken aback by the Punisher's kill count (really that high?) and decision making flow chart, the world map of Tintin's travels (plus the equally fascinating timeline of the major changes to the stories and publication history) and the Marvel ratings scales (something I've never really paid much attention to and found quite surprising).
There is more a weighting towards D.C (more of a personal quibble from this Marvel fan), though he admirably covers a fair amount of the independents too.
Excellent for the geek/nerd in your life.
Fun, colourful and completely useless in the best way, Tim Leong has masterfully created a varied selection of comic book facts, stats and arcana in a visually inventive succession of graphs, bar charts and diagrams.
There's lots to enjoy from the duration of death of major characters, the length of Wonder Woman's hem line, Charlie Brown's love life and which Flash is the most useless.
I was particularly taken aback by the Punisher's kill count (really that high?) and decision making flow chart, the world map of Tintin's travels (plus the equally fascinating timeline of the major changes to the stories and publication history) and the Marvel ratings scales (something I've never really paid much attention to and found quite surprising).
There is more a weighting towards D.C (more of a personal quibble from this Marvel fan), though he admirably covers a fair amount of the independents too.
Excellent for the geek/nerd in your life.
December 29, 2013
Imagine, if you well, a Venn diagram, with circles for people who:
* like mainstream comic books
* like indie/alternative comic books
* are interested in information design
* like infographics/"chart porn"
* have a sense of whimsy
If you're in the intersection of all these, you want this book. I don't think every graphic succeeds -- although maybe the impenetrability of the mapping of Marvel superheroes to Marvel superhero teams is deliberate. But I learned quite a few things (mostly about the evolution of the business, there are great charts about acquisition chains and price-point changes). I and laughed a lot. And I literally didn't put the book down until I'd plowed through the whole thing.
If there's a sequel, or maybe even just a second edition, it needs a chart about XTC songs and comic book character references. Maybe Sgt. Rock can help.
* like mainstream comic books
* like indie/alternative comic books
* are interested in information design
* like infographics/"chart porn"
* have a sense of whimsy
If you're in the intersection of all these, you want this book. I don't think every graphic succeeds -- although maybe the impenetrability of the mapping of Marvel superheroes to Marvel superhero teams is deliberate. But I learned quite a few things (mostly about the evolution of the business, there are great charts about acquisition chains and price-point changes). I and laughed a lot. And I literally didn't put the book down until I'd plowed through the whole thing.
If there's a sequel, or maybe even just a second edition, it needs a chart about XTC songs and comic book character references. Maybe Sgt. Rock can help.
August 31, 2013
Loved this book. WARNING:DON'T BUY THIS ON KINDLE, NOOK OR IBOOKS. Electronic versions of this book are exceptionally low quality. The publisher is aware, the author is aware, supposedly a higher quality version is in the works but nothing yet. Had to get that out there.
The book is itself both a humorous look at and analysis of tropes and other data in the comics world. It is laugh out loud funny and filled with tons of awesome comics trivia. In print it is beautifully done.
The book is itself both a humorous look at and analysis of tropes and other data in the comics world. It is laugh out loud funny and filled with tons of awesome comics trivia. In print it is beautifully done.
August 27, 2022
As someone who enjoys both graphic arts and graphic novels, this was a fun mashup for me to read. Tim Leong explores the history, demographics, and interactions of major comic milestones. There was a lot that I wasn't familiar with, but I was impressed with the wide range that he covered and I was quite tickled with how he portrayed a lot of the information. Even though it's about comics and superheroes, there was enough adult humor that I would recommend it for an older crowd. Fun, interesting read!
April 23, 2017
An interesting book of impressive infographics. However, it generally feels more focused on showing how clever the graphic artist is then revealing any real information about comics. So, I was fascinating going from page to page, but saw very little where the graphic presentation actually provided new and interesting details for the information.
August 27, 2025
A unique book. Very, very fun. A lot of information presented in a very satisfying and interesting manner.
A must read for comic nerds.
A must read for comic nerds.
October 13, 2019
Some really good infographics in here, but some are a bit inaccessible to casual comic fans.
January 4, 2014
Colours! Bar charts! Trivia that I will remember instead of coordinate geometry!
This book was certainly fun to read. It's full of not only comic-book trivia and facts, but also blends with movie adaptations and has a few pages on cosplays and conventions. It's also funny, with a double-page spread on The Punisher in which the author talks to himself quite a bit.
I'm not [i]incredibly[/i] familiar with comic books (and even less so with the films), I read a few series of Marvel, I have had experience with Dark Horse and IDW, and I've read a bit of Vertigo. Aside from that, most of my knowledge is gleaned from people writing extensive meta on tumblr. This book splits almost down the middle with Marvel and DC (as you would expect), along with a few pages dedicated to other publishers. So naturally, I had to skim sections every now and again as it went deep into references regarding [i]Green Lantern[/i], for example.
But it wasn't all lost. I might not have been able to enjoy all the pages with in-jokes and explanations of history, but it aimed to keep things inclusive, often pitting publishers against one another in spreads.
So, it's a fun little book, which can't be taken too seriously as there is a lot left to opinion. To enjoy it fully, you need to have a reasonable amount of knowledge about comics, even if it's just comic book movies. A good read 3/5.
This book was certainly fun to read. It's full of not only comic-book trivia and facts, but also blends with movie adaptations and has a few pages on cosplays and conventions. It's also funny, with a double-page spread on The Punisher in which the author talks to himself quite a bit.
I'm not [i]incredibly[/i] familiar with comic books (and even less so with the films), I read a few series of Marvel, I have had experience with Dark Horse and IDW, and I've read a bit of Vertigo. Aside from that, most of my knowledge is gleaned from people writing extensive meta on tumblr. This book splits almost down the middle with Marvel and DC (as you would expect), along with a few pages dedicated to other publishers. So naturally, I had to skim sections every now and again as it went deep into references regarding [i]Green Lantern[/i], for example.
But it wasn't all lost. I might not have been able to enjoy all the pages with in-jokes and explanations of history, but it aimed to keep things inclusive, often pitting publishers against one another in spreads.
So, it's a fun little book, which can't be taken too seriously as there is a lot left to opinion. To enjoy it fully, you need to have a reasonable amount of knowledge about comics, even if it's just comic book movies. A good read 3/5.
March 1, 2021
Actual Rating: 1.5 stars
I have so many complaints about this book. Primary complaint is the UTTER LACK OF SOURCES. Where is your bibliography Tim?! Where is it because I couldn't find it. Did you write it in invisible ink and hide it in the ebook?! Where are your sources? Because some of your graphs and tables (approximately 50%) seem very inaccurate. I would like to call into question the validity of your data, sir. How is Themyscria off the coast of Cuba when they are supposed to be Greek?!
Second big issue I had with this book was the utter misogyny just sprinkled/doused throughout the pages of this book. Just reading this unsubstantiated mess of a book was infuriating to say the least. The man had a graph that gave reasons why guys like the Invisible Woman (Susan Storm) and one of the THREE reasons was and I quote "They're secretly hoping her clothes will be invisible". And he also created a bar graph showing the amount of leg Wonder Woman showed throughout history. Because that's all she is after all, a nice pair of legs, not a beacon of hope and strength but a pair of goddamn legs.
There is more I could say about this book but I honestly wish I could erase this book from my mind. The only reason why I am not rating this 1 stars is because some, about 15%, of the charts were actually entertaining and interesting, the rest was tripe.
I have so many complaints about this book. Primary complaint is the UTTER LACK OF SOURCES. Where is your bibliography Tim?! Where is it because I couldn't find it. Did you write it in invisible ink and hide it in the ebook?! Where are your sources? Because some of your graphs and tables (approximately 50%) seem very inaccurate. I would like to call into question the validity of your data, sir. How is Themyscria off the coast of Cuba when they are supposed to be Greek?!
Second big issue I had with this book was the utter misogyny just sprinkled/doused throughout the pages of this book. Just reading this unsubstantiated mess of a book was infuriating to say the least. The man had a graph that gave reasons why guys like the Invisible Woman (Susan Storm) and one of the THREE reasons was and I quote "They're secretly hoping her clothes will be invisible". And he also created a bar graph showing the amount of leg Wonder Woman showed throughout history. Because that's all she is after all, a nice pair of legs, not a beacon of hope and strength but a pair of goddamn legs.
There is more I could say about this book but I honestly wish I could erase this book from my mind. The only reason why I am not rating this 1 stars is because some, about 15%, of the charts were actually entertaining and interesting, the rest was tripe.
June 18, 2014
When I learned of this book, I knew I had to have it.
Super Graphic is a series of graphs—an entire books’ worth, in fact—that deal only with comic books. Each graph is typically quite clever in depicting an image along with information. Of course, this is a poplar medium at the moment called “infographics.”
Some of the graphs include the evolution of the Superman logo over the last seventy-six years. Another includes the affiliations of over fifty Marvel characters such as Wolverine, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Luke Cage. Yet another breaks down the pizzas that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have enjoyed since their inception.
By and large, the graphs are incredibly complex and fascinating to study. I cannot imagine the time, effort, and sheer amount of research required by Tim Leong to produce it. However, this book absolutely does not take itself too seriously. Some of the charts mean to make you laugh, and some are downright ludicrous.
As a comic book lover, I can pick this book up anytime and find something new to appreciate. However, I think anyone interested in infographics or art will adore it as well. Furthermore, I value books that push traditional publishing standards, and this one does just that.
Super Graphic is a series of graphs—an entire books’ worth, in fact—that deal only with comic books. Each graph is typically quite clever in depicting an image along with information. Of course, this is a poplar medium at the moment called “infographics.”
Some of the graphs include the evolution of the Superman logo over the last seventy-six years. Another includes the affiliations of over fifty Marvel characters such as Wolverine, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Luke Cage. Yet another breaks down the pizzas that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have enjoyed since their inception.
By and large, the graphs are incredibly complex and fascinating to study. I cannot imagine the time, effort, and sheer amount of research required by Tim Leong to produce it. However, this book absolutely does not take itself too seriously. Some of the charts mean to make you laugh, and some are downright ludicrous.
As a comic book lover, I can pick this book up anytime and find something new to appreciate. However, I think anyone interested in infographics or art will adore it as well. Furthermore, I value books that push traditional publishing standards, and this one does just that.
June 18, 2017
This was a really cool visual aid to all the mysteries and connections in the comic world! I love that besides DC and Marvel, the author included various other publishers like Dark Horse, Archie and Image +more! It even included inf about comics I've never read like Tin-Tin. The author does an awesome job comparing companies, who owns what, characters, movies, comics and even web comics! I learned a lot and will keep this around! It also has visual aids connecting popular characters to people in their worlds! Very fun!
February 13, 2016
Pretty funny and charming, this is more of a coffee table book that one peruses rather then a library ebook that one tries to read from front to back before its due date. Somewhat fluffy there was a minimal amount of gimmick considering the premise. While the information was presented in creative and unique ways, it all felt very real and relevant.
A good gift idea for that comic nerd who already has everything else.
A good gift idea for that comic nerd who already has everything else.
November 29, 2013
I put this on my Graphic Novel and Non-fiction shelves... but it's not, not really. Tim Leong has- brilliantly, I might add- graphically presented data from the world of comics. Some of these are funny and comical, but most are clearly the product of hours of research, assembly and presentation.
A must-have for the comic book fan on your list. An amazing work.
A must-have for the comic book fan on your list. An amazing work.
June 3, 2015
Even though I didn't know all superheroes/fictional characters this was a fun book to 'read'. It had humor, design and superheroes! All the things I like! Some charts were a bit confusing and not very clear. Loving the flash statistics and most of the graphics!
April 14, 2014
Good, smart, comic info-graphic fun. My favorite was a flow chart of what the Punisher would do that always ends with "kill him."
October 6, 2016
I like the statistics, but to be honest it probably would've been better without comparing Power Girl's breast size to the average woman, which was a little gross.
October 16, 2016
beautiful yet exhausting
December 11, 2018
You would have read a lot of Marvel and DC to appreciate all the graphic diagrams here. But there's plenty to entertain anyone with some basic knowledge and it would give them a good insight into the deeper world of Super Heroes.
The graphics are appealing, have a consistent style and provide constant delight as you turn the pages. There's plenty of humour and it's certainly not just for the die hard comic geeks. I can't think of many aspects of the world of comics that isn't touched on; Story Lines, Characters, Publishing History, Company finance and strategy, Writers, Work Schedules and more.
However, this is very US centric with only a few references to European Strips and Japanese Manga. There's nothing at all on Chinese, Russian, or African comics but researching that for a sequel would be a daunting task... However, that's easily forgiven as America is the home of Super Heroes as the title "Super Graphics" implies.
So it's great for comic geeks. Beyond that, this is also an excellent book for graphic designers, statisticians and good game for anyone that's read Edward Tufte. Lots of the graphics are purely that; a nice visual that provides no information beyond the graphic image itself. The Cardinal rule of including graphic elements that have no bearing on the information is regularly broken. Lines linking text to image are usually awkwardly routed making many diagrams difficult to follow... and not always helping the visual graphic either(!). Alphabetical lists are regularly used rather than a more meaningful order like time or size. Some diagrams just state the obvious and others make no attempt to give any insight into the graphic chaos covering two pages.
But this is all about entertainment... with a few interesting insights into the endlessly inventive world of Super Heroes.
The graphics are appealing, have a consistent style and provide constant delight as you turn the pages. There's plenty of humour and it's certainly not just for the die hard comic geeks. I can't think of many aspects of the world of comics that isn't touched on; Story Lines, Characters, Publishing History, Company finance and strategy, Writers, Work Schedules and more.
However, this is very US centric with only a few references to European Strips and Japanese Manga. There's nothing at all on Chinese, Russian, or African comics but researching that for a sequel would be a daunting task... However, that's easily forgiven as America is the home of Super Heroes as the title "Super Graphics" implies.
So it's great for comic geeks. Beyond that, this is also an excellent book for graphic designers, statisticians and good game for anyone that's read Edward Tufte. Lots of the graphics are purely that; a nice visual that provides no information beyond the graphic image itself. The Cardinal rule of including graphic elements that have no bearing on the information is regularly broken. Lines linking text to image are usually awkwardly routed making many diagrams difficult to follow... and not always helping the visual graphic either(!). Alphabetical lists are regularly used rather than a more meaningful order like time or size. Some diagrams just state the obvious and others make no attempt to give any insight into the graphic chaos covering two pages.
But this is all about entertainment... with a few interesting insights into the endlessly inventive world of Super Heroes.
July 11, 2018
At first, this book appeared to me as a funny and light summery read. Still, I went ahead with my analytic process with one question in mind: what is the purpose of this work? Quite a hard question to answer when it comes to non-classified books because they don't fit in a specific genre. A couple of minutes later, looking at the beautiful graphs included in this book, it dawned on me: that author wants to incorporate very odd and non-classified pieces of information in a book that will appeal to a large audience.
That finding in mind, I would define that work as a small collection of facts. Whether they are expressed by a coloured graph or by a cartoony statistic model, you will learn a lot of things you never thought existed (such as how many superheroes wear a certain colour). This is the part I liked the most about this book because it is a very accurate tool for someone who wants to evaluate or study marginal aspects of comics and cartoons world, but, at the same time, it could be used by a novice reader who wants to know the basics component of this universe.
Plus, as suggested in the title, the author focused on the visual aspect of his work. Consequently, visual learners and readers will be very satisfied, whereas other types of readers might find it limited.
Overall, this book is an interesting piece of visual art and it contains accurate and useful marginal pieces if information about comics and superheroes. I would recommend it to those who already love comic books and the world of this genre and also to those who want to study that type of literature for the first time. I wouldn't recommend it to readers who love deep and complex thoughts and who want to learn more than the basics of that world.
That finding in mind, I would define that work as a small collection of facts. Whether they are expressed by a coloured graph or by a cartoony statistic model, you will learn a lot of things you never thought existed (such as how many superheroes wear a certain colour). This is the part I liked the most about this book because it is a very accurate tool for someone who wants to evaluate or study marginal aspects of comics and cartoons world, but, at the same time, it could be used by a novice reader who wants to know the basics component of this universe.
Plus, as suggested in the title, the author focused on the visual aspect of his work. Consequently, visual learners and readers will be very satisfied, whereas other types of readers might find it limited.
Overall, this book is an interesting piece of visual art and it contains accurate and useful marginal pieces if information about comics and superheroes. I would recommend it to those who already love comic books and the world of this genre and also to those who want to study that type of literature for the first time. I wouldn't recommend it to readers who love deep and complex thoughts and who want to learn more than the basics of that world.
February 25, 2021
2 / 5 for 'SuperGraphic' by Tim Leong
I was quite excited to get into this book - a view of comic culture / comic history via infographics.
Fair play to the author, he has performed an amazing amount of research in preparation for this book, and this shines through in the varied and well-presented infographics.
Unfortunately, this widely-spread range of infographics is kind of what I like AND dislike about this book. The detailed and informative infographics are really interesting and give you much food for thought. But for each one of these excellent infographics, there is at least one, if not two, daft infographics. I think these are played for laughs, but they're not very funny.
There are a few that have been designed to be overly complex, with hundreds of the lines crossing over each other in a mish-mash of colour. I believe that's the joke with the overly-complex ones; you're not supposed to be able to understand them as the specific subject of the infographic in question is similarly complex. But these end up feeling like wasted pages.
For every interesting infographic page that I would study carefully, there are 2 pages of either silly or purposefully complex and unreadable infographics, for which I would simply sigh and turn the page.
If the daft / unreadable infographics were dumped, this 196-page / 2-star book could have been a 90-page / 5-star book. It's a shame really, as 33% of the book is great, but the other 66% is crap.
Recommended for comic fans & infographic fans only.
2 / 5
I was quite excited to get into this book - a view of comic culture / comic history via infographics.
Fair play to the author, he has performed an amazing amount of research in preparation for this book, and this shines through in the varied and well-presented infographics.
Unfortunately, this widely-spread range of infographics is kind of what I like AND dislike about this book. The detailed and informative infographics are really interesting and give you much food for thought. But for each one of these excellent infographics, there is at least one, if not two, daft infographics. I think these are played for laughs, but they're not very funny.
There are a few that have been designed to be overly complex, with hundreds of the lines crossing over each other in a mish-mash of colour. I believe that's the joke with the overly-complex ones; you're not supposed to be able to understand them as the specific subject of the infographic in question is similarly complex. But these end up feeling like wasted pages.
For every interesting infographic page that I would study carefully, there are 2 pages of either silly or purposefully complex and unreadable infographics, for which I would simply sigh and turn the page.
If the daft / unreadable infographics were dumped, this 196-page / 2-star book could have been a 90-page / 5-star book. It's a shame really, as 33% of the book is great, but the other 66% is crap.
Recommended for comic fans & infographic fans only.
2 / 5
May 8, 2019
Intermittently interesting, but suffering from a multiple personality disorder. Some of the charts were helpful and interesting explications of some aspect of superherodom (e.g. the time elapsing between a major character's death and their eventual resurrection) while other charts were just plain silly (I can barely remember the silly ones, but they'd be a picture of, say, Captain America's shield, with a legend claiming the white parts are the amount of time spent attacking, the red parts are the amount of time spent defending, and the blue part the amount of time spent resting. Not helpful, not true, and someone who makes charts should know humans are good at seeing difference in length but not area!)
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
February 26, 2019
Can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this book yet! It’s been sitting in my bathroom for about 4 years! It’s totally outdated now, but it’s still such a visually pleasing book! It’s one of the best books to have in your bathroom while you’re you know...taking care of business! 😏😉I keep a copy in my bathroom along with the Zombie Survival Guide and What’s Your Poo Telling You (both are also 5 star books) ⭐️
Just open it randomly to any page and you’ll be blown away! And if you’re one of those real Geeks that likes math or graphs and crap like that, then this book is definitely for you! That page with the Punisher is well worth the book in itself! A friend bought this book for me and I’ve read it like 10 times (at least). Even my kid loves reading this book! 💛💛
Just open it randomly to any page and you’ll be blown away! And if you’re one of those real Geeks that likes math or graphs and crap like that, then this book is definitely for you! That page with the Punisher is well worth the book in itself! A friend bought this book for me and I’ve read it like 10 times (at least). Even my kid loves reading this book! 💛💛
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