- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Reprint edition (14 Feb 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0312339925
- ISBN-13: 978-0312339920
- Product Dimensions: 14 x 21.3 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 231,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first read this book way back when, probably in the late seventies. It is a treat to find it rereleased, as it has been out of print for years.
This is a satirical look at the lifestyles and politics of the 1970s, and I am assuming the author, who was a journalist not connected to comic book writing, did not expect it to influence the way comics were written. But that is exactly what it did. Compare Alan Moore's seminal eighties classic "Marvelman" strip to "Superfolks" and it is obvious where Moore found his inspiration. Equally, the hugely successful cartoon film "the Incredibles" starts with a similar premise to this novel, and also shares some of the same plot developments.
It is not true that before this work no one had written superhero comics realistically, Stan Lee had injected a level of realism in his Marvel line ten years or more before, but this book takes the idea of heroes in a "real" world one step further..the reality is shown to be incompatible with the naive heroics of Superman or Captain Marvel.
Ultimately, the novel is about growing up,and worse,growing old;We can, perhaps forgive, therefore, the presence of a crime busting Peter Pan.
This is a satirical look at the lifestyles and politics of the 1970s, and I am assuming the author, who was a journalist not connected to comic book writing, did not expect it to influence the way comics were written. But that is exactly what it did. Compare Alan Moore's seminal eighties classic "Marvelman" strip to "Superfolks" and it is obvious where Moore found his inspiration. Equally, the hugely successful cartoon film "the Incredibles" starts with a similar premise to this novel, and also shares some of the same plot developments.
It is not true that before this work no one had written superhero comics realistically, Stan Lee had injected a level of realism in his Marvel line ten years or more before, but this book takes the idea of heroes in a "real" world one step further..the reality is shown to be incompatible with the naive heroics of Superman or Captain Marvel.
Ultimately, the novel is about growing up,and worse,growing old;We can, perhaps forgive, therefore, the presence of a crime busting Peter Pan.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was great, it was a laugh a minute, with a riskee look at the future of our super friends, what happened to superman, to batman, spiderman.
We're in the future now and it doesn't look good for us, looking at how our superheroes ended up.
Who's left? You don't want to know.
But then again, in a strange way, you do.
And when you find out, watch out, cos' the saviour of our time, is every-man, - as a superhero.
A contradiction in terms, and yet Robert Mayer pulls it off. Brilliantly, with this funny, slightly dodgy, yet realistically so, adventurous look, at what happens when all the popular super heroes have reached the end of their story.
We're in the future now and it doesn't look good for us, looking at how our superheroes ended up.
Who's left? You don't want to know.
But then again, in a strange way, you do.
And when you find out, watch out, cos' the saviour of our time, is every-man, - as a superhero.
A contradiction in terms, and yet Robert Mayer pulls it off. Brilliantly, with this funny, slightly dodgy, yet realistically so, adventurous look, at what happens when all the popular super heroes have reached the end of their story.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a life-long comic book fan, I'd heard tell of this novel, originally released in the 70's (I think), so I was well pleased to see it had been re-released and available right here on Amazon.
I found it a very quick, easy and entertaining read (read it over two nights). Perhaps when it first came out it was "brilliant" -- perhaps even a somewhat daring take on super-heroes (even if it does seem to have something of a fascination with sex) -- but as the great Grant Morrison points out in his foreword, this story would fit right in with "modern" day comics.
Heck, not just modern day ... every since Frank Miller, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons changed comics forever back in the 80's (it was the 80's right? I've got a heck of a memory), Superfolks would be most acceptable fare.
So, read it and enjoy it for what it is, but perhaps try to keep it in context as well ...
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