Brian Cronin (1)

The format of the book was different than I expected it to be - in many of the blurbs, it was difficult to tell exactly which "legend" was being addressed - but this book gives a nice overview of comic book history, especially of the "major two" (DC and Marvel). Die-hard comic book fans probably already know most, if not all, of the main points contained in this book, but for relative newcomers to comics, or those who are mostly Marvel or mostly DC, it's a good resource.

It's amazing to read show more how major comic events, costumes, characters, or plots were often "accidents." Batman's original costume design would have been laughable, for instance. The world of comics is apparently a gigantic soap opera, filled with petty feuds, in-fighting, and subtle stabs and slights to people regarded as competition. Well, I can't say it's not interesting to read about! And, along the way, there's trivia sprinkled throughout - why was the Hulk's color changed from gray to green? Did Peter's Uncle Ben really say the famous quote about great power and great responsibility that is so often attributed to him? Is the word "super-hero" trademarked? You'll find all of those answers here, along with a bunch of others.

The book could have benefited from a better editor - there were several glaring typos, and run-on sentences were common. Still, the book is readable, and the author has an easy conversational style for most of it. I could have done without his editorializing throughout the book, however; let the reader make up his/her mind. And the more current information is a bit dated (the book was published in 2009, but the cutting off point seems to be mid-2008). show less

I have always enjoyed the column about comic book legends that Brian Cronin wrote online, and so was very happy to have a lot of that information in book form. I would have been fine had the book merely reprinted the columns without trying to put them into more of a narrative, but this is still a fun book with a lot of information about comics.

Required reading for all comic book geeks, Brian Cronin's weekly column Comic Book Legends Revealed educates and enlightens the trivial aspects of comic book history. Was Superman A Spy? collects 65 of Cronin's columns plus an additional 65 pieces written for this book. Dividing the book into three parts (DC, Marvel, and Other Companies), Cronin introduces and demystifies legends involving many of the industry's giants—both creations and creators. Sadly, Was Superman A Spy? lacks an index. show more Often missing notations, the picture reproductions are of poor quality. Inexcusable for a publishing house the size of Plume, the book is littered with misspellings and typos. Despite these flaws, Was Superman A Spy? stands as a unique book for the comic book fan and will be enjoyed by anyone with an even passing interest in the medium. show less

Fun nuggets of comic book trivia. It's got something for almost everybody. Deep history for the hardcore fan; fun stuff for the casual fan.
Sometimes it had me question whether an entry was really worth my time, but I also ended up with a list of comics I'd like to track down and read. It might not have been QUITE as interesting as I hoped, but I'm a pretty picky long time comic junkie, so I set the bar pretty high.