The Science of Superheroes

By: Lois Gresh, Robert Weinberg

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

The Science of Superheroes takes a lighthearted but clear-headed look at the real science that underlies some of the greatest superhero comic books of all time, including Spider-Man, Batman, Fantastic Four, and many more. Each chapter presents the story of the origin of one or more superheroes and asks intriguing questions that lead to fascinating discussions about the limits of science, the laws of nature, and the future of technology.

If gamma rays can’t turn a 128-pound weakling into the Incredible Hulk, what could? Are Spider-Man’s powers really those of a spider? Could a person ever breathe water like a fish? From telepathy to teleportation, from cloning to cosmic rays, this vastly entertaining romp through the nexus of science and fantasy separates the possible from the plausible and the barely plausible from the utterly ridiculous.

With an introduction by author Dean Koontz.Executive Producer: Dan Zitt
©2002 by Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg
(P)2002 Random House Inc.

Beautifully done!

A grand mix of comic history, trivia, and science. Using the superheroes by nature or origin, they jump on subjects like black holes, relativity, genetics, evolution, probability of alien life, and more. As a follower of comics for decades, I was surprised at the detailed stories that were referenced and compared, some only a few years old. Whether a lover of DC or Marvel, you'll find something to interest you here. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Xmen -they're all here to some level or not.

The One, Two Punch of Heroes!

Would you listen to The Science of Superheroes again? Why?

I think I will!

Any additional comments?

This is just a fun book. I even enjoyed the Donald Duck part. I have been looking for Heroes in modern books and sadly have found few. This book allowed me to spend some quality time with some true heroes. Thanks Audible!

Fun read

This is an interesting book and answers a number of questions that just aren't relevant when you're deep into comic book reading. It's a good step back from the fantasy world and provides intriguing explanations on how each superhero is able to do the things they do. I wish there were more analysis on other superheroes. Superman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Batman were either inadequate or just plain boring. Spiderman, Atom, and Submariner explanations were ok. Maybe the author will write a second version with analysis on characters from the Avenger, Xmen, Ironman, and DareDevil.

This first book is too long on the history of comic books and short on analysis of the superpowers. Hopefully version 2 (if it comes out) will jump directly into the analysis of each superhero's powers and analyze more Marvel characters.

The Science of Superheroes

This is the second best Audible Book I've listened too! I highly recommend!

For comic book geeks only

If you're the sort of comic book geek that can listen to arguments about whether Superman could beat up Hyperion, this one is for you. If not--- well, no.

There's some cool comics history in here, and a lot of fairly good science used to split hairs.

The authors tackle Superman, Green Lantern, the Atom, Aquaman, Spider-Man, Batman, and many more. The premise of the book is actually pretty weak, as you KNOW Superman is just a comic book. And sometimes you wonder if they really needed to bother analysing a particular power. But these are times where you learn something... and it's startling to see what actually holds up.