The Science of Supervillains

By: Lois H. Gresh, Robert H. Weinberg

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

The authors of The Science of Superheroes now reveal the real genius of the most evil geniuses. Ever wonder why comic book villains, such as Spiderman's bionic archenemy Dr. Octopus or the X-Men's eternal rival Magneto, are so scary and so much fun? It's not just their diabolical talent for confounding our heroes, it's their unrivalled techno-proficiency at creating global mayhem that keeps comic book fans captivated. But is any of the science actually true? In The Science of Supervillains, authors Lois Gresh and Bob Weinberg present a highly entertaining and informative look at the mind-boggling wizardry behind the comic book world's legendary baddies. Whether it's artificial intelligence, weapons systems, anti-matter, robotics, or magnetic flux theory, this fun, fact-filled book is a fascinating excursion into the real-world science animating the genius in the comic book world's pantheon of evil geniuses.

Lois Gresh (Scottsville, NY) and Bob Weinberg (Oak Forest, IL) are the authors of the popular Science of Superheroes.

NOTE: Some editorial changes to the original text have been made with the author’s approval.

©2005 Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg. Introduction by Chris Claremont (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

A Decent Follow-Up But...

The Science of Supervillains is a decent follow-up to The Science of Superheroes. I was happy that this time they decided to stick only to comics in the superhero genre and left Disney characters out of it.
It only got three stars because at times I felt like the authors were really stretching in order to fill space. For instance the Batman villain Poison Ivy does not have and never claimed to have the powers of the plant Poison Ivy. It is merely her supervillain name. I don't think a 10+ minute discussion on the dangers of the plant poison ivy was at all necessary. The worst part is I kept thinking with all the supervillain questions this is taking up valuable space in the book and making it so another villain was left on the cutting room floor.
Also some of the book, much like the first one is now out-of-date. This however is not the fault of the authors as science changes all the time and when you put something about technology in a book, it is bound to be out-dated quickly. I would love to have an update version though.
Also if a third book is to be made, perhaps they could ask fans of superheroes what their questions are and cover those.
All-in-all not a bad book, but coul have used a lot of editing for relevancy.

A-MA-ZING

this book does my head in, but I love it so much - same with science of superheroes. thank you for your work+

Outdated / Lazy Science / Attacks on Religion

What would have made The Science of Supervillains better?

It was just out of date. Science has changed so much since this book was released. It is now irrelevant. Plus, it has some strong attacks against religion that I personally found insulting.

What was most disappointing about Lois H. Gresh and Robert H. Weinberg ’s story?

It felt like a book that anybody could have written with a little help from Wikipedia. No new ideas were presented, and far too often the authors went off on irrelevant tangents.

Would you be willing to try another one of Oliver Wyman’s performances?

Yes. He did a passable job. Maybe a little too much emphasis and enunciation.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It had a great deal of potential. Maybe uber-fans or scientists would find it enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

Authors: leave politics and personal beliefs out of your books, and you will be better off in the long run. Alienating your fan base is not a recipe for success.