The League of Regrettable Superheroes - (Comic Book History) by Jon Morris (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Meet one hundred of the strangest superheroes ever to see print, complete with backstories, vintage art, and colorful commentary.

You know about Batman, Superman, and Spiderman, but have you heard of Doll Man, Doctor Hormone, or Spider Queen? So prepare yourself for such not-ready-for-prime-time heroes as Bee Man (Batman, but with bees), the Clown (circus-themed crimebuster), the Eye (a giant, floating eyeball; just accept it), and many other oddballs and oddities. Drawing on the entire history of the medium, The League of Regrettable Superheroes will appeal to die-hard comics fans, casual comics readers, and anyone who enjoys peering into the stranger corners of pop culture.

Review Quotes

"A volume rich with historical anecdotes and informed commentary on every era of comics history."--A.V. Club

"With its gorgeous full page images of the comics and humorous descriptions of the heroes, each second-stringer gets a few pages of glory."--Boing Boing

"Jon Morris has compiled the histories and art of some of the strangest and most unusual superheroes that ever saw print and collected them here for you. Definitely check it out!"--Nerdist

"This compendium of short-lived superheroes (from actual comics) will thrill and amaze."--Mental Floss

"A great idea, executed with adroit prose, attractive design and painstaking production quality. . . turning what could have been a merely dutiful archive into a vibrant, living, expertly curated tour of a long-neglected and seriously goofy facet of American cultural history."--NPR's Monkey See

"[A]n amusing collection of obscure wonderments."--Sci Fi magazine

"Forgotten but not gone, cartoonist and graphic designer Jon Morris has lovingly resurrected, wittily chronicled, and copiously illustrated these idiosyncratic super-D-list-ers--more than a hundred--for our enlightenment and--mostly--amusement."--PRINT magazine

"[Morris's] wealth of knowledge and whip-smart sense of humor add up to a book that's both deeply informative and quite funny."--Seattle Weekly

"This excellent book would be a worthy addition to any comic fan's collection, be they the hardcore enthusiast or the more casual fan of the superhero genre."--ComicBook.com

"This compilation is essential reading both old and new fans who revel in the art of comic books. . . This is a wealth of comic art and undeniable fun."--The New York Journal of Books

Praise for national bestseller The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains
"Fascinating."--Entertainment Weekly

"A sequel to Morris's acclaimed The League of Regrettable Superheroes, this quick-read volume is a chronological encyclopedia of the strangest and silliest antagonists ever to appear in sequential art."--Vulture

"In the realm of comic books, the undisputed guru of all things ridiculous, forgotten, and regrettable is Jon Morris."--VICE

"[A] delightfully fun rundown of more than 100 of pulp history's most marvelous forgotten baddies."--Parade

"Full of gorgeous vintage comic art and poignantly entertaining character entries."--PRINT magazine

Praise for The League of Regrettable Sidekicks:
"A gorgeous technicolor reference tome."--Tor.com

"Entertaining, well-written and researched. . . Highly recommended!"--My Comic Book

About the Author

Jon Morris is a cartoonist and graphic designer and author of The League of Regret­table Superheroes (Quirk, 2015), The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains (Quirk, 2017), and The League of Regrettable Sidekicks (Quirk, 2018). Since the late 1990s, he's operated the blog Gone & Forgotten, an irreverent in-depth look at the worst, the lowliest, and the most unfortunate stories and characters comic books have ever offered.