Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe

Infographics are great for folks who have trouble grasping complex data analysis — which really means they’re great for almost everyone. It can be really hard to look at a column of statistics and be able to make hide nor hair of them. A good infographic makes data more clear to the layman, and if designed well, they can actually make data fun.Tim Leong is a very good designer, a very good number cruncher, and he really likes comic books. And so we get “Super Graphic,” a book full of infographics about comic books. It’s an incredibly clever book, beautifully designed, and grand fun to read.Among the other infographics in the book are graphs analyzing common superhero tropes, manga, the heights and weights of various superheroes, the histories (and mergings) of many comic book publishers, the ingredients of pizzas preferred by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a comparison of superhero-themed roller coasters, the political leanings of comic book characters, the stats on Charlie Brown’s baseball team, the influence of comic books on hip hop, a flow chart on how the Punisher determines who he kills, and much, much, much more.My primary quibble with this book is that I kinda wanted all of the graphics to include useful data, and some of them are just there for the sake of silliness or showing off Leong’s design chops. For example, “A Personal History of Saying ‘Good Grief’ ” is just a black zigzag on a yellow background — in other words, the pattern on Charlie Brown’s shirt. It’s cute, but that’s about all it is.But again, that’s a quibble. I had a blast reading the book, pored over all the stats, gloried in the graphic design, and found plenty of things to laugh about and learn from. If you love comics — not just superheroes, but all kinds of comics — and you love the statistics and data and minutiae of hardcore comics continuity study, you should pick this up.

When I learned of this book, I knew I had to have it.Super Graphic is a series of graphs—an entire books’ worth, in fact—that deal only with comic books. Each graph is typically quite clever in depicting an image along with information. Of course, this is a poplar medium at the moment called “infographics.”Some of the graphs include the evolution of the Superman logo over the last seventy-six years. Another includes the affiliations of over fifty Marvel characters such as Wolverine, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Luke Cage. Yet another breaks down the pizzas that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have enjoyed since their inception.By and large, the graphs are incredibly complex and fascinating to study. I cannot imagine the time, effort, and sheer amount of research required by Tim Leong to produce it. However, this book absolutely does not take itself too seriously. Some of the charts mean to make you laugh, and some are downright ludicrous.As a comic book lover, I can pick this book up anytime and find something new to appreciate. However, I think anyone interested in infographics or art will adore it as well. Furthermore, I value books that push traditional publishing standards, and this one does just that.

Tim Leong constantly surprises me with the level of quality and accessibility to all of his work and Super Graphic is no exception. It's a piece of art that I recommend to any and everyone who has even a modicum of interest in the comic book subculture. The use of infographics continue to astound me as I never realized how much information could be packed into such a clear, concise image and I appreciate how varied the subject matter is. Whether you're a fan of men who dress like rodents or arachnids or into Euro-fare like Tin Tin this is the book for you.I'd also highly recommend picking up any backissues of his magazine Comic Foundry if you can find them. It might be a little dated but it's passion and heart are timeless.

It's an all-around fun book that packs a lot of information into many creative infographics. Some of the graphics are more detailed or useful than others, but overall it maintained my interest throughout.

Unfortunately, I am not able to fully enjoy this book due to zoom not being available for Kindle on Windows or Mac desktops/laptops. Although the graphics are astounding, oftentimes I cannot make meaning of them due to the font size.

Really cool graphic book with many different heroes like dc, marvel, super teenage mutant ninja turtles and walking dead. It's really interesting and has a lot of humour in it, Its good to read if your bored or if you want to fool your parents that you are looking at a maths book (maybe?). It's a great buy.

Excellent! I super enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. There is so much I learned and I had a few laughs too! I look forward to other books by this author!

Questo libro è un must have per gli appassionati di comics e grafica! È davvero interessante, coloratissimo e a tratti anche molto ironico E simpatico nelle didascalie. Ci sono tante curiosità da scoprire (molte anche su Sten Lee) È un regalo perfetto, ho fatto bella figura!

Completísimas estadísticas, infografias y diagramas que cubren todo el universo superheroico, para el Nerd que todos llevamos dentro, buen balance entre texto e imagenes

Bought for my comic loving brother in law. Great stat's and info.