The Stories of Scott D. Southard

I am the father of a four-year old obsessed with superheroes. And while I am always a little nervous that all of these characters seem to have fathers that meet untimely ends (How can a dad not squirm at that thought?), I have no problem playing with his toys with him and watching his shows.

This late-in-life dip into superheroes has come up with some fun discoveries for me—like GraphicAudio’s amazing radio dramatization of comic books, which I discuss here and here—as I become more and more an unintentional expert in the field of all things with capes.

Superman by Larry Tye is a wonderfully-written nonfiction account of the history of Superman from his birth to most recent times. The book is expansive, not happy with merely talking about his creators or the interesting actors that have portrayed him over the years; showing all of the impacts that the character has had on our society (religion, culturally, etc.) and his own changes as he evolves and gets retooled again and again for new generations.

This is not a simple or playful introduction, but a celebration of an icon and all of the people that made his flight possible. (more…)