Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society - Softcover

As former Group Editor of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man line, Danny Fingeroth became intimately familiar with the key elements of superhero mythology. He is exceptionally well versed in just what it takes to breathe life into these characters. Fingeroth is currently the creator and editor of Write Now magazine. He lives in New York City with his wife, sons, and 30,000 comic books.

"Fingeroth draws on his decades of working at Marvel Comics (including work as the editorial director of the Spider-Man comics family) to write this personal, engaging, and earnest work. He addresses, among other topics, superheroes and immigration (Superman, the ultimate alien), superheroes and family relations (Fantastic Four and X-Men), and the development of the teen voice in comic books (from sidekick to Spider-Man). Fingeroth hits a number of high notes, especially in his discussion of villains as proactive characters, as opposed to the usually reactive heroes. He also considers the idea of the female superhero. Fingeroth supports his assertions with a good array of scholarly and popular sources, including work by Joseph Campell, Gloria Steinem, and Les Daniels. The result is an easygoing exploration of superheores' culture significance, and it will appeal to a mainstream audience. Comics legend Stan Lee provides the foreworld to this slim volume. The hardcover carries a hefty price tag, so larger public libraries may wish to consider the paperback. Because of the subject matter's appeal and the accessibility of Fingeroth's writing, this title is an especially good choice for school libraries."" —Library Journal" (Library Journal)

"With a uniquely psychological approach, Fingeroth attempts to understand America's continuing fascination with spandex-clad crime-fighters. His conclusions are intriguing. " —Washington Square News, 4/26/04 (Eric Kohn)

“Superman on the Couch has a number of interesting, novel things to say about the assimilation and naturalization of superhero fiction. Superman on the couch is a near-exhaustive look at the superhero phenomenon, through the eyes of a man who has spent all his working life around them. I would recommend the book to anyone with even a passing interest in comics or fiction in general. Thoroughly engrossing read. It provides even the most jaded superhero fan with a wealth of clever, novel ideas to chew over.” – Matthew Craig, RobotFist.com, 6/7/04

“Superman on the Couch is informative and well researched, examining characters from cultural, psychological and historical perspectives. Fingeroth, who ran the Spider-Man line and consulted on the 1990’s Spider-Man fox cartoons, knows his subject matter.” – Tim Clodfelter, Winston-Salem Journal 7/4/04

"Aficionados of hero comics, pulps, and detective paperbacks of the 1940s and 1950s will appreciate this book in which Fingeroth poses questions and then helps the reader answer them. Recommended." —CHOICE
(A Hirsch, Emeritus, Central Connecticut State University, Choice, 9/04 CHOICE)

"Books about superhero comics are typicallywritten by fans, creators, or scholars. Danny Fingeroth's work transcends theusual limitations of perspective we find in such books because his life hasencompassed all three roles. This book is recommended for all collections." (The Journal of American Culture)

"In Superman on theCouch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society,Danny Fingeroth offers something unique: a work of popular comic book criticismthat explores why comic book superheroes have continued to matter so much to somany of us over the past several decades, and why characters such as Batman,Spider-Man, and Superman have not only entered into popular consciousness, but,moreover, remained so firmly rooted there. All in all, Danny Fingeroth haswritten an important...book that serves to adequately defend superhero comicsagainst the charges of being either simple adolescent, male power fantasies,or, for that matter, perverted escapades intended to corrupt the minds of youngreaders everywhere, that have been leveled against them over the years.Fingeroth recognizes, and at a number of points well demonstrates, thatsuperhero comics are, indeed, important cultural artifacts that deserve ourcritical attention....this book is recommended." — Image Text, Vol. 2 no. 2,Winter 2005
(Image Text Image)

Subject of article "Whatever happened to the superheroes of old" includes interview with Fingeroth. -BBC News Magazine, June 2006



Mention- Portland Press Herald, May 5, 2007

(Portland Press Herald)

"Of the series of academic books that I have seen addressingcomic books, and the superhero genre in particular, Fingeroth's work is one ofthe best."- Brett Chandler Patterson, ScienceFiction Research Association- SFRA Review, Jan/Feb/March 2007, #279 (Science Fiction Research Association)