This was such a fun book full of characters I had never heard of before (as a millennial). I loved the vintage art and the look it gave me at how the role of women in comics has changed.

I was given a copy of this book as a blogger for Quirk Books. I ordinarily wouldn't give feedback on a book that I've been asked to read for work.

This is a belated review but my library did purchase this interesting comics retrospective for the young adult collection when it had come out.

Hope Nicholson's <em>The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen</em> is an astounding historical look at some of the stronger female characters to appear in comics since the 1930's. Not all of them are "superwomen" - as in, a hero with super powers - but all should be considered "super women." The collection is culled by Nicholson, a publisher and comics fan, and is certainly somewhat subjective, but the research here ... the uncovering of some old and often forgotten characters is really tremendous. I've highlighted a good number of these characters with the intentions of looking to read their adventures. Unfortunately most of them published before 2000 are not reprinted and difficult to find (which makes it more interesting to get this glimpse of them).

But as with nearly any collection of this sort, those of us with even a modest, minimum knowledge of comics will wonder why some are included and others are not. Where's Veronica from the <em>Archie</em> comics, if Little Lulu is the "Hero of the Decade" for the 1930's? And Barbarella and Vampirella make the list, but Storm and Kitty Pryde of the X-Men don't?

In some cases Nicholson seems to go for the obscure over the famous - though not always. We still get Ms. Marvel (times two) and Batgirl and Witchblade and Silk Spectre. We even get Maika Halfwolf from the graphic novel/comics series <em>Monstress</em> (volume two just won a Hugo Award this week as I write this) which shows how current Nicholson is on her reading.

I enjoyed learning about a lot more strong female characters in what I have always perceived as a male market (Nicholson puts that into perspective as well) and the history of the characters, and why Nicholson believes they are strong characters, despite (sometimes) being overly sexualized in appearance or character.

Part of what makes this such a delightful read is Nicholson's casual, friendly demeanor in her writing style. Her commentary (I almost consider them 'asides') are usually sarcastically fun ("I guess reading tales about making our with your dead best friend's husband is fun for the whole family").

I'm not sure that I'm interested in knowing more about <em>all</em> the characters revealed here ("One story features Nibbil engaging in balloon sex - that is, sex with word balloons"), but my interest is piqued with most of these superwomen. Thanks, Hope Nicholson, and I'll look forward to a Volume 2!

Looking for a good book? The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen by Hope Nicholson is a wonderful history of strong women in comics from the 1930's to today.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

While I definitely enjoyed my experience reading this book, there are some issues with pacing and character development in the middle that left me wanting just a bit more.

Looking for a collection of amazing female characters and figures ? Hope Nicholson has put together a great set that shows that our only heroes don't have to be Batgirl and WonderWoman. This is a great book for folks needing a last minute gift for their family reader.

Amazing! I had no idea! This was an easy and interesting read. Definitely hard to put down.

This book is a great introduction to female superheroes and the women who helped in their creation. The layout helps to illustrate the change evolution of female characters over time.

Just like not all female characters are mentioned, not all women who worked in the comics industry are mentioned either. Some readers may be disappointed that some of their favorite characters may not have made the book or mentioned briefly in passing.

The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen by Hope NicholsonI was surprised but grateful to get an ARC of this book after it was already on the shelves. Especially when I saw it was advertised in O magazine. And for a good reason. This book is very well-explored but with short engaging sections that start with a brief description of the comic, a lovely quote, and then information about the creators and when the book first appeared. Not just the popular comics, this book touches on some that only ran for a few issues, ones that are... not quite ready for prime time, and some comics that are just plain weird. I was intrigued by a few of the books based on Nicholson's descriptions and added to my TBR.
As easy and fun a nonfiction book as you'll ever find.


Four and a half stars
This book came out May 2

This book is a comprehensive look at female comic book characters from the dawn of comic books to today.
While I generally enjoyed reading about how the genre and its leading ladies evolved over time, I would have appreciated it more if I had greater familiarity with comics.

While not a comprehensive history of women in comics, it is a very well researched and presented book. The author provides a lot of information here. I think it would be a useful text not only to those interested in women's representation in comics, but to classrooms as well. Defoe you a must own title for those of us whose heart is in the comics.

A really interesting journey through the history of female superheroes and heroes from the unknown (to me), to the slightly more familiar and to the very famous. Heroines are clearly described alongside some social commentary of the times.
I'd never heard of Torchy Brown or Leetah but I'm very glad I've discovered a little about them and other female heroines like them.
The illustrations are as interesting as the text and clearly show that the way people view women has changed.
A fascinating, enjoyable book I would buy as a gift for friends of mine who love comic heroes.

This book was great! I'm a casual comics fan, but I always love reading about awesome women, so this book gave me an excuse to learn more about comics AND awesome lady characters at the same time! YAY! Definitely going to pass along this title to all of my comics-loving friends and family.

I’ll admit that my interest in comics is relatively recent. By that, I mean that I jumped on the wagon around the time The Avengers movie came out, and by Deadpool, I was hooked.

What I noticed as I browsed the shelves were the prevalence of males/heroes, and I asked myself: what roles did women play - both as characters and as developers and illustrators - in the comic industry? Were there more archetypes than Wonder Woman and Betty & Veronica?

I’m happy to say it’s a resounding yes on that last one, folks.

The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen by Hope Nicholson is a comprehensive reference book that is a must-read! Nicholson dives era by era, and we discover the trends of the decade, who was working behind the scenes, and what women were doing, facing and saving in their story lines.

After each section, Nicholson also tells us where to find reprints of comics (digital or print) so we can see these ladies in action. But it’s not all positives for comics - we have a long way to go in having comics target diverse audiences and in doing so, broadening their scope.

But there’s a silver lining for Nicholson:

“...this decade’s readers - especially the younger generation - are clamoring for the pages to reflect the diversity they see in their lives, in their social media feeds, and in the mirror.”

I urge any comic enthusiast - or simply someone with a passing interest in feminine roles in an important part of literature - would gladly immerse themselves between the pages of this book. You’ll find yourself coming back just to learn.

And isn’t that what a good book is supposed to do?