Sex Lives of Superheroes

The hook of this book comes from, of course, the title. But under the title, the question got me thinking and decided to request the book from NetGalley. Honestly, it is just curiosity. And to my surprise, the request got approved (thank you Diana McCallum and BenBella Books).

Diana used an engaging writing style, used scientific terms and researches (a lot of them comic-based but I digress) to support her arguments on each topic. McCallum didn’t shy away from challenging the traditional narratives around superheroes, especially the stereotypes surrounding their sexual identities. She always cleverly added little imagination such as
“Forget Bruce Wayne paying for everything; the Flesh has the Justice League’s finances covered. Just don’t ask him where the money came from.” I’m both laughing and crying.

She analyzed how their romantic and sexual relationships influence their heroism and public identities, questioning the role these connections play in shaping their character. Diana, in most cases, broke down superheroes power in her own argument, which was enlightening.

However, some readers might found that the book occasionally assumes a level of familiarity with superhero comics and their history. McCallum’s references to comic arcs and niche characters might be challenging for those new to the genre. But for those well-versed in the world of comic books, this would feel more like a rewarding deep dive into beloved stories and characters.

Despite the steamy title, I would recommend to read this book as a superhero fan.

My thanks to NetGalley and BenBella Books- Smart Pop for an advance copy of this informative look about the birds, the bees and the radioactive stretchable glowing anatomy parts that make up the private lives of superheroes and other fabled creatures in comics, movies and books.

Years ago I read an essay on Superheroes that was very confusing and considering the subject matter, not as spicy as I had expected. The essay was by science fiction writer Larry Niven, and entitled Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex. The subject was how would Superman, the last son of the planet Krypton, have relations of the carnal kind with women from planet Earth. What I thought was going to be a funny, maybe kind of dirty look was anything but. The essay was tongue and cheek, but the writing was more biology than comedy. Niven looked at both the act, the gestation and the birth of a so called Superbaby, and the risks that would have to be taken by the mother in a variety of ways. Sadly in reading this I learned more about the facts of life than any health class, or parental talk ever. I had the same thoughts while reading this book, an experience that I found both enlightening and hysterical in spots. And being a a nerd of long standing was embarrassed by quite a few things. Sex Lives of Superheroes: Wolverine's Immortal Sperm, Superman's Porn Career, the Thing's Thing, and Other Super-Sexual Matters Explained by Diana McCallum is a look at what happens when the comic panels go dark, a series of essays dealing with characters from all sorts of media.

The book starts with how many comic readers might have had some questions raised about their favorite characters, the scenes in Mallrats where Stan Lee is asked a bunch of questions that Stan the Man never had to deal with while writing his Stan's Soapbox. From their we travel the mulitverses dealing with characters from DC, Marvel, an independent or two, and vampires. Both serious and sparkly. McCallum asks the hard and sometimes pointed questions that many might have thought up, created slash fiction about, but sometimes were to ashamed to ask. We learn why Daredevil the Man Without Fear probably goes through alot with his enhanced senses, and maybe why he is blinded with success from the ladies. Does the Hulk Hulk out just lying next to a woman, and though a father what that experience must be like. Why does Green Lantern like to take his dates to outer space so much. And a look at one of the more controversial Spider-Man stories, Spider-Man: Reign, and why if might be more accurate of a tale than we think, though it still won't change people's minds on the story. And many other kinks, whoops I meant capes and their private lives.

The book is funny, let's get that out of the way. McCallum is a very good writer quick with a joke, however I found this book to be a lot more than a snicker-snicker, they are doing it kind of story. McCallum has done a lot of research, and really goes into depth on a lot of the subjects here. Again I learned more from one or two essays than I learned in Health class. I knew very little about the female issues touched on here, and by coaching it with showing superheroes I think this might be a good way to teach some males about what women like too.

The writing is clear, the research is interesting and well presented, and this was a much more informative book than I expected. A great gift for a comic fan just to watch him turn red, and a helpful guide for one's partners to show that there is a lot more to romance than just taking off your cape and cowl.

Smart Pop Books, an imprint of BenBella Books, provided an early galley for review.

As a life-long comic book reader, how could I resist the premise of this collection of essays? Simply, I could not.

With twenty-six essays organized in five different sections, McCallum puts to page the kind of topics comic book fanboys inevitably get into discussing late at night, over snack foods and beverages, on those long convention weekends. I am certain some of these might have come up when I was hanging with my buddies for San Diego Comic-Con decades ago.

The discussion here is a little bit salacious and a whole lot scientific. McCallum doles out the matter-of-fact facts as well as Sheldon Cooper and the guys on The Big Bang Theory could. It is both entertaining and educational. And she certainly did her research (as the eleven pages of end-notes can attest). I also appreciated that there is a good balance of representation from both of the big two - DC Comics (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, etc.) and Marvel (Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Daredevil, etc.) along with a few others thrown in for good measure as well.

This is one I definitely believe comic book fanatics will enjoy.