The League of Regrettable Sidekicks

Heroic Helpers from Comic Book History

Jon Morris

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Hardback

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English

QUIRK BOOKS
01 February 2019

Graphic novels; Fiction-related items; Media Reference; Other Film, TV & Media; Superpowers; Superheroes; Superheroes

Batman has Robin. Captain America has Bucky. And Yankee Doodle had Dandy.

Being a superhero is hard work, which is why so many comics characters rely on a sidekick for help. Someone who can watch the hero's back, help search for clues, or, if nothing else, give the hero someone to talk to. But just as not every superhero achieves the glory of Batman, not all sidekicks are as capable as the Boy Wonder. In The League of Regrettable Sidekicks, author Jon Morris discusses some of the strangest iterations of the sidekick phenomenon, and in the process explores how important these characters were to comic book storytelling. You'll meet plucky but forgotten helpers like Thunderfoot (explosive-soled assistant to the Human Bomb), heroic super-pets (like Frosting, polar bear pal of space hero Norge Benson), fan favorites (say hello to Rick Jones, sidekick to half of the Marvel Universe), and obscure partners of iconic heroes (Superman Junior's career barely got off the ground). Plus- pernicious profiles of regrettable henchmen and minions, the sidekicks of the supervillain world. Vintage art from the comics completes the experience.

Drawing on the entire history of the medium, The League of Regrettable Sidekicks celebrates characters and stories that haven't seen the light of day in decades, pulling from defunct and long-forgotten comics publishers as well as DC and Marvel. In this third volume of his Regrettable series (The League of Regrettable Superheroes, The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains) Jon Morris provides insight and context, as well as his signature mockery of and affection for these overlooked treasures from comic book history.

Nominated for the 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Comics-Related Book

More than one hundred ofthe strangest sidekicks incomics history,complete with backstories, vintage art, and colorful commentary.

This collection affectionately spotlightsforgotten helpers like Thunderfoot (explosive-soled assistant to the Human Bomb), super-pets like Frosting (polar bear pal of space hero Norge Benson), fan favorites likeRick Jones(sidekick to half of the Marvel Universe), and obscure partners of iconic heroes (Superman Junior's career barely got off the ground). Included are pernicious profiles of henchmen and minions, the sidekicks of the supervillain world.

Casual comics readers and diehard enthusiasts alike will relish thehilarious commentary andvintage art from obscure old comics.

By: Jon Morris
Imprint: QUIRK BOOKS
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 178mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9781683690764
ISBN 10: 1683690761
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 01 February 2019
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jon Morris is a cartoonist and graphic designer and author of The League of Regrettable Superheros and The Legion of Regrettable Supervillians.Since the late 1990s, he's operated the blog Gone and Forgotten, an irreverant in-depth look at the worst, the lowliest, and the most unforunate stories and characters comic books have ever offered.

Reviews for The League of Regrettable Sidekicks: Heroic Helpers from Comic Book History

Nominated for the 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Comics-Related Book This snarky, vividly illustrated ride through comic book history is a hoot. -BookPage A gorgeous technicolor reference tome. -Tor.com The League of Regrettable Sidekicks is the perfect gift for the comic fan in your life. -Free Press The exquisite artwork allows readers to visualize each character as they make their way through the book and is an entertaining read all the way to the end. -Bio Gamer Girl. Even non-comics fans could have a great time flipping through this reference and laughing with a friend...or a sidekick for that matter. -Pop Matters Entertaining, well-written and researched...Highly recommended! -My Comic Book Praise for national bestseller The Legion of Regrettable Supervillains: Fascinating. -Entertainment Weekly A sequel to Morris's acclaimed The League of Regrettable Superheroes, this quick-read volume is a chronological encyclopedia of the strangest and silliest antagonists ever to appear in sequential art. -Vulture In the realm of comic books, the undisputed guru of all things ridiculous, forgotten, and regrettable is Jon Morris. -VICE [A] delightfully fun rundown of more than 100 of pulp history's most marvelous forgotten baddies. -Parade Full of gorgeous vintage comic art and poignantly entertaining character entries. -PRINT magazine Praise for The League of Regrettable Superheroes: A volume rich with historical anecdotes and informed commentary on every era of comics history. -A.V. Club With its gorgeous full page images of the comics and humorous descriptions of the heroes, each second-stringer gets a few pages of glory. -BoingBoing Jon Morris has compiled the histories and art of some of the strangest and most unusual superheroes that ever saw print and collected them here for you. Definitely check it out! -Nerdist This compendium of short-lived superheroes (from actual comics) will thrill and amaze. -Mental Floss A great idea, executed with adroit prose, attractive design and painstaking production quality... turning what could have been a merely dutiful archive into a vibrant, living, expertly curated tour of a long-neglected and seriously goofy facet of American cultural history. -NPR's Monkey See