Table Of ContentPRAISE FOR OUR GODS WEAR SPANDEX
“Magnificent layers of information have been sifted through so we can find
the real background of our superheroes.”
—Ron Turner, Publisher, Last Gasp
“Amazons and avatars abound in Knowles' excellent history of the myth and
magic behind comics.”
—Trina Robbins, author of Eternally Bad and From Girls
“A lively and compelling history of mankind's eternal need for heroes and
gods and the superhuman figures who answer the call.”
—Clint Marsh, Wonderella.org and author of The Mentalist's Handbook
“Our Gods Wear Spandex has convinced me that magic, mysticism, and
esoteric knowledge shaped superhero comics from the beginning. As much
as any interpreter of the comics, Knowles helps us understand superhero
tales as theologies for today's young people.”
—John Shelton Lawrence, author of The Myth of the American
Superhero
“Joseph Campbell, world-renowned mythologist, challenged the people of
the twentieth century to create new myths. Christopher Knowles eloquently
demonstrates that these new myths were already there, hiding in the humble
pages of the comic book. Amazing, insightful, and timely stuff!”
—Michelle Belanger, author of The Psychic Vampire Codex
“Christopher Knowles' Our Gods Wear Spandex is absolutely delicious—as
fun and colorful as its title would suggest. It is not, however, just another
litany of comic book trivia served to quell the adolescent appetites of
basement-dwelling bachelors. It is a profound examination of what is in
essence modern mythology—the archetypal characters, fears, hopes, and
dreams that battle for truth, justice, and enlightenment in each of us. Our
Gods do where spandex, and Knowles has positioned himself as the Joseph
Campbell of comic books!”
—Lon Milo DuQuette, author of The Magick of Aleister Crowley
“From the ghettos of Prague to the Halls of Valhalla to the Fortress of
Solitude and the aisles of Comic-Con, Our Gods Wear Spandex is the first
book to fully explain this meta-history of comics. And, finally, Hawkgirl,
Black Canary, Phantom Lady, Scarlet Witch, and She-Hulk get well-
deserved attention. A MUST READ!”
—Varla Ventura, author of Sheroes: Bold, Brash (and Absolutely
Unabashed) Superwomen
“I cannot imagine my own childhood without the comforting presence of
comic book superheroes. And Christopher Knowles explains why. Carefully
probing the genre's mythological, literary, and spiritual origins, Knowles
helps us understand what these colorful characters mean and why they have
assumed such an essential place in the lives of so many. Our Gods Wear
Spandex is more than just a fan's appreciation of superheroes. The “secret
history” presented here is a reflection on the eternal human compulsion to
transcend the limits of body, mind, and mundane existence. This is an
important contribution to the growing scholarship on comic book heroes and
their rightful place in cultural history.”
—Bradford W. Wright, author of Comic Book Nation: The
Transformation of Youth Culture in America.
“Our Gods Wear Spandex belongs on every college student's bookshelf,
right next to the copy of the Joseph Campbell book he or she bought and
pretended to read. The comic book protagonist has long been overlooked as
the contemporary American hero figure. Knowles has written the
anthropological companion to Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics.”
—Bucky Sinister, author of All Blacked Out and Nowhere to Go and
King of the Roadkills
First published in 2007 by
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
With offices at:
500 Third Street, Suite 230
San Francisco, CA 94107
www.redwheelweiser.com
Copyright © 2007 by Christopher Knowles.
Illustrations copyright © 2007 by Joseph Michael Linsner.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser,
LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.
ISBN-10: 1-57863-406-7
ISBN-13: 978-1-57863-406-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Knowles, Christopher, 1966-
Our gods wear Spandex : the secret history of comic book heroes /
Christopher Knowles.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-57863-406-7 (alk. paper)
1. Comic books, strips, etc.--History and criticism. 2. Heroes in literature.
3. Myth in literature. 4. Heroes. I. Title.
PN6714.K56 2007
741.5'352--dc22
2007020350
Cover and text design by Roland “Pete” Friedrich, Charette Communication
Design.
Typeset in Scala, Meanwhile, and Helvetica.
Cover illustration © 2007 Joseph Michael Linsner.
Printed in Canada
TCP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the
American National Standard for Information Sciences--Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992 (R1997).
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Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I need to acknowledge the wisdom and genius of my
personal Bodhisattva, Joseph Michael Linsner. This project took shape in a
series of freewheeling phone chats while we were both scribbling our lives
away, and it was Joe's mystical listening powers that allowed these ideas and
concepts to come to fruition.
Next, I need to acknowledge the vision, hard work, and nurturing of Brenda
Knight, whose rare intuitive gifts helped bring this project to life. A special
thanks to everyone at Red Wheel/Weiser for their hard work and
forbearance: Jan Johnson, Bonni Hamilton, Jordan Overby, Caroline Pincus,
Amber Guetebier, Donna Linden, Rachel Leach, Meg Dunkerley, and Amy
Grzybinski.
Then I'd like to thank the men who help keep me out of the poorhouse: my
mentor Chris Fondacaro, the man who taught me that “good enough” is
never good enough. The IF was working overtime on this one, sir! And to
Tom Marvelli, a consummate professional, who lives up to his name in more
ways than one. If Chris and Tom ran the world, we wouldn't need
superheroes.
Then a round and a bag of crisps to my main man Scott Rowley, an editor
most writers would swim the Atlantic to work for. A hearty cheers to Ian
Fortnam as well. Eternal gratitude to Jon B. Cooke, the most talented man
I've ever known, and to John Morrow, who ultimately is to blame for me
getting started in the writing racket. Special thanks to Jim McLauchlin and
especially Stan the Man, who first taught me the love of language.
Excelsior!
And eternal love and gratitude to my wife, Vicky, for saving my life more
times than I can count. And extra love and hugs to the Rooster, Jibbles, and
Extra Ponies.
CONTENTS
I Want to Believe
Part I: Superheroes, Reborn
CHAPTER 1.
LOOK, UP IN THE SKY
Invocation
Decline and Fall
CHAPTER 2.
KINGDOM COME
The Hero as Messiah
Hollywood Homegrown Heroes
CHAPTER 3.
THE CULT OF THE SUPERHERO
Part II: Ancient Mysteries
CHAPTER 4.
DAWN OF THE GODS
Sumer and Egypt
Greece and Rome
People of the Book
The Norse Sagas
CHAPTER 5.
AN EMPIRE OF THE MIND
The Fruits of Empire
The Radicals
Spiritualism
CHAPTER 6.
SECRET SECTS
The Rosicrucians
Freemasonry
Other Christs
CHAPTER 7.
THE VICTORIAN OCCULT EXPLOSION
The Coming Race: Edward Bulwer-Lytton and Vril
Madame Blavatsky and Theosophy
The Golden Dawn
CHAPTER 8.
OCCULT SUPERSTARS
Friedrich Nietzsche
Aleister Crowley
Harry Houdini
Edgar Cayce
Part III: Pulp Fiction
CHAPTER 9.
LITERARY LUMINARIES
Edgar Allan Poe
Arthur Conan Doyle
Jules Verne
H. G. Wells
Bram Stoker
CHAPTER 10.
THE PULPS
Hard-Boiled
Tarzan
Gladiators: The Pulp Superheroes
Amazing Stories
Weird Tales
CHAPTER 11.
RACONTEURS
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Sax Rohmer
H.P. Lovecraft
Robert E. Howard
Dion Fortune
Jack Parsons: Rocketman
Part IV: The New Gods
CHAPTER 12.
FAMOUS FUNNIES
High Adventure
Dirty Dealings
Founding Fathers
CHAPTER 13.
WHO WILL SAVE US?
Magic Men
Mandrake the Magician
Doctor Occult
CHAPTER 14.
THE MESSIAHS
Superman
Captain Marvel
Captain Clones
Super-Horus: Hawkman and the Falcon
Captain America
