Super Soldiers
A Salute to the Comic Book Heroes and Villains Who Fought for Their Country
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Super Soldiers
Narrated by:
Eric Michael Summerer
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Narrated by:
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Eric Michael Summerer
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By:
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Jason Inman
About this listen
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran and former host of All Access, DC Comics' web show, Jason Inman, discusses the influence war has had on some of the most memorable superheroes in comics.
©2019 Jason Inman (P)2019 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
I learnt so much from this book
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[I would like to add a disclaimer here that (much to my father’s dismay, I’m sure) my grasp of military terminology, titles and labels is not a firm one. If I accidentally refer to someone’s position or role or group in the wrong way, I sincerely apologise for my ignorance, and no disrespect is intended, a lot of it just goes over my head and becomes synonymous.]
In the book Jason Inman explores and reflects on 16 iconic comic book characters that have served in the US military, each chapter is thoughtful and engaging and most importantly (for me, anyway) firmly grounded in the author’s lived experience as an enlisted soldier himself. I found these parts some of the most thought-provoking because I often find for civilians or those with little to no ties to the military world, it’s entirely impossible to understand a lot of … well, everything that goes on behind barracks and combat zones.
When you then apply that world to a concept so far-flung as superheroes with powers, worlds and backgrounds far removed from reality it’s easy to miss plot points or characteristics that are intrinsically tied to the military perspective, and the greater insight and layers their inclusion adds to a character or story. The experiences the author shares are not at all what you’d expect either, and I appreciated their uniqueness to his own experience.
On a personal note, this book, quite unexpectedly, made me think about my father in an entirely new way.
While the focus of this book is geared toward superheroes that served in the US military and I, of course, know it’s a different experience it opened up a whole new perspective on the military and what it means to serve, for me individually. My dad enlisted at 16, a decision no doubt influenced by my late police officer grandfather who believed national service in peacetime was exactly what the youth of the time needed. He served 5 years in the Corps of Royal Engineers, and it’s not something we ever really talk about it but upon reading this book (and attending recent keynote speech given by a Royal Marine veteran) I had no idea how much of my dad’s character was informed by this time in his life. I kind of ‘got him’ a bit more, and I can’t explain what that means but I feel it.
I read this in paperback and via audible. I loved the illustrations on each chapter and the cover, though I would be lying if my inner OCD didn’t wish the text was ‘Justify’ formatted (personal preference!) although, ‘align left’ does add a ‘train of thought’ / conversational tone which I thought was well-suited too. The audible book was really well-narrated by Eric Michael Summerer, which is high praise because generally speaking, I prefer my non-fiction narrated by the author. As a regular listener of Geek History Lesson, a podcast Jason co-hosts, I did sometimes find myself picking up on where emphasis/intonation who have been different had he been narrating but I don’t think this adds or detracts from the audiobook itself.
Overall, I would highly recommend this to anyone with even a remote interest in comic books or the US military experience, or both because the intersection of the two is far richer than you might expect.
To read more of my reviews, visit my blog, Bloodthirsty Little Beasts.
Exploring the Intersection between Camouflage and
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I learned about a number of characters I previously hadn’t heard of.
Inman clearly loves the subject. His personal stories brought context and grounds the characters to reality.
Interesting Take on the Subject
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