Soh Kam Yung reviewed The Secret Science of Superheroes by Mark Lorch
What it takes in the real world to be a superhero (or villian).
4 stars
A fun book that looks at what it would take in the real world to have the powers and abilities of superheroes (and the occasional supervillain) that can be found in the various comic universes. From the amount of eggs a real Spider-Man would need to produce all the webbing naturally, to how the Flash could run at super-speed without overheating, the book treats the idea of such super abilities as real and see what it would take to keep and maintain them in real life.
The 'toys' and suits of Batman or Iron Man are also considered in the book; you will get an interesting look at what current material science can do to try to duplicate their abilities. The properties of Captain America's Vibranium shield also get examined to see what combinations of material could duplicate its properties. There is also a chapter on Wonder Woman's Lasso of …
A fun book that looks at what it would take in the real world to have the powers and abilities of superheroes (and the occasional supervillain) that can be found in the various comic universes. From the amount of eggs a real Spider-Man would need to produce all the webbing naturally, to how the Flash could run at super-speed without overheating, the book treats the idea of such super abilities as real and see what it would take to keep and maintain them in real life.
The 'toys' and suits of Batman or Iron Man are also considered in the book; you will get an interesting look at what current material science can do to try to duplicate their abilities. The properties of Captain America's Vibranium shield also get examined to see what combinations of material could duplicate its properties. There is also a chapter on Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth that comes with a look at how such a lasso could be armed with biological chemicals that could induce people to tell the truth.
Of course, the abilities and materials featured in superhero comics are fictional. Yet, by treating them as real objectives, the writers of the various chapters have been able to let their imagination run wild and imagine how they could have come about, knowing what we know now about the physical, chemical and biological materials that exist in the real world.
Definitely an interesting book to read. Even those who don't really follow the comic books will get an interesting look at what real science has to say about their abilities.