The Spandex Files: The Death, Rebirth and Re-Death of Comic Book Heroes

The Spandex Files is a collection of essays and articles on comic books, comic book creators, superheroes, superhero and comic books movies and their effect on culture and society written by Christopher Loring Knowles, author of the award-winning Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes.

Drawing upon five decades spent in comics fandom, three decades in comics-related journalism, and four decades as an artist for many of the most popular and well-known pop culture franchises in the world, The Spandex Files takes a deeper look into the world of comic books and their roots, as well as the unprecedented influence superheroes have had in the past decade and a half. The game-changing and genre-defining works of Jack Kirby and Alan Moore are given special attention.

Our Gods Wear Spandex both predated and anticipated the rise of the superhero to cultural dominance, and now The Spandex Files marks our modern idols’ twilight, as the long-dreaded “superhero fatigue” finally sets in.

Fierce, fiery, confrontational, controversial, uncompromising, informative, and educational, The Spandex Files is the author’s final goodbye to the playgrounds of the gods that shaped and defined his life and the lives of millions of others.