Parody Books

Any book that features a paragraph disclaimer, before the first page, advising readers to ignore all of the advice found within requires a second look. When that book is called The Superhero Handbook it also requires a thorough reading.

I don't read comic books, but I do know my fair share of superhero facts. I also enjoy a masked crusader as much as the next person and, let's face it. that's probably a lot. Doesn't everyone want to be a superhero at least a little bit?

Even if you don't, Michael Powell's how-to guide to being a hero (and saving the world!) is really funny. Earlier this month I managed to read a total of three melancholy/sad books in a row. The Superhero Handbook not only offered excellent advice should I decide to consider a crime fighting career in the future, it also got me laughing and decidedly out of my sad book funk.

The book is broken into small chapters with titles like "Denting the Sidewalk" and subdivided into smaller sections like "Dealing with Your Superiority Complex and Starting to Become Really Cool." The text also features a lot of lists and a couple of interactive sections (how else can you pick your Strapline and Catchphrase?). For that reason, this book could be great for a reluctant (older since it is a YA title) reader. I imagine most comic fans might also enjoy it.

The book starts with helpful advice on how to break news of your superheroism to family as well as ways to recognize your fledgling powers. My personal favorites:

[8] You are walking in the mall with your pet tiger, when you are both transformed into super strong versions of yourselves

Superpower: Looks like you've finally found a use for that Sword of Power.

Perfectly innocent explanation: There isn't one, dude. You are He-Man.

[9] You are two years old. A truck falls on your father, and you lift it off him with ease and save his life.

Superpower: You have superhuman strength.

Perfectly innocent explanation: It is a toy truck.

As that excerpt suggests, the tone of this book is humorous and conversational. While clearly a homage to the entire superhero genre, the handbook is also not afraid to poke fun. The obvious reason the avoid using your powers for evil is because the good guys always wind (duh). If a super is ever tied up with rope, they will inevitably be located near a sharp nail or other edge with which they can break free (again, obviously). Particularly useful advice can be found on picking the right sidekick and designing a costume.

The book spans advice for the entire arc of a superhero's career from their early beginnings, finding a mentor, creating a persona, dealing with a fatal flaw and even how to decide if it's time to hang up that cape. Each section is accompanied with a number of attractive illustrations reminiscent of traditional comic book art.

Yes, this book is silly. There aren't really superheros, and they certainly wouldn't use how-to manuals, but wouldn't it be neat if they did?

Michael Powell presents us with a short and humorous text on what you need to do to be a superhero. Beginning with symptoms/traits of superheroism budding inside you, selecting a name and costume, accessorizing with sidekicks, tips for wisely choosing you arch-nemesis, selecting appropriate catchphrases and headquarters, carefully choosing your day-job and how to protect your alter (civilian) ego, even what to do once you get on in years and shouldn't be mainstream superheroing anymore.

Quite a funny little book. It's another off-the-wall satyrical look at comics. While the author doesn't specifically name many heroes, he does insinuate the likes of Superman, Spider-man, Batman, Wolverine, Darth Vader(?), and... George Foreman. It really is worth the read and it won't take but a few hours to finish it. Plenty of artwork throughout the book so the written text is only about half the book. There's a few other similar books out and this one holds its own against them.

Whether you are a mutant or some crazy guy who loves capes this is one of the most instructive books you'll ever read on how to be a super hero.

Important topics such as breaking through walls, catchphrases that should never be used, excuses for breaking a date, hideout and mode of transportation, and of course the ever important rules to think about when hiring a side-kick (and coming up with a more ridiculous costume for them).

For those unsure about the dark side, this manual discusses some of the downfalls of being a bad guy (such as the dumb henchmen you'll constantly be forced to destroy) and questions to consider before joining that guy who keeps trying to convince you to help him take over the world.

Possibly the funniest book of its type.

This book had the single virtue of being short, so that the suffering was not prolonged, so I will be similarly brief. There's been an outburst of faux-manuals about how to become a superhero, or survive robot or zombie attacks. Some are quite excellent. Others are just average. And a few are coming in at the tail end of the trend in a naked bid to cash in. This book is of the last variety. Overpriced for its skimpy content and exceptionally unfunny attempts at humor, it is to be avoided. It is not one-tenth as good as Barry Neville's definitive "How to be a Superhero". Put this book down, back away, and run for the door. Run, I say! And go buy the Neville volume.

This delightfully brilliant and silly book called my name in the Public Library in San Francisco's Mission district. And I have since bought two copies. It is a semi-serious little handbook with quite pragmatic advice on being a superhero. It contains warnings about possible pitfalls, and some sound advice on how to juggle jobs, relationships, liability issues while saving the world from evil. It is a must-have for any superhero or as a gift for that special superhero in your life. Excuse me, I need to go and work on my cape.

A funny fact filled book. A must buy for any history teacher or any one into history.

OK, the gags and headlines from this book are super-cheesy. But that's the point! If you are a history buff with any sense of humor, you will completely love this book. Along with the groovy headlines, the author cleverly uses stills from classic and not-so classic flicks (Cleopatra, Salome etc.) to illustrate your favorite historical figures. Abraham, Rasputin, Joan of Arc are some celebs described in wonderful mini-articles. These articles' trashiness, yet relatively good knowledge of historical detail, set me into wild fits of giggling. I must agree that the last couple of current history panels are duds, but the rest of the book still warrants a high rating. Great coffee table book if you've got a lot of intellectual friends.

The premise of this "book" (more like an extended magazine-style gag) is funny - what if world history was covered by a New York Post style tabloid? The execution, however, just doesn't work. Most of what's in here are faux front-pages with headlines that are supposed to be funny. Some of the better ones include "Dow-ner" (for the stock market crash of 1929), "Head Fed Dead" (for the death of Alexander Hamilton), and "Sodom No-Morrah" (for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah). Yes, those are the better ones. I give the author credit for some of the gags that don't work, but were still gags, but too many of these headlines are almost serious. What's funny about "White House Run by Wilson's Wife"? "Lincoln is a Manic Depressive"? "Caesar Slain"? These may be how such events could actually have been covered by a tabloid, but there's nothing inherently funny about that.

Oddly, several of the "historical" stories were so recent as to have actually been covered by contemporary tabloids (even the Hamilton killing was covered by tabloids - Hamilton himself founded the New York Post). I'm not sure about the point of the "recent history" headlines - that McDonough could write better headlines than real tabloid editors?

Another low point is the series of headlines about Jesus. McDonough seems to be worried about offending Christians, so he never uses the name "Jesus" (until he covers John Lennon's claim that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus with the side-splitting headline, "Bigger than Jesus" [wasn't that an actual headline from the time?]) Otherwise, Christ is simply "Miracle Man."

By far, the most cringe-inducing aspect of the book is the inclusion of fake "articles" accompanying some of the headlines. The articles are so un-funny that they are painful to read. So don't. Don't read any of it. This book is not worth your time. And that's the way it is.

By the time I got to the Punic wars, I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard.

Loved it. A collection of silly but exceedingly polite letters written to real organizations pitching Cooper's ideas(seemingly pluck from the air). A few themes are carried through the collection (wife's bad ankle and the ongoing struggle to fix the garden shed doors) regardless of the letter's subject matter. I was continually amazed by the good-humoured and patient letters of reply. Bloody lovely sketches too. Delightful.

Robin Cooper thinks he is funnier than he is. Essentially a one-idea book, he fills page after page with puerile letters to recipients with names and/or addresses which are particularly silly or peculiarly British (or both). The greatest humour lies in the fact that these addresses are real, rather than in anything that his limited wit is able to request of the addressee. Added to that is the fact that none of the replies really transcends the bland, or takes the game up to him, and the whole thing is really a rather onerous affair.

To call this adolescent is being grossly unfair to adolescents: read 2 pages in the bookshop and put it back on the shelf.

I cannot disagree more with aurelius' review. Naughty aurelius. If you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all, didn't your mother teach you any manners, luv?

This is the funniest book I have ever read, so funny that the neighbours on both sides phoned the police on hearing manic laughter emmanating from my bedroom window non-stop between the hours of 10pm and 2am last night.

The police confiscated my copy of the book for causing a disturbance of the peace and as they drew away from our house at 5am (after I'd made them a nice cup of tea) I could hear manic laughter drifting playfully out of the windows of the police car, as the policeman who wasn't driving sat reading Robin's book.

I do not believe it is normal for British policemen to sample confiscated material under normal circumstances, so a big thumbs up to Mr Cooper for making our local bobbies more daring.

I have ticked the box saying I am over the age of 13 even though I'm 46. I hope that's OK.

Well... Mr.Cooper did something I thought no one would ever think of... take a number of funny-named/strange companies and associations on the UK and write them absolutely silly (but looking like they are serious) letters. These letters propose daring and new projects or ideas (each one sillier than the one before). And he gets many polite (yet funny) responses.

I think this is a great book to have. The author writes very well and he has a great sense of "written" timing.

Some of my favorites:
He writes to a famous clarinetist asking for a favour: help him gather 200 other clarinetists and surprise his wife for her birthday (for the couple is a fan of "all things clarinettal").

He writes to a "named-after-someone" Society saying that he went to school with THAT person and wondering what did THAT person do in order to have a society named after him... since he was the one who used to bully THAT person when they were in school.

He writes to a strange sound-related company trying to show them a new machine (designed by him) that reduces noise level by 25 times in a certain area. He gets a welcoming responce from the company and sends them a completely stupid technical diagram that makes no sense.

Or... he writes to an turism association trying to sell them an awful add campaign based on a horrible character.


You should try it.

It's mildly entertaining and a little out-dated with the tricks for the office. Save your money.

I swear 99% of my users have read this book. As a LAN Administrator, my users are famous for skirting work. This is their Bible.

This is a very funny book. I recommend it for anyone who wants to bring a little life into his/her office. Best of all, the tricks listed inside the book really work!

As a college student, I don't do much work anyway, but this book increased my fun about 1 million fold. I can now "amaze" my "friends" with manuvers like the "Credit Card Buzz"! A must have for the serious procrastinator.

Gavin Edwards has done it again! I laughed until I cried. There are now some songs I cannot sing with the correct lyrics! hahaha!

This book is almost as funny as the original. And the illustrations are so funny they make me cry. I still hear "Those dirty witch clothes even fit me" on the radio all the time.

I am wondering just how long it took the author to create these 'misheard' lyrics. Most have no similarity to the lyrics. This is a sophomoric attempt at being funny, and it fails miserably.

Have you ever heard a song where one of the lines just didn't seem to fit? This book chronicles the loony mishearings of various songs, from Frank Sinatra to Tori Amos, that various people have sent in!

Real Line: See the thorn twist in your side. Misheard Line: See the phone twist in your side.

Real Line: We're never going to survive unless we get a little crazy. Misheard Line: We're never going to survive homelessness, we get a little crazy.

This is a riot of a humor book, revealing to me that I am not alone after the many, many... lyrics that I have mangled over the years. For proof that this is done by many, many people....

Interesting book but don't let the upper management catch you with it.

Is a bit of a passing fad though.

Good Job

Dry, never ending, buzzword-idiots usually turn the boardroom "Daily" into a yawn-athon. Tired of trying to decypher the latest "Achrobuzzum"? I was, so I looked for an answer. I found it in the form of "The Buzzword BINGO Book". This book not only answered aukward research "buzzword bombshells" but took the parody of boardroom venacular to new levels of hilarity. A must for the soul of every; Boardroom, Power-Luncher, or After-hours participant, or just to stay informed... Either way, it brings another bit of fun in the day's "Race"... it sure did for me...

I purchased and read this book about 20 years ago. In a discussion with one of my employees, it came back to mind. Andy Kane's book is truly a "no-spin". One thing I took away from this is if a tenant doesn't pay their rent, it's equivilent to someone holding a gun to your head and robbing you. I find it funny that the two previous reviewers didn't catch on that this book is not politcally correct. Factual, yes. P.C., no!

recommend as practical advice. Not sure because of the legalities. But read this for the humor! I couldnt put it down! Funny as can be. Could you use this advice? Oh yeah, if you dont mind a lawsuit or two, but the authors writing style make this a must read. Anyone who has ever owned rental real estate can appreciate this one. I want to read his "Revenge" on Landlord book if its as funny as this one.

While Andy's prose may torture some, and his ethics offend others, those who have actually been in the real estate business will appreciate his hard-won practical advice. This is the kind of book my friend Ed, king of the small business seminars would love!

Meant to be a comedic look at aging, the author apparently engages in some unintentional jokes. If they are not intentional, then Allred is much more subtle in his humor than it would appear. On page 21, there is the reference to your "Gaul bladder", which of course is absurd; Gaul is the ancient name for France. It should be "gallbladder." This "error" is repeated on pages 41, 54 and 76, where the references are to "Gaul Stones."
On page 22, there is the sentence ...remember the Napoleonic Wars, the Renaissance, Genghis Khan, Linden Johnson, and where you were when Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, ..." Of course, it should have been "Lyndon Johnson" instead.
I found these errors to be more amusing than the other, more juvenile jokes in the book. After thinking about it for a moment, I concluded that these mistakes were not deliberate, but were due to a lack of proofreading effort.

Anyone who is about to become (or already is) "Older Than Dirt" should read this book. I enjoyed every page. Plus it gave me some usefull tips on how to deal with The IRS !!!!!

Grandpa was reading this book when he died...At least he went with a smile on his face. Some of my friends who read it weren't even offended. This will probably win a Pulitzer Prize, provided the Pulitzer people enjoy high quality booger humor. I am buying this book for all of my friends who are old and still having birthdays.

I guess it's pretty ironic that a comedy team that did over 30 films together over 16 years is most remembered for their horror spoofs that continue to be enormously popular to this day. In "The Horror Spoofs of Abbott & Costello" author Jeffrey Miller takes a look at the horror comedies the team did, with a particular focus on horror spoofs involving classic monsters. Miller provides a complete cast and credit list along with a very lengthy and detailed synopsis of each film including many of the notable lines, gags, and scenes. It also includes comments taken from cast and crew of the day and recent comments from the likes of Sara Karloff, Bela Lugosi Jr., and Paddy Costello, who were on the set of these films as children. Miller also includes information on critical reviews of the day, box office results, as well as adding his own insightful analysis of the films.

Without a doubt the most popular A & C spoof (in fact their most popular film period) was "Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein". Boris Karloff refused to appear in the film feeling it made a mockery of the monster. Lon Chaney Jr. felt the film would forever ruin the classic Universal Monsters. But time has proven them both wrong as the film works as both a comedy and a horror. It's at least as scary as Chaney's role as Count Alucard in "Son of Dracula". The fact that the film has legions of fans, including many famous filmmakers such as Quentin Tarrantino, is also a tribute to its staying power. For his part, Lugosi enjoyed himself on the set. One would guess he was probably just happy to be in a Universal production again as opposed to the poverty row films he had been doing in the 1940's. There was a lot of pranks pulled on the set...some of these outtakes are even captured on the A&C Meet Frankenstein special edition DVD. As has been pointed out on many occasions, this film would be Universal biggest moneymaker in years and virtually saved the studio from bankruptcy.

While Karloff refused to do that film, he did sign on for two others including "Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Karloff would play this famous role for the first an only time but as Miller notes, the studio originally wanted Basil Rathbone for the part. Both he and the boys were surprised at how well the film did at the box office. The other films that Miller highlights in the spoof section are "Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man" and the final spoof, "Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy". `Mummy' was their last film for Universal and by this time they were past their prime and not getting along well on the set. Universal knew it was the end of the road and did little to support the film and it's become regarded as one of their worst (although it isn't really all that bad).

Miller also looks as the teams other horror-comedies including "Hold that Ghost", "The Time of their Lives", and "Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff". "Hold that Ghost" is a particular favorite as its their version of and `old dark house' style film that was so popular in the 1930's and similar in style to the very good Bob Hope film "Ghost Breakers" "Hold that Ghost" would even have Evelyn Ankers in the cast who would go on to become one of the great scream queens of the 1940's.

Miller's research into these films is outstanding and while I'm a big fan, there were a lot of new things I learned. While very detailed it's never dry and Miller does a wonderful job at conveying the great routines of Abbott & Costello. Just beware if you have somehow never seen these films as the plot is fully described from beginning to end. By all means see the films and then pickup this book. Another fantastic book by the people at McFarland Publishing who put out some of the best books on genre film and film studies around.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This book proclaims to be a "critical assessment," though what the author ends up with is little more than detailed descriptions of seven of A & C's films, personal asides and a desire to make odd homosexual allusions to scenes and characters. The vast majority of anecdotes on the making of the films are taken (though footnoted) from a number of previously published books and articles and the author provides little new information except for his own outlandish and baseless claims.

His "critical assessment" might more accurately be described as "judgmental musings." The author often repeatedly makes the same comments about various sight gags being "more suited to The Three Stooges," or gives his opinion on whether certain jokes work, or not. Critical, perhaps. "Bitchy," certainly and more accurately. What is never clearly established is his credibility or expertise to make such comments on the merits of A & C's material. Another annoying habit the author has is to make assumptions on the part of "most viewers." He proudly points out a bit of business, background action or technical flaw that he has discovered upon countless viewings of the films and makes the claim that "most viewers miss this." How does he know? Is it possible that the rest of the audience caught it on the first viewing and he is just now catching up?

The book is poorly written and, aside from the time it occasionally takes to figure out his point, is a quick read. One's time might be better spent watching the films and drawing one's own conclusions. Also, any of the sources cited in the author's bibliography provide all the behind-the-scenes information and more, making them a better value if they can be tracked down.

This is a great book that goes into the plot of their various A&C meet...(fill in the blank)films as well as "Hold That Ghost" and "The Time of Their Lives". There is even a brief section on their quasi sci-fi films. Each major "horror/comedy" film is detailed and behind the scenes info is given. Actor/actress backgrounds as well as changes in scripts and plots are also added for a totally enjoyable book. A section supplying background info on Abbott & Costello is given in the introductory chapter, and then it is on to my all time favorite "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein". A must for all A&C fans!

I received this book as a gift about 6 months before our wedding and have recommended it to many people. This is not a serious wedding planner. The Title and the cover should be a good indication that this is a humorous book. This is a great book for a couple planning to take the leap.

Occasionally, I would pick up this book and thumb through to an appropriate chapter and start reading .. and laughing. When you bring home a 12 inch stack of Bride and Wedding magazines [they sell them by the pound], it is easy to get caught up in the pressures of wedding planning, and this is a great retreat.

The book takes every aspect of the process [Dresses for Bride and Bride's maids, invitations, reception location .. honeymoon and honeymoon night] and gives you some funny things to consider.

Pay special attention to the Bride's schedule [counts down from 9 months before the wedding] and the Groom's schedule .. I laughed out loud!!

This is the second time I am buying this book. The first copy I read and gave away to a friend who was getting married and they loved it. Now I am buying it again for myself. No it is not a wedding planner but with weddings being such a hassle, 'reality' needs to come back into the picture. This book refocuses the whole wedding party on what is really important via humor and comedy. Buy it for that reluctant or grumpy person(s) in your wedding party!!!

This book is not what it bills itself as; that is, a guide to wedding planning. It's really more of a humorous or satirical book ABOUT planning a wedding, or a spoof on more traditional wedding guides. It won't help you plan at all, though it may make you laugh sometimes, which could be usefull if you've o.d.-ed on more conventional wedding advice. However, beware: it has an annoying tendancy to sink into hackneyed gender stereotypes-- all women want to get married and have lavish, traditional ceremonies, all men avoid matrimony unless tricked or manipulated into it by scheming women, and, once snared, they are completely uninterested in the event itself, etc., etc. If you go for that kind of humor, it may amuse you, but don't purchase it if you want practical wedding planning help