Book Description
The fourth collection featuring Superman tales from the 1980s! Superman encounters Rampage for the first time, has a rematch with Mammoth, contends with a mysterious Superboy, and more!
Customer Reviews:
Another winner by Byrne!.......2007-01-10
John Byrne does the best Superman ever!
In the mid-eighties, DC asked John Byrne, who had written a long run of The Fantastic Four, to revamp Superman, who was about fifty years old at the time. In what I would consider typical "Marvel style," Byrne added characterization and scientific explanation to the Superman mythos as he reinvented classic characters and retold their stories. His beautiful art work and excellent story-telling ability make these comics a JOY to read!
I would STRONGLY recommend that you purchase all FOUR volumes of John Byrne's Superman; each one picks up right where the last one left off. When I was finished reading them, I purchased the rest of Byrne's run on the Superman comics; they were that good.
Continues reprinting the late eighties Superman classics!.......2005-09-18
"The Man of Steel Vol 4" continues the sequential reprints of early "reboot" Superman stories, picking up right where volume three left off. These are great stories! Two thirds of them are written and drawn by John Byrne, who masterminded much of the great Superman relaunch. The other third are by two other eighties comics legends, Marv Wolfman (who previously had not only created Blade the Vampire Slayer for Marvel Comics, but also co-created the New Teen Titans, who are essentially the Teen Titans of animated fame these days) and Jerry Ordway (previously a cult-favorite for his work on All-Star Squadron, as well as being the inker of one of the most important comics of all time, Crisis on Infinite Earths).
These stories continue to redefine Superman's world, fleshing out new details. Noted highlights include the creation of Rampage, a sort-of "She-Hulkish" villainess who is actually Dr. Kitty Faulkner, an innocent scientist. The Metal Men show up to help Superman fight Chemo. Superman also has a prolongued fight with Mammoth, an old and very minor Teen Titans villain who probably had his brightest day in this story. Plus, he meets one of the multiple versions of the Legion of Super Heroes, and encounters Superboy and Krypto! In that LSH-Superboy storyline, the "pocket universe" is introduced, which will affect Superman continuity for years, probably right up until a few years ago. It is on this world where he will later execute three "Phantom Zone villains", which leads into the classic Exile storyline (and the guilt of this act gives birth to Superman's famous pledge to never again take a life).
So there's a lot of story in these pages! I recommend it heartily!
Book Description
The Man of Steel battles the sinister Toyman, the mysterious Multi-Face, the Parasite, Mr. Mxyzptlk and the deadly Brainiac. Plus an appearance by Supergirl! All in this 112 - page digest-sized super spectacular!
Book Description
Kyle Raynor is Green Lantern, a member of the Justice League of America and a space-traveling super hero who is the current heir to one of the most powerful forces in the known universe: the Green Lantern power ring. But he's got a problem: his girlfriend has just taken a liking to an average Joe who is about to be transformed into the most powerful villain Earth has ever faced. Green Lantern must stop the evil Sinestro and the invading hordes of aliens determined to destroy humanity and take over Earth.
Customer Reviews:
Horrible editing.......2006-12-02
This book was almost unreadable it was so fraught with misspellings, lack of punctuation, and typos galore.
At one point, it even refers to Dinah Lance (Black Canary) as Diane Lane.
I think all they did was run a spell checker on it. I've read some other books by this publisher and they all seem to have that problem.
Origin.......2006-03-10
I really loved the book I just wish the author of the book would of used Kyles origin from the Comics.
Good book, not great.......2005-08-31
The book got some things right and some things wrong. This is my first attempt at a comic based novel and it wasn't bad reading.
I think for the most part Priest got Kyle right. A little head strong, good heart, and a hopeless romantic. I think he got Alan all wrong - Alan is basically an old fart and totally downplays his "big gun" status. If you read the end of Kyle's run (Homecoming) in the comics that is basically what Jade is like.
Overall it was a fun read.
I have the second book about Alan and I am hoping he does a better job with him (my favorite thing about Alan was his relationship with Kyle and that was totally ruined in book 1)
Good, but far from great.......2004-11-02
Kyle Rayner, the newest person to wear the Green Lantern mantle, is trying to live his life, balancing being a superhero with maintaining his relationship with his girlfriend, Jade. And, just as things are becoming more and more confused, trouble walks into his life in the form of a local exterminator, who Jade seems to be falling in love with. But, this exterminator is more than he appears to be. Sinestro, the age old enemy of the Green Lantern Corps, left sleepers behind to facilitate the conquest of the Earth, and now it is up to Kyle Rayner to save the day, and his girlfriend.
This novel (NOT a graphic novel!) started out with some interesting action in 1992, and then returned to the present, where it promptly went to sleep. Half way through the book, the action began to pick up again and finally got hot at the end. I did not find the characters very interesting, and never became interested in them or their personal problems (which was a cornerstone of the story).
But, that said, I did enjoy the premise of the book and enjoyed seeing Green Lantern in action, saving the day with his own powers. I just hope that the next books in the series are better made. If you are a Green Lantern or Justice League of America fan, then you will enjoy this new addition to the genre. If, however, you are looking for an exciting superhero story, then I am afraid that this book will disappoint you.
Story is OK, writing and proofreading not so much.......2004-08-09
This novel sees the return of Sinestro in a strange fashion. Time travel plays a part in delivering a ring to a combat medic in WWII. The ring lies unused for years until a little boy finds it. This ring becomes the pivotal part of the story, as it turns the boy into a new Sinestro.
There is a scene that takes place in 1972 (though the book gives 1992 in the heading, which is a missed typo, and later the characters refer to 1971) with Hal Jordan, Green Arrow and Black Canary fighting Sinestro and defeating him handily. This passage really seems pointless to me, as it might have been a factor later in the book, but seemed not to be. Perhaps this will be relevant in the sequel(s). There is also an inconsitency in one part of this scene when Green Arrow gives his bow to Canary, but then still has his bow...?
Hmm, anyway, we move to the present day and get tons of Kyle Raynor agonizing over his personal life, while his girlfriend Jade keeps turning away his offer to commit for real. This really reads like high school claptrap, but it is at least somewhat well-done. This relationship issue ends up leading to the abduction of Jade by Sinestro, with whom she was kinda messing around. So GL has to follow, he gets in trouble, they have to work together to get free, somewhat typical plot development.
There are cameos by Plasticman, Hal Jordan as the Spector, Superman, and the old golden age Green Lantern, Jade's father. Only Spector really seems important to the story, though he does not do much more than change something here, influence something there. We get a lot of angst in his inner thoughts as well. Not too badly done, though.
The resolution is rather abrupt, though it did not really leave anything hanging, which I appreciated. Too many first parts of trilogies leave things obviously open, which vexes me. However, the writing style of this novel was not great to me. Nearly every paragraph relies upon simile and metaphor to explain things, and the references are so contemporary that the book may be unreadable 10-20 years from now. It really got old fast. Also, there was a fretfully large population of typos and word mixups, like "the" for "they" and "breath" for "breathe." I think that a word processing spell check was used, but that a thorough proofread was not performed.
However, the story was not terrible, though it was not a very long book to pay hardcover price for. That, combined with the poor quality control, leads me to recommend that people wait for the paperback version of this one.
Book Description
The final volume in an epic trilogy, Sleepers, Book 3 features Hal Jordan, the most famous of Earth's modern-day Green Lanterns. Hal has been stripped of his powers, but it is up to him to fight the clones of the villain Sinestro, set loose by actions in the trilogy's first volume. In order to save the Earth, he may have to sacrifice himself by taking the Sinestro power rings on a one-way trip to the anti-matter universe.
Customer Reviews:
No simple read.......2007-06-27
Priest delivers in usual 'more meat on the steak' fashion. The ride was worth the price of admission. A pity he isn't doing any current comic book work.
Worth the Trouble.......2006-03-10
After reading Book 2, I was not looking forward to finishing this trilogy. There are numberous flaws that are readily writen about in that book's review. However, I'm glad I got to Book 3.
As an long time comic reader, I enjoy the novelization of these heros, but only if they're taken seriously. The author met that criteria in this book. Those of us that know the Green Lantern stories from the 1980s through present day will love to see how the author respects the characters and situations. Those new to the stories will enjoy how the tale unfolds.
One caveat: you need to read Books 1 and 2 for the whole story to make sense. The author answers questions left by those two. However, not reading those two won't take away from the story's impact.
Enjoy!!!
Book Description
In effect cosmic police officers responsible for protecting the universe, the Green Lantern Corps is an organization numbering in the hundreds of members, with each Lantern assigned sectors of space to patrol. First introduced in the 1940s, Green Lantern is one of the original superheroes of the DC Universe-with three generations of fans-and his popularity continues today. Hal Jordan, the most famous of Earth's modern-day Green Lanterns, is currently the lead character in the DC Comics limited series New Frontier, written and drawn by red-hot artist Darwyn Cooke. Jordan also "guest-starred" on an episode of the Cartoon Network's Duck Dodgers animated series; his voice was performed by director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back). The original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, is a featured member in DC's bestselling JSA series. And John Stewart, the first African-American Green Lantern, is a core character on the Cartoon Network's Justice League animated series.
Book 2: Will stars Alan Scott, revealing how he came to have his power ring and how he uses his powers to fight evil. Scott fights in World War II as both an enlisted man and as a costumed superhero. He must also fight a 17th-century super-villain: an anti-Green Lantern named Malvolio, who wants to take over the world! To this end, Malvolio decides to cut a deal with Adolf Hitler himself-a deal that endangers the entire Allied campaign in Europe and the Pacific. But Malvolio's plans do not stop there. He is determined to eliminate the entire Green Lantern Corps, destroy Earth, and decimate all other worlds that have ever had the protection of a Green Lantern!
Customer Reviews:
Wish it was better.......2006-01-26
I liked the first book and look forward to Book 3: however, this just didn't satisfy me as a reader or comic fan. There's been a lot said about the typos and missing words: it happens a lot through out the book. The story, however, was too drawn out in some areas and didn't explain enough in some. One thing that really bothered me was the author describing Malovio's ring being vulnerable to wood; it should only have been vulnerable to "yellow" if it was a Corp. ring. The book's jacket cover would have you believe that Hal Jordan is a significant part of the book, but he only appears for the briefest time. I hope there is more depth in the third installment.
Not so good........2005-05-01
Acceptable story and retelling of Alan Scott's origin. Not good, but acceptable. What makes this a 1 star review is the number of typos. I think a spellchecker was used on this book, but there are wrong words galore, such as 'duel' for 'dual', and a few sentence that just make no sense. No competent proofreader ever went over this book.
I would call this first rate fan fiction- but I'm mad I paid $22 for it. The cover was nice though.
Excellent background information.......2005-04-10
Very detailed origins of Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern and a forgotten foe that fought Hal Jordan once in the old ACTION COMICS WEEKLY (#632-635): Lord Malvolio. Excellent characteraztion and plot make this a very good book for some great light reading. I highly recommend it to all fans of GL!
These reviews are not for this book.......2005-03-30
They are for the first book in the series.
These reviews are not for this book.......2005-03-30
They are for the first book in the series.
Book Description
Does God exist?
This is probably the most debated question in the history of mankind. Scholars, scientists, and philosophers have spent their lifetimes trying to prove or disprove the existence of God, only to have their theories crucified by other scholars, scientists, and philosophers. Where the debate breaks down is in the ambiguities and colloquialisms of language. But, by using a universal, unambiguous language—namely, mathematics—can this question finally be answered definitively? That’s what Dr. Stephen Unwin attempts to do in this riveting, accessible, and witty book, The Probability of God.
At its core, this groundbreaking book reveals how a math equation developed more than 200 years ago by noted European philosopher Thomas Bayes can be used to calculate the probability that God exists. The equation itself is much more complicated than a simple coin toss (heads, He’s up there running the show; tails, He’s not). Yet Dr. Unwin writes with a clarity that makes his mathematical proof easy for even the nonmathematician to understand and a verve that makes his book a delight to read. Leading you carefully through each step in his argument, he demonstrates in the end that God does indeed exist.
Whether you’re a devout believer and agree with Dr. Unwin’s proof or are unsure about all things divine, you will find this provocative book enlightening and engaging.
“One of the most innovative works [in the science and religion movement] is The Probability of God...An entertaining exercise in thinking.”—Michael Shermer, Scientific American
“Unwin’s book [is] peppered with wry, self-deprecating humor that makes the scienti?c discussions more accessible...Spiritually inspiring.”--Chicago Sun Times
“A pleasantly breezy account of some complicated matters well worth learning about.”--Philadelphia Inquirer
“One of the best things about the book is its humor.”--Cleveland Plain Dealer
“In a book that is surprisingly lighthearted and funny, Unwin manages to pack in a lot of facts about science and philosophy.”--Salt Lake Tribune
Download Description
STEPHEN D. UNWIN, Ph.D., received his doctorate in theoretical physics from the University of Manchester for his research in the field of quantum gravity. Dr. Unwin has written for New Scientist, among other influential scientific journals. Formerly the technical attaché to the United States Department of Energy for the British government, he is president of his own consulting firm, specializing in risk management for various Fortune 100 clients. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Abuses of probability and Bayes' theorem.......2007-06-06
Abuses of probability and Bayes' theorem
Probabilistic reasonings are abused quite often and sometimes are intentionally deceiving. This is very common in advertising and in politics. However, there is one flagrant abuse of Bayes' theorem which the reader of this book should be aware of, since it takes on a "scientific" posture. I am referring to Stephen Unwin's (2003) book entitled: "The Probability of God", subtitled: "A simple Calculation That Proves the Ultimate Truth".
First, recall that probabilities are assigned to events, or to outcomes of an experiment, not to objects. There is no such thing as "Probability of a Table", nor of "Probability of the Moon" nor of "Probability of Kukuriku". Therefore, the title of Unwin's book is meaningless. On the book's first page, Unwin wtites: "I use the term probability in its strict mathematical sense and not in the fuzzy, ambiguous way it can be used in common language". That claim is an outright deception. All the book deals exclusively with "the fuzzy, ambiguous" meaning of probability A mathematical probability is assigned to events or to outcomes that can occur. The proposition "G" as defined by Unwin: "God exists", is neither an event nor an outcome of an experiment.
On page 15, Unwin is careful to note that the proposition "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" cannot be judged as true or false unless one defines what is meant by "sexual relations". That is correct. However, there is an abounding discussion of the probability of the proposition "God exists" in the entire book without ever defining who or what "God" is. This renders the entire contents of the book meaningless.
On page 58, Unwin writes: "Here, I think that the expression of complete ignorance (of the truth of proposition "G") is a good case of the 50-50 argument". It is not! He continues: "This is a perfect, unbiased expression of agnosticism". It is not! Clearly, Unwin draws from the symmetry argument applied to the two outcomes of throwing a coin. In the case of proposition "G", it is not clear what the experiment is, nor what the outcomes are. Therefore, the attachment of 50% probability to proposition "G" is totally arbitrary.
The rest of the book is a ridiculous exercise in using "evidentiary areas", in connection with Bayes' theorem to reassess the probability of proposition "G".
It should be noted that, Bayes' theorem allows one to modify probabilities of an event when given additional information. It is not a method of calculating probabilities! Using the same language,and the same kind or reasoning, one can prove anything one wants, and get any probability one wants. Specifically one can "prove" the important proposition that the probability of "the existence of Kukuriku" is 95%.
Richard Dawkins (2006) commented on Unwin's "proof": "It sounds like a joke" and says that the GIGO principle (Garbage In, Garbage Out) is applicable to Unwin's "proof".
I fully agree with Dawkins that this book is nothing but GIGO. I do not agree, however, that it is a joke, not even a bad joke. It is sheer nonsense, disguised in a scientific language.
Finally, the subtitle of the book is also meaningless, unless one defines what the "Ultimate Truth" is. Once we know what the "Ultimate truth" is, we shall not need to prove it!
A little painful at times..........2006-07-17
Well, first off - let me say I'm an atheist...
... Ok - now that most of the religious folks have stopped reading (to protect their fragile sensibilities), I can speak freely...
I cannot say this is a bad book. I do like the writing style, and I found it a very quick read, with few impediments. But while the rudimentary framework laid out by Unwin is simplistic and logical, I can't say the same for his analysis.
The fact of the matter is that Unwin has the foregone conclusion that his conception of god exists. And while he may, at times, allude to the possibility that god does not exist, in almost every aspect of this book, he betrays any objectivity. (for example - in the last paragraph of the book, Unwin's dialog takes it for granted that an after-life exists).
Although Unwin certainly does not surreptitiously pervade his subjectivity, it definitely is present throughout the book. And this is why I felt the book is quite painful at times. There are just so many instances where I don't agree with his logic, or where it is obvious that he is overlooking some fact. So to forgive him for this, for the few instances where he does point out his subjectivity, would be too kind.
So with this in mind, I really only see this book serving as a tool for the faithful to reaffirm their beliefs under the guise of some logical framework. In mercilessly pushing his agenda, I find this book to be a bit of a waste of time for atheist readers - the more adept, of which, will not find anything new in the book, other than a very lengthy dissertation of a theorem of aggregate probabilities that could easily be summed up in a couple of paragraphs.
As for Unwin's analysis... I was disappointed to find that it falls flat onto what amounts to vague feelings about abstract concepts... and really seems to have no objective basis, other than his pre-existing faith.
I wonder, had Unwin been raised by some neolithic religious society, would he have found a rational basis upon which to accept human sacrifice?
Nearly 5 stars--an original treatment for an old debate.......2006-07-15
Paul Gauguin's genius was painting, but he made a cutting analysis of literary art when he said that all writing is either plagiarism or it is revolution. This book is not plagiarism (well, on some points it is). And I dare say you've never read anything quite like it. Unwin is a theoretical physicist, mathematician, and risk management consultant. Given his interest and expertise in probability and decision theory, the thesis could not be in better hands. He is also a clever writer, as you will discover within the first couple of sentences. To suggest that the arguments concomitant to the question of God's existence can be quantified and wrestled into probability equations and thereby treated as straight-forward calculations, might sound, well -- naively optimistic, audacious, or worse. Unwin sees this clearly but shrugs it off; his vocation is treating uncertainties mathematically. Sharpen your pencils and enjoy the ride.
Before plugging quantities into Bayesian equations, Unwin describes what kind of arguments he thinks are most relevant (most obvious as well as being somehow quantifiable). Proposition "G" (that God exists) narrowly concerns itself with "not just any god" but strictly with the personal God envisioned by the monotheistic faiths. Teleological (design) arguments are categorically disallowed. Sure the universe looks designed, but so what? Unwin thinks that the WAP (weak anthropic principle) washes out the design argument ('plagiarism,' not 'revolution' on this point). He snipes at intelligent design theory, enlisting what he himself finally admits are "cheap shots." And the shots are indeed cheap: the weak anthropic principle is merely an 'apparent' cause, it is certainly not an 'effective' cause. An apparent cause is as follows: the reason you are reading this sentence is that you are a reader and you are looking at this sentence. Were it not so, it would not be so. Well, duh. Neither the observer nor the observed is 'effectively' explained. The teleological argument is an argument to an effective cause, by definition subsuming lower levels of causal relationships, up to and including a so-call Theory of Everything. (The logic here can get rather technical, but the design argument always remains.) On the other hand, Unwin does allow the 'anti-design' argument, the argument to the existence of pain and suffering. Okay then, these are the rules as the author sees them.
Most theists will think that proposition "G" [that God exists] has been dealt an artificial handicap at the outset (all things considered, I would tend to agree). But the proposition of a personal God proves to be much more mathematically robust than we might think if we assume that the theist must place all of his proverbial eggs in the basket of classical teleology. Still, I must point out that even if we accept Unwin's disallowance of design arguments for the reasons he asserts, there would remain a reason to introduce the existence of the -idea- of design as a sufficiently quantifiable proposition to plug into a Bayesian equation. What is the probability of the existence of contemplative beings holding this idea in a [proposition] God universe versus in a [proposition] No-God universe? Obviously, at least slightly higher. Well, Unwin does state that readers may find other potential indicators that might be sufficiently (approximately) quantifiable, to insert into their own calculations. At any rate, proposition G more than holds its own in terms of a critical treatment that Unwin eventually calls mathematical theology. I found it interesting that one of the participants in the author's dialogs, a skeptic who becomes a mathematical theologian, is named Anaxagoras (the Ax). Anaxagoras, of course, was an ancient Ionian philosopher who taught that the order of the world traces to a primordial Mind (is the author somehow admitting the design argument even while vehemently excluding it?). This is an entertaining, altogether unusual book, and I give high marks to Unwin for originality. The book deserves a large readership, not because it claims to produce a final answer to the Big Question (it does not), but because it is a surprisingly fresh approach to our oldest and most important debate.
Douglas Adams meets Billy Graham .......2006-07-05
First of all I have to come clean. I didn't buy this book but found it on the bookshelf of a rented vacation apartment. I needed something to read and it was either this or something about boatmaking. I made the right choice. In a few easy to read and very witty chapters I learned more about the philosophy of religion and the math of probability than I had in tbe thirty years before. The arguments for and against God's existence are carefully balanced in a very convincing way. The author sets up these ongoing dialogs between two characters to clarify the points he makes. And after all that, does God exist? Refereshingly, the author does not know, but he figures 2 to 1 odds in favor. I don't think anyone is going to set up a new religion around those odds (although that would be a nice idea), but he goes on to talk about faith and how that tilts the odds. A great book for the beach or elsewhere.
Not the typical arguments.......2006-06-02
I'm not normally one to post reviews, much less respond to other people's reviews, but the previous review of this book stunned me. The previous review more or less levels the usual generic counter-arguments against the usual generic arguments for God's existence, i.e., that only God could account for our seemingly well-crafted universe. In fact, this book does NOT make that argument. In fact, there's a big chunk in the book explaining why these arguments from design do not work. Therefore, it is clear beyond any uncertainty that the previous reviewer has not read the book. He also says that he wound up with a zero probability for God. This can only happen if your a priori probability for God (before looking at evidence) is 0. That's fair enough I suppose, but it isn't fair to post a review without reading the book, basing your comments on preconceptions of what generic God books contain.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Skeptic (Altadena, CA), published by Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine on June 22, 2004. The length of the article is 2474 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Is there really a 67% probability that God exists?(The Probability of God: A Simple Calculation That Proves the Ultimate Truth)(Book Review)
Author: Craig Waterman
Publication:
Skeptic (Altadena, CA) (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2004
Publisher: Skeptics Society & Skeptic Magazine
Volume: 11
Issue: 2
Page: 86(3)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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