David Hughes is the author of two other Virgin Film titles: Kubrick and Lynch, as well as The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Never Made and The Illustrated Farscape Companion. He has written for, among others, the Guardian, Empire, GQ, The Face and SFX.

"Hughes knows his subject inside out . . . makes you want to rush out and revisit each of these movies right away." Chris Hewitt, Empire

The superheroes are back! Since the 1970s, the film world has found inspiration in comic books and graphic novels. These days no summer is complete without a major blockbuster movie based on a comic: Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Men in Black, The Hulk. Modern special effects have made large-scale superhero epics possible, but the diversity of the comics being published is evident in today's cinema: Ghost World, From Hell, Akira and Road to Perdition.

This book looks in detail at twenty key titles, covering every step of the development from comic book panel to feature film frame, including production, sequels and spin-offs. From the massive and continuing success of the Superman and Batman franchises to ill-judged ventures such as Mystery Men and Dick Tracy, the book includes interviews with creative artists about the evolution of the movies from the original comics and speculates about future films.