Static Shock: Trial by Fire by Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington

Virgil Hawkins is a smart, smart-mouthed high schooler trying to date his best friend and avoid making the bad choices available at every turn. He's also Static, a superhero with electricity powers, trying to defend his neighborhood against superpowered punks. Static uses science and wit to defeat bad guys, but Virgil can't seem to catch a break in love, at home, or on the streets.

Appeal: Black representation, superheroes, growing up, high school

Art: Rough, stylized line, distinctive 90s color palette

Text: Conversational, vernacular, scientific

Other: Static Shock was originally published from 1993 to 1996, and became part of the DC Comics universe in 2008. Static Shock was adapted into an animated television show in 2000.

Awards: In 2003 Dwayne McDuffie won the Humanitas Prize for Children's Animation for the Static Shock episode "Jimmy", which deals with gun violence.

McDuffie, Dwayne and Robert L. Washington. Static Shock!: Trial By Fire. New York, NY : DC Comics, 2000. Print.

The Non-Adventures of Wonderella by Justin Pierce

The Non-Adventures of Wonderella

Wonderella is a terrible superhero. She drinks, she ignores crises, and she'll endorse anything for a buck. This send-up of superheroes sees Wonderella fighting the likes of Hitlerella and Jokerella (or not, depending on what's on tv), failing to save her sidekick Wonderita from peril, and causing more problems than she solves. Readers who enjoy Wonderella will also enjoy R.K. Milholland's Super Stupor.

The Non-Adventures of Wonderella is online at nonadventures.com. Read from the beginning here.

Appeal: Superheroes, irony, parody, science fiction, humor

Art: In the style of paper cut-out cartoons like South Park or Monty Python. Parodies superhero designs

Text: Mature, non-sequitur, allusions to current events

Pierce, Justin. "The Non-Adventures of Wonderella." nonadventures.com. Web. 4 May 2014.

Tiny Titans: Welcome to the Treehouse by Art Baltazar and Franco

Tiny Titans: Welcome to the Treehouse

This kid-friendly take on DC Comics' younger heroes takes place at Sidekick Elementary, where Robin and Starfire hang out with their friends, form a super pet club, and feud with rivals from the villains' elementary school across town. Characters reference and parody current events in the DC universe in addition to having their own adventures. Kid Flash races other speedsters only to be distracted by friends. Robin tries on a new costume and new name, but no one recognizes him. Everyone dresses up in special outfits for pink day, where our heroes celebrate all things pink.

Appeal: Kids, DC Comics, superheroes, humor, animals

Art: Caricature, bold, bright

Text: Punny, simple

Other: Art Baltazar and Franco work for DC Comics, and have also collaborated on the kid-friendly Itty Bitty Hellboy and Superman Family Adventures.

Awards: Tiny Titans won the Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids in 2009 and 2011.

Baltazar, Art. Franco. Tiny Titans Vol. 01: Welcome to the Treehouse. Place : DC Comics, 2009. Print.

Womanthology: Heroic edited by Renae De Liz

Womanthology: Heroic

More than 150 women comics creators come together in this anthology of short stories focusing on heroism. Heroes come in many forms, as do these stories. Characters save cats from trees, planets from invasion, and lives from ruin in these stories created by experienced professionals and brand new beginners. Creator information is given for every story, and a fantasy comic strip runs throughout the book in the margins.

Appeal: Superheroes, short stories, science fiction, fantasy, good female characters

Art: Varies widely by story, from Western to manga style and from professional to amateur

Text: Varies widely by story. Some are conversational, some dramatic, some mostly narrative

Other: The book was crowdfunded and published by IDW. The profits go to the Global Giving Foundation. A second volume, Womanthology: Space, was published in 2012.

De Liz, Renae, ed. Womanthology: Heroic. San Diego, CA : IDW, 2011. Print.

Ultra: Seven Days by Joshua Luna and Jonathan Luna

Ultra: Seven Days

In Ultra's world, superheroes are celebrities straddling the line between big business and law enforcement. One night Ultra (Pearl Penalosa) and her friends decide to have their fortunes told, and Pearl is told that she will find true love within a week. During her search for the right guy she encounters scandals, award ceremonies, exes, fights with friends, fights with supervillains, and fights with the Latino community. Pearl can only do her best to navigate a tricky world without going under. Articles from newspapers, magazines, and tabloids round out this fictional world.

Appeal: Good female characters, action, drama, friendship, superheroes, Latino representation

Text: Conversational, vernacular

Other: Created by sibling team Joshua and Jonathan Luna, who also wrote the horror comic Girls.

Luna, Joshua and Jonathan Luna. Ultra: Seven Days. Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2008. Print.

The Invincible Iron Man: Extremis by Warren Ellis

The Invincible Iron Man: Extremis

Tony Stark faces a threat he might not be able to overcome: an American rebel augmented with a powerful new technology. Tony gets help from an old friend and a fellow scientist to defeat this enemy, as well as another enemy hiding behind the scenes.

Appeal: Action, science fiction, superheroes.

Art: Colors could have more depth, and faces could be more expressive, but overall a good match to the storyline.

Text: Scientific, philosophical

Other: Anecdotally considered one of the best Iron Man storylines, this arc was partially adapted into the movie Iron Man 3 and the television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Ellis, Warren, et. al. The Invincible Iron Man: Extremis. New York : Marvel, 2010. Print.

The Invincible Iron Man (1963)

Iron Man

Tony Stark, millionaire industrialist, was kidnapped and injured while demonstrating weapons in Vietnam. He built a suit of mechanized armor to escape, and now he fights crime as Iron Man while running his company under the guise of a carefree playboy. He battles avatars of communism such as the Crimson Dynamo and Black Widow, as well as independent villains like the Mandarin. 

Appeal: Science fiction, adventure, action, drama, superheroes

Art: Clean detail, sometimes static in non-action scenes, dramatic.

Text: Scientific, dramatic

Other: Iron Man originally appeared in Tales of Suspense in 1963. It has been adapted into animated televison shows, live-action movies, and novels.

Lee, Stan. Heck, Don. Colan, Gene. Field, Tom. Iron Man. New York : Marvel Comics : 2004. Print. Volumes 3 and 4.