SUPERHEROES UNITE
INTRODUCTION
Have you got what it
takes to be a superhero?
The idea of a crimefighting
hero hiding behind a
mask and secret identity
emerged in the 1930s,
inspired by folkloric and
fictional characters such
as Robin Hood, The Scarlet
Pimpernel and Tarzan.
The resulting Golden
and Silver Ages of comic
books saw the creation
of thousands of heroes
(and anti-heroes) who
continue to entertain
and inspire us, and today
our movie theatres are
overrun with caped
crusaders and men
(and women) of steel.
But you don’t need
to fly faster
than a
NATHAN SAWAYA
A life-long comics fan, artist Nathan
Sawaya (USA) was inspired to create the
largest display of life-sized LEGO
® brick
superheroes, crafting 11
DC characters
- including Batman, Superman and The
Flash – in London, UK, on 28
Feb 2017.
MICHAEL
KALLENBERG
It’s not uncommon to
see athletes racing
in superhero outfits,
especially when running
for charity. Michael
Kallenberg (UK, left),
for example, ran the
fastest half marathon
in superhero costume
(male) to raise money
for an injured RAF
serviceman, finishing the
Cardiff Half Marathon
in Wales, UK, in just 1
hr
9 min 33^ sec on 2
Oct
- You’ll find more
costumed heroes running
for charity on p.98 and
pp.238–39.
Nathan’s
sculptures
formed part of his
touring exhibit “The
Art of the Brick: DC
Super Heroes”, which
was built from
nearly 2^ million
bricks!
speeding bullet or be bitten
by a radioactive spider to
become a superhero. We
believe that everyone has
a superpower that could
one day be recognized by
Guinness World Records.
We like to think of ourselves
as a real-world
recruiter of
superhumans – a
S.H.I.E.L.D. or League
of Extraordinary
Gentlemen! – and we
hope that this year’s
book will inspire you
to find your inner
superhero and join
our world-beating
team.
XI SHUN
Former tallest man
Xi Shun (CHN, 2.
m; 7^ ft
8.95^ in) is proof that superheroes come in all shapes
and sizes. In 2006, the Chinese giant was drafted in
to save the lives of two dolphins choking on plastic.
Only the world’s tallest man had arms long enough
to reach down into the dolphins’ stomachs to extract
the plastic, sparing the need
for dangerous surgery.
STAN LEE
Stan “The Man” Lee (USA) is
the record-breaking father
of modern comic books. He’s
been creating incredible
characters since 1941 and has
gone on to inspire countless
other comic artists to
produce superheroes of
their
own. Find out about his heroic
contribution to pop culture
between p.90 and p.103.
The theme of this year’s edition is the superhero, from the fictional
crimefighters of the comic-book world to the real-life superhumans who
do extraordinary things in the name of world records. Our special feature
chapter on fictional heroes starts on p.88, but introducing the topic here
are a selection of record holders from the real world who are inspired by
superheroes. Plus, meet the new big-screen Spider-Man, Tom Holland...
