On July 19th, Spiegel & Grau will release Grant Morrison's SUPERGODS, his non-fiction history and exploration of the superhero archetype. I've read through an early version of the book and found it to be the page-turner that I expected it to be: an enlightening, in-depth journey through seven decades of costumed superheroes, from the big ones like Superman and Wonder Woman to the most obscure, forgotten caped vigilantes. Part history and part memoir, if you have any interest in what comics Grant found most inspirational in the formative years of his writing career, then you absolutely need to pick up this book.

The official description for SUPERGODS:

From one of the most acclaimed and oracular writers in the world of comics comes a thrilling and provocative exploration of humankind's great modern myth: the superhero.

For Grant Morrison, possibly the greatest of contemporary superhero storytellers, these heroes are not simply characters but powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them, we tell the story of ourselves. In this exhilarating book, Morrison draws on history, art, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this alternate universe to provide the first true chronicle of the superhero-why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are.

Check out the exclusive first look at the book's cover below, and keep an eye out for SUPERGODS this July!