I need a hero..........

We may not be guaranteed sunny, icecream filled days at the seaside this year (or any year) but one thing that's a safe bet is loads of superhero films at the box office in the coming months. We've already had Avengers - Batman and Spiderman are lurking in a heroic fashion on the horizon.
If the thought of all these cinematic superheros have left you wanting more then we've got a short list of books about and inspired by superheroes for your perusal.
X-ray specs at the ready!

1. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
He has a secret idenitity and goes about saving folk so the Scarlet Pimpernel is welcome to join the list. Maybe his super power is being extremely dashing in the face of smelly revolutionary proles? Join the swashbuckling Scarlet Pimpernel in his fight to save French aristocrats from the guillotine.

2. The Amazing Adventuresof Kavlier and Clay by Michael Chabon
The golden age of comic book writing is gloriously detailed in this spellbinding book. This is both an epic novel aobut the power of myths and stories and a gripping thriller about the ties that bind and break us. Also there is a Golem.

3. Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
Following the evolving friendship of two boys from the 1970's to the present day, this paints an evocative picture of a particualr place and time - Brooklyn in the 70s and 80s. The clue is in the title as to which superhero the boys look up to.

4. Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
There's only room for one superhero graphic novel on this list and it had to be Watchmen. The original and best antihero comicbook. A complex and dark story about a diverse group of crimefighters that looks beyond the costumes at issues of power and control.  

5. Soon I will be Invincible by Austin Grossman
The evil Doctor Impossible plots to take over the world from behind the bars of a maximum security prison. The only problem is the pesky team of superheroes continually thwarting his plans. A witty and unexpected take on the superhero genre and it's cliches, told from the villain's point of view.