Summer is for Superheroes
Library Lines 7/21/13
What is your favorite part of summer? Is it savoring the
last minutes of the sun at the end of a great beach day? Is it the smell of the
rain as the latest named hurricane swirls its path across the state? Or maybe
it’s the feel of heat against your skin as you flip burgers on your Weber grill
at the 4th of July barbeque? My favorite part of summer is the
movies. What is better than getting out of the sweltering heat for two hours to
sit in a cool theater enjoying a movie and buttery popcorn with friends? I know
summer is at its peak when my movie views are as high as the temperature on the
thermometer.
My
favorite of all is seeing the newest superhero movies. When I first saw the ad
for the new Man of Steel movie, I think my fangirl squeal could be heard from
two houses away. There is just something about superheroes, no matter how many
times the story has been told, that makes people flock to them like zombies to
brains. Which made me wonder: Why do we continue to love superheroes? What is
it that makes them remain relevant across generations and eras?
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| That's why. |
To find
the answers, I began browsing through Sebring Public Library’s collection of
graphic novels and comic book guides and discussing them with fellow superhero-loving
friends. Holy spandex, Batman! What I discovered was a treasure trove of
mythology rivaling the Greeks mixed with artistic value rivaling an Andy Warhol
original. From All-Star Superman to The Essential Wolverine, every square
was intricate in its use of bold color, the contrast of light and dark, and
nuanced evocation of emotion—and brimming with more action than a James
Patterson novel. Graphic novels prove their artistry can stand up to the great
pop artists while telling a riveting story.
But any
comic book nerd can tell you that superheroes are more than beautiful, graphic
pictures and word bubbles on a page. The true magic of superheroes lies in
their symbolism. In a huge way, superheroes are to us what Hercules and
Odysseus were to the Greeks. In a world where bad things happen, sometimes with
no logical explanation, we long for a world where everything is black and
white, good and evil, with no shades of grey in between. So we create stories
that explain why bad things happen and we create a hero that can slay the evil
in our lives. The Greeks and Romans had them, as did the Norse, and the
Egyptians.
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| Norse never looked so good... |
As with
the Greek myths, a superhero gives us someone to look up to and inspire us to
be better. We can see this in every origin story: a superhero is faced with a
life-altering experience we can relate to, whether it is a tragedy, destiny, or
just sheer luck. The superhero finds meaning in the event, discovers his/her
strengths, and chooses to use them for the greater good. They show us how we
can aspire to greatness, if we can only find a catalyst to push us in that
direction.
Some may
argue that comic books, specifically superhero comics, are static; never
changing and overly simplified. However, I would argue, and I’m sure other
comic enthusiasts would agree, that superheroes are not static, but
traditional. Unlike action heroes, they don’t represent the age in which they
are created (i.e. James Bond represents the agent of the Cold War era and Jason
Bourne represents the digital age). Superheroes are symbols of a more resonant
and prolonged struggle: the interior battle of humanity, the battle of good and
evil. And each superhero has an individual ambition he/she aspires to protect:
Superman stands for truth and is a symbol of hope. Batman stands for justice.
Green Lantern represent will, whereas as a Red Lantern represents rage and
Yellow Lanterns represents fear. Superheroes amplify the best and worst
qualities of the human experience, and therefore resonate with readers on a deeper
level than the artificiality of action heroes.
The reason superheroes remain
relevant and will stay relevant is basic human psychology: we need heroes. We
need someone to look up to. We need someone to show us that human decency and
justice still exist, that hope is alive in a world going to the dogs, and that
good can, and will, triumph over evil.
So even when we’ve seen Peter
Parker get bitten by a radioactive spider more times than we can count, or seen
Krypton blown to smithereens as Clark’s ship sails into the dark oblivion,
there will always be someone to tell the same story with fresh insight and a
personal perspective. We all approach the story differently, therefore, we all
find something unique to like about them, whether it is from an artistic,
emotional, or entertainment value. I, personally, will see Man of Steel, because, aside from my love of
comic book mythology, I can’t wait to see in which direction Christopher Nolan
takes Superman’s tale.
