About Heroes

This Review was submitted by Bluejohn

Book Review: Superheroes and Philosophy
Like me, I’m sure everyone at this website has run into the question, “Why do you still read comics?” Sometimes it’s posed to understand you. Sometimes it’s asked to demean you. Still, it’s a good question. All of us, ranging in age, religion, gender, and race, have our own personal reasons, but sometimes what we say does not have the conviction of what we believe. We know in our hearts why, but it’s lost in translation to the world. Now, ladies and gentleman, I have found an answer for us. In the words of Marianne Williamson,

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And we let our light shine; we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

What does that mean for us? It means that comics inspire us to believe that it is worth shining in this world. That being a virtuous person, committed to doing what we can to save the world, is not an impossible task. That comics allow us to not be confined to thinking of what we have to do, but they allow us to explore the idea of what we truly are capable of. That superheroes may not be outgrown, but simply disregarded for the bleaker view the world forces us to take. As comic readers, we see through to the truth. Kinda scary. Very exciting.

Now, I won’t take credit for this answer. I did not develop it. I found it, in this book. And that’s only one concept I have gleaned from it. The book itself is a collection of essays from teachers of philosophy from around the nation with Mark Waid and Jeph Loeb thrown in for good measure. While each chapter stems from differing sources, the abundant knowledge is still cohesive. Some of my favorite talking points are:
Aristotle’s levels of friendship compared to the Bat family
Daredevil-How religion affects a man without fear
Who watches the Watchmen-An In-depth look at Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns
Gods above men-How we humans would deal with super powered individuals
The men in the gods- Why a hero should be moral

And trust me, I’m only naming a few, a small portion of what this book truly has to offer. If you have always wanted someone to go down a deep level of comic book understanding, not just why people love them, but how a world in the comics work, you have finally found you bible. Kevin Smith’s review of the book even states that “someone’s treating comic books with the gravity they deserve. If, as Socrates said, the unexamined life is not worth living, then make your life mean something by reading Superheroes and Philosophy.”

Just to be clear, I am not being paid to write this article. In fact, if the editors are reading this, I spent a whole pen marking my favorite sections. You owe me 20 cents.