Superheroes have become a pop culture phenomenon since their inception in the 1930s, and the plots, characters and themes found within superhero comics have and continue to evolve today. In his essay titled “More Than Normal, But Believable” legendary comic book writer and producer Stan Lee defines super heroes. “A superhero is a person who does heroic deeds and has the ability to do them in a way that a normal person couldn’t,” writes Lee. “So in order to be a superhero, you need a power that is more exceptional than any power a normal human being could possess, and you need to use that power to accomplish good deeds.”
The modern superhero appeared in the 1930s, deriving from pulp-fiction heroes who had existed up until then, according to comic book historian and critic, Jamie Coville. …show more content…
“This was Superman, the very first comic character to have powers far beyond a normal human being. He was the very first hero to get a comic book fully devoted to telling his adventures.”
Pop-culture pundit John Romaniello believes comic book characters are the contemporary juxtapositions to the gods of ancient lore and that themes within the books themselves have evolved as a result of changes in societal circumstances. Romaniello described this idea in an article on his blog, titled Understanding Heroism: A Look at Modern Mythology and the (Super) Appeal of Superheroes. “Comic books are the American mythology,” explains Romaniello. “And, much in the same way Zeus and Poseidon and Perseus come down to us from the Greeks, Superman and Batman and the X-Men represent the culture that birthed them. These are our Gods and Heroes, our stories—and our commentary on our society. Comic books have chronicled our history, and touched on World War II, the War on Drugs, the current climate of