By Anthony Marks
It's practically a universal truth that nearly everyone we know, at some period in their life, has wanted to be a superhero. Everyone of us has thought about how cool it would be to have the strength to lift a tank, or to be able to run at Mach speed or the like. In essence, we long to be amazing and extraordinary.
Needless to say, then, there is a fascination that many of us have with the world of superheroes. In fact, sometimes we don't quite grow out of it. And when I say "we," I don't just mean the masses. Even the rich and powerful can get sucked into the hype, as evidenced by actor Nicholas Cage purportedly shelling out big bucks for the first Superman comic. (It was later auctioned for $2.1 million)
In fact, for many of us, comics were our first introduction to this unique brand of entertainment. The colorful storylines let us participate in the action, fighting alongside heroes such as the Man of Steel. However, as we grew up, we sometimes wanted more from these flights of fancy.
Thus, while comic books still are a powerful medium, the genre of the superhero novel has also started to come of age. No longer limited solely to movie tie-ins, original superhero novels are now part of the rubric of this genre. Moreover, they often tell stories from a more adult point of view, as opposed to the sometimes less controversial plotlines of comics (which still count teens and adolescents as a core demographic).
In essence, we have witnessed the superhero genre blossom well beyond its beginnings in comics. In fact, there is a growing stable of writers who are embracing the superhero brand and producing remarkable stories that can make us feel the same sense of wonder we felt as kids. And I, for one, am happy about it.
Needless to say, then, there is a fascination that many of us have with the world of superheroes. In fact, sometimes we don't quite grow out of it. And when I say "we," I don't just mean the masses. Even the rich and powerful can get sucked into the hype, as evidenced by actor Nicholas Cage purportedly shelling out big bucks for the first Superman comic. (It was later auctioned for $2.1 million)
In fact, for many of us, comics were our first introduction to this unique brand of entertainment. The colorful storylines let us participate in the action, fighting alongside heroes such as the Man of Steel. However, as we grew up, we sometimes wanted more from these flights of fancy.
Thus, while comic books still are a powerful medium, the genre of the superhero novel has also started to come of age. No longer limited solely to movie tie-ins, original superhero novels are now part of the rubric of this genre. Moreover, they often tell stories from a more adult point of view, as opposed to the sometimes less controversial plotlines of comics (which still count teens and adolescents as a core demographic).
In essence, we have witnessed the superhero genre blossom well beyond its beginnings in comics. In fact, there is a growing stable of writers who are embracing the superhero brand and producing remarkable stories that can make us feel the same sense of wonder we felt as kids. And I, for one, am happy about it.
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