Description
Why are so many of the superhero myths tied up with loss, often violent, of parents or parental figures? What is the significance of the dual identity? What makes some superhuman figures "good" and others "evil"? Why are so many of the prime superheroes white and male? How has the superhero evolved over the course of the 20th and early 21st centuries? And how might the myths be changing? Why is it that the key superhero archetypes - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the X-Men - touch primal needs and experiences in everyone? Why has the superhero moved beyond the pages of comics into other media? All these topics, and more, are covered in this lively and original exploration of the reasons why the superhero - in comic books, films, and TV - is such a potent myth for our times and culture.
Author(s)
Danny Fingeroth, As former Group Editor of Marvel Comics's Spider-Man line, Danny Fingeroth became intimately familiar with the key elements of superhero mythology. He is exceptionally well versed in just what it takes to breathe life into these characters. Fingeroth is currently the creator and editor of Write Now magazine. He lives in New York City with his wife, sons, and 30,000 comic books.
Reviews
"Fingeroth draws on his decades of working at Marvel Comics (including work as the editorial director of the Spider-Man comics family) to write this personal, engaging, and earnest work. He addresses, among other topics, superheroes and immigration (Superman, the ultimate alien), superheroes and family relations (Fantastic Four and X-Men), and the development of the teen voice in comic books (from sidekick to Spider-Man). Fingeroth hits a number of high notes, especially in his discussion of villains as proactive characters, as opposed to the usually reactive heroes. He also considers the idea of the female superhero. Fingeroth supports his assertions with a good array of scholarly and popular sources, including work by Joseph Campell, Gloria Steinem, and Les Daniels. The result is an easygoing exploration of superheores' culture significance, and it will appeal to a mainstream audience. Comics legend Stan Lee provides the foreworld to this slim volume. The hardcover carries a hefty price tag, so larger public libraries may wish to consider the paperback. Because of the subject matter's appeal and the accessibility of Fingeroth's writing, this title is an especially good choice for school libraries."" --Library Journal"
,
“With a uniquely psychological approach, Fingeroth attempts to understand America’s continuing fascination with spandex-clad crime-fighters. His conclusions are intriguing. “ –Washington Square News, 4/26/04
Eric Kohn,
“Aficionados of hero comics, pulps, and detective paperbacks of the 1940s and 1950s will appreciate this book in which Fingeroth poses questions and then helps the reader answer them. Recommended.” --CHOICE
A Hirsch, Emeritus, Central Connecticut State University, Choice, 9/04,
“In Superman on the
Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society,
Danny Fingeroth offers something unique: a work of popular comic book criticism
that explores why comic book superheroes have continued to matter so much to so
many of us over the past several decades, and why characters such as Batman,
Spider-Man, and Superman have not only entered into popular consciousness, but,
moreover, remained so firmly rooted there. All in all, Danny Fingeroth has
written an important…book that serves to adequately defend superhero comics
against the charges of being either simple adolescent, male power fantasies,
or, for that matter, perverted escapades intended to corrupt the minds of young
readers everywhere, that have been leveled against them over the years.
Fingeroth recognizes, and at a number of points well demonstrates, that
superhero comics are, indeed, important cultural artifacts that deserve our
critical attention….this book is recommended.” – Image Text, Vol. 2 no. 2,
Winter 2005
Image Text,
“Of the series of academic books that I have seen addressing
comic books, and the superhero genre in particular, Fingeroth’s work is one of
the best.”- Brett Chandler Patterson, Science
Fiction Research Association- SFRA Review, Jan/Feb/March 2007, #279
Science Fiction Research Association,