Photo of hands holding black mask by John Noonan on Unsplash

Behind the Mask, Part 1: Superheroes and Supervillains

 

It's hard to recall a movie season in recent memory that hasn't been marked with at least one superhero blockbuster, so we're taking a closer look at these stories and heroes. In the first episode of this two part series, we consider what makes someone a superhero. Is it simply a question of superpowers? According to Peter Coogan, the founder of the Institute for Comics Studies and lecturer within American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, that's certainly part of the equation. He will layout the criteria caped crusaders must meet and the hallmarks of the wider superhero genre.

 

Credits:

Photo by John Noonan on Unsplash
Free Stock Music: Bitbop, hacking the mainframe
Free Music Archive: Broke for free, dj batman
Archive.org: superman vs. kryptonite