I believe that almost everyone, at some point in their life, has wanted to be a superhero. We've all wanted to be invulnerable, or to be able to fly, or do all kinds of other great and wonderful things. In short, we've all wanted to be something far more than ordinary.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the concept of superheroes is something that people often become enraptured by and with. Moreover, I'm not just talking about the rank-and-file of the population. Even the celebrated members of our society can succumb to this adoration. For instance, basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal was such a huge fan of Superman that he had the hero's iconic "S" symbol tattooed on his arm.
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).
Long story short, the superhero concept has changed dramatically since its early days. In truth, there is an ever-expanding base of novelists who are getting wrapped up in the genre and providing us with an embarrassment of riches in terms of reading material. It seems the floodgates have opened in terms of superhero novels, and I hope they never close.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the concept of superheroes is something that people often become enraptured by and with. Moreover, I'm not just talking about the rank-and-file of the population. Even the celebrated members of our society can succumb to this adoration. For instance, basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal was such a huge fan of Superman that he had the hero's iconic "S" symbol tattooed on his arm.
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).
Long story short, the superhero concept has changed dramatically since its early days. In truth, there is an ever-expanding base of novelists who are getting wrapped up in the genre and providing us with an embarrassment of riches in terms of reading material. It seems the floodgates have opened in terms of superhero novels, and I hope they never close.
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