“Forms Stretched To Their Limits” by Art Spiegelman
Message prompt

Though comic books are not quite as popular as they used to be, superheroes still remain important in today’s society. Many movies on superheroes have been made recently – Batman has a few films, as well as Superman and Spiderman. The message they seem to send out in society today is that there is always someone looking out for us. I feel that superheroes are a form of comfort. In bad times, many people like to have hope that someone is watching over them. While people not expect Superman is looking out for them, they usually believe there is something protecting them, such as religion. Superheroes can stand for this belief. Superheroes can also send the message that anyone can be a superhero. People do not have to be able to shoot webs out of their hands or fly through the sky in order to help someone else. I think superheroes send a message that in bad times, we all need saving and unfortunately, we do not have Batman to help us. Therefore, superhero movies can enforce the idea to help those in need and not just to look out for ourselves.

Currently America is dealing with the war in Iraq. 9/11 was also an extremely upsetting event that took place not too long ago. Many people lost family members that day, and thousands of people lost their lives. On top of this, there is still a lot of crime found in the news. There is murder, rape, robbery, and so on. Life is not always a pleasant thing. This is why the idea of superheroes strongly applies to our current society. We all need looking after and hope in this life. With so many negative aspects in the world, we need something to rely on. Superheroes can provide this comfort for people, as well as encourage others to help others in need.