Superheroes are a longtime obsession of mine, ever since I was a kid! Originally, I loved their stories because, hey, super-powers! Who wouldn't want to fly or be able to shoot laser beams out of her eyes? Makes sense. But now I love the superhero genre because of the incredible potential for storytelling, and for exploring themes that I find incredibly relevant.
In a lot of ways, superhero stories are about those who are different or special in one way or another. Here are people who either have inborn or contracted special abilities or powers, or who are in some other way extraordinary. This makes them very different from the other people around them, sometimes in extremely visible ways.
Themes that tend to crop up over and over are those of isolation, loneliness and resentment, as well as misunderstanding and mistrust on the part of the non-superhero population. How do they deal with it? Do they withdraw from life, embrace their differences, or some combination of both? Superman has a Fortress of Solitude where can retreat from an impossibly demanding life. Batman has no real friends, and is focused to the point of obsession and beyond with his work. There are many stories of superheroes trying, desperately, to have some semblance of a “normal” life, either through a second identity in which they “pass” for a non-superhero (most famous example: Clark Kent), or through family, friends and work. And, suddenly, this is probably starting to sound familiar to a lot of people out there who have ever felt different or isolated.
One of the great things fantasy and science fiction can do is give us a lens through which to view our own society and its problems from a safe distance. Superhero stories allow us to think about how Western society views crime and law enforcement, for example. Clearly they can, in their better moments, also give us insight on how society treats those who are either visibly or invisibly different, and how they cope with what sets them apart. The best superhero stories, in my opinion, are those that explore these issues of difference within the context of a larger narrative. Watchmen comes to mind almost immediately as a great example of this kind of storytelling, as does Astro City and some of the better X-Men stories.
These differences are often portrayed in fantasy and science fiction as generally positive things (see: Harry Potter), and despite the negative effects readers are led to see them as more a blessing than a curse. Differences, the message tends to go, set us apart and can be a difficult burden to bear, but they also make us unique and special, and give us insights and experiences other people don't have. This is an incredibly awesome message.
So, sure, I love reading and writing about superheroes because what they can do is amazing and fascinating. However, I also love these stories because I can use them to talk and think about issues that really matter to me. How cool is that?
About the Author
Susan Jane Bigelow is a native New Englander and librarian with a passion for books, computers and writing. She lives in northern Connecticut with her wife and cats. Broken is her first novel.
About the Book
Reading with Tequila's review of Broken
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