National Superhero Day

Happy Superhero Day! Did you know that's what is celebrated on April 28? At least according to one calendar it is.

Does it seem to you as if the world, or at least the movie-going public, is obsessed with superheroes?

In 2017, seven of the top-grossing movies were superhero movies, based on characters who were first introduced in comic books.

Now, I'm glad these folks have gained the recognition they need for their creativity, but, frankly, I'm tired of all of these movies.

Yes, I know they employ millions of people. Yes, I know millions of fans love them. But I look at it as a lack of originality by movie makers.

I thought movie makers might be also since Avengers: Infinity War kind of killed off most of them. Not so! They're just rebooting the franchises with younger actors.

Yes, they just want to keep milking the cash cow until the poor thing is dry.

Contemporary Culture
Mona Lisa to Pop Art


I remember one of my teachers lecturing about how the arts reflect contemporary culture. She said if you look at modern art, it's a visual representation of the times in which it was created.

Example: Picasso's Synthetic Cubism, also known as Crystal period, spanned the first World War.

Good Question

So what does the obsession with comic book superheroes mean? Well, maybe it's just escapism into a world of great looking guys with ripped muscles.

Maybe it's that we're all looking for a hero even though most of us have real, flesh and blood heroes in our lives whether we credit them or not.

Maybe they just remind us of when we were kids and life was much simpler with few demands and responsibilities. We were free to read comic books, adventure books, and watch much simpler superhero movies that thrilled us then.

Takeaway Truth

Maybe we're just searching for that same visceral thrill we felt when we were children.

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