Thrilling adventurers, comic book superheroes closely reflect their times.
Among the earliest comic books, Superman is the ultimate superhero.
The product of a riveting and exotic back story of alien beginnings, Superman repeatedly saves humanity with his super powers.
Following Superman's lead, other comic book superheroes similarly undertook gripping adventures: Spider-man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Green Lantern, each with a trademark superhero idiosyncrasy.
Originating as a response to the helplessness felt by many during the dark days of the Great Depression, superheroes made people feel good about their chances of survival and about the future.
Aliens and mutants can be expected to have superhuman powers, but the appearance of Batman, for instance, just before World War II, changed the story.
Batman, you see, has no superhuman powers.
His razor-sharp intellect and extraordinary problem-solving abilities coupled with his mastery of the martial arts make Batman a phenomenal human being.
At the same time, Batman broods; he suffers.
His is a type of romantic misery descended from Baudelaire.
Captain America and Wonder Woman, on the other hand, are also wartime creations.
Both are equipped with super powers and a clear moral compass, befitting of representative of the greatest country in the world.
As such, they set out to mop up Europe, disposing of evil Nazis, and wind up, like America itself, setting a model for the vanquished enemies after the war.
As times got better and affluence took hold, the character of comic book heroes changed.
The Hulk, for instance, first appearing in 1961, became a raging beast because of a radiation accident in the lab.
Coming at the height of fears of nuclear holocaust, the Hulk's regression to bestiality represents the lurking foreboding that our own scientific advances were about to do us in.
Beneath our civilized exterior lies a raging beast within every one of us, easily slipping aside the veneer of civility.
As the nation plunged into division and despair during the Vietnam War, comic book heroes became darker and morally ambiguous.
Starting life as a model Marine, the Punisher, a weapons master with a keen deductive sense, becomes an accomplished torturer in his quest to conquer his enemies.
As such, he well represents the era for he manifests no qualms when engaged in a mission.
Victory at any cost is his byword.
Eventually, comic books heroes evolve into anti-heroes, culminating in the creation of Spawn in the 1990s.
Betrayed by his own men, this top CIA assassin is murdered, then goes to Hell and makes a bargain with the devil to return to life as Spawn who is not really human and not really a devil either.
Spawn suffers torments of remorse and guilt, but is remorseless in accomplishing his own ends, always aware that his ultimate fate is to return to his real home, Hell.
Spawn is a trueAnti-Hero with whom we sympathize, but from whom we must remain alienated.