Saunders, Ben,  1968- <br/><br/>
Do the gods wear capes? :  spirituality, fantasy, and superheroes / 
Ben Saunders. 
 - xi, 178 pages :  illustrations ;  22 cm. 
 - New directions in religion and literature .
 - New directions in religion and literature. .
<br/><br/> "First published in 2011 by the Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Reprinted by Bloomsbury Academic 2013"--Title page verso. 
<br/><br/>Includes bibliographical references (pages 152-174) and index. 
<br/><br/>Introduction : The power of love -- Superman : truth, justice, and all that stuff -- Wonder Woman : bondage and liberation -- Spider-Man : heroic failure and spiritual triumph -- Iron Man : techno-faith -- Coda : modern gods -- Appendix : On the place of superhero studies within comics studies. 
<br/><br/> "Brash, bold, and sometimes brutal, superheroes might seem to epitomize modern pop-culture at its most melodramatic and mindless. But according to Ben Saunders, the appeal of the superhero is fundamentally metaphysical - even spiritual - in nature. In chapter-length analyses of the early comic book adventures of Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and Iron-Man, Saunders explores a number of complex philosophical and theological issues, including: the problem of evil; the will-to-power; the tension between intimacy and vulnerability; and the challenge of love, in the face of mortality"--Page [4] of cover. 
<br/><br/><label>ISBN: </label>9780826441980 082644198X 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>Superheroes--Religious aspects.<br/>Heroes--History and criticism.--Comic books, strips, etc.<br/>Superheroes--Moral and ethical aspects.
<br/><br/><label>LC Class. No.: </label>BL 325 .H46  / S28 2013