Contact: Dustin Barnes
STARKVILLE, Miss.--It's a bird; it's a plane. It's the "Man of Steel" coming to save the world--and the box office.
With Hollywood's summer release this week of the latest "Superman" installment, the nation's cyclical obsession with superheroes may be a fascination fostered more from personal need than for entertainment.
"Audiences are able to identify with these superhero characters," said Kevin D. Williams of Mississippi State University. "The life of a superhero is a troubled one in which they don't fit in all the time."
Adolescents, particularly, are drawn to superheroes because they can relate to the feelings of being a misfit in society, the assistant professor of communication observed.
"Children also love these heroes because they have power," he added. "Superman doesn't have to eat all his veggies or go to bed at
First appearing in comic books in 1938, Superman is the creation of Jerry Siegel of Cleveland, Ohio, and boyhood friend Joe Shuster, a native Canadian whom he first met in high school. Both Jewish, they took the then-current pronouncement of Adolph Hitler's Nazi "super race" and developed it into a comic-strip hero who fights for good and justice.
"The story of Superman also can be compared to biblical times," Williams said. "Moses' mother sent him away to survive, he was raised by other parents and he led people to freedom."
Williams said superheroes have been a part of every culture throughout history. From Beowulf, Hercules and other early-civilization champions to the modern-era Superman and Batman, societies have come to regard these extraordinary beings as agents of hope.
"All of today's superheroes have connotations of myths of the past," Williams said.
A member of the MSU communication faculty since last fall, Williams was honored earlier this year by the Broadcast Education and International Communication associations.
He received the BEA's Best Doctoral Dissertation Award and was recognized by the ICA for having the top research paper presented at the organization's convention in Germany.
The University of Georgia doctoral graduate's investigations examined how violent content in video games may combine with human frustrations encountered in playing difficult games. He continues to examine the human impacts of video games, as well as the role of violence in other forms of media and psychology-related media events.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, contact Dr. Williams at 662-325-3320 or kdw170@msstate.edu.