Who Needs A Superhero?: Finding Virtue, Vice, And What's Holy In The Comics

by H. Michael Brewer

Explores the Christ-like qualities of Superman, how to find and use one's unique gift like Daredevil, and the responsibility to serve others like Spiderman, and helps us understand why we love super because we long for a savior. Original.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Theology, Comics

222 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom bought this book for me about 10 years go, at a thrift store for 75 cents. Finally got around to reading it and wish I would have done so sooner. If you are a superhero comic book fan, you should read this book. It will mean more to you if you consider yourself a Christian.

[John Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super thoughtful and insightful exploration of the Bible through the comic book superhero.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

H. Michael Brewer's Who Needs a Superhero?: Finding Virtue, Vice, and What's Holy in the Comics is not exactly what you'd expect. It's a study in contrasts. It attempts to attack deep spiritual issues, but in a light-hearted way. It's a simple read, but with hidden depths. It attacks age-old questions, but is current and relevant enough to reference the recent Dark Knight Strikes Again. It's written for those who are of the Christian faith, yet might be accessible to those outside that.

First of all, this book is not a Christian apologetic. It begins from a point of faith, using DC and Marvel superheroes to draw parallels with aspects of Christian life - it's not attempting to prove anything; nor are these parallels are intended to be an objective outsider's look. As such, it may not suit all readers. However, even to those outside the Christian faith, it might be an interesting look from the inside.

Brewer starts with the obvious parallels: Superman as Christ figure; the Hulk embodying the age-old theme of man's dual nature - man wrestling with his own inhumanity, or in more Christian terms, man wrestling with sin. But it goes beyond these more obvious parallels: What do the Fantastic Four have to say about family and community? What do Batman and Iron Man have to say about salvation? It even attempts to answer some of the more interesting questions in comics (from a Christian perspective), like, if Superman is so powerful, why doesn't he save the world?

Also, this short, 200-page book doesn't pretend to be an academic text, but a launching pad for discussion about Christian values. Not the Christian values seen on TV and embraced by the religious right, like humanism, war, intolerence, and legalistic morality; but real Christian values, like love, truth, justice, service, family, and community.

Although it's not intended to be an intellectual treatise, it does deal with interesting philosophical issues, like the nature of God, and how do we reconcile a benevolent God with human suffering. It even ends with a personality test based on the Marvel and DC superheroes. Of course, this book being as light as it is, these things are dealt with at a very high level, in a very simplified way.

But, the intent here is not to plumb the mysterious depths and provide answers to all the questions, but merely to stimulate thought.

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I noted elsewhere, this is a reread for me. I have a number of books like this on my shelf, and each one presents a different interpretation of the values and virtues of comic book superheroes. Many are from the perspectives of theologians and seminarians, but this one is by a pastor, and it is evident.

Often, it seems that the links between biblical truth and the heroes selected are a bit strained, but overall the book is a useful tool to illustrated Christian doctrine with superheroes. Especially noteworthy is a leaders guide for Sunday School or small group leaders and a brief "personality" quiz to identify one's superpowers and how they could be useful in the church.

One thing also to note is that this book was written before the explosion of Marvel superhero movies. It would be interesting to see a revised edition to consider how these new films informs his perspectives and interpretation. Definitely a worthwhile read.

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

This fun premised little diddly just doesn't quite deliver. With subtle (and often not-so subtle) Christian overtones his comic book analysis seems a bit preachy. I only got through about 4 chapters. Instead I recommend: The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Popular Culture. It's a much more philosophic approach to the topic and so makes several of the same points without that preachy bent.

[Mark Archibald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often these pop culture books about faith are either too shallow on the Biblical content or the pop culture content. This book isn't. Very fun read while inspiring us to and beyond what superheroes call us to be.

[Man Solo]

Trying to explore this obsession with superheros and the people who need them.

[Darrin Niday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how it tied comic book heroes with Christian values