What Makes a Superhero Super? We Are Lovers of Superheroes in My

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What makes a superhero super? We are lovers of Superheroes in my house and there are many representations of this phenomenon in the form of Lego figures and branding on everything from t-shirts to underwear. We each seem to have a favourite hero, although a couple are villains rather than heroes. We often have a debate about these characters. Long before the movie was made we would ask ‘Is Batman greater than Superman?’. Superman has powers because he is an alien and not part of this world, whereas Batman relies upon strength and contraptions that have been made as a result of the wealth of his alter ego (spoiler alert!) Bruce Wayne. Who deserves the label ‘super’ more? Often superhero origins involve some kind of scientific accident as in the case of Peter Parker (Spiderman) or Bruce Banner (the Hulk). Sometimes it is the bestowing of a tool of power onto an ordinary person as with Hall Jordan who becomes the Green Lantern when he wears his special ring. Then there are others who come from a different place, and as they live and serve on earth they demonstrate how much more superior to us they are. My favourite hero is Wonder Woman, possibly because I remember watching the show on television as a child and there are actually very limited examples of women in the superhero realm. An Amazonian princess, she is the epitome of strength and power to me, whilst looking awesome in her skimpy outfit. I remember playing out my own scenes from Wonder Woman storylines as a kid and happily believing myself to be fully capable of the amazing things she did. Reality did tell me, however, that I could never really be Wonder Woman because she was made of different stuff. There are times when I can feel a little bit like Wonder Woman when I am juggling home life, children, work and study etc. Then there are other times when I feel like I am trying to show others I am like Wonder Woman rather than admit I can’t do everything that lies before me. These are the times of highest danger for me as I try to do it all, on my own. The bible says that I actually have more in common with Wonder Woman than I imagine. Psalm 139 verse 14 tells me that I am 'fearfully and wonder-fully made' by God. Full of wonder! What an awesome picture that is. While I may not have an invisible plane at my disposal, or be able to use a golden lasso of truth, because I am one of God's creations I am truly a woman of wonder! So are you. .

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Crossmedia Adaptation and the Development of Continuity in the Dc Animated Universe
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