In November, radio station KUOW sat done with both G. Willow Wilson and Reza Aslan to explore the question “What do our superheroes tell us about ourselves?” The conversation, of course, addressed morality and religion, what with Wilson being a Muslim writer perhaps best known for the Muslim superheroine Ms. Marvel and Aslan being a Religion Studies expert.
Aslan pointed out that superheroes have changed a lot since their conception nearly a century ago. The stories are darker. The heroes dwell in gray areas more often. The moral dilemmas are more compelling.
“We have to make these characters interesting by making them reflect the morality the world in which we live,” he said.
Wilson and Aslan said that one thing is clear: Change is constant, as is our resistance to change.
The over-thirty-minute conversation covered a range of issues and superhero properties, and it can be heard in full at the KUOW website.
This is a good time to be a nerd. Marvel’s superheroic epics have taken over the box office, and most importantly comics have become cool again. Or, maybe they have? It depends on who you ask. If you’re asking us, then yes, comics are DEFINITELY COOL.
