According to our reading, Superheroes are role models for young boys to be "aggressive" and "macho". Well, those Superheroes of the 50's and 60's don't exist anymore. Superheroes are much more diverse; thin, fat, smart, dumb, gay, bi, lesbian, transgendered, and passionate about one thing, justice. Take for example, Teddy and Billy, namely Hulking and Wiccan from Allan Heinberg's series "The Young Avengers". These two boys developed a relationship for one another, and it broke serious ground on what could be included in comic books. Now, more and more Superheroes are not generalizing to one stereotypical persona. Peter Parker, in the Amazing Spider-man series is no longer Spiderman. A young black/latino boy has assumed the role of the Web-slinger and this has a gigantic effect on the stereotype that only white strong males can be superheroes. What I am saying is, Superheroes are being unfairly judged based upon a stigma that seems to fit a trend that has come and gone. Literally sit down and read a comic book and you will find yourself absorbed in the mechanisms of the person behind the mask. They have personal life struggles, family issues, love lives, ethical and religious debates, moral standings, so many things that correlate with society today. If anything, Superheroes are what we need to show our children what it means to be an individual with an ability to make a change. Using our unique gifts given to us in order to stand up for what we believe in. Its not always defeating evil or saving the damsel in distress. Dive-in to what the underlying messages are and you will find that you may even find one of your own alter-ego's portrayed within the pages.
Edit: Just found this article. Worth a look. http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/15/the-secret-to-superhero-success-nerdiness/
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