The licensed character of DC Comics known as Superman has been a beloved pop-culture icon for nearly seven decades. This research examines the cultural and historical relevance of the character of Superman, as well as analyzes the character himself as he is portrayed in various comic books and graphic novels since 1938. Ten comic books featuring Superman as a central character have been examined from each decade starting from the l 930s through the 2000s for a total of 70 comics. The comics were read and analyzed to find possible changes in the character of Superman over time, as well as the roles of Lois Lane, alter-ego Clark Kent, members of Superman's family, emerging enemies, and other interesting aspects of Superman culture. The data collected showed that Superman remains relevant despite significant cultural and historical changes over the past seven decades. Further, much of his popularity lies in his ability to be retooled to meet the needs of the current culture while remaining true to his traditional values. Reviewed research also shows that Superman has educational value as a tool to be used by elementary school teachers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:honorstheses1990-2015-1584 |
| Date | 01 January 2006 |
| Creators | Colgrove, Matt |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | HIM 1990-2015 |
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