I ran across this book while watching a documentary that focused more specifically on the psychology of Batman. The editor, Robin Rosenberg, was one of the "talking heads" in the special, and I found the idea pretty intriguing. The book is made up of a series of short essays that explored different aspects of the superhero genre in the forms of comics and film/television. The essays touch on topics like the expression/causes of anger (using the Hulk as a case study), the representation of women (highlighting Wonder Woman), and even defining what makes a hero and how they were produced.

One really interesting essay proposes the question of whether Superman would have been different if he had been raised in New York City rather than Smallville, Kansas. Group dynamics, insanity, and a number of other psychological issues are explored in regard to various heroes.

Overall, this was a pretty interesting read, but it is definitely deeply explores psychological theory. As a whole, the essays are of an academic-level quality, though a reader's interest will probably vary based on the subject matter and the particular heroes being explored.

While I was reading this at jury duty, three people asked me to look at it so there is definitely some interest out there for it. I was glad that I gave it a try because I enjoyed it.