ABSTRACT
Despite the unavoidable presence of superheroes in the media, at the local book store, and on the silver screen, little has been done to acknowledge the power of these figures and their fictional stories as resources for examining masculinities and femininities. For the most part, superhero fiction and graphic novels have been under-used and largely considered a resource for struggling readers, particularly underachieving boys. The authors challenge a prevailing view that positions comics and super-hero fiction as “boy books.” While drawing on a multiliteracies framework, this chapter illustrates the rich and complex ways both boys and girls interrogate masculinities and femininities through comic books. This chapter raises questions about when and how super-hero fiction might become a text for expanding notions of literacy and connecting to relevant human experiences. This chapter further offers both insight into how young people read the world around them and provides a glimpse into the medium through which they can see and un-see superheroes, once thought reserved to “save the boys.”
