The one thing that I really liked about this book is how it captures the essence of what really matters in superheroes comics. More than the pretty graphics and the whole justice conversation, this Superheroes: The Best of Philosophy and Pop Culture actually highlights the moral questions that comes with being a superhero. It's not just about having powers and means to do justice, it's about defining justice and measuring how you can do what's right causing the minimal possible damage. It's nice and refreshing to see the heroes of our infancy being treated "seriously" once in a while.

The book is really pleasant to read, you will skim through its pages without even noticing it. It did feel like it could have included a lot more heroes though. I also felt that the ending was rushed up and inconclusive and... well, honesty, the Wolverine analysis was quite poor compared to the previous analysis.

Nevertheless, definitely worth a couple of hours of your life. ( )

The lowest score is the perfect score for this potboiler of a sham book and I really hate myself for thinking this was going to be any good. I have always prided myself of not buy self help books, however low I got to be in the past. But this book is on that level. For example, it tries to justifies, through Philosophy, why Batman is right not to kill the Joker, ever, even if it means endangering lives of more people. What utter rubbish. ( )

Building on a growing trend of "Philosophy and..." books that run the gamut of pop cultures, Superheroes is a great way to introduce people to philosophy, especially those who might not be otherwise inclined. A series of essays, the work covers both the Marvel and DC universes as well as philosophers from Plato through to Derek Parfit (b. 1942). It would be easy to dismiss this series as nothing more than philosophical fluff dumbed-down for the masses, but I think one would be missing something to do so. As William Irwin states in the Introduction, "Ultimately, this book aims to shed light on the hidden depth of superheroes, while at the same time illustrate the importance of philosophy. Superman and Batman are not replacements for Plato and Aristotle, but they can inspire you to read Plato and Aristotle, who will challenge you to think deeply." And after all, isn't that what we ask of any good book? ( )

Wasn't sure what to expect, while not a philosophy student I got quite a bit out of it. I did enjoy this book though I don't agree with everything quoted, but any comic book and philosophy fan will really enjoy it. ( )

This was a pretty solid collection, with a nice range of topics, writing styles, and target superheroes. There were instances of groan-worthy punning, and attempts at lightness that fell flat. It's the same danger with any discussion about comic books - the medium's stereotype of humor getting in the way of the content actually being presented.

My particular favorite essays were:
William Irwin's introduction, which resonated with me as a long-time superhero-comics reader.

Mark D. White's "Lord Odin Have Mercy: Justice and Punishment in Asgard" for looking at the morals behind the superhero trope of meting Justice.

Jason Southworth's "The Blackest Night for Aristotle's Account of Emotions" for putting the rainbow-colored warfare of the Green Lantern comics into a comparative framework that's not all about who beats whom.

Jacob M. Held's "Can We Steer This Rudderless World?: Kant, Rorschach, Retributivism, and Honor" for the frank discussion of Rorschach's worldview and why he fits so well, and so poorly, in the world of Watchmen - and potentially why he's still the fan-favorite.

Daniel P. Malloy's "Forgivers Assemble" - particularly interesting in conjunction with discussions of the criminal justice system that have been in the news I read lately. A nice discussion about who is allowed to forgive, and when it's permissible to have ex-supervillains on your superheroes team.

Neil Mussett's "Does Peter Parker Have a Good Life?" which talks about what makes a good life, the sacrifices of a superhero life, and Peter Parker's long-standing status as what fans refer to as "the woobie" (Mussett never uses the term, but I don't know how to short-hand it any better). ( )