Profs & Pints Baltimore: Unmasking Superheroes

Profs and Pints Baltimore presents: “Unmasking Superheroes,” a thoughtful look at the meaning and messages of Superman, Batman, and other powerful pop icons, with Matthew Brake, associate professor of philosophy at Northern Virginia Community College, former religious studies instructor at George Mason University, and editor of the book series Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture and Studies in Comics and Religion.

[Doors open at 3. The talk starts at 4:30. The room is open seating.]

The buzz surrounding the latest Superman movie shows how superheroes continue to flex muscle at the box office. They also remain forces to be reckoned with on television, in comics, and in video games.

Recently, however, such masked and caped figures face a new challenge: Critics who argue that they represent empty entertainment or something much more insidious, such as fascist strongmen.

Would we be better off if today’s superhero fans found other characters to follow?…