10 Things Everyone Always Gets Wrong About Comic Books

7. Superhero Comics Are All A Power Trip

Whether they're a superhero through and through or just a morally complex anti-hero, you can guarantee that if they're a protagonist in a Marvel or DC comic, that they're likely to use violence.

Superheroes tend to protect the innocent and fight against evil, and more often than not that means they get rough. If that book just so happens to be about the Punisher, then they're likely to get really rough, although to call him a superhero would be extremely generous.

Without going off on too much of a tangent, violence is synonymous with superhero comics - there's just no arguing otherwise. However, to claim that fans enjoy these tails specifically because of that aspect would be to grossly misunderstand the appeal of these characters.

Yes, there absolutely are readers who completely miss the point of what they're consuming - and even creators who help encourage those perceptions - but the heroes of Marvel and DC are all trying to do right by humanity, whether they're the sole survivor of an alien planet gifted with extraordinary abilities, or felt compelled to stop the same tragedy that befell them at a young age from happening to someone else, with no powers at all.

They're inspiring, affecting, and most tend to impart a valuable message. Not all manage to get it right, and there'll always be those who cherish the genre's most superficial elements over its more nuanced ones, but to label all superheroes an outrageous power fantasy would be to miss the point spectacularly.