When passing by the Schauerman Library lobby, students come to a halt to witness the display put up by Professor Maria Brown which features various superheros.
“There is such an interest in superheroes right now, and there is so much stuff out there like books, movies and figurines, that I just thought I could focus on it,” Brown said.
Some of the items on display include various comic books, action figures, lunch boxes and movies that feature a range of superheroes like Iron Man, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman and even Transformers.
“I used to watch the original Transformers that came out a long time ago, so I really liked the display with the Transformers in it,” Gwihan Ko, 19 said.
Brown said that the various things on display are part of her own collection which she has put together within the last four years.
“Sometimes I do go out and buy them, sometimes some people give them to me,” Brown said.
Brown said that sometimes she sees a movie or reads something and is inspired by the characters she sees and if she happens to be in a comic book store and see the character, she would buy the comic.
Brown’s numerous female characters. are on display as well.
“A really interesting aspect of superherodom is that you don’t even think about the women. There are a lot of women superheroes that people don’t even know about,” Brown said.
Brown said that she discusses various aspects of superheroes in her pop culture class.
“I think it has just turned into something I think is really interesting this whole notion about a superhero, like what would motivate a person to become a superhero, or a super vigilante,” Brown said.
Brown said that young people are attracted to superheroes because they have a certain idealism, for example, like Superman.
“There was something about him that everybody wished they had. He was incredibly virtuous, extremely self-righteous. He does things the way everyone else wants to do things,” Brown said.” We are talking about this superhero being presented to ordinary people, who all have the desire to be extraordinary.”
Brown said that she reads comic books, or rather graphic novels, as she refers to them.
“I have been to three comic book conventions. I went to the comic book convention in San Diego twice and they just had a comic book convention down in Long Beach that I went to and had a really great time,” Brown said.
Brown said that it is a culture all on its own and that graphic novels often reflect upon contemporary society.
“Thee library puts on a different exhibit roughly every month and that some will even display student work,” Ed Martinez, public access librarian, said.
