Showcasing at Schauerman Library through the end of October, library staff and faculty members have brought together classic superhero memorabilia to examine the “superhero” image.

Scheduled to coincide with Superman’s 75th anniversary, they hope to explore the impact these images have had upon society, the role they have played in peoples’ lives, and some of the costumes portrayed within the last decade.

“We all strive to be the best we can be. [Superheroes] set examples for us to follow, they have qualities we all wished we had,” Maria Brown, social science professor and a contributor to the collection, said.

Albert Romero, exhibit curator for Schauerman Library, believes superhero imagery to be a pervading influence within our society, one indiscriminate of age.

“It crosses the generation lines, each generation knows these characters: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman,” Romero said.

Others note that superheroes derive their magnetism from their humanity, rather than their perfection.

“I think younger people can relate to Batman,” Kim Reynolds, senior production artist at Warner Bros. and a contributor to the exhibit, said. “He’s more moody, more of a complex individual. Torn between doing justice and revenge, he’s very emotional. Kids could relate more to Batman than other characters.”

And yet, Kim points out, these superheroes aspire to something greater despite their humanity.

“It gives us hope even in the fantasy realm, it gives people encouragement, to go above and beyond what people can do,” Kim said.

As society has developed, so have these characters, and the exhibit pays homage to that evolution, featuring costumes stretching back into the 40’s.

“Looking at the historical progression from start to finish, it was pretty amazing to see how high tech their equipment was compared to the 40’s,” Kim said. “It’s a natural progression… as society progresses they have more high tech gear to play with.”

Romero was also concerned with properly showcasing the history behind these cultural icons.

“We wanted to bring a lot of pictures of what superman looked like within the last decade,” he said. “There on the wall, you see how different his clothing is compared to now. We wanted to educate [students] on the costumes and the portrayed actors in the 40’s.”

Capes and tights aside, Brown stresses that the positive influence of superheroes would not be possible without the reflection of average people in their persona.

“People can identify with characters because they are like them and have the potential to set examples,” she said.

“They all give us a sense of hope, that we can be better, we could be at peace, they give us a sense of confidence,” she added. “That’s what makes them so interesting, we explore the idea that there’s a superhero in all of us.”