Blockbuster Summer: Superhero Nation

The new, sensitive incarnation of the Webbed Wonder reminds us how America likes its superheroes: human

It's probably the most repeated line from the movie Spider-Man: Peter Parker's ailing Aunt May asks her doting nephew not to work so hard. After all, she reminds him, "you're not Superman." The joke is on her, because we know that her nephew is in fact a superhero; but it's also on us, because she has pinpointed what we like about not only Spider-Man and his geeky-sweet alter ego Peter, but most of the masked marvels we've followed from the comics to the screen. We don't want our superheroes to be invulnerable Supermen--Clark Kent's sad-sack persona is as essential to fans...

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