Summer reading program focus on superheroes
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on July 20, 2015 1:46 PM
David-Allen Casey was ready.
Dressed in a Hulk shirt, he sat at attention, waiting for Steele Memorial Library's first adult superhero program.
He loves comic books and superheroes. The 13-year-old has been obsessed with them since he was in third grade.
It's a family-wide interest. His sister Shannon, 14, and mother, Robin, attended the program with him.
Shannon enjoys comics as well, but the aspiring artist finds the colors and drawings inspirational. She hopes to illustrate books one day.
And Robin is Wonder Woman according to her car bumper sticker, or at least Wonder Mom, as she tries to find educational ways to cultivate her children's interests. She celebrates Superhero Saturdays with them by watching the original comics and discusses the changes in technology during Marvel movie marathons.
On a Tuesday night, Matt Loper led a documentary-based discussion on Superheroes Never Ending Battle.
The audience was small, but passionate.
The evening began with a 30-minute documentary about the rise of superheroes and comics through the end of World War II.
The audience learned about the inception of Superman, the addition of villains and sidekicks, propaganda and introduction of women in comics during the war.
But what makes a good superhero, Loper asked.
David-Allen says he looks for a balance of good and bad.
"They have to deal with real issues, like depression, so a mix of good and bad," he said.
He prefers Batman to Superman.
"Superman is too good. Batman was a little more original. He doesn't need superpowers to save his city," he said.
Robin wanted to be inspired by her heroes.
She wanted to feel safe. She theorizes that the influx of heroes in TV and movies has something to do with the war. The first Spider-Man movie came out a year after 9/11.
"In our nation, we wanted something to rally us, we want to have a sense of hope. I think there's that longing, we want to feel a sense of safety."
The Every Hero Has a Story reading program will continue throughout the summer at both Steele Memorial and the Goldsboro branch with activities and discussions for children, teens and adults.
There will be bi-weekly drawings for attendance and reading awards. Children can win prizes for every five hours they read, for every 20 hours, they are entered into a grand-prize drawing for a Kindle. Other prizes include free doughnuts, train rides and giftcards to restaurants.
To join in the fun, check out the calendar at www.wcpl.org or stop by the library for the full schedule of events.