Origin Stories by Michael Kobre

Origin Stories by Michael Kobre

Contributions by José Alaniz, Michelle Bumatay, Sika Dagbovie-Mullins, Michael Kobre, Samantha Langsdale, Sheng-mei Ma, John Edward Martin, Peter Nagy, Anna F. Peppard, and Alison Wellford

Origin Stories: Fans, Scholars, and the Superhero Comics That Shaped Their Identities brings together a diverse group of scholars, writers, and comics fans to explore how superhero comics intersect with questions of identity, belonging, and difference. Blending personal narrative with critical analysis, these essays reveal how readers—especially those marginalized by race, gender, sexuality, or class—have found themselves reflected in the transformative, shape-shifting world of comics.

From Spider-Man and the Hulk to the sexually fluid cast of Strangers in Paradise, the contributors examine how comic book characters and stories have helped them navigate family dynamics, societal expectations, and personal desires. Bold, accessible, and deeply researched, the essays highlight how superhero comics offer a space where even the most rigid cultural norms can be disrupted and reimagined.

Featuring both established voices and emerging writers, including one essay in comics form, Origin Stories will resonate with scholars, fans, and readers of creative nonfiction alike. Drawing on the work of such leading theorists as Frederick Luis Aldama, Ramzi Fawaz, Darieck Scott, and Scott McCloud, this collection charts a new path in comics studies—one grounded in lived experience, critical insight, and the transformative power of the superhero form.

Michael Kobre is Dana Professor of English at Queens University of Charlotte. His essays and stories have appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review; Inks: The Journal of the Comics Studies Society; South Atlantic Review; Tin House; TriQuarterly; The International Journal of Comic Art; West Branch; and other journals. He is author of Walker Percy’s Voices, and his writing has also been featured in the collections Reading the Boss: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Works of Bruce Springsteen; Walker Percy’s "The Moviegoer" at Fifty: New Takes on an Iconic American Novel; and Superhero Bodies: Identity, Materiality, Transformation.

Peter Nagy is associate professor of English at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His work has appeared in publications like Modern Fiction Studies, College Literature, The Journal of Men’s Studies, The Atlantic, Ms., and Bitch Magazine.