Faster than a speeding bullet, more cultural than a dusty archive—Ohio State University (OSU) at Newark's dean, Matt Smith, is not your average academic. Smith, with a whooping collection of over 20,000 comic books, has spent half a century amassing narratives of superheroes that have leaped from the pages to influence generations. According to OSU News, Smith's journey started humbly with a 10-for-a-dollar comic book find, and it's grown into a valuable scholarly pursuit.
The caped crusader and Superman aficionado underscores the cultural significance of these illustrated tales. In an interview with OSU News, Smith noted, "Comics are always a reflection of the culture from which they spring." He refers to Superman as "an interesting time capsule about the attitudes of the late 1930s," where the hero tackled social injustices head-on, standing up for the underpaid and underprivileged.
Superman, who first soared into the hearts of readers in 1938, is an Ohio native, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Smith remarks on this local hero's cinematic return in the latest "Superman" film, saying, "Every trailer I've seen has made me more excited." According to OSU News, true to his expertise, Smith feels a scholarly duty to trek to the theaters.
But it's not just Smith who guards this fortress of knowledge—OSU's Columbus campus houses the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, a treasure trove rich with rare comic finds. The museum's curator, Jenny Robb says, "We have rare original artwork by Shuster." OSU News highlights that they also have pieces by iconic Superman artists like Wayne Boring and Curt Swan, encapsulating the evolution of the Man of Steel's aesthetic.
Robb adds another layer to Superman's tale, noting that beyond the comic books, "A daily newspaper strip was also created," allowing kids to indulge in superheroics without a dime to spare. In a society that craves the triumph of good, Robb told OSU News, "People love to see justice prevail. They love to see the good guys win," a sentiment that has perpetuated the Superman saga through the ages.
Smith, echoing Robb's sentiment, explains that Superman stories are rich with themes of communal duty and heroism. "What writers put into him, what I've read into him is a story about our duty to one another," Smith conveyed via OSU News. This narrative of using one's gifts for the greater good, a story that Smith passed down to his children, continues to propel the ethos of Superman as a cultural beacon, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
