As much as possible, try to perform old-school analysis by utilizing strong evidence incorporation; additionally play with new-school analysis by potentially conducting external research (especially including personal opinion)

A. Superman:

1. For what reasons do you suspect that Superman chooses the alter-ego Clark Kent? How are Superman and Clark similar or different?

2. Why does Superman as a comic and as a cultural institution seem a bit "old-fashioned," especially given how characters in the Marvel era seem a bit more progressive? What makes Supe rather "old-school?"

3. Compare Superman to any other comic book hero you are familiar with in the D.C. / Marvel / or manga-based realms. How are they similar? How are they different? Is their modus operandi (the way they do things) completely different?)

4. Write up a brief alternative timeline, one in which Superman was never adopted by Jonathan or Martha Kent.. What happened to him? How did his life become different, all as a function of who his parents were?

5. Ultimate question: Why does Superman decide upon a moral path; in other words, why do you think he does the things he does?

B. Batman:

1. To what degree do you agree with the editorial board's primary assertion: that C. Nolan's The Dark Knight can be seen as an allegory for the United States' current War on Terror? Explain your decision.

2. In your knowledge of Batman or in your viewing of The Dark Knight, what are the Joker's motivations? How is Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker potentially different from your traditional conception of the Joker? What does, if at all, the Joker represent?

3. On a symbolic level, what does Harvey Dent represent? Commish Gordon? Batman? The Joker? The Police Department?

4. In the last lines of The Dark Knight, Commish Gordon says the following: "Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now...and so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight. " What do those crucial lines mean—"the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now?"

5. Ultimate question: Why does Batman decide upon a seemingly moral path; in other words, why do you think he does the things he does? Is it a moral path? Why?

C. Iron Man:

1. In the Iron Man movie, why was Robert Downey Jr. a particularly strong casting choice? (new school)

2. Who is Tony Stark? Depict Tony Stark prior to his transformation into Iron Man.

3. The article states the following: "It’s refreshing, for a start, that the character suddenly endowed with superpowers isn’t a dweeby teen, but rather a pushing-middle-age genius who is himself entirely responsible for the advanced means he acquires to combat his adversaries; even more than the latest incarnation of Batman, he’s a self-made superman." What makes Tony's transformation refreshing, whereas in so many other films, the transformation is created by something almost supernatural (e.g. a spider bite?)

4. In the Iron Man film, Yinsen, Tony's mentor, has this dialogue with Stark:

Tony Stark: You got a family?
Yinsen: Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you, Stark?
Tony Stark: [quietly] No.
Yinsen: So you're a man who has everything, but nothing.

Explain the significance of this dialogue.

5. Ultimate question: Why does Iron Man decide upon a moral path; in other words, why do you think he does the things he does (change from a weapons dealer into a weapon?)