should superhero comics be more escapist?

Comic books aren't strangers to the news. Decades ago, superhero tales mirrored World War II and the cold war, with Nazis and Communists often playing the role of villain.

More recently, Superman and archvillain US President Lex Luthor tangled in 2003 over plans to invade the imaginary Middle Eastern country of Qurac, which was linked to weapons of mass destruction.

Modern life can serve as fodder in other ways. Taking a cue from the newspaper industry's real-life struggles, a certain mild-mannered reporter named Clark Kent found himself sacked by the Daily Planet when Mr. Luthor bought the paper and replaced it with a web-only publication.

Even if they don't touch on specific events, comic books often explore "broad themes, such as paranoia or terrorism, things that the writers perceive as being at work in society," says John Jackson Miller, a comic-book writer and editorial director for the publisher of Comic Buyer's Guide. "They figure that they can do allegories on these things and make it feel relevant."

Indeed, the mutant creatures of the "X-Men" are widely considered to be metaphors for the struggles of outsiders in American society, including minorities and gays.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/26/entertainment/main1660039.shtml