I think Genis Vell was insightful in his opening post about the lessons of the early comics. Super-hero comics were for most of their existence not just light-hearted escapism. They were morality plays that taught kids -- and adults -- what true values are and should be.
Correct. Those comics were both entertaining and educative. Maybe I'm wtong, but I think that Morton Weisinger and his co-workers were experts in pedagogy... They knew very well what children want to see in a comic book.
Sadly, the likes of Wolverine, Punisher, Lobo, Spawn, etc. -- *blech* -- have lost that morality angle.
Wolverine is a bit different. Chris Claremont made him a very complex character, and I loved him. The problems arrived with other authors... "Snikt!", "I'm the best in whatever I do", "I'll slice you, bub!": that is a pin up, not a character, in my opinion.
Dilber MC Theme by HarzeM