The Author begins by proposing the classic American comic book scenario, “A ‘radioactive’ ________ has bitten our hero, granting him/her power.” This story line is the history for several comic book heros and villains, including such well known examples as Spiderman. But in a comic and science-related juxtaposition, our author proposes the preposterous and nearly nonsensical “Radioactive Carl Sagan” as the granter of our hero’s powers.
Carl Sagan was a physicist of some television repute. While a scientist of some skill, his most famous and lasting efforts were in his advocacy. He was responsible for creating such h well-known skeptical and science-advocacy efforts as the television series Cosmos and his book, “The Demon Haunted World”. His face and voice are still associated with science, science advocacy, and skepticism throughout the world, despite his death in 1996. Carl Sagan’s goal was to bring the average person to a state of being informed and even excited about scientific progress.
The Author punches this strip by showing then exactly what he believes Carl Sagan’s “Superpower” was: getting people excited about science. Our hero using his “superpowers” attempts to engage someone (who, comically, is not the person who shouts “Help! Thief!” in the first frame) in a dialogue about science. This comic plays on the idea that Carl Sagan’s “uncanny” ability to get even laypeople excited about complex and esoteric topics such as astronomy and physics was itself a sort of “superpower”, which is then compared to the “superpowers” of other heros indirectly.
