Technocomics are illustrated narratives in which science and technology play a major role in the determination of character and action. Superhero comics are often good examples, insofar as many of their protagonists receive superpowers as an unexpected consequence of some scientific phenomenon. Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man, for instance, during a school outing to a science museum where he is accidentally bitten by a radiated spider; the X-Men all experience genetic mutations as a result of environmental contamination and thus confront problems of social prejudice and responsibilities between generations. Technocomics as a genre are thus closely related to science fiction and may serve to both mirror and shape popular reflection on questions related to science, technology, and ethics.

The comic book superhero first emerged from pulp fiction in the 1930s in what is known as the Golden Age of DC Comics and its protagonists such as Superman, Batman, and...