Abstract
This short book offers a series of thought experiments and invites Shakespeareans to rediscover the wonders and pleasures of fandom. It does not argue that comic books and movies can or should replace Shakespeare; the goal is to explore the values in both, to think of comics as allusively Shakespearean, telling similar stories, expressing similar concerns, exploring similar values. Shakespeare and Superheroes seeks to re-democratize criticism by encouraging all readers to engage in and to respond to literary arguments using their own common cultural language.