Arts & Entertainment

Super Hero Senses, Tingling!

By Mr. Night 

Let’s just agree right now that Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil was the greatest version of the Man Without Fear. When Matt Murdoch’s super-senses became even more super-sensitive and Matt Murdoch (Daredevil’s alter-ego) sought refuge in the sensory deprivation tank, Miller took the reader deep into the essence of Daredevil. You could actually feel the horror of having hearing so sharp that another person’s tendons sliding across their bones was audible, that the stink of the contents of their stomach was palpable -- even though the person in question was a ninja on the roof of your brownstone. As a kid, the thought that your senses could become your weakness was a mind-blowing concept. And now, twenty-something years later, Mr. Night finally gets to experience the world the way Daredevil does, thanks to Marvel Super Heroes: The Exhibition, which opens Saturday, April 28, at the Saint Louis Science Center (5050 Oakland Avenue; 314-289-4424 or www.slsc.org). Kids (and overgrown kids) can journey to the center of the Incredible Hulk’s brain and learn the neurology of rage, try out an actual exoskeleton and shake a car just like they were Iron Man, and dangle from a special web made of Technora fiber, simulating the web-crawling abilities of your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. There ain’t enough As to put in front of the word “awesome.” The second half of the exhibit is a visual history of Marvel Comics, rich with the art of some of the House of Ideas' biggest names. Local comic artists (such as frequent RFT contributor Dan Zettwoch) will be on display too, creating new comics on the spot. Oh, sweet frickin’ excelsior! Tickets are $9 to $11, and the exhibit remains up through Monday, September 3.
April 28-Sept. 3