In the 1940s, a lot of superheroes gained their powers through some mystical artifact from the Far East; in the 1960s, they got them through radioactivity; and, since the 1990s, they get them through genetic engineering. It's interesting to see the connections between comic superheroes and physics. For a sampling, see the following sites :

• Comics references to the elements are gathered in this periodic table of comic books.


• The Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics Web site rates the accuracy of physics in popular films.


• BadAstronomy does the same for astronomy.


• Larry Gonick pens cartoons to explain scientific concepts including special relativity and protein folding.