Power Up: Leadership, Character, and Conflict Beyond the Superhero Multiverse

"...offers an eclectic menu of treats that serve up a new and fresh look at a genre we rarely connect directly to the demands of the real world, much less plumb for key lessons about leadership." ― ARMY Magazine

In the past decade, heroes and villains spawned from the pages of comic books have upended popular culture and revolutionized the entertainment industry. The narratives weave together a multitude of complementary and sometimes competing storylines, spun across decades, generations, and mediums, forming a complex tapestry that simultaneously captures the imagination and captivates the mind. These stories reveal our own vulnerabilities while casting an ideal to which we aspire. They pull at our deepest emotions and push us to the cusp of reality, and bring us back to Earth with a renewed hope of a better tomorrow. They are an endless source of powerful metaphors to help us learn and develop, then be the best versions of ourselves possible.

Through the lens of the superhero genre, each chapter explores contemporary challenges in leadership, team building, and conflict, while emphasizing the role of humanity and human nature in our own world.

Contributors: Ian Boley, Jo Brick, Mitch Brian, Max Brooks, Mike Burke, Kelsey Cipolla, Amelia Cohen-Levy, Mick Cook, Jeff Drake, Clara Engle, Candice Frost, Ronald Granieri PhD, Heather S, Gregg PhD, James Groves, Geoff Harkness PhD, Theresa Hitchens, Kayla Hodges, Cory Hollon PhD, Joshua Huminski, Erica Iverson, Alyssa Jones, Mathew Klickstein, Jonathan Klug, Matt Lancaster, Steve Leonard, Karolyn McEwen, Eric Muirhead, Jon Niccum, Kera Rolsen, Mick Ryan, Julie Still, Patrick Sullivan, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Dan Ward, and Janeen Webb PhD.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Jon Niccum
Introduction

PART I: GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
1 Boys Will Be Boys by Kayla Hodges
2 Call it, Captain  by Cory S. Hollon
3 The Rise of a Reluctant Leader by Mick Ryan
4 The Unexpected Hero by Kari McEwen
5 The Command of Masks by Ronald J. Granieri
6 Ethical Excellence Through Decisive Dimness by Jeff Drake

PART II: AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
7 Blood in the Inkwell by Geoff Harkness
8 We Could Be (Super)Heroes by Heather S. Gregg
9 When Being a Superhero Ain’t So Super by Mathew Klickstein
10 Lumberjanes and Team Building the Hardcore Lady-Type Way by Julie M. Still
11 There Was an Idea by Amelia Cohen-Levy
12 The Ordinary, Everyday Superhero by Mike Burke

PART III: GREEN LANTERN’S LIGHT!
13 The River of Truth by Matt Lancaster
14 They Only Lack the Light to Show the Way by Eric Muirhead
15 Could the Sokovia Accords Save the (Real) World? by Theresa Hitchens
16 A Fitting End for His Kind by Jo Brick
17 Injustice for All by James Groves
18 It’s Not Just Black and White by Alyssa Jones
19 Black Vibranium in the Hour of Chaos by Aaron Rahsaan Thomas

PART IV: IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!
20 Who Runs the World? Squirrels! by Kelsey Cipolla
21 Your Cape and Cowl, Mr. Bond? by Mitch Brian
22 Trick or Deceit by Erica Iverson
23 Unbeatable by Dan Ward
24 The Veidt Method by Ian Boley

PART V: TO THE BATCAVE!
25 I’ve Come to Save the World by Kera Rolsen
26 Your Ancestors Called It Magic, But You Call It Science by Jonathan Klug
27 Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys? by Candice E. Frost
28 To the Warrior, Their Arms by Mick Cook
29 We Need to Be Put in Check by Clara Engle

PART VI: KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!
30 The Caped Crusader and the Road to Radicalism by Max Brooks
31 Where Monsters Dwell by Steven Leonard
32 Marvel Zombies by Jon Niccum
33 Strip Mining the Superhero Archetype by Janeen Webb
34 The New Gods by Patrick Sullivan
35 ХАЙЛЬ ГИДРА! by Joshua C. Huminski

Contributors

Steve Leonard is an award-winning faculty member at the University of Kansas School of Business, where he serves as Senior Assistant Dean and Professor of the Practice. A former senior military strategist and the creative force behind the defense microblog, Doctrine Man!!, he is a career writer and speaker with a passion for developing and mentoring the next generation of thought leaders. He is a senior fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point; the co-founder of the national security blog, Divergent Options; co-founder of the Military Writers Guild; and a member of the editorial review board of the Arthur D. Simons Center’s Interagency Journal. He is the author, co-author, or editor of several books, including To Boldly Go (Casemate, 2021), Why We Write (Middle West Press, 2019), Winning Westeros (Potomac Books, 2019), and Strategy Strikes Back (Potomac Books, 2018).

Jonathan Klug is a professor at the U.S. Army War College, military strategist, and historian. A PhD candidate in Military and Naval History at the University of New Brunswick, he is an award-winning military history instructor and has taught at both the Air Force and Naval Academies.

Kelsey Cipolla is a writer, editor, and digital marketing specialist who has covered everything from nonprofits making a global impact to the best place to find tacos in Kansas City. An accomplished author and self-admitted comic book geek, she also contributed to Winning Westeros: How Game of Thrones Explains Modern Military Strategy and To Boldly Go: Leadership, Strategy and Conflict in the 21st Century and Beyond. Kelsey lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, dog, cat, and collection of Lord of the Rings Pez dispensers.

Jon Niccum is an award-winning journalist, author and screenwriter. He is a longtime entertainment writer and critic for the Kansas City Star. He is the author of The Worst Gig: From Psycho Fans to Stage Riots, Famous Musicians Tell All (Sourcebooks, 2013). Additionally, he has written and/or produced numerous independent features and documentaries, including Big Fur, The Sublime and Beautiful, Jayhawkers, and Rhino. He earned a degree in Film and Media Studies and a Master’s in Journalism from the University of Kansas, where he currently teaches screenwriting.