LA Times article traces back the roots of modern day comic heroes. A MUST READ

I stumbled upon an article from the LA Times that describes some of the roots of modern day comic heroes, including HellBoy, Spiderman, Robin Hood, Valkrie,  and Thor.  The article traces back modern heroes to an Opera from the 19 century that can be seen live  in LA, Wagner's Ring.  Ring is a series of Operas by Richard Wagner.  Pics in the article show characters in the live opera that look shockingly similar to modern day comic heroes.  The writer of this artcile, David Ng, traces back the roots of modern comic heroes even further back, stating that Richard Wagner and his work was influenced by  12th century Germanic poem entitled,  Nibelungenlied.  I am fascinated to learn that the roots of comic books are so deeply rooted in culture and history.   Please view the article at this link to the LA times.