DISCLAIMER: There's a good chancethis won't make sense once I finish; it's more of a stream-of-consciousness rant of some recent thoughts rather than any coherent piece of writing, so if this amounts/devolves to delusional bullsh*t at the end, I apologize for wasting your time.
I remember reading All-Star Superman when I was around 15 (or 16, perhaps), and honestly that book changed my worldview. It sounds a little silly saying it out loud, but picking up that comic and watching the Smallville television show actually made me want to be a better person. I'd never understood the character of Superman before that comic. To me, and the values that I'd formed growing up, being a kindhearted and caring human being was an optional goal at best, a liability at worst. I was a teenager with a very pragmatic and utilitarian mentality (which seems almost contradictory for a comic-book fan in retrospect) - looking out for others came second to self-survival and being a profitable member of society. 'Expect the worst from everything and everyone and you'll never be disappointed' could have been my life's adage then.
But reading All-Star Superman, the story of a good man who constantly believed that everyone has the potential to be good, it moved me in a very profound way. I don't want to go too entirely off-topic here, but to me, that's always been the ultimate message of the character of Superman to me. Compassion. Throughout All-Star, even when faced with his inevitable mortality, Superman selflessly and constantly believes that everyone (yes, even Luthor) has the potential to do good. From Bar-El & Lilo, to the Bizarros, to that single, insignificant girl about to take her own life - Superman cared for everyone. Like Mark Waid says in the second volume's intro; gods are powerful because people believe in them. Superman is powerful because he believes in us.
And that was what All-Star Superman essentially did for me. At a very formative age, a comic-book instilled in me some vague sense of moral values - inspired me in some way to be a better human being, a better man. Now the actual debate of what constitutes 'right and wrong' is a discussion best tabled for a later date, but for me personally, the book basically taught me that it's okay (and in fact one should be willing) to be the 'nice guy', to care for others, and to believe that things get better. It sounds lofty and high falutin' and naive, even as I say it, but the book truly did have a profound impact on the person I am today. There's a Morrison interview out there where the writer says something to the effect of (and feel free to read the following in a Scottish accent): "Superheroes are bullshit. Everyone knows they can't exist in real-life. That's something that even little kids know and yet adults struggle with the idea that superheroes aren't real. They don't have to be, they're not supposed to be. But even though the superhero isn't real, the emotions and beliefs that these ideas and characters conjure in us are real, and that's the power of fiction. We know Batman isn't real, but what Batman represents to us is."
In a sense, one could draw an analogy to superhero comic-books with religion. Whether or not the actual content is factual is not the point - but the positivity and ethics and faith that we derive from these stories are very real. And if that's what gets you through the day, then who am I to judge you for believing it? And if I'm being entirely frank, despite years of a Christian upbringing, a Midwestern corn-fed alien in blue-red tights made me want to be a better person moreso than the Bible did. I don't mean to be blasphemous, but I'm speaking from the heart for a moment here, so bear with me (Religion-debate-flame-war-nuts, you know where the exit is).
But I guess the larger question I'm trying to ask is: "Are superhero comics just plain entertainment, or can they be more for comic-book readers?" I'm not saying that these stories are life-guides to live your existence by. Putting aside quixotic idealism for a moment, realistically speaking, at the end of the day I do have enough self-awareness to acknowledge that these are just fantasy stories made by ordinary men and women who have bills to pay, to entertain masses and generate revenue. I get that. And no one's asinine enough to suggest that something like All-Star Batman or Ultimates 3 or Secret Crisis Civil Wars of Infinite Tie-Ins is going to generate anything more than bland eye-candy for some light afternoon reading.
But I don't think I'm the only one who has ever read a superhero comic-book, has become so enamored by the on-paper ideas, that it has influenced my very real and tangible life. For most readers I'd imagine that superhero comics are nothing more than a merry distraction, and for some perhaps they're fodder for creative inspiration or academic discussion, but to me it's been - on occasion - something deeper. There's no denying that the primary reason I read superhero comics is because they're cool and action-packed and fun.
But sometimes when I flip through Black Panther or Martian Manhunter - I can empathize with those characters' feelings of being a foreigner in America, of being torn between two cultures and not belonging to either. Or when I read Batman or Captain America, I admire and want to emulate the great lengths of courage and compassion that they have for random but still consequential innocent lives. Many a times I'll read a story where a superhero gets unfairly shitted on by some ungrateful member of the public, and still stand firm in his willingness for forgiveness and understanding. And I always go, "Damn, I wish I could be that big-hearted in real-life. The resolve that Aquaman had to not pimp-slap that fool across the state is something I want to strive for."
Fantastic and grand and fictional as their adventures may be, there's something fundamentally human and relatable about all these characters that have endured throughout the decades.
And I'd like to believe I'm not the only one in comicdom who feels this way. Now, I don't want to blanket my terms or paint broad strokes with my brush, but comic-book fans have a somewhat-stereotypical reputation in regards to their behavior. Not to reopen any worm-filled cans like Comic-Con harassment or whatever, but needless to say, we can be a difficult bunch at times. Just peruse through the topics on this forum alone, and I can guarantee you that you'll find a bad apple or two. I know this is universal across any form of fandom, but for a hobby that (mostly) involves reading about good people doing good things, we can be very unpleasant individuals.
Now again, no broad strokes here. Things get heated with any fandom, and it's only natural when people feel so passionately about the subject matter. But a lot of amateur psychoanalysts love to point to superhero comics as being some 'male power fantasy', and perhaps there is a sliver of truth to it, but I can't say it's ever been the case for me. No high horse here, but I genuinely have never been (even subconsciously) chasing after the superpowers or the domination or the adoration when I read the books...aside from the entertainment value, it's always been about the good traits to me. Even in more flawed and conflicted characters like Iron Man or Cyclops - I can still see admirable qualities, and these types of fallible heroes remind me that while all men and women stumble, it's the best of us that get right back up.
At this point in the rant I'm sort of petering out, and truth be told I'm not entirely sure what my original intentions even were, but if I leave you with anything I guess it's this: Am I the only one who feels this way? Yes superhero comics are fun, but does anyone else feel anything deeper when they read these stories? Does anyone else feel that we should not only be better fans but better people too? Is there a middle road between delusional naivete and cold, hard reality?
I don't know.
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