Wow… an entire site of devoted comic fans who can share their thoughts, feelings, wondering, musings…. This is why I love the internet. As my first official blog post, I just wanted to get that out there. I’m considering it highly unlikely this will ever be read (ever… by anyone), but I’m going to persist anyway.
Considering my username (and despite its minor miss-spelling which I can’t change now), I thought my first post should be WHY Superman, above all others, has the pride of being my favourite character, and why exactly “I wish I was Superman”.
Let me start with pointing out the level of my obsession. There are photos around of me, as a small child (I’m thinking around the 4 or 5 year old mark) wearing a red cape, while playing with my sister. I’m also sure there are photos where in my mind I was being Superman, wearing said red cape, some red undies (on top of my clothes, of course!), and for some unknown reason yellow gumboots and yellow goggles (they were Batman goggles of all things). This wasn't uncommon attire for me as a child, according to stories by my family. Don’t ask me why I had the goggles on. The logic of small children doesn't always make sense upon reflection.
Now many people grow out of this type of behaviour – I didn't (OK, I admit I eventually stopped dressing that way). Throughout my life Superman has been a constant thing – an obsession, if you will – that has been with me for the entirety of my life as near as I can tell. Every time I would find myself in a news-agency I would hunting to see if there was a Superman comic I could convince my mum to buy. When I had my own money you can be sure it was spent on a Superman comic when I could actually locate one. Unfortunately it wasn't easy to come by comics (especially Superman ones) when I was younger. As I grew older and things like the internet made it easier to obtain material, I finally started to grow my Superman memorabilia and comic collection. Now it in no-way is very exhaustive (like many, I do have limited funds to dedicate to this), but it is steadily growing and I hope to one day have my own “Fortress of Solitude” where I can display and catalogue all my various Superman paraphernalia.
So the question is – why? Why Superman? Why not Batman, or Spiderman, or any other of the thousands of comic book characters and superheros out there? Well I’m going to try and explain that as best I can in 3 points.
1. It all starts with Superman – Like it or not, love him or hate him – Superman was the 1st. If Stan Lee is the father of modern comic books – Superman is God. He started it all. Everyone who has come along since then has been in some way a direct (or indirect) response to him. I know there was comic books before Superman and even heroes, but the quintessential “Superhero” that we all look at today began with the creation of the world sgreatest hero thanks to Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster. And for me, I’m one of those guys that thinks you just can’t get past the original.
2. THE POWER!!!!! – Throughout his time, this has changed considerably – up and down, leaping tall buildings to inter-galactic flight… the list goes on how he’s been powered up (and down) throughout the ages. But again, the amount of power (and number of powers) he wields is something anyone would be impressed by. There are those stronger, those who “out power” him due to the nature of their powers, and there is even gods. But the power to accomplish almost anything, the power to protect yourself and friends and family, to help others in an almost unlimited way always appealed to me.
3. What Superman represents – We all know the saying – “Truth, Justice and the American way”. Now I’m not American, so that never meant much to me. But his morals, his strength of character always, ALWAYS stood out to me. I always saw Spiderman as a bit of a bully – insulting his enemies while he fights them. Yes, it’s funny – but how is he any better than say Flash Thompson picking on him then? He isn't “rising above” the bullies of the world – he becomes one of them. Batman’s “do whatever it takes” approach never sat right with me. Where do you draw the line? Batman for me always represented the worst side of what a hero can be – yeah, he fights the good fight and protects people – but in a way that plays to fear, intimidation, and the worst parts of humanity. Plus, he’s a sociopath. Not exactly a role model IMHO. Out of them all I always saw Superman as the ultimate good. The light. The beacon. No matter how desperate it might be, he always found a way to win. He always stood his ground. He overcomes whatever obstacle it is, sometimes through sheer force of will, and always, ALWAYS maintained his integrity while doing it. That was what I wanted more than anything. That was his “power” that I gravitated to the most. He was a loner, an outcast in every way – and yet somehow he never let that stop him. Never let it dictate him. Never let it control or define him. He stood up and rose above his circumstances, and showed the world what it meant to be a “hero”.
Now, I’m not saying he doesn't have his faults and inner demons. I'm not saying every Superman comic is a work of literary genius. Yes, I’m aware of some of his shady antics in the past, and the recent Man of Steel movie’s ending was initially a great concern for me (it’s still my favourite movie of all time though, even if it isn't perfect). But these are my opinions and thoughts and feelings. He reflected to me as a child, all the things I wasn't, or the things I wanted to be when I grew up. He was my dream – he was what I wanted to be like, but never could be. I identified with some aspects of him, and others were the fantasy, the day dream, the “if only I could…” As I grew up, I found those reflections and desires never went away and my inner nerd has been constantly fueled by him.
Everyone has a favourite hero for different reasons. And these are mine. I'd be interested to know what everyone else's favourite hero is, and why too (assuming someone else reads this of course).
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