Superheroes!

I don’t remember the first time I saw a superhero. I know I was watching the 1960s Batman, thinking that it was the greatest thing in the world. I remember pretending to be Robin to Brad Gottschalk’s Batman when I lived in University Village, and when he moved on, I became Batman and my little brother – who was all of 3 – became my Robin.

We were fascinated by superheroes. My first real exposure to superheroes was the re-runs of the 1960s Batman television show. As a child, I thought they were great. Pow! Slam! We acted out the fighting, had our Mego action figures act them out. The show ‘Super Friends’ came out, we were hooked, and got up every Saturday morning to watch it. I adored the show. As an adult, though, I have tried to watch them both, and I am appalled and can now understand why adults around me would cringe at the awful dialogue, storylines, and things like walking on the spongy surface of Neptune may be a problem.

On one of the family trips, my parents bought me two comic books called ‘Marvel Super Action.’ They were re-prints of the Avengers, one of the premier Marvel groups. It was the time of ‘Cap’s Kooky Quartet’ – Captain America, Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye. I loved Captain America right away – had a strong patriotic sense as an eight year old; that has not changed appreciably, except I’m more cynical about the people in the government, but not the country itself (that will be a topic for another time…) I read, re-read, and re-read those two comics.

While at Dick’s Supermarket, I did find the comics rack. I was so excited! I had no idea that comics came out once a month, and they were still only 35 cents! My first stop there, I found Avengers 172. It’s got this big splash of Hawkeye on the cover. I bought it, and then bought the next one and the next one. I found the Thor comics and the X-men comics and Captain America comics, and more.

These characters have really become some of my role models.

• From Captain America, I learned about patriotism, and that sometimes you have to stand up against the government if you think they are wrong about something (i.e. slavery; i.e. loss of constitutional rights).
• From Thor, I have learned nobility and being worthy. Also, a fair amount of arrogance and pomposity in my nature comes from him, I think.
• From Nightcrawler of the X-men, I learned not to be bitter about how the world at large affects me, and that being a Christian is an okay thing.
• From the Beast, I learned humor and brains can go together.
• From Wonder Man, I learned that you have got to face your fears.
• From them all, I learned that caring for others is important, and with great power comes great responsibility.

Even though many people look at comic books as ‘kids’ stuff,’ I really enjoy the stories and the adult themes that the stories can have. The comic book is one of few truly ‘American’ literature and art forms.