I'm a bit of a super hero junkie. I always have been, and at this point I guess I always will be. Now I'm sure there's plenty of people who feel as I do, but I don't write about them. I write about me. In this post I'd like to talk about what I enjoy about them, which ones in particular I enjoy and try to explain WHY they're so important to me.
I was born in 1976. A year before Richard Donner's SUPERMAN changed the Summer Blockbuster and brought some respect to the genre I love. Up until then, super heroes on the big screen had been old black and white serials in the 40's or the 1966 big screen adaptation of the hugely popular Adam West Batman television series.
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| The fantastic Hot Toys Superman 12 inch figure. |
In the comics, DC and Marvel started the bicentennial year off by making history in their first crossover event. Superman vs. Spider-Man: The Battle Of The Century. It was an oversized tabloid sized book that I'm really proud to own. Crossovers between the two rival companies have happened a few more times over the years, but that was a huge deal for geeks in 76.
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| Seems a bit one sided when you think about it... |
On television there were reruns of the aforementioned Batman series and the 1967 Spider-Man animated series. That's where our story begins, with a young teen mother rocking her newborn to sleep to the catchy theme song. It could have wired my infant brain wrong. Who knows? Perhaps the fact that I have the lyrics memorized and have for as long as I can remember might prove that to be true.
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| Action is his reward! |
Whatever the reason, Spidey was my first favorite hero. While my favorites have shifted over the years I always go back to that lovable everyman, Peter Parker. When I was in elementary school I remember waking up at 5:55 a.m. to turn on the VCR to record the 1967 series in reruns on channel 57. I loved every moment. My mom would then record the 1981 series for me which would play while I was still in school. My Mom was and is, pretty cool.
Somewhere about 1986 I finally picked up my first super hero comic book. I had been reading the Transformers comics since early in 1985, but I remember wanting to branch off and try something else. Marvel Tales #186 reprinted an earlier 60's Spidey story that featured the first appearance of the Shocker. I devoured it. Within weeks I was buying up as many Spidey comics as I could get my hands on. This of course spilled over into buying other heroes and the rest as they say is history.
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| The first super hero comic I ever read. |
In the movies, Christopher Reeve's iconic portrayal of the Man Of Steel in 1977's Superman was a favorite of mine. When John Byrne revamped the hero in a new Superman #1 in the mid-eighties, it was the perfect time for me to jump on board. From there I was reading Batman, just in time for Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson's Batman in 1989 to really reinvigorate the genre.
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| Hot Toys even more stunning Nicholson Joker! |
I didn't have any friends who read comics. Hell who am I kidding? I didn't have any friends at all. Back then super heroes were NOT cool like they are now. In my early teens I got my first job working for Frank Link at the local and still excellent shop, Comic Universe located in Folsom, PA. I worked there for 2 years and had first crack at many excellent vintage books, Frank was cool with layaway, so I ended up getting key books I still own like the first appearances of Batgirl, Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze. I've walked away from comic books a few times over the years, but I always return to reading at least a few. Right now I get my fix at my friend Tom's shop down the street. It's called Effin Comics. Tom's a good guy, and I enjoy hanging around and shooting the shit when I get the chance.
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| Me. Age 16. At Comic Universe. |
Why do I love comics? I guess like many women and their Soap Opera's I love the serialized form of the stories. I won't bore you with my favorite writers or runs of books, but feel free to ask if that sort of thing actually interests you.
Comic heroes in the movies and tv have never been better than they are now. If you're a young fan you have no idea how lucky you are to have the DC animated universe. The Marvel cinematic universe and shows like The Flash and Gotham. I mean right now comic heroes rule TV and the movies. I never thought I'd see that day.
So about those questions. So which ones do I enjoy? Mostly I enjoy who I consider the Big 3. The Icons. Superman, Batman and Spider-Man. I adore the obscure ones like the Metal Men and the Creature Commandos too, but let's talk about those three.
Superman was the first and greatest. Let's be clear on this. Without Superman there would be no costumed heroes. The ultimate American immigrant story. Stranger comes to America and makes a difference. Sure this immigrant is an alien, but he's the shining example of what we all should hope to be. A selfless individual who can take anything he wants, but because of his values and upbringing, he chooses to live a humble life. The Man Of Steel could have any woman he wanted but only loves the original take no nonsense reporter, Lois Lane. He could be friends with anyone, but his best pals are the nerdy photographer Jimmy, who seems to admire the mild-mannered Clark Kent more than anyone else in Clark's world and Lana Lang, the girl who cared little for Superman but always loved Clark Kent. I've always liked that. Superman's pals are the two people who like Clark while no one else notices him. There's a good lesson about friendship for all of us in that.
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| Vintage Slurpee cup. |
Superman to me is all about decency, restraint, and being something greater than yourself. That's another very important point. I think we spend so much time trying to do what feels good in the moment, that we forget we all have the potential to inspire others. To set an example. To be good and honest and decent. As corny as it may sound, no matter how bleak things have gotten, I always try to set a good example when I can. It's important. It can inspire others and after your gone, that legacy can go on. Wolverine, Punisher and Batman may be more gritty and cool, but when something really bad happens, it would be Superman we'd all wish would be real.
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| Loving that 70's Lois Lane! |
Speaking of Gotham's Dark Knight Detective, Batman is pretty cool. Most everyone would agree to that. Where Superman represents our hero wish, the desire to swoop in dramatically and shield others from harm, Batman is all about our other fantasy. Vengeance. At one time or another every kid or adult wants to make some bully or someone who robbed you or assaulted a friend or loved one pay dearly. That's Batman. The desire to swoop in and scare the bad guys. While Superman is the god living among men, Batman is the pinnacle of human perfection and discipline. While we know we can never be Superman, Batman might be attainable with enough money and training.
It's entirely debatable on whether Batman or Superman is the better hero. What really cannot be debated is who has the better villains. Batman's Rogues gallery is quite possibly one of the most important reasons his popularity endures. Only The Flash and Spider-Man have villains that could hope to match the Caped Crusaders'.
Wallopin' websnappers! Did someone say Spider-Man? The third in the holy trinity of costumed adventurers, while Superman and Batman were born in the late 1930's, Spidey didn't come along intil the early 60's. He's such a no-brainer that I can't believe it took him so long to arrive.
Where Superman was the dream, and Batman was a slight possibility, Peter Parker was the reality. Despite all of teenage Peter's amazing powers, most of us still wouldn't have traded our lives for his. All great heroes are born in tragedy, but Spidey always seems haunted by the specter of death. From the death of his parents, to the death of his beloved uncle, to the death of his first love, Gwen, no matter how hard he tries, Spider-Man is constantly reminded he can't always save everyone. Always broke. Always living paycheck to paycheck, his personal life a shambles, and hounded by the police no matter how hard he tries to be the hero, Spider-Man was always the hero we could most identify with.
His boss was the king of the jerks. His secret identity made relationships next to impossible. Are you sure you'd want to be Spider-Man? Still, in most ways the Web-Slinger is the noblest hero of them all. Peter's greatest power was his stubborn refusal to give up. No matter how bleak, no matter how battered, the Amazing Spider-Man was amazing because he always got back up. Fighting off the best of the worst villains while sick, tired, heartbroken and deeply depressed.
Why are super heroes so important to me? That's easy. When I had no friends they were there. They kept me company for countless hours and inspired me. Inspired me to write and draw, but far more importantly, they inspired me to try to always do the right thing. To defend the little guy. To speak out against authority. For better or worse they inspired a strong sense of justice. I don't always believe in the justice system, but I believe in true natural justice. Sometimes some people have a talent or maybe just the bravery to stand up and face the bullies and small little evils of every day life. It's our duty to do just that, and I learned that from super heroes.
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| The Author, trying to inspirational... |
In conclusion, I love super heroes because I've always felt it was the world I truly belonged in. Where good guys did the right thing and bad guys at least had the decency to wear colorful costumes like badges of honor. Unlike the "Real" world, the evils of the comic book world had the decency to be seen from a distance. In general super villains just wanted to boast and get some much needed respect. Sure they went about it wrong, but they weren't rapists or child molesters. Electro wouldn't break into someones house and steal their kids Christmas presents, he just wanted to rob banks. The Riddler just wanted to prove his superiority and makes the cops look stupid, He wasn't a killer. In recent years, in our rush to make the comic book world more realistic and gritty, these rules don't seem to apply. What a pity really. The world could use more Riddler's and less terrorists, don't you think?
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| The author as Dr. Octopus for Halloween, |
Paul Poole
December 30th, 2015
