The Classic Comic Book Hero

For many people names like Superman, Spider-Man, Captain America, and the Hulk ring a bell. Going further back we can cite names like Tarzan, Zorro, and even Popeye to be included in that category. That category is Superheroes. For the exercise this week I want to look at those classic heroes of society.

They are generally above and beyond the normal standards of human physique. They are taller, better built, have better skin, and conform to the ideals of a Platonian philosophy. They are stronger, faster, smarter, and have better teeth. They are looked up to by people both in the comic book pages and on the outside as well. Their exploits and courageous deeds excite our imagination and supply us with vicarious release from our humdrum lives.

At least this is what they were supposed to do so long ago. The Lone Ranger was a masked crusader in the common lingo but John Reid was nothing more than an ex-attorney and Texas ranger who knew right from wrong and had a will to do something about injustice. He first "appeared" in radio in 1933 and his influence on the American psyche is still felt today.

Moving up the timeline to 1941, Marvel comics introduced Captain America. Captain America was an upstanding freedom fighter who had both good looks and a quick mind. Wonder Woman appeared in the same year. Further along another famous name among comics appeared in 1973, Wolverine. The idea of the traditional hero has changed some by this time. Wolverine is not as upstanding as some of his counterparts. He likes a good beer, cigars, and I think if it were any more uncensored a few swear words would escape those heroic lips. He is not as tall, but he is certainly above average.

With Wolverine and other X-Men, like those named in the 2000 release movie, heroes now had some important character flaws that we could associate with that made them more mortal, such as Claustrophobia and mysterious pasts. While heroes are becoming more human, their powers and special traits still set them apart. Whether those special things are eyes that shoot beams of energy or vast amounts of unimaginable wealth and intelligent gadgets, superheroes are just beyond our reach.

So for this exercise of superheroic proportions I have decided to make up my own superhero. At one time I used to be a big fan of comic books but since middle school my interests have drifted slightly astray. Consequently it's been a while since I've envisioned my own superhero from scratch. At one time I would start by thinking of what "cool" power(s) or abilities I wanted the superhero to possess. But this time around I started with a stick figure in a heroic pose. In short, I was stuck.

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