a few observations about Superheroes

Joshua loves superheroes. He has superhero posters, comic books, DVDs, action figures, toothbrushes, costumes, shirts, shoes, underwear, socks....I think you get the picture. He loves superheroes. Now, I know the names of a few, I have watched Superman and Batman on TV and have seen them, along with Spiderman at the movies, but they really don't compare to the kids animated series. I say "kids" rather loosely because a few of the newer series are a little too violent and downright scary and, I don't think, are marketed to younger kids. But, the DVDs we've rented at Blockbuster are in the kid section and a little more kid friendly.

Superman-He is different from the other superheroes I know. We all know Superman came from Krypton and his nemisis is Lex Luthor. Superman came by his superhero status honestly, he was born with his powers. He is always Superman but has to disguise himself as Clark Kent. Lex Luthor is just rich, spoiled, and up to no good. Honestly, if it wasn't for Dean Cain and Tom Welling, Superman would hardly be worth mentioning.

Batman-This is Joshua's favorite superhero. Batman is really Bruce Wayne. His parents were killed when he was a child and he grew up to become Batman to rid Gotham City of evil-doers. Batman has no superpowers, he just has an abundance of money and must be pretty smart to invent all his gadgets. Batman has no one nemisis, the bad guys are numerous. Off all the Batman bad guys that I have encountered, they are all bad guys because they want to be-except for Clay Face and Dr. Freeze-they became bad guys after having "accidents." The Batman comics and animated series are entertaining. Batman has a sarcastic sense of humor that I enjoy.

Spiderman is probably the most popular superhero of the day. Peter Parker is basically a geek who was bitten by a radioactive spider and now has spider-like characteristics. The most interesting thing about the Spiderman bad guys are that none of them want to be bad guys, they all suffered some sort of accident, usually involving a large vat of radioactive waste. I am constantly amazed at the number of vats of radioactive waste found in the city. Anyway, these bad guys don't want to be bad guys, they get transformed into some sort of mutants and then have no other choice but to become bad guys, I guess nobody likes mutants. Spiderman is rather humorous and has witty things to say....even if he does mostly talk to himself.

Joshua never pretends to be Superman. Sometimes, he is Batman and I am Robin. Lately, he has been playing a lot of Spiderman and I get to be Mary Jane. My all time favorite superhero is BatMoto. The picture is 6 months old and the costume has evolved a little bit....the goggles are now red, the rainboots are too small so any shoes will now do and the gloves are now green gloves and not socks, but you get the idea. And, I don't have to pretend to be in trouble so much any more... BatMoto just gets the bad guys and always wins in the end.