where WE STAND

Comic book creators have long sensed the direction which world events are leading our civilization and have turned these premonitions into their call to action in many of the comics books they produce. They've created the superhero mythology around the need for mankind to evolve into a more benevolent species.

A different concern, however, lurks under the surface of the publisher's mind. A publisher might agree that there's a good message to be put forth with these superheroes, but their concern is to make sure it's packaged in a way as to be commercial and entertaining, which is not always equivalent to the moral value the superheroes represent. A publisher plays up the fantasy elements and super powers of his superhero stories and not the moral and ethical standards they exude. Superman can fly, Batman has a Batcave and Wonder Woman wields a magic lasso - that's superhero comics. Nothing ho-hum about these characters. They are colorful and they know how to entertain but their essential appeal remains the spirit of goodness which they exude.

DC's top three superhero icons stand at the head of the underlying essential characteristics which defined comics with such elusive familiarity - and which the publishers have not yet directly tapped into within their storytelling and marketing strategies.

SUPERMAN Christian Messiah

Although the superficial allure of Superman lies in his ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound, stop a locomotive with his bare hands and fend off bullets and missiles with his indestructible body - the more essential allure of this myth of our times is the goodness he exuded and taught the world by the incomparable example he became to generations of children who absorbed him into their hearts and lives. Superman, an indestructible god, able to rule mankind with an iron fist or rip the planet Earth asunder with a single pass of his heat vision - chooses instead to be the meek mild-mannered reporter making himself the lowest of his peers in stature. He rose to the challenge of helping humanity only when called upon - and only in a detached mythical persona, too big and elusive to be pinned down as a sociopolitical leader who can force society to behave as it should in order to ensure the wellbeing of all its citizens. Not this hero. He instead chooses to be the elusive shining example who inspires the good in his environment...he chooses to let others understand the path of goodness and find it in themselves - each one in his own way. This is the essence of the tremendous gift that Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster have given to modern civilization - and this is what's made Superman the mythological icon which he's become.

Mario Puzo, in his exquisite re-telling of the origin of Superman, put the finger on these underlying characteristics of the father of all superheroes. He showed us what the young Jewish adventurers who created Superman intended the character to represent, at least in the eyes of a world visited by such a noble stranger as to choose the course in life that Superman did. Jor-el, quite choked up as he sends his baby son to Earth, realizing the destiny that awaits him, bids him farewell with a premonition of the greatness that he's to attain when he grows to become a man; "That's why I'm sending you to Earth, MY ONLY SON". It's here that Superman becomes the messiah of 20th Century mythology. As the years passed and Superman found himself overwhelmed by the commercial pressures around him, his publishers decided it was time to kill him and then resurrect him again, completing the circle which ultimately came to identify Superman with his historical counterpart of 2000 years past, Jesus of Nazareth.

BATMAN Moslem Avenger

Batman, the dark avenger, represents the other side of this same hero. Batman, filled with anger and a burning desire for revenge, comes to strike terror in the hearts of a cowardly and superstitious lot of evil doers. The father of all superhero terrorists comes to make his wake-up call to humanity. He wants the world to be better and his way of doing so is to scare the daylights out of wrongdoers. He is a rich philanthropist, playboy and recluse by day, the opposite of the meek mild mannered reporter - while donning the garb of terrorist of the underworld by night. His motive is to inspire goodness in others by scaring them half to death! Dark forces need this fear in order to shock their conscience enough to reflect on their own dark ways...and perhaps change and channel their strength to the benefit of society rather than for its own self abuse. Batman, the crusted example of unleashed fury and brash force operates outside of the law and only his precarious friendship with the head of police allows him to continue doing so. Batman, unlike Superman, is persecuted, misunderstood but rises to the call regardless of what they say about him. He needs no one's approval because he knows that so few will understand him and give it.

Together, Batman & Superman, along wih their socio-religious counterparts, can either team up, overlooking their differences in order to save the day, as they did early in both of their careers in World's Finest Comics - Or they can duke out their principles on a dimly lit alley as Batman pounds into Superman beckoning him to rise to the occasion; "I'll show you what it takes to be a man" in Dark Knight Returns.

WONDER WOMAN Jewish Mother

Wonder Woman, the third in stature of the early superhero mythology, is a hero who's a cut above the iconic figures who preceded her. She's the underdog in a man's world and accepts her role as such. She comes from a place where the women are a definitively superior gender to the men, yet accepts her role in the predominately male culture. She shows she has the qualities needed to be a superhero, not only with an effective display of super powers, but also in her shared concern for the wellbeing of all humanity. Her deep-rooted concern comes to her (unlike her male counterparts) from her motherly instincts. Her understanding that she is a vessel for the giving of life. She's not bothered by the dominance of the male culture, because she knows that without her, there would be no culture nor a continuation for life, be it male or female. She thus accepts her role quietly and humbly, being at full peace with herself, while wielding an inner strength that neither of her male comrades can aspire to. She is the least among the big three, but knows that she is the first mother, the birther of life, the only superhero who can birth the children that will one day grow to be the league of superheroes, such as she belongs to.

One can find the characteristics of most any nation, people, community or leader throughout history, within the myriad of comic book superheroes gracing the industry. From time to time these underlying spiritual themes surface to the top and into the hands of a readership thirsty for relevance.

Comic book publishers will soon begin to flesh out these themes as they discover the tremendous commercial value it will add to their enterprise.

Michael Netzer Online