EDITORIAL: Why I Believe Superheroes Are An Inspiration

EDITORIAL: Why I Believe Superheroes Are An Inspiration

With Man Of Steel soon to be hitting theaters, I explain my reasons as to why I feel that Superheroes are an inspiration and why we should aspire to be like our fictional comic book heroes.

Editorial Opinion
By BmSt32 - Jun 12, 2013 05:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Other



As everyone here knows Superman is the 1st superhero to have appeared back in 1938 and is basically the one that started it all. Although I have always been more of a Batman fan, Superman has always been my 2nd favorite and to finally get to see a Superman film where his abilities can be displayed more accurately is a dream come true for me and for fans everywhere. Also I believe had it not been for Superman we would not be here in 2013 celebrating not only 75 years of Superman, but also of the many Superheroes that have been created since then. I for one am grateful because to me these superheroes aren't only for entertainment value but they are also and important part of my life. They are important in the fact that they have helped me do the right thing from time to time and have kept me away from negative influences in my life.



My first introduction to superheroes was with Batman TAS & the Keaton Batman films and I can remember sitting down quietly in front of the T.V. tuning in to Fox and watching new episodes of Batman or my VHS tape of the films and being amazed at what appeared on screen. Of course back then I was a dumb little kid who didn't even know what the hell was going on, the only thing I knew is that I liked Batman and how he punched the hell out of people who did bad things. But overtime I kept re-watching and reading the comic book based on TAS and enjoying them each time more and more. Until I was 10 when some kids on the playground tried convince me that superheroes were for little kids and that what I should be doing is listening to boy band shit & watching WWF since it was popular back then. What was worse was that I actually let peer pressure get to me and make me leave what I truly enjoyed for 2 years just to try to fit in by doing things I did not even enjoy. But nevertheless I came back to it and saw that the shows I watched as a kid actually had strong stories and messages they were trying to convey to the viewer.



Once I got out of that phase of wanting to fit in with the rest of the people at school and went back to what I enjoyed I saw that the stories in movie, animated, and comic book form were all stories about self sacrifice and having to do the right thing even though sometimes it might be the hardest thing the hero has to do. Out of all the characters out there I believe these four heroes represent those virtues very well and have inspired me to always try to do the right thing. Also without these heroes I probably would have taken up some bad habits due to peer pressure and not grown up to one day want be a positive example to the community in which I reside and want to inspire others the way these heroes inspired me. Which is why it is sad that most of the youth today would rather aspire to be things that don't really bring about any positive change but rather bring about more negative ones. An example is that a lot of the youth were I grew up in would rather want to aspire to be gang affiliated, selling/do drugs, or waste their youth raising a child when they themselves are not even old enough to get a job.



Even though there seems to be more and more bad things going on in the world and more crazy people coming out of the shadows I still believe that there is still a chance that the generation of old, now, and new can still be inspired by these superheroes. I believe we can be inspired to take charge like these heroes and bring about a way for a better world and aspire to be people that do good rather then ill towards other people. A world in which we see the people helping their community while still having a good time with friends and family rather then seeing candlelight's lighting up a part of the street in remembrance of a life taken away just because they were affiliated with a rival gang, drug overdose, or because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Which is why I hope Man Of Steel and future superhero movies can send a positive message and influence the general public that they can become something more then what society had intended, that they can overcome their difficulties and come out a better people for having triumphed. It really is my belief that we can conquer anything if we follow the positive examples these heroes have shown us over the years and have a future with more heroes rather then more villains. In conclusion I hope you enjoyed this article and hope to hear your thoughts on this subject and what you think CBM's and Superheroes mean to you and how they have helped you over the years.

P.S. I have another article about why we should be a united community rather then a separated one especially since there is a lot of arguing going on around here lately if you would like to read here is the link: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/BmSt32/news/?a=76912
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LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 6/12/2013, 6:30 AM
Look at Spider-Man after 9-11. It was the right time for the people to cheer for a hero like that. Also Spider-Man lives in New York which makes it even more special.

Superheroes can and will always been inspirations. We need people to look up to whether its superheroes or anyone else to show us hope.
MisterMagurlypse
MisterMagurlypse - 6/12/2013, 9:07 AM
Very nice article. I can find the inspirations in heroes like Spider-Man, Batman and Superman. But for me I find Charles Xaiver and the X-Men to be my biggest inspiration in comics.

The X-Men speak of tollerance and accepting people for who they are. I've learned alot from those books, as far as seeing the differances in others, whether it be the way they look or the views and opinions they have. Charles wanted a world in which people can live in peace and harmony despite these differances.

I see Superman in MOS as being the same. What would we do if an alien was really living amoung us? Would we outright banish him or learn to accept him? We would be scarred and interested at the same time. I would hope he would unite us and somehow make us realiaze that we need to stop fighting amoung ourselves and see that we are simply part of something much bigger.
MrCBM56
MrCBM56 - 6/12/2013, 9:25 AM
Nice article. But I disagree on certain points. Yes COMICBOOK heroes can be a inspiration for people but in my opinion they shouldn't be. Comic books are suppose to let you escape reality and enter this other dimension of magic, and aliens, and superpowers. They make you think what if you had these powers, what would you do with these powers, use them for bad or good? But after you're done reading you have to go back to the real world. You have to look at other inspirations. Those fictional heroes you look up shouldn't be who you see as a role model. You should look for inspiration among real life heroes. People who exist and risk thier lives everday. I'm talking about firefighters, police man, the ambulance, etc. those are men and women who are heroes. They save lives and at the same time they risk thier own. Those are heroes that exist in the real world.

Anyways nice read, I enjoyed it.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 6/12/2013, 9:39 AM
I agree with MrCBM. I read comics to escape reality, because lets face it, reality sucks. At least you can escape from this reality for an hour or so by reading a few comics. I don't idolise heroes in comics nor do I aspire to be like them. I take the general message of a story and learn from it.

There are too few heroes in our reality. Just terrorism and corruption in politics. And theres nobody trying to stop those things, despite what you may see and hear on tv.

Anyways, this was a great read, keep it up.
BmSt32
BmSt32 - 6/12/2013, 11:26 AM
Nice to hear your responses and I do agree that people can be inspired by something else other then superheroes I in fact look up to certain people in real life who have also inspired me to become the person I am today.
TheSuperguy
TheSuperguy - 6/12/2013, 11:31 AM
Superheroes can all be inspirations, some more than others. Sometimes people don't realize that comics aren't just cool stories and art, they are something much more special to us fans who truly love them.
Brainiac13
Brainiac13 - 6/12/2013, 3:26 PM
Nice Article


jjk2814
jjk2814 - 6/12/2013, 11:10 PM
@Levitikuz

It's nice to see you write positively. Good comment, and good write-up BmSt32!
UltimateTypeface
UltimateTypeface - 6/13/2013, 4:53 AM
Weird thing...

Im an Australian but I grew up on Captain America and Spiderman comics.

Im sure its affected the way I act today.

I helped a homeless guy who stacked it when everyone else stood back the other night - comics are a great medium for teaching tolerance.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 6/13/2013, 9:52 AM
DrDoom

If you don't like the scene, then you don't truly understand Spider-Man. While Peter's life sucks, the whole thing him is everybody has his back. New Yorkers standing up and cheering for Spider-Man has happened in the comics. Spider-Man needed help against Goblin due to his hands full literally so the New Yorkers attacked Goblin. Sure it's cheesy but it's also the point of Spider-Man. That he's never alone.

jjk2814

Wait I've written positively before. I'm not as bad as most people think.
Oxbow
Oxbow - 6/13/2013, 11:04 AM
Good article. Consider a few more paragraphs breaks next time.

These characters represent the very best in us! At the same time though, they are a fantasy, escape from normal reality. So there is definitely a balance between learning from their example in the fictional world and trying to live up to those values on planet earth. Superman's not going to come and save us. To steal a line from one of my fave writers: its not justice...It's just us.
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