Flash or Green Lantern?

I know, it's an age-old question, but if you could be any superhero, who would you be? It has been interesting to observe Mr W as he's transitioning out of little-kid literature and into stories that hold his interest going into second grade.

I think it's important that he continue to read out loud over the summer, so I've been trying to have him pick out some books at the library that he can read to me in the mornings. Lest you think that we sit peacefully, Sally at our feet, me fully dressed drinking coffee and nodding, it's usually him reading in the car on the way to camp. But it works out.

To that end, I've been looking for comic book type books for him to read. This has led us to traditional comic books with superheros and he really likes them. I think that format could be used for a lot of other topics besides fantasy stuff like superheroes, but I haven't found much other than the DC and Marvel players.

And if you haven't browsed that genre lately, you might be surprised to find that the characters have an edge to them, and considerably more angst than they had 20 years ago. Characters are more complex, perhaps more human, than they were before, maybe as a reflection of the mixed up world we live in.

So it pleased me greatly to come across a DVD at the library with episodes from "The Superfriends", which played as cartoons in the 1970's. The writers must have had a blast, because the villains are so clearly villainous that they say things like "for my evil purposes". And the heroes are all good, all the time. All cut from the same anatomical form, the male heroes are broad shouldered and have most everything covered. I was disappointed to see the only female hero was Wonder Woman, who gets considerably less material for a costume, but seems to be treated as an equal.

Anyway, Mr W loves the DVD, I think in part because it's so clear cut good and evil, and of course the good guys always win.

I think I'd be Green Lantern.

image from here