I've been a fan for as long as I remember. As my friends would tell you, I always relate any topic back to Superman. Much to the sight of rolling eyes.
When I was about 2-3 years old my Dad got interested in superheros, particularly Batman and then Superman.
For those of you living in Ireland, you might remember a little thing called The Den. It was tv strand on channel RTE 2 and was a staple of children's television growing up
Well I used to watch The Den every morning because well we didn't have fancy digital tv programming. In the mid to late 90's our household only had about 7 channels. I didn't watch TG4, could not learn the Irish language. Ironically thats the channel I would view Superman The Animated Series when it was taken from The Den's programming schedule (Thank you Dustin..)
I got side tracked there. Sorry. Back to the story
My Dad introduced me to the world of superheroes. These incredible beings who dressed up in silly tights and jumped around beating up bad guys. They weren't silly to me though. To me they were real. I tuned in everyday with a bowl of hot milk and weetabix in one hand and a spoon in the other, eager to catch the latest adventure. Of the two I gravitated toward was Superman. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it was the color of his uniform, red, blue and yellow that was pleasing to the eye, the S emblazoned proudly accross his chest, the cape majestically flowing through the wind.
Well why not Batman?
Don't get me wrong, Batman is cool and all. But there was just something about the Man of Steel. While other kids wanted to catch the Joker and drive the Batmobile, I wanted to save Metropolis! I wanted to fly. Yes fly that's it. The freedom of flight, to escape the earthly bonds of gravity and take to the skies. That freedom really spoke to 3 year old me.
As I grew older I began to appreciate the optimism and morality of the character. Its really easy to be pessimistic and pragmatic about life. I mean I get it, life is tough and it is random. The suffering encountered by people on a daily basis must me unimaginable. I want to engage in stories that give me hope. I want to help others. Why?
Superman.