Legendary Woodsman

I’ve probably mentioned this before but I love comics. I’ve read comics avidly since I was ten-years-old, so it’s a small wonder. It was superhero comics that got me hooked. It was great reading epic storylines that would weave into even more adventures. Superhero comics are so popular that some people believe that comics are synonymous with superheroes and the criticism that I hear is that since they don’t care for superheroes, they don’t like comics. That’s nonsense! Comics are a medium and just because someone is not fond of a particular type of comic should not dissuade them from trying other comic stories. People are advised to try other comics outside of the superhero genre.

But wait a minute… Superhero is not a classification of genre!
   IF
Daredevil is crime fiction,
Batman is mystery fiction,
Ironman is science fiction,
Dr. Strange is fantasy fiction,
Thor is mythology,
Bronze Tiger is martial arts,
Hercules is religion,
    THEN
Superhero isn’t a genre, it’s a type of character.

However, what is it about the character that makes him/her a superhero? Is it the costume? The moral code? If that’s the case, then there are a number of characters that are superheroes that aren’t normally regarded as such:

Sherlock Holmes
Robin Hood
Zorro
Lone Ranger
Don Quixote
Tarzan
Peter Pan

All these characters have a signature appearance and a moral code that rivals any superhero.

I’m beginning to believe that when people say they don’t like superhero comics it’s more because they expect themselves not to like them. Maybe they tried one story and it didn’t suit their taste, so they curled up with A Princess of Mars book and read that instead.

-tony