'The fate of superheroes'

Thane Burnett (who writes for the Toronto Sun and from whom my local paper occasionally posts articles) wrote a particularly intriguing article this last Saturday. The article was called 'The fate of superheroes', with the sub-text reading: 'A boy grows up and his childhood champions are banished to the basement'.

The article unfolds, telling about Thane's experience recently with - under the request of his son - repainting and refinishing his child's room. The room had at one point been a homage to the comic book era his child grew up on. "A swinging Spider-man and a flying Superman, whose red cape wrapped around the walls and ended where (his son's) head would hit the pillow each night." All of this on a background of white fluffy clouds on sky blue. And on the roof, Thane tells of how he even wrote a storyline to read in big bold letters. The story told of how a villain stole all the humor in the world, and how his son would have the last laugh.

Firstly I just want to say that this man, Thane, is a father who should receive an award of some kind. A man who put honest thought and care into the decor of his son's room in order to entice imagination. To encourage a strong and healthy childhood by providing for his son what every child needs - a hero.

However it was not to last. Thane tells how his son, at age 10, tells his father he's embarrassed to have his friends over from school. When asked why, Thane discovers that his son does not want to show his friends who he shares his room with.

Alright so here I am going to just pause and speak my mind. If Mr. Burnett should read this I mean absolutely no harm, just my own personal thoughts.

What kind of 10 year old wants something like that covered up. Who are his friends that would come over and see those walls and NOT be impressed with how 'cool' those heroes are. They are 10 year-olds. And how do you grow out of that kind of phase that young? Alright, I will admit that my youth was filled with comic books and fiction of almost every kind (Name it - sci-fi, fantasy, horror, mystery, what have you). My imagination was cultured through my parents' insistence of summer-reading programs. By the time I was 10, I was neck-deep in comic books to read and so were my friends at school.

Even the 'cool kids' in my grade hung out with each other at recess playing 'Power Rangers' - (I was Jason for the record. Every time) - and Animorphs (Totally got to be Tobias). There was nothing to be ashamed about our imaginations, which were almost at their peak of strength. Superheroes are the one thing I don't understand. They are nearly timeless. Perhaps you may throw out your old comic books, but once you've read the origin of Batman, you will carry that knowledge with you the rest of your days.

I walked past a junior high school a couple weeks back during lunch hour. As almost anyone will tell you, Junior High is the hell of grade school. Where the young have decided that segmentation of groups is quite alright, and the stereotypes come out to play. Where the 'cool' kids hang out in the park, while the 'nerds' chill in the library or computer lab. You'll never guess what I heard.

You see, there were these four kids 'chillin' by the fences, experimenting with swear words I deemed still too out of their league. But you know what they were saying?

"Man, that new Batman movie is gonna be the f***in sh*t man. Like f**k. I'm gonna go see that on the first f***in day."

Dollars to donuts (yeah I said it) that the kids hanging out in the library are saying the exact same thing and that the kids in the computer lab are probably even looking up movie set photos and reading up on Batman lore. Perhaps they will run across each other in line for the movie. Perhaps a nod of acceptance will be in order from both parties as they realize that a common interest provides common ground and equality.

The fact of the matter is that no child should be embarrassed for their love of super heroes and comic books and the strong use of their imagination. What type of friends are they who curb your enthusiasm when it comes to using your mind for your enjoyment?

I digress.

To sum up this post I just want to tip my hat to Mr. Burnett for a truly insightful article this past Saturday, and wish to say that I admire your strength and resolve to please your child as you unwillingly painted over your work. But I also encourage you to continue calling your son 'Superman', because he always will be to you and guaranteed he will always remember that kryptonite = bad. An imagination is healthy, and one should hang on to it as long as possible.