What is a superhero?

Just to judge from the artistic bent of this website, you can tell that I’ve got a “thing” for superheroes.  I’m an admitted nerd and was a comic book collector at one time, and I’ve always loved the notion of superhero stories as modern mythology.  They’re the story of the Everyman who finds himself with special abilities, and my favorites are those who live by the creed, “with great power comes great responsibility.”

When I was digging around looking for inspiration for this site, I came across a marvelous article by Rick Hutchins–a writer, poet, photographer, and more. Hutchins posed that old cocktail party question:  If you had the choice of any super power, which would you choose?  Which is the greatest one? Strength? Flight? What about invincibility? But Hutchins came up with a really great answer:  incorruptibility.

What makes Superman a much-loved character instead of a feared one? (The newest movie, notwithstanding.) This is a guy with godlike powers who could use them for his own purposes.  But in the comics and in the movies, he never did.  (Well, not exclusively, anyway.)  The man with absolute power never exercised it for ill.

As Hutchins observes, that’s what makes Superman a hero.  And it can do the same for all of us.  No one may mistake you for a bird or a plane, but you can always do what you do with honesty, integrity, and a will to help others.  Integrity isn’t reserved for heroes.  It’s what makes them.