Most anyone who knows me knows that I have a thing about superheroes. My favorite of all time is Batman, because this guy’s got no powers whatsoever, and yet he crafts himself into this machine of conflict. (Shuddup, if you think I’m talking about Adam West and Bif! Pow!) But this is about Superman.
Christopher Reeve died yesterday of cardiac arrest brought on by complications with an infection. He was 51.
But before that, did you know he was getting better? Did you know he’d started breathing on his own after they implanted electrical stimulators into his diaphragm? Did you know he was starting to be able to move his fingers and his toes, and some larger muscles? Doctors were telling this guy he wasn’t going to live more than a year, if that. He went nine. Power, force of will, and a commitment to turn his tragedy into something that served the greater good.
This is the one and only time I’ll say I admire Superman. And even then, I think we all know I’m talking about the guy in the costume, because that Krytpon loser alien dude is still a wuss.
Bye, Chris.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I was also sad to learn about Christopher Reeves this morning. It’s people like him who remind me that I have NOTHING to complain about.
And as for Batman…dude, it’s like we’re cosmically connected. Batman is my favorite too. For the same exact reason. Plus, I love all the “darkness” that surrounds him (in the artwork as well as in his brooding personality). I use to collect Shadow of the Bat, but lost my collection in an ugly break-up.
Sad to lose a good one. I can’t imagine how hard his life was after the accident.
And Spiderman was always cooler than Batman because 1) Batman was a rich boy that never had to work a day in his life 2) Robin was a total freak, and 3) Spiderman had chicks.
Okay, you’ve got several good points there about Spiderman. The notion of Bruce Wayne hanging around a real lot with that young feller is kind of creepy. When they finally got a female Robin, I thought, “Well, that’s only marginally less creepy.” Because hey, they’re still younger.
Now, Batman *did* have chicks. Just usually deranged ones that also wanted to kill him in their off hours. So, you’ve got a point there.
But as many times as I’ve subjected myself to spider bites, not one of those lying bastards has ever been radioactive (enough).
I had just said to my husband this weekend how I realize every time my back/neck bothers me that most of the time I take the absence of pain and physical limitations for granted. I cannot imagine what it must take to accomplish as much as Christopher Reeve did following his accident. What a remarkable human being.
As regards superheros, I’ve always been a sucker for the fighting-the-world-that-hates-us theme. So gimme the X-men any day! Though I do admit to watching vast quantities of “Superfriends” as a child.
Christopher Reeve was an amazing person. No question about it. His being famous and Superman was the world’s way of bringing some good Karma to people with spinal injury. More research got done because of that combination of factors AND because he fought the fight than got done in a long long time.
Now, as far as the debate on superheros goes. I agree the big three really are Superman, Batman and Spidey.
Superman: He’s pretty much imperious right? How do you beat him? Hence, his enemies are always way more powerful than the enemies of other heros. I think what I like about Superman is that there is tremendous GOOD in him and he will always do the right and honourable thing. You can count on it. I’m not so sure he’s all that bright though. After all, if Batman or Spiderman had HIS powers, you can bet they’d figure out a way to protect themselves from Kryponite right?
Batman: Yeah, no powers. Just a REALLY smart guy who’s driven by a dark and mysterious passion for vengeance. He’s gotta be brilliant to invent and make all the stuff he does to give himself the edge. I don’t think he contracts anyone to make those things do you? He also works out a ton and teaches himself every form of fighting so he’s unbelievably disciplined. He’s always on the edge though. You never know if he’s gonna snap.
Spidey: Too cool. Some neat powers PLUS he’s a genius too. He’s also a young guy struggling to find himself. He’s also youthful. You can tell he’s the one of the three that really seems to ENJOY being a superhero and you gotta like that.
My favorite is also Batman. Dark, real, hard working and smart.