Friday, May 04, 2007

who was the first superhero?

I read the following from "Ask Yahoo":


Dear Yahoo!:
Who was the first superhero?
Kevin, Indianapolis, Indiana

Dear Kevin:
Definitions of superheroes vary widely. One person's hero is another person's
Hercules. For the sake of simplicity, we're going to define a superhero as someone who fights crime in disguise and is blessed with superior strength, powers, or (in the case of Batman) gadgets.
This excellent
blog entry from kottke.org offers up plenty of theories about who the first superhero was. The author concludes that "Mandrake the Magician" may have been the first true superhero. Toonpedia agrees, calling Mandrake "the first super-powered, costumed crime fighter in comics." Created by Lee Falk, Mandrake made his debut in 1934, approximately four years before Superman landed on Earth.
So what sort of powers did Mandrake have?
King Features Syndicate explains he was a master of hypnotism and illusion. Like all the great superheroes who followed him, Mandrake used his powers to combat evil. But unlike other superheroes, Mandrake appears to have been based on a real person, a stage magician named Leon Mandrake.
Eat your heart out, Superman (and David Copperfield).


Interesting, eh? It got me to thinking, though, about whether or not we have any real heroes in our world today, and about what makes a person a hero.

In my opinion, a hero is a person who is the embodiment of wisdom, integrity, perseverance, scholarship, courage and responsibility.

A hero has the courage to never, ever stop trying to think, speak and act in ways that are right, just and moral.

A hero honors and serves his/her fellowman just as much as he honors and serves himself/herself.

A hero continually seeks wisdom, so that he/she will know the difference between right and wrong, and be able to act upon that knowledge.

A hero is a life-long learner, always trying to learn more about the world around him/her, and the people and events who have shaped that world.

A hero is a responsible citizen who fulfills his/her responsibilities and obligations.

A hero is a person who lives in accordance with God's commands, under the Lordship of His Son Jesus Christ and with God's Holy Spirit alive in his/her heart.

We need more heroes in America. Our country is suffering from a critical shortage of heroes in our schools, our homes, our government, and in the work force. Superheroes are fun to read about in the comics, but we might be wiser to spend our time striving to be real-world heroes right where we live.

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