From "The Death Of Superman", We Learn How to Live

A villain comes along who has absolutely no concept of mercy, compassion, love nor any regard for life. I remember when my father took me to go see "The Dark Knight". I didn't realize how lucky I was at the time to be seeing that film when I did. I saw it opening night in a packed theater. My dad was able to get 2 free last minute tickets. One scene that sticks out to me every time I think of the film is the one where Alfred talks to Bruce about a rain forest expedition that he took (now why don't we make that movie?) and he mentioned that "some people just want to see the world burn". In my young teenage mind, I thought that was really hardcore. Now I look back at that and just think of how someone could really be that evil.

Enter Doomsday. A villain that can “out superman Superman”. We knew there were problems when the monster took down the JLA- the greatest heroes that earth has. To add insult to misery, he did so with one hand tied behind his back.

Then Guardian gets some.

Then Supergirl.

Every time somebody tried to step in and help they were instantly defeated. This truly was, no way around it, a job for Superman.

The action grows bigger as the fight escalates. Panels started taking up more space as the fight continues and eventually we are left with a full-page splash panel series slugfest happening. Ending with Two massive Two page splashes to add emphasis to his death. Now you can never keep a good hero down and good will always triumph and that’s what happened, but what price?

At what price must we be willing to pay to make sure that truth, justice, and the American way will always prevail? Are we strong enough to decide that we will give up everything we have so that the rights and freedoms of others will always be protected?

The point of freedom isn’t to be safe, but to live. It’s the difference between surviving and living. Living requires dying, it requires mistakes and it requires fear. surviving is that we don't move forward. I guess simply put, living is moving in a forward direction, surviving is putting every effort we have into staying still.

From the death of Superman, we learn how we live. Give up yourself- give up what’s comfortable for that which is right. Figure out what is important and what is best for your fellow citizens and make that your top priority. Now that’s not easy to do.

I mean, look what happened to Supes.

Now when I read this book for the first time, I know that Superman comes back. I know that he regenerates "Time Lord style" with his black solar suit, metal insignia, and the ever popular 90's mullet. I know that he continues to move on and continue to inspire the lives of characters both fiction and real. Everything turns out OK in the end. Now, what about today? Where are living? Are we facing Doomsday? A being of immense power who wants to simply destroy? to take away the lives of the people and place us in a state of survival?

Whatever the front lines are, be they out in foreign countries, out at sea, on domestic soil, in the family, we need to be Superman. We need to be strong, able to fight back. To make the hard choice to always protect "truth, justice, and the American way". Why make that choice? Because it's right.

The right choice is never easy. It wasn't for Superman, it isn't for you and me, and it wasn't for a man 2000 years ago in Galilee. But I guess that’s just the barrier between being a man and being a superman.