Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 113

Why Superman Ends up With Lois Lane

In my final post responding to thoughts in Frank Miller'sinterview in Men Without Fear.

Miller expressed frustration with comics' tendency to have heroes pair off with normal people. "Why is Superman with Lois Lane? Why isn't he going with Wonder Woman. She can match him." He argues that Superheroes should be as operatic with their love lives as they are with their fighting and then he goes to explain his work was with introducing Electra.

For better or for worse, DC seems to have taken him up on that offer with Superman and Wonder Woman sharing a long kiss in the new 52 version of Justice League with Superman unattached with his marriage having been retconned out of the series and Clark and Lois being just friends.

However, I think the reason that we traditionally see superheroes dating "normal people" is that it makes them more identifiable with humanity. If you're Superman, in particular, this is important because the concept of Superman can be scary or unrelatable if you think of him as some Greek God having a relationship with another Greek God.

I think that in addition to that, there can be some normalcy in a life defined by the unusual in having a normal woman to go home to. Of course, the operatic quality is not limited by a partner not having superpowers. If you watch the last two seasons of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, you'll see a lot of tension and drama in that relationship and in trying to get married and stay married.

Plus all Superhero marriages and relationships generally don't go well. Think Green Arrow and Black Canary, Ant Man and the Wasp and that ongoing cat and bat game between Catwoman and Batman. It's just not a good situation. The big exception to this is the marriage of Reed and Sue Richards.

We'll talk more about marriage in our next series on some of the recent comic marriage dissolutions with the New 52 from DC and One More Day in Spider-man.

Superman and Us: Saving the World

One more comment on Superman in the Forties before I return it to the library.

As I mentioned in my review, in Action Comics #1, after stopping wife-beating, preventing an unjust execution, and saving Lois, Superman set out to prevent a war. Jerry Siegel believed that war was exclusively caused by munitions dealers and by intimidating the arms dealer into enlisting, Superman prevented the war. That was in 1938.

Real war came the next year. In 1940, a year before Pearl Harbor, Siegel wrote a story for Look Magazine where Superman stopped the war in two pages.

However, when America entered the war, everyone knew Superman couldn't fight it. This was helped by Superman participating in war games and despite his efforts, his army lost because of the determination of American soldiers to prevail. Superman proclaimed his prime in America's fighting men who were America's true secret weapon.

Siegel himself served in the military and Superman was endowed with a little extra dose of humility. There were limits, there were problems so big he couldn't solve.

But this didn't make Superman impotent in the face of real suffering. It just required a different solution. This was best illustrated in the story, "Christmas Around the World." In that tale, Superman brings Christmas to towns in war torn countries and helps reunite four child war refugees with their parents.

Superman's efforts are only superhuman in the amount of time his mission took. Such relief efforts have been done since by people who have come with supplies and gifts to troubled lands. Superman had learned that he couldn't help everyone but that he could help someone.

Of course, more modern writers and producers have drawn a subtly different lesson: Superman can't help.

In the movie Superman IV, Superman undertakes to destroy all the world's nuclear weapons, but ends up realizing as a result of facing Lex Luthor's ridiculous clone of him, that humanity needs to solve the problem for themselves. Similarly in the graphic novel, Peace on Earth, Superman tries to stop world hunger but fails and instead urges people to share knowledge with needy people.

The big difference here is that rather than finding a smaller way in which he can make a difference, Superman is left to shrug his shoulders and say, "It's all up to you."

Perhaps, this in part because of the obvious parallels written into the superman mythos creating an analogy between Superman and Christ. It is as if the writers want to say that God is impotent in these matters and it's all up to us.

However, we're left with the same problem Superman faced: the problems are too big, particularly if they're too big for Superman.

Some times, the use of statistics to emphasize the scope of a problem like poverty is simply overwhelming. If you say, "X number of children in our state will go to bed hungry," I think it makes people overwhelmed. And if you start talking world hunger with hundreds of millions and billions thrown in, good night.

It's hard to see when you start talking numbers like that how a few boxes of pasta or a few dollars can make a difference, and statistically you may be right.

However, the food you provide makes a difference to one or two real people who may go to bed full rather than hungry. What Superman taught showed in "Christmas Around the World" is that we may not be able to solve a big problem, but we can help some of the people involved.

I think we would do more good if we shifted our focus from the big global problems we can't solve to the individual people we can help. Sponsor a child, provide a Thanksgiving Meal, write a check, give an hour of time. Do something small that helps one or two people and if enough of us do that, we'll make a dent in the big problems.

I had the privilege this week to do food sorting at the Idaho food bank. We had four large boxes full of food from a food drive, from the little bit that people were able to donate here and there. A little by everyone makes a lot.

Jesus told his disciples that "the poor you will have with you always" (Mark 14:6) This wasn't meant as a blithe acceptance of reality because he also told to help the poor. Rather the statement serves as a reminder that the problems of poverty will always be present on Earth because of the problems in the human condition. However, we can help those in poverty, if we don't let the bigness of the problem overwhelm us.

And the Winner of the 2012 Election Is...

Captain America? While America suspense over who will win the real election, with campaign fever on full blast, Marvel decided that the Ultimate Universe had a fever and the only prescription was President Captain America.

This is a far better choice than other comic book presidents such as Lex Luthor and Dr. Doom.

Of course, President Cap has far more on his plate than the current budget crisis including alien invasions and nuclear crisis problems. So the problems of the Ultimate Marvel Universe are suited to a man like Captain America. (Note: Mainstream Continuity Captain America isn't President.)

Whoever we elect today won't have that same character we associate with Captain America.

It's remarkable in a way that we still associate Captain America with his more golden age version given how much the comic books have tried to disassemble that. During Watergate, Captain America abandoned his identity to become Nomad. And in the Ultimate Version, he's portrayed as a Church-going cursing hypocrite who complains about sex and cursing in the movies while dating a married woman. In the mainstream universe, he's portrayed as questioning America's role in the world.

When confronted with the latest nutty attempts by liberal comic book writers to mess around with Captain America, conservatives don't like Captain America less, they like his writers less and are upset at the writers for messing around with an American Icon and fondly remember the days when for a dime could read the Adventures of Captain America Commie Smasher.

Of course, Marvel takes the official stand that didn't happen and that a crazy guy impersonating Captain America was the one doing it. After all, what could be more crazy then fighting people who are spies for countries that murdered more than 100 million innocent people? (Combined between Stalin and Mao.)

Regardless of what happens in the Comic Books and how the character is redefined, Cap. remains that quintessential American hero, Marvel's Answer to Superman if not in physical strength, but in moral strength. Sadly, this Captain America is not on the ballot, but wouldn't it be great if he was?

Magic and Superheroes

One thing you won't find in any of the superhero stories I do is any of that magic.

Magic is of course represented in mainstream comics by such characters as DC's Dr. Fate and Marvel's Marvel's Dr. Strange.

Perhaps, this is partially because of upbringing. (Growing up Magica De Spell was verboten.

But, it always strikes me as kind of weird when these characters appear besides major superheroes. It all seems really awkward at best. You have Spider-man fighting an evil spirit along with Dr. Strange and Spider-man's just out of place compared to when Spider-man's fighting Doctor Octopus. He's simply not equipped for this sort of situation, totally helpless in fact. Spider-man's strength is his scientific mind and his fantastic physique. Adventures with "Spirit World" enemies take him so far out of his element that it's absurd. Same thing with Superman who can't fight magic.

Beyond the absurdity, I think that the portrayals of magic in superhero stories have taken on a far darker turn in recent years than perhaps silver age stories and the Super Friends when most of the magical villains acted like Magica De Spell. The darkness of this sort of magic leads to a sort of Harry Potter problem that I don't want to portray even in parody.

Of course, there is scientific stuff that borders on magic and there's magic that makes things ordinary heroes can defeat and that's fine. Thor comes to mind as an example who while having this mythic world is really more or less of an interdimensional alien particularly as portrayed in the Avengers.

I do think there is a place for portrayal of other aspects of the supernatural with demons and angels (thought not the way the comics and cartoons do it), but I'll leave that discussion to another post.

He Should Have Been a Villain...

Continuing to respond to some thoughts raised by Frank Miller in the video, "Men Without Fear," Miller states that Matt Murdoch "intends to do good and causes much damage." (Aside: Wouldn't that suggest that fundamentally Frank Miller's version of Daredevil is a failure.)

He then adds, "He should have been a villain. He had a terrible childhood. His romantic life is the worst."

Here I think Frank Miller hits on something interesting, though it has little to do with Daredevil specifically. In fact, most Superheroes had pretty crummy childhoods. Exhibits A and B: Batman and Robin both (parents murdered right in front of them). Exhibit C: Spider-man (mocked and bullied). Exhibit D: Captain America (belittled, struggled with weakling status.)

And beyond childhood, there are other temptations to villainy. Think about how many powerful beings have hit the Earth in the pages of Comic books bent on global domination. Yet Superman, even before DC comics recognized any significant role by his parents was a force for good.

But we're confronted with a question. So many comic book characters and real life ones as well who similarly situated have radically divergent outcomes and outlooks. What makes a mutant become a hero while another mutant who experienced a similar accident becomes a villain? What makes one billionaire a philanthropist while another is greedy?

While atheists like to jump Christians with the problem of evil. The problem of good is a tricky one both in real life in fiction for atheists in particular. In fiction, this is seen particularly clearly in the world of superheroes where evolutionary impulses really can't explain. This happens in real life to with policemen risking their lives.

Some of this can be explained by Christians acting out of love for God. But not all. There are undeniably good works done by people who are not at all involved with God.

What explains this? It's the Christian doctrine of Common Grace which God gives to all humanity through his providence whether they serve him or not. In Matthew 5:45,46, Jesus described this characteristic of God:

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.-Matthew 5:45,46 (KJV)

Paul describes the Civil Authority as God's minister in Romans 13 to punish evil and uphold good. The presence of law and police is a gift from God. It may be corrupted (as any gift from God can be), but imagine our world without them.

I think wherever you find goodness, you ultimately find the Hand of God, whether the people doing good acknowledge it as such. Whether its in an FBI agent tracking down terrorist, or a cloudburst that waters a dry and barren land, a spring of cool water, or in a Superhero that upholds justice, you'll find the hand of God, his goodness towards us.

As bad as this world can be, it would be intolerable if not for the common grace of God.

On Track for Some Very Nice Christmas Offerings

My wife has finished her editing/rewrite on Rise of the Robolawyers and it lands at about the 27,000 word mark.

In addition, my narration of the audiobook version of Tales of the Dim Knight is going exceedingly well.

Both projects should be available by Black Friday.

In addition, my third project. As of yet unnamed is at 34K. The life of your friendly neighborhood Christian superhero writer continues to be robust.

The Justice Introverts, The Fantastic Extroverts, and The Avengers

I've been reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking which focuses on introversion and the power of Introverts. I always score very high on Introversion tests, so I find it interesting.

As I thought about this topic, I wondered where my favorite superheroes would lie on this Introversion/Extroversion Axis.

Of course, Superheroes can be tricky to pin down. The nature of the Superhero business requires characters to do things that are more naturally introverted such as keeping few close relationships less someone learn your secret identity. It also can require some more public outgoing behavior.

In addition, Superheroes are often dualistic with two identities with two very different identities. Where does Superman begin and where does Clark Kent end?

Introversion doesn't have to do with selfishness or necessarily shyness. It has to do with what energizes you. For introverts, it's time alone and in thoughtful activities like reading. For extroverts, it's time with people. Introversion can be accompanied by other traits such as thoughtfulness and sensitivity.

Thus, it's quite possible to be a Superhero AND an introvert. I'd say many of the DC heroes definitely fit that bill because their origins go back farther and original comics drew from an earlier time in what Susan Cain calls the culture of "Character." Oftentimes, early comic books didn't have our characters with a lot of flashy personalities and identity problems. We loved the original superheroes because of their character, their quiet strength and humility, and much of that has carried over to the present day.

One final challenge is that there have been so many versions of these characters and writers have changed personalities. I will only write about the characters as I know them, so no "New 52" stuff or other recent comic innovations.

The Justice League: Animated Series

Batman (Introvert): The coolest and most popular Superhero of the modern age is probably one of the most introverted in his modern version. The Justice League Animated Series makes this clear. Sometimes the other heroes will go about flouncing around, jumping into action with little thought or consideration. In the middle of all, Batman sitting down in the batcave, with an actual solution. Batman can hold his own battle, but he is the clear brains of the Justice League series. Like many introverts, he wears a mask (named Bruce Wayne) who does all the smiling socializing necessary to maintain a secret identity, but Batman is at ease and happy down in the Batcave figuring everything out.

Superman (Introvert): There's some debate over this, though perhaps it stems from a misunderstanding of Introversion/Extroversion. Someone on a comic forum argued Superman Adores his wife (that's back before DC made Superman unmarried so they could pursue a relationship with Wonder Woman)." Many introverts adore their spouses. That's not the point. There's a difference between an introvert and a misanthrope. I tend to think Superman is an introvert, partly due to nature (Krypton seems a place that valued personality less than Earth.) and nurture (being raised on a farm miles from others.) Superman's always been a bit of a loner and so has Clark Kent, even from childhood with few close friends and this has continued to adulthood. I mean Batman may have the Batcave, but when Superman needs to recharge he flies up to the North Pole to a place called, "The Fortress of Solitude." I rest my case.

Martian Manhunter: Maybe, he'd be more sociable if there were other Martians around, but he's a very quiet and thoughtful person who rarely says anything that's not important and is more given to contemplation than chattering conversation.

The Flash (Wally West) (Extrovert) : Ultimate extrovert, always joking around and having a good time, though it was once suggested by Unlimited hero that his jovial attitude was only a mask. I hope not because the Justice League needs some balance.

The rest: Green Lantern (John Stewart) (Introvert), Hawkgirl (Slight Extrovert), Wonder Woman (Extrovert).

The Fantastic Four

I guess it shouldn't be surprising that the team of Superheroes that forsook secret identities would be majority Extroverts (with one key exception).

Johnny Storm (the Human Torch), ever the outgoing lady's man who thrives on public speaking, social interactions, and public performances is the obvious Extrovert.

Sue Richards (the Invisible Woman) is far more outgoing than her Introvert husband and always up for going out and social occasions.

Ben Grimm (The Thing) may be self-conscious about his appearance, but when he gets out, he shows all the boisterous enthusiasm of any Extrovert.

Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) is the team's only Introvert. He's the guy that the rest of the team has to pry out of the lab. It is true that in one early issue of the Fantastic Four, he did encourage the Four to go to a reception held for them by Congress. But this was more out of a sense of duty and patriotism rather than excitement about a social outing. Ironically, it's the Introverted Reed who rises to leadership.

The Avengers

Here we base our perceptions on the two or (in the case of Iron Man) three movies containing the most popular characters as well as the other bits about them we've picked up from the Marvel Universe:

Iron Man (Ambivert): Tony Stark is kind of hard to figure out. On one hand, he's a party animal in social situations and loves being the center of attention and can be recklessly spontaneous such as blowing his secret identity at the end of Iron Man. On the other hand, he handles solitary activities and works well alone. He's not only a combination of man and machine, he's a combination of Introvert and Extrovert. He's an Amnivert (and that's a real word.)

Thor (Extrovert): Thor is not one for quite reflection. He's the pure man of action, ready to march into war. He's not stupid, not reckless, but he is a social leader, much more comfortable with comrades by his side than alone.

Captain America (Introvert): The Marvel heroes have huge respect for Captain America, but it's not because he's the most outgoing people person. It's once again that quiet strength of character and dedication to duty. He first appeared in 1941, and is come from the same cloth as Batman and Superman. He's not the life of the party, but its quiet strength and inspiration.

Others

Due to the sheer volume of material I've read, I've got to offer an opinion on a couple of characters not usually included in any team.

Spider-man (Introvert): There have been some conflicting portrayals of Spider-man, whether this is due to him being an amnivert or him being an "Extrovert wannabe," or whether the writers have had trouble writing him consistently is a fair question. There are several things favor him being an introvert. His geekiness, his quiet enjoyment of science and solitude loom large. On the other hand, Spider-man can be somewhat impulsive and reckless in battle. While humor or comedy is not the sole province of extroversion, his flip, wise-cracking comments to all-comers may suggest extroversion to many.

I think Spider-man's extrovert traits are proof of a concept that Cain shared in the book. No one is a complete extrovert or introvert. Anyone who fell into either category according to Carl Jung would be in an insane asylum. Spider-man's multi-faceted personality makes him such a fascinating and engaging character and also keeps him sane.

However, I think the evidence is quite clear on Spider-man's introverted tilt. While Spider-man may be wisecracking with the bad guys, if we watch cartoons or read the comics, we see him having deep introspective sensitive thoughts in his private moments. And when Spider-man
has had a bunch of drama (either in or out of costume), there's nothing he enjoys more than swinging across the Manhattan skyline, enjoying the pleasure of peace and quiet above the maddening rush of the city.

Daredevil (Extrovert): Superman may retreat and enjoy the tranquility of the Fortress of Solitude but not Daredevil. As a blind man, he's expected to weak and helpless and it drives him nuts. In Daredevil Vol. 1, #25, he declared that it felt like being Matt Murdoch was a mask. At his best, he's a swashbuckling adventurer and outgoing lawyer. The limits of his handicap and the requirements of being a superhero notwithstanding, Daredevil is an Extrovert at heart.

So, of the seventeen heroes I looked at, eight are extroverts, eight are introverts, and one is an amnivert. With these diverse personalities, they all play key roles in keeping the world safe from evil.

In that way, superheroes may set an example for introverts and extroverts in the real world.

Review: Superman in the Forties

Superman in the Forties by Jerry Siegel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This volume contains 192 pages of Golden Age awesomeness. To begin with, we get the first two Superman Stories from action comics in the 1930s. In them. Superman saved an innocent woman from execution, stopped a wife beating, and saves Lois from a psycho kidnapper. And that was just in the first ten pages. Next up is preventing a war.

We get a peak at Superman, both as a rough and tumble no nonsense Superhero whose rough interrogation methods would make Jack Bauer winces to the still strong, but also wiser and gentler role model we knew in the 1940s and 50s.

Along the way, we get to see Superman's first tangle with the Ultra-Humanite, Lex Luthor, and the Toyman, as well as an early encounter with Mr. Mxtztplk. All these characters are vastly different from their modern counterpart with Mxtztplk being more mischievous than truly a danger to the Man of Steel. We also get to see the first appearance of Krytonite in the comic books (after it'd been all over the radio series for two years). In the comics, it appeared as a gem on a phony swami's hat.

As Superman progressed, his writers gained humility. When Jerry Siegel began writing Superman at age 24, all war was the cause of manipulators, and Superman could end and avoid was in a single issue. When confronted with a real life conflict, Siegel imagined a year before Pearl Harbor that Superman could end the war in Europe in two pages by dragging Hitler before the League of Nations. Experience brought humility. However, when America entered the war, the writers knew they couldn't just have Superman end it. Thus Superman focused more on helping others with compassion and intelligence rather than using brute force all the time. (Though he could still use that when called for.)

Throughout the book, Superman cared about the concerns of ordinary Americans, from taking on warmongers and spies to giving what for to a crooked patent attorney, Superman was focused on helping out people in need. This book contains stories of that genuine American hero.

As a patriot, I loved the war story, "America's Secret Weapon," and the final story, "Christmas 'Round the World" was beautifully moving.

While DC has taken to releasing its Archive Collections (Hardback) and Chronicles (Paperback) chronicling the adventures of the Man of Steel, this book is more of a best of compilation from the 1930s and 40s. Its perfect for someone who wants a little Superman as he was meant to be in their library or who wants to see some of the more interesting stories of the era. In addition, the current Chronicles Collection is only up to 1942, so many of the stories in hear from 1944 and after won't be in Trade paperback for years.




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The Kids Who Aren't There

Frank Miller in, The Men Without Fear docmentary defended the harsh violence he introduced to the Daredevil saga by saying, "In superhero comics, people have wasted a lot of creative energy and hard work, looking for kids who aren't there. The audience who read Daredevil was not juvenile."

Miller is not without a point. While much discussion has been made of how television killed radio. Truth is that television contributed to a decline in comic books. Back in the 1940s and early 50s before most people got TVs, comic books were the most accessible way to view cartoon character without going to the movies. Once television was introduced and you had Superman on TV in the 1950s, Batman, Spider-man, Aquaman, and so many others during the 1960s, kids no longer had to buy comic books to enjoy superheroes, they were right there on the television.

And certainly kid-friendly titles haven't done a bang up business. Batman: The Brave and the Bold folded in the last year and it'd been selling less than 10,000 copies a month.

So Miller has a point, but there are a couple things to consider.

First, the reason kid-friendly comics haven't done particularly well may be partly due to comics getting a bad wrap thanks to Miller and others who pressed the bounds of good taste. It's about 80 percent of comics that give discerning parents pause about the whole industry.

Secondly, those kids need to be there. Really, "the kids" is what the whole "New 52" thing is about at DC Comics. They basically had to reboot their entire line because they'd concentrated all their comic books on appealing to cynical Gen Xers and that won't pay the bill forever. So now they're having to make their characters younger to appeal to teens less they get demographically destroyed or outflanked by edgier newer comics.

Thirdly, let me suggest that the kids are out there or perhaps more specifically in there. One of the most surprising thing that people have found is how many adults enjoy various sorts of "kids" hero shows is how many adults can enjoy the well-produced ones. This goes back to the Lone Ranger over radio. Within many of us adults is something that longs for simplicity: for good to triumph over evil, to have heroes that we can admire and look up to. That part of us doesn't want to see Ant Man (aka Yellow Jacket) slapping his wife, the Wasp and the two of them landing in divorce court. We really don't want to see members of the Justice League hooking up like they're at Club Med. We want heroes to fight for justice and to be people of integrity.

That's fine more than 100 million tickets sold for the Avengers in Theaters compared to about 100,000 copies monthly of the Avengers comic book.

They're a lot of "kids who aren't there" for big comic books and they are, "kids of all ages."

The Silver Medal: Origin of a Superhero Parody

How do you get the ideas for a superhero parody? I've been asked this question (in not so many words) quite a few times.

Here's an answer for a villain in the third story I'm working on (Still Untitled):

1) The Source Material

The Silver Medal was inspired by two Marvel Stories from the 1960s. The first was from Daredevil Vol. 1 #3. In this issue, Stan Lee attempted to give Daredevil some gravitas by using the Spider-man Villain Electro as the guest villain. To emphasize how powerful Electro was, he and the writers stated about three or four times that he "almost defeated Spider-man," as in, "Will Daredevil will be able to gain victory over the man who almost defeated Spider-man."

Well, I hate to break this to Electro but almost defeating Spider-man means you lost to Spider-man and it's nothing to brag about.

So, I had the idea to have a villain who is constantly bragging about all the heroes he's "almost defeated."

A second aspect was inspired by an Episode of the 1960s Cartoon Series Spider-man where the generic mad scientist of the week was scared that Spider-man would find his secret lair, so he (of course) lured Spider-man to his hideout expecting his lame stuff to beat Spider-man, and of course, it didn't happen.

2) A Little Added Inspiration

Sometimes, others help us with our story.

I planned to call the character, Dr. Mystery. However, I was talking to my brother Josh about the plot idea on the phone and he said to me, "You know what you ought to call the guy who brags about all the people he's almost beat. The Silver Medal."

And it was a brilliant idea, so I was glad to use it. So with an assist from 1960s comic silliness, from my current Work in Progress, I present, "The Silver Medal"

A man stood in the middle of the garages with half a dozen coffee pots. The man had gray hair and was wearing a white lab coat over a black jump suit and a silver medal hung around his neck. Next to him were four stunningly beautiful supermodels. One of them looked like Miss Invisible, but she was wearing a red blouse and a black pair of slacks rather than Miss Invisible's costume. The man wore a metal backpack and held a silver colored nozzle that connected to a hose in the back.

The man let go of the nozzle slapped his hands together. "Greetings Powerhouse! I am the Silver Medal and I have lured you here to your doom."

Powerhouse rolled his eyes. Another one. "Yeah."

"I knew that you were onto my ingenuous plan and I was afraid you would find my hideout, so I had Minerva lead you here."

Powerhouse said, "So you were afraid I was going to find your hideout, so you had your android lead me to your hideout."

"Yes, there's no better way to deal with fear by facing it," said the Silver Medal. "I, with my patent pending matter converter have turned all the possessions in the hopes of several Seattle citizens into fragments resembling coffee grounds." The Silver Medal pulled a remote control from his pocket. "They'll rehydrate for me at a later date in another city where I can sell them and reap a fortune when I press this button." The Silver Medal let loose a maniacal super villain laugh.

Powerhouse said, "Why coffee grounds?"

"That should be obvious," said the Silver Medal. "This is Seattle. If it were Boise, I would have used potato flakes. And don't think you will defeat me Powerhouse for I am the Silver Medal and I have matched wits with Earth's greatest heroes. Two weeks ago, I challenged that fat private detective Neil Worthington."

"And you defeated him?"

"I almost did. And a month before that, I went toe to toe with Miss Invisible."

"Oh she emailed me about this. You used the android that looks like here and hired it out as Miss Invisible for a modeling job and then used it to steal half a million dollars in designer original clothes. Miss Invisible caught you and got the clothes back."

The Silver Medal put up a finger. "But I almost defeated her. And two months before that I was in Europe and I tangled with Captain France."

"But you defeated Captain France, right?"

"I almost defeated him. As you can see, with all the heroes I've faced your case is most hopeless."

Powerhouse wrinkled his brow. "It seems me that you just lose to a bunch of people."

The Silver Medal scowled. "The Silver Medal does not lose! The Silver Medal finishes second. It all goes back to my High School Days. The one time my father was proud of me. " He touched his Silver Medal. "I won this Silver Medal at the Nebraska State Games in the long jump when I was eighteen and it defined my life. I am the Silver Medal and now you will die."